AR 15 questions from a total noob

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dirtybarry

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I'm a total noob when it comes to the intricacies of AR15's so please forgive me if these questions seem stupid.

First batch is about bolt carrier groups. I get that there are a zillion manufacturers, qualities and prices. My questions are whether or not the M16 style fits and works in a semi-auto gun and are they legal to purchase and use? And why do they cost less than the semi-auto style? Is there a difference in accuracy or durability?

Second batch is about charging handles, they seem expensive for what they are, is there some magic that I'm missing. Are there brands to stay away from?

Third batch is about 80% lower receivers. Is there some other advantage to finishing one? Because they seem to cost an awful lot more than a finished one which seems weird. Are they used to make custom competition type guns? I'm thinking like ported and polished cylinder heads or are they more for the hiding in the bunker types?

And finally the fourth batch about triggers. These seem like simple parts, what makes brand Q worth several times more than brand X? And could a brand X be polished, coated etc to equal or come close to a brand Q?
 
M16 bolt carriers work 100% with semi-auto guns. There is no difference in function in using a M16 bolt in a semi auto gun - the only difference is the weight. The M16 bolt is slightly heavier than the semi bolt and thus slows down the cycling action - too quick of an action can result in jams, extraction issues, ejection issues and feed issues. This sometimes can occur with short barrels.

In terms of quality of bolts - you should be looking for a good quality steel - typically 158 carpenter steel. Many quality bolts are Magnetically Particle Inspected (MPI) which means they are scanned for flaws in the steel. Some bolts are coated with Nickel Boron reduces the drag/friction of the bolt action (ie a smoother cycle)

A charging handle is about ergonomics - some people find that racking the CH on an AR is awkward, especially with gloves. Companies like BCM and AXTS provide modifications to the charging handle to allow for easier or ambidextrous manipulation of the charging handle - a bigger handle, or easier to grab.

An 80% lower is not a firearm. The "pocket" where the fire control has not been complete and certain things have not been finished off. They are popular in the US as they exist without being serialized and traced with the ATF through a 4473 as long the person who completes the firearm does not transfer it to another person. In Canada a person who completes a 80% firearm MUST register it with the Canadian Firearms Centre upon finishing or is subject to being in possession of a unregistered restricted firearm.

There many quality aftermarket triggers - Geissele, Timney, CMC, HiperTouch, ALG - all have great reputations with Geissele being the "gold standard". With most quality aftermarket triggers, there is a significant amount of time spent on dimensions, fit and polish. The breaks on all quality triggers are typically like "snapping a glass rod", crisp and definitive without grit or creep. Milspec triggers should be in the neighbourhood of 4.5-lbs, but we've seen up to 6 to 8 lb plus on 2nd and 3rd tier AR parts with all sorts of grittiness and trigger creep.

The AR is a incredibly modular platform, you can put cheap parts, or you can put expensive parts, it's really your choice.

What we've found is that you get what you pay for.
 
I like the OP's enthusiasm. Having tried to build up No.4 Lee Enfield rifles from sporterized examples, I can say rifle rebuilding is not without its troubles. For example, I have tried to learn which of the choices of interchangeable parts are more or most appropriate for my rifles. A British part or a Savage marked part will fit a Canadian Long Branch rifle, but neither is as appropriate as a Canadian LB marked part. Yes, I have had to learn which exceptions are acceptable. That knowledge comes from books and studying the interwebs. There is an equal learning process when working on M1 Garands. Yes, parts fit, but what is the right part.

My second lesson in firearms rebuilding is, not everything fits or functions as effortlessly as you hope. Sometimes parts need to be filed or smoothed before they can be accepted. Milspec inspection standards only mean they pass a range of tolerances. As firearms students well know, most military firearms are loose and sloppy even when new. A commercial maker might choose to produce their rifles to one end or the other of those ranges which necessitates handfitting. Is the OP prepared to do this?
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
I like the OP's enthusiasm. Having tried to build up No.4 Lee Enfield rifles from sporterized examples, I can say rifle rebuilding is not without its troubles. For example, I have tried to learn which of the choices of interchangeable parts are more or most appropriate for my rifles. A British part or a Savage marked part will fit a Canadian Long Branch rifle, but neither is as appropriate as a Canadian LB marked part. Yes, I have had to learn which exceptions are acceptable. That knowledge comes from books and studying the interwebs. There is an equal learning process when working on M1 Garands. Yes, parts fit, but what is the right part.

My second lesson in firearms rebuilding is, not everything fits or functions as effortlessly as you hope. Sometimes parts need to be filed or smoothed before they can be accepted. Milspec inspection standards only mean they pass a range of tolerances. As firearms students well know, most military firearms are loose and sloppy even when new. A commercial maker might choose to produce their rifles to one end or the other of those ranges which necessitates handfitting. Is the OP prepared to do this?
Click to expand...

Absolutely, I have a mechanical and machining background and lots of experience with race cars. If you want to see how stuff doesn't fit out of the box, that's the field to be in.
Everything and I do mean everything needs some kind of massaging or fitting. All part of the joy.
 
ctcs pretty much nailed it.

The only things I would add are, be careful taking advice from owners of individual samples of brands/makes, as some tend to have an emotional and financial attachment to their choice of what we call "just as good as" guns.

The same thing goes for many gun magazines, especially where the article is interspersed with adverts from the company that loaned their product to the reviewer, and especially the websites of certain manufacturers or retailers that carry their products, as some of their claims are a little thin when it comes to technical details, and use jargon to hide the fact that their product is not all they say it is.

Stick with known manufacturers of quality products, and look at forums populated by professional users and recognized industry professionals.

Regards.

Mark
 
dirtybarry said:
I'm a total noob when it comes to the intricacies of AR15's so please forgive me if these questions seem stupid.

First batch is about bolt carrier groups. I get that there are a zillion manufacturers, qualities and prices. My questions are whether or not the M16 style fits and works in a semi-auto gun and are they legal to purchase and use? And why do they cost less than the semi-auto style? Is there a difference in accuracy or durability?

Second batch is about charging handles, they seem expensive for what they are, is there some magic that I'm missing. Are there brands to stay away from?

Third batch is about 80% lower receivers. Is there some other advantage to finishing one? Because they seem to cost an awful lot more than a finished one which seems weird. Are they used to make custom competition type guns? I'm thinking like ported and polished cylinder heads or are they more for the hiding in the bunker types?

And finally the fourth batch about triggers. These seem like simple parts, what makes brand Q worth several times more than brand X? And could a brand X be polished, coated etc to equal or come close to a brand Q?
Click to expand...

I believe that full auto (M16) carriers are superior to semi auto carriers. Older style semi auto carriers left the bolt unshrouded allowing the hammer to contact areas of the firing pin which were not meant to be impacted causing firing pin damage.
M16 bolts are also slightly heavier so that slows down the cyclic rate slightly as others have already stated.
These are things to look for when purchasing a quality bolt carrier group.

Milspec Carpenter No. 158® steel
HPT Bolt (High Pressure Tested/ Proof)
MPI Bolt (Magnetic Particle Inspected)
Shot Peened Bolt
Chrome Lined Carrier (AUTO)
Chrome Lined Gas Key
Gas Key Hardened to USGI Specifications
Grade 8 Hardened Fasteners
Key Staked Per Mil-Spec
Tool Steel Extractor
M4 Extractor Spring
Black Extractor Insert

Virtually everyone will tell you that the best ambidextrous charging handle is the AXTS Raptor and I agree.
I'm not really a fan of ambidextrous charging handles because I don't really see the need for one so I choose the BCM gunfighter (single sided) Mod 3 is large latch, Mod 4 is medium latch, and Mod 5 is small latch.

I have a few Geissele triggers and they are great triggers with many options in either single or 2 stage.
Sometimes you may not want or need to spend $300-$400 on a trigger so a good compromise is the ALG ACT trigger which has a mil spec pull weight without the grittiness.
 
Awesome advice and feed back, thank you all very much.

The comment from MWL is so applicable to car stuff it's scary. I have thrown junk that was "the best stuff that money can buy" literally out the door.
A good example is brakes pads, I tried 4 sets of Hawk super wazoo race pads, they sucked so hard. The best pads I ever used in the Solo 1 car were NAPA Extreme Duty for only 1/4 the cost.
 
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