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About 15 years ago I was working in a gun shop 20 miles south of Washington, D.C. in Northern Virginia. A guy came in one day with a wood stock and triangle hand guards for an M16. He claimed that some branch of the military was considering using them back in the mid-1960's, but they didn't go for it and he ended up with a set. He was asking $100 for them, and they didn't look like some handmade junk. Anybody ever heard/seen any of these?
I know brownells has a wood stock set for the m16 style rifle. If you havent done so you could check on there and see if they look the same. Might be a place to start anyway.
apparently RRA is making or distributing wood furniture... http://www.rockriverarms.com/index.c...ategory_id=393
there's another company that's making much nicer (IMO) wood AR furniture... kind of a retro style like you describe, and i actually really like it on a retro AR... but i can't seem to find the website now. we've had at least two threads on it here on M4C- maybe try searching for 'ar15 wood furniture set'
Ironwood Designs makes ar furniture too.
I've seen the ones that have been made lately. I was wondering about a set from the 1960's.
got a pic? i really dont think there were really any mass produced sets back then- probably just custom, limited examples/prototypes.Quote:
Originally Posted by dolf
as far as the military considering going from synthetic to wood- i'm not an AR historian like some guys on this board, but i highly doubt that was ever a reality.
AFIK, wood never made an appearance on the AR-15 or the M16 in an official capacity.
The earliest stocks were a type of bakelite.
I would think it would be HEAVY.
I have seen photos of an M16 captured from Central American rebels that had a set of very nicely done wood triangle handguards, stock, and pistol grip. IIRC, The stocks did not look like jungle workshop carvings. They looked professional but beat up from use.Quote:
Originally Posted by dolf
I would love to know the origin myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by usmcvet
There. Fixed it for you.
H
He was full of it. Never believe anything you hear in a gunshop, is like gun show Navy Seals. Tons of people and companies have made wood furniture for ARs though. There used to be adverts in American Rifleman for them. It's actually a lot less complicated than trying to make an M14 stock set.
The AR-10 furniture set was glass reinforced plastic over a foam core, that was the original brown furniture set. The front handguard was actually conical. This was in 1956. AR-15 is scaled down AR-10, I have a 1958 technical report on a very early one but photocopy is very very bad and I cant see pictures. It's described as "plastic" handguards though.
I cant imagine why they would go and commission wood handguards in the mid '60s. That is about the time they were taking the M14 out of service. That was after the whole product improvement program for the XM16 and they finally settled on the A1 design.
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/...r/P4130026.jpg
If this is what you are talking about the Wood Stock Set was made be Springfield Armory sometime in the 80's.
Yes, stories can get real tall in a gun shop. The guy claimed that the govt. wanted to try wood stocks out, so they made some prototypes, but it didn’t work out. It wasn’t the first “prototype” story that I heard. Lots of govt. stories float around the area here, but very few become true. It did look like the Springfield Armory set pictured above. Sometimes it’s good to be a skeptic. Thanks for all of the good information.
Both fiberglass and wood were used on the first 17 AR15s from Armalite.
Number 000004 had wooden handguards:
http://www.pullig.com/pics/weapons/a...n0000043nq.jpg
Retro Black Rifle
Proof of wooden handguards on 000004 6:06
As far as I know there were never any handguard made for any military though.
In reed knight's personal collection :P
According to technical reports the first one the Air Force tested was 324.
I think Colt had a marine version SP1 with a nickel coating and wood furniture.
I had one of those ... it matched my Portugese AR10 with the aftermarket wood stock and hand guards ...Quote:
Originally Posted by BRAAIJR
very pretty set ... wish I'd kept them , but , $$$ rules and out the shop they went ! :D
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...er/sm_6007.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by AngeredKabar
ColtGuard finish ... no wood , though ...
Saw them in a Colt's catalog , but , never owned one ...
Here's my wooden set:
http://pullig.dyndns.org/pics/weapons/prototype-1.jpg
This old wood set is probably one sold by Springfield Armory in the 1980s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AngeredKabar
That had regular black furniture.
Something about that ... It looks nice it's different and has a real nice look to it, are they going to get stained a different color and a clear in shine or matte.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexSquirrel
TexSquirrel, Can you tell me where you purchased your wooden stock set?
Jason..........
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexSquirrel
Mine is an old IronWood Designs set I picked up off GunBroker.
Here's some post-stained pictures:
http://pullig.dyndns.org/pics/weapons/prototype-19.jpg
http://pullig.dyndns.org/pics/weapons/prototype-11.jpg
http://pullig.dyndns.org/pics/weapons/prototype-10.jpg
http://pullig.dyndns.org/pics/weapons/prototype-17.jpg
That is a really wild looking upper/CH set up!
Forgive me ignorance but enlighten me please, what is it I'm looking at?
Very cool and I think I am gonna try and find a set of these
ironwood designs makes the best looking one I've ever seen in person. Although I'm pretty sure half of it is how you finish it.