Norinco CQ 556 technical questions...last few questions to go!

How are the receivers made? I was pretty sure they were forged. Anyone know for sure?

Forged... it does not have proper safety stops but the mag release gate is there as is the cut out on the front of the mag well.

It is a 1 in 9 twist.

OK... I'm gonna get out my caliper and check some other stuff to complete this.
 
FSB -F stamp - anyone can stamp some thing on the FSB, it is the height of the FSB that matters.

Extractor insert colour - as long as it works who cares, funny thing I heard from Ken Elmore's shop, the colour doesn't make a difference. Take you pick. Noveske runs the blue ones on their carbine.

Double Heat Shield - ok, it contains the heat more. What really matter is the plastic itself, not the number of heat shields....

Taper pin is nice but straight is ok - as long as it is not rollpin. Not sure I like water and moisture get through the center of the roll pins to the underside fo the barrel and FSB myself. Some obviously don't care....

Parkerization under FSB is important if you are going to remove the front handguard cap for FF handguard. Go do some service rifle for a full day and let the thing sit in the bag.......

Type 3 anodization is important - and the preparation of the part before anodization. Wonder why some anodizatoin chips faster than the other.

Twist - it depends on what you need to shoot. If you only shoot 55gr in your life, 1/7 or 1/9 does not make a difference.
 
Forged... it does not have proper safety stops but the mag release gate is there as is the cut out on the front of the mag well.

It is a 1 in 9 twist.

OK... I'm gonna get out my caliper and check some other stuff to complete this.

That is what I thought, but I could have sworn in other threads people talking about "imperfections in the casting".
 
Can you put in a normal safety. (Non-Ambi).
DR

I just took the Ambi out of mine and swapped in a standard safety. The fine thread screw that holds the right side of the safety is held in with bubble gum (or something similar)rather than locktight. As for the safety it has two flat portions one for safe and a much deeper section for fire, wheras a normal AR (at least the 3 I checked) only have one flat section for the fire position....maybe this is a mil spec thing???

Needless to say I was forced to decide weather to file a second flat into the safety or file down the contact point on the trigger. I opted for the $15 safety selector, seems much nicer now...also a good excuse to clean up the rough surfaces of the hammer/sear getting rid of the rough sticky factory trigger pull.
 
I just took the Ambi out of mine and swapped in a standard safety. The fine thread screw that holds the right side of the safety is held in with bubble gum (or something similar)rather than locktight. As for the safety it has two flat portions one for safe and a much deeper section for fire, wheras a normal AR (at least the 3 I checked) only have one flat section for the fire position....maybe this is a mil spec thing???

Needless to say I was forced to decide weather to file a second flat into the safety or file down the contact point on the trigger. I opted for the $15 safety selector, seems much nicer now...also a good excuse to clean up the rough surfaces of the hammer/sear getting rid of the rough sticky factory trigger pull.

Im going to have to try mine again...must have done something wrong..
 
15. Finish under FSB

I removed the FSB this evening and I can confirm that it is indeed parkerized underneath.

I can't confirm anything regarding the pins other than I need to drill them out, as I ruined 2 punches trying to remove them the proper way.


/cl
 
As it stands right now, here is the revised M4 chart including the Norinco.

I make no claims about the validity of any information other than what's in this thread - from the sounds of things Stag should be ranked higher than it is.

But I just inserted the Norinco column, with permission from the original author.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rjAYMz59z9TYw0lvSVCRCXA&output=html
 
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So here is what we need somebody to do:

1) put a set of calipers on the pins in the fire control group and see if they are standard - or I guess swap in a different set of pins and see if the fit changes.

2) Measure an F-stamped FSB and the one on the Norinco, see if it's the right height



If we get those three we'll have information as complete as we're ever likely to have.

Come on, who's got a set of calipers and a couple of ARs to compare?
 
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I think I can help with the buffers.

I have done some extensive research on buffers, and the easiest way tell what you have is to weigh it. If you take a buffer apart you will find 3 weights seperated by ruber/synthetic spacers. It is the weight of these spacers, combined with the nominal weight of the buffer boddy that will deterrimine what buffer you have. The metals used for the internal buffer weight are genreally steel and Tungsten. Buffer weights for AR-15 carbine style buffes will generaly break down like this

Standard (3 steel weights) 3.0 onz

H - (2 steel and 1 Tungsten) 3.8 onz

H2 - ( 1 steel and 2 Tungsten) 4.6 onz

H3 - ( 0 steel and 3 Tungsten) 5.4 onz

This is a general rule of thumb I have found to be quite helpful.

On a personal note, In my carbine builds that have carbine length gas systems I have use H2 buffers very sucssesfully. I do have a carbine leght barrel with a midlength gas system, and plan to expereimetn with an H buffer as that is what Noveske uses in there carbines.

Hope this is helpful.

regards and all the best

AbH
 
Your google link doesn't work - it requires a Google Docs account.

Thanks, for some reason I am incapable of making Google Docs work on the first try, ever. I will fix.

ABHobbyist, that is great info there...I have a precision scale right here...but no Norinco AR!

I am hoping with that info we should be able to get the buffer figured out pretty easily, thanks very much!
 
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