I have a Colt m16 and an ac556. Both are fun toys to play with, especially the ac556 with the .22 conversion kit.
I have a Colt m16 and an ac556. Both are fun toys to play with, especially the ac556 with the .22 conversion kit.
I’m using a Ciener conversion kit. I’ve had no problems getting parts for the kits from JAC.
The rifle itself is fine. No problems whatsoever. The only thing I’ve done was had the rear portion of the flash hider milled down a little bit to accept my HALO suppressor.
As far as parts options, I’m learning in this thread too.
Both of my MG’s have been sidelined because my free range time has been limited and I spend all of my range time shooting pistols keeping my skills sharp.
Last edited by JR1572; 09-27-2018 at 09:15 PM.
To be fair, we're talking about a ~$90 forging with an extra hole in it that costs $20k+ due to arbitrary and pretty nonsensical laws about the funny papers it comes with. I've yet to see someone make less than 15% profit when selling a transferable AR lower regardless of make - let alone sit on it.
I don't see the powers that be curbing the FOPA of '86 anytime soon, so it's a pretty safe investment. As such, I'd encourage you to approach transferables with a very different attitude than simply sneering down at some PSA build on an Anderson lower.
The price on M11/9's have more than doubled from what you paid. Bottom shelf run-hard no box one magazine sort of MAC's are in the $6-6500 range with NIB Powder Springs M10/45's and such going above 8k. Complete with a LAGE or similar uppers and a bunch of magazines, I've seen packages go above 10k.
Yes, it's insane.
@JRB
Fair enough.
Let me ask this then - I’ve heard all sorts of horror stories of out of spec Olympic/non-colt lowers.
How do you drop 20k+ on a lower sight unseen....and be sure it’s dexent?
Registered drop in auto sear (RDIAS) > Registered Colt M16 rifle/receiver > Conversion receivers >>>>>H&K sear packs($$$$!!!)
The M16 is the most versatile full auto platform. You make a belt feed MG (Fightlite); various length and caliber rifles; or a submachine gun with a 9mm mag well conversion and upper.
I rarely shoot my MGs anymore. I break them out to entertain guests or visiting family members. Burning through ammo is not as intellectually rewarding as shooting my pistols.
This may sound sick but part of me hope the 1986 ban never goes away cuz all my investments would be worth shit. That's a lot of money to lose for Freedom!
Here is a website showing the prices for NFA weapons.
I don't know if the prices are accurate.
http://machinegunpriceguide.com/html/machine_guns.html
Colts aside, I've worked on two Sendras and a Franklin, and one Oly. The Oly was my least favorite but it didn't have any spec issues that weren't fixed by an accuwedge. They needed 'working on' mostly because of 10-11in barrels on DI gas with light buffers, so that's an easy parts swap. The Oly had an A2 3rd burst group in it and I swapped it to an A1 Semi/Full group and I didn't have any issues. The mag well on the Oly was a bit tight, but I didn't notice anything else that was wildly out of spec - but I didn't check everything with a caliper, either. I've never seen a transferable AR that had a lower-spec induced malfunction or issue. I have been told, but have never verified, that back in those days the only place making AR lower forgings was making them for Colt as well, which is why most of them were pretty close in spec.
If one just can't abide some GI-style slop between the upper and lower, the best bet is to bring the lower with you to a vendor and test-fit a variety of uppers until you find 'the one' (or several) that fit with no slop just build your own from there. Alternatively, buy a TDP Colt upper, accuwedge as needed, and run as desired with a Colt FCG and correct buffer & spring for that Colt upper.
If you're seeking KAC-levels of fit and finish, you won't find it on pre-86 Colts for the most part, either. Some are tighter than others but with all the other TDP parts readily available (uppers etc) the only significant difference are the markings.
Nonetheless, as far as legal giggle-switch stuff is concerned, an out-of-spec but legal AR lower gives you a LOT of options that are basically unmatched by any other transferable. An HK sear pack is really the only possible competition and obviously it's significantly more expensive.
Governor Thomas Nelson, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and Commander of the Virginia Military not only financed a hell of a lot of the Virginia Military out of his own pocket for the Revolutionary War, but from 1779-1780 he took out loans from sympathizers who wouldn't loan the money to the Continental Congress for the war effort, but would loan it to him. He eventually paid off all of those debts with his own money.
During the battle of Yorktown in 1781, British troops seized Governor Nelson's own mansion. His troops avoided firing on the mansion at first, even though they knew the higher British leadership including Lord Cornwallis were headquartered there. When he discovered that, he directed his men to fire on his own mansion and is rumored to have offered a reward to the first man that hit it. Two higher ranking British officers were rumored to have died sitting at his own dining table when a cannon round came through the roof and exploded in the dining room.
General Washington would accept the surrender of Lord Cornwallis and the British troops a few weeks thereafter. Stories like Governor Nelson's aren't all that uncommon - many wealthy men that had every reason to back the British and stay rich and powerful instead chose freedom and many lost their fortunes and their lives in the process. Washington's Immortals are buried ignominiously under some garage or parking lot in Brooklyn now despite having likely saved the early days of the Revolutionary War, and many of them were wealthy and came from wealthy families.
This may make me sound like an asshole, but if you're more worried about losing some tens of thousands of dollars than you are worried about the ever-tightening noose of bullshit around our Constitutional rights, perhaps you should sell them while the selling is good. Especially if they're not much more to you than expensive party favors to entertain friends and guests.
As the owner of transferables, I'd be delighted if my ~$14k UZI was a $400 range toy tomorrow. I'd see it as a small price to pay for genuine progress.
Last edited by JRB; 09-28-2018 at 01:07 PM.
@JRB
In retrospect, it probably be well worth it to lose it all. However, realistically I will probably never have to worry about it happening in my lifetime no matter how much money I give to politicians, lobbyists and organizations.
To the OP, I would save more to get the THE gun you really want if you can.
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After seeing thensuggestions here. that’s what I’m leaning toward. Seems like any purchase I try to make on the budget I was willing/able to allocate, is going to be a compromise.
I’m thinking that in the world of toys, the Kitfox (airplane) next year is probably a more worthwhile pursuit....