Another newbi here, does anybody ever order these supposed Gi kits and get faulty or worn out parts ?? Or would most agree that the parts u get in these kits are a step above what u will find in any stock norc or SA M1a standard ? I really want to get into the M1a/m14 platform, just not sure on the route id take yet. But may pick up a kit just so the build a m1a option remains available.
It's a roll of the dice. Most people don't own gauges and even worn parts often function acceptably for the average shooter, but to be frank, I've worked on quite a few of these kits now, and I often encounter worn out parts.
When building a kit for MYSELF, I typically get a good rifle for every TWO kits, but I won't use a worn out part iaw specifications, whereas many shooter are happy to carry on in blissful ignorance and many builders only check headspace when they slap kits onto receivers unless the owner asks for additional services.
Parts I see that are often unacceptably worn in Israeli kits include:
-Bolts with overly worn lugs (maybe 10%?)
-Gas cylinders (maybe 30% of them I gauge are worn out)
-Springs - nearly 100% are worn out
-gas pistons - half are rejected by me
-triggers and hammers - maybe a 10-20% reject rate
-barrels - I reject over 60% of the kit barrels with throat erosion abd/or muzzle cord wear
-flash hiders - I reject about 25% for excessive gas cutting wear on the vents near the outer end
-stocks - I reject almost all of them as beyond economical repair
-trigger housings - 50% reject rate for worn action mating splines
-roll pins - virtually a 100% reject rate
-op rods - 50% of them needs tabs re-built, which is a $100+ repair.
