Making do with Sub-par ARs

[rob_s]

At the risk of this turning into an outright love fest, I'll give a significant level of credit to the OP for NOT getting all high-BP REEEEEE when the answer didn't come back as expected. Another reason I prefer this place over some more specific forums.

It was pretty amusing to me to read through the thread on the other forum that I linked to. It seems to have gone on for something like 4 year! The first few pages there were one or two in particular super-whiny folks, and then later on even a "Delta Sierra" that I'm pretty sure was actually our own "Alpha Sierra" (RIP?). I had no idea his butthurt went back that far.

As for the OP, make some minor tweaks if you like. personally I'd shoot the shit out of the gun, ammo/time/money/covid allowing and fix what breaks. Keep your pistol in your nightstand in the meantime (assuming it's a Glock )

[Kram]

Wow, almost 13 years ago...

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...w-better!-quot

I am still sending that article along with "Go shoot the gun" to guys. With the amount of AR manufactures and crap available those articles are more useful then ever.

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...SHOOT-THE-GUN!

[Wake27]

I have a beater PSA upper thay was $200 that I bought after I had enough serious ARs that I was willing to gamble. It’s got over 1,100 of both brass and steel without an issue and groups surprisingly well at 50m. With the castle nut staked, I’m content to have quality spare BCG parts (has rings, can pin, bolt, and firing pin) and that’s it.

I agree with the others that with the round count you have on it, I wouldn’t worry too much until you can dump the whole thing, if you choose to do so. Just keep a spare BCG or everything minus the carrier for insurance and you’ll probably be solid for a while.

That said, have you grouped it at 100m?


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[Elwin]

I have a beater PSA upper thay was $200 that I bought after I had enough serious ARs that I was willing to gamble. It’s got over 1,100 of both brass and steel without an issue and groups surprisingly well at 50m. With the castle nut staked, I’m content to have quality spare BCG parts (has rings, can pin, bolt, and firing pin) and that’s it.

I agree with the others that with the round count you have on it, I wouldn’t worry too much until you can dump the whole thing, if you choose to do so. Just keep a spare BCG or everything minus the carrier for insurance and you’ll probably be solid for a while.

That said, have you grouped it at 100m?


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Accuracy is one place where I have no complaints. It printed under 1.5" at 100yd (with an accuracy nut friend's meticulous handloads). Ruger can definitely make an accurate rifle, even if they can't stake anything.

[HCM]

Timely.

[LittleLebowski]

I agree with the common sentiment, your rifles are fine. Check the gas key staking (easily remedied for $6.49), get ona schedule for replacing springs, check your extractor spring setup (again, cheaply fixed), and enjoy the rifles. If you feel compelled to upgrade them, consider an adjustable gas block, heavier buffer, and...a suppressor or two

[Nephrology]

That is exactly why I'm here and not somewhere else.

Everything said here makes sense. I think I may look at just fixing the Ruger's staking and otherwise leave everything as-is for now, and then consider offloading the Stag upper and other parts for a price that gets me into a bargain on an upper I want. Down the line I'll eventually have the funds for a better lower, etc. It's not a complete lack of funds for rifles, it's just that it's only a bit here and there if I'm to avoid cutting into my pistol training and ammo, which are a much higher priority. Good options for getting the best out of everything in the meantime is exactly what I needed.

To be honest, a lower is a lower is a lower. If you've staked the castle nut, the trigger works and mags drop free, I don't see any real reason to "upgrade" at all. All the important functional parts - basically the trigger, buffer and buffer spring - can be replaced with ease. I wouldn't bother buying a newer, "better" lower unless you really want a different rollmark that badly.

Re: the uppers, at the roundcounts that you have through them they're also probably good to go. Can't imagine they were poorly assembled if they made it that far. The most likely failure point on your upper (not including optics/accessories) would be the BCG and related components. Even in the coronapocalpyse you can still get a an assembled Toolcraft BCG for ~$100 - way cheaper than horse trading into a new gun. So long as they both are accurate enough for you, I don't think I'd change a thing myself.

I also have a cheap, shitty PSA 11.5" upper. It groups quite acceptably at 50 and 100yd and feeds/fires/extracts steel and brass case ammo just fine. Plan to shoot it til the barrel dies, then send it to ADCO for a replacement.

[Gray Ghost]

I agree with others who say that given the round count, the guns you have are likely to keep on running for a while. That said, if you want to do something, below are my thoughts.

I had not previously heard that Ruger doesn't stake the gas keys on their bolt carriers. I have never had a failure related to an AR gas key coming loose, but conventional wisdom is that this is a potential point of failure. I'd buy a good BCG for the Ruger. If the castle nut isn't staked, that is important, but easily remedied. I would do those two things and maybe focus on the Ruger as your primary gun for now.

I am not keen on the 80% DIY lower for any serious use. I'd strip the receiver extension, buffer, stock, and trigger group from that and put those parts in another lower. Then maybe sell your Stag upper and start saving for a factory upper from BCM or DD. I'll point out that DD Mk18 uppers are on sale at Brownells right now for a very attractive price.

Another approach is to sell the Ruger and the Stag upper, then use the resulting funds to buy one rifle. The Colt 6920 and 6721 are a bargain for what you get. When the current craziness ebbs, you should be able to buy either for under $1000. One additional thought along that line would be a Colt Expanse. It is basically an M4 marked 16" Colt with a crappy MIM trigger group. I bought one a few years ago to use as the base for a Mk12 SPR build. I replaced the trigger group with a Geissele anyway. Given that you have a nice trigger, in your 80% lower that you could use, you could maybe make a value play. There are several Expanse rifles NIB on GB for $1K.

[Elwin]

I am not keen on the 80% DIY lower for any serious use.

This is where I'm at when it comes to getting into another lower, eventually. Whether that means buying an assembled one or stripping parts from the 80% I'll figure out when I get there. It's not a huge priority, but in a two-person household and with multiple family members in the area, a second GTG defensive rifle is at least a "nice to have." But like I said before, first things first means having one that I'm happy with.

The Ruger BCGs are technically "staked," but not in an effective way. My pessimistic assumption is that its sole purpose is allowing them to mention staking on the specs list.

More good advice all. Unsurprisingly there's more than one valid approach. If I can sell the Stag upper and parts for enough to get into a Colt upper, that'll be cool (and at least part the motivation here certainly is "because I want one" and actually like the ergonomics of carbine FSB uppers). If not and in the meantime, I know a few ways to keep the Ruger up to the task with minimal expense.

[TGS]

You can get a BCM 14.5" or 16" FSB upper for $540 (sans BCG and CH).

Given that, I'd have a hard time buying a Colt over the BCM offering. One company is just a patent investment firm that waxes and wanes and simply follows the money trail (as does their quality)....the other is a company dedicated to building a quality AR-15 because they want to build quality AR15s, and their owner is personally invested in the concept of the 2nd Amendment.