M16a1 parts kit

[dpaqu]

I bought a M16a1 colt parts kit with a new barrel from copes for 450$ I have to mount the gas block and figure out how to park the barrel but otherwise it should go together like legos. Anyone else put one of these together? I wish it came with the original 1x12 or 1x14 twist barrels. That would be better for CB and its not like this is going to Camp Perry or something were I would want to shoot the heavy stuff in it.

I will take pictures of it as soon as it arives.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Looks like a descent way to get a classic style rifle I went through basic with.

[AZ-Stew]

There is one place where you want a special tool for assembling the lower receiver parts. The forward hinge pin holding the upper and lower receiver together has a detent and spring that are close to impossible to assemble without the tool. Spend the extra few bucks to get one and buy an extra couple of detent pins and springs. There are four or five of them somewhere in my shop that I haven't found over the last two years since I built my lower. When those little devils get away from you, there's no finding them unless you're in a 4x4x4 capsule when they spring loose.

Get the tool and get a couple extra springs and detent pins. They're cheap.

Regards,

Stew

[mike in co]

consdier drilling and tapping the front sight base for small set screws....and then install it that way....
once you can see the screw marks on the bbl, try putting some small flats there....dremel..mill.drill press..and then use the set screws to level the base...


mike in co

[AlaskaMike]

Wow, I'm jealous! Everyone else can have their M4 style rifles with reflex sights and other tacticool garbage--give me a Colt SP1 or M16A1 rifle with a teardrop forward assist and triangle style handguard, and I'd feel like I died and went to heaven! That's the black rifle I lusted after as a kid.

Please do post pics when you get it assembled.

[82nd airborne]

consdier drilling and tapping the front sight base for small set screws....and then install it that way....
once you can see the screw marks on the bbl, try putting some small flats there....dremel..mill.drill press..and then use the set screws to level the base...


mike in co

Mike speaks the truth here. I have a thorough disdain for roll pins.

[dpaqu]

consdier drilling and tapping the front sight base for small set screws....and then install it that way....
once you can see the screw marks on the bbl, try putting some small flats there....dremel..mill.drill press..and then use the set screws to level the base...

It sounds like a great idea. What size tap should I use? Should I just look for screws from a McMaster-Carr catalog?

Stew do you have a link for that tool your talking about?

Thanks

[richbug]

It sounds like a great idea. What size tap should I use? Should I just look for screws from a McMaster-Carr catalog?

Stew do you have a link for that tool your talking about?

Thanks

Regular 8-32 set screws are fine. Any hardware store will have them. Doing it this way allows your to get he front sight indexed perfectly by shooting and adjusting before you make it permanent.

No special tolls are needed to assemble the lower. A set of pin punches are nice to have though, but you can make your own out of a bolt. A razor blade works well to hold the spring and detent for the front pin.

A barrel vise or a good bench vise with a set of "V" blocks to hold the barrel, and a wrench for the barrel nut are all you need.

[82nd airborne]

Use electrical tape to tape around holes so you dont mar the finish getting all those pins in.

[NickSS]

Souns like a good project. I have looked at these kits myself but have not decided to buy one or not. A few years ago I bought an M1 from the CMP and its gas cylinder was all shinny so I wanted to make it more like the originals. I found out that they are stainless and were originally painted with a high temp paint. So I bought some bake on paint finish from Midway that advertized a parkerized colored paint. After degreasing the cylinder I painted it them baked it in the oven for the recommended time and temperature. Its been in use now for the past five years and no wear or scratches to show for the use. You might consider this stuff for finishing your barrel.

[HATCH]

go to www.nodakspud.com
get a sp1 retro receiver.
it will look right with those kits

[Jailer]

Do you own a FA lower? I can't see a sear in that pic you posted but I do see a FA hammer and possibly FA selector (hard to tell in pic). I'd be careful possessing these parts if you don't already own a registered FA lower. Parts from a FA trigger group in a semi auto lower could land you a trip to club fed if it is ever discovered.

As for the front detent no special tools are needed. Find anything round about the same diameter as the pivot pin. I use a pin from a broken window crank just because it was the right size and it was rolling around in my desk but even a small bolt would work. We'll call it a pilot. Insert your pilot into the pivot on the lower receiver from left to right until it's almost all the way through. Insert your detent spring and detent into the hole in the receiver. Depress the detent and as you do this push your pilot the rest of the way through and it will hold the detent in. Grab your pivot pin and line it up with your pilot making sure the channel is facing the depressed detent. Push the pivot pin in from right to left pushing the pilot through and it will capture the detent and keep it from flying across the room. Whatever you choose to use as a pilot will work best if it has a flat face so you can butt the pilot and pivot pin together as you are pushing them through.

Sounds complicated but once you try it you'll see how easy it is and you'll never launch another detent across the room.

[zomby woof]

Front sight modifications to barrel on page two.

http://www.gswagner.com/arsight/arsightmods2.html

[nicholst55]

A full-auto hammer can be easily modified, by simply grinding off the 'hook' on the tip. The back end of the full-auto trigger can be spot welded so that a full-auto disconnector's 'tail' can't fit into it. The FA selector is best replaced, because it's more trouble to modify it than what the cost of a replacement is worth.

The full-auto bolt carrier is not an issue, so don't worry about that.

[cajun shooter]

I have built many of those black rifles as I was a company level armorer in the army and as a instructor with the police dept. Those parts are the (I'm in DS parts) hammer, safety with R&R position, bolt carrier,trigger and you have the idea. At one time in the late 80's early 90's you could own and fire a rifle with these parts as long as the lower was not drilled or slotted for a drop in. ATF agents used our range to check many cases. If it would R&R then the owner had some time with 3hots and a cot. If it would not R&R then the rifle was returned. I understand that if the rifle contains any of the parts now it is a no no.

[derek45]

I built an M16A1 replica




and a Colt 653 Car-15 replica




both have surplus 1:12 Colt barrels.
the CAR-15 is a real 14.5" with a permanently mounted extended flash suppressor to make it a legal 16"


ar15.com has a good board on "retro" AR15's
http://www.ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=3&f=123

[home in oz]

Neat project

[JIMinPHX]

I really haven't messed with black rifles, so I don't know much about them at all. I just wanted to ask a question here. I saw a S&W M&P version of an AR in a sporting goods store the other day for about $750. With prices like that on the market now, is it worth the bother of building one from parts? Is there some advantage to building one other than the price savings? Or is it just like casting boolits? Some of us just do it because we like the challenge & like honing our craftsmanship.

[Moonie]

JIMinPHX, one of my sons and I built one, well technically we didn't build it entirely, we got a stripped lower and a kit that included the built upper and the parts to build the lower. Cost us $640 for everything.

I also built my own upper in 6.8 SPC. That upper I built piece by piece, every part hand picked and exactly what I wanted. I have about as much in that upper as we spent on the rifle itself.

Granted the 6.8 upper is of much higher quality, but both work great.

We did it not so much for the cost savings but because we could.

[Phillip]

Same here, I built a 16" with a collapsible stock for 625$. It is a civilian copy of the M4. All of the parts are top named since I took my time in waiting for sales.

I am also building a A4 for CMP shooting. I figure it will about 800$ into it by the time I am done with getting all of the parts for it.