Current assessment of FN Military Collector M16A4?

[3ACR_Scout]

I followed this discussion a couple years ago when the FN Military Collectors series M4 and M16A4 were announced, which wrapped up with a couple assessments of the two rifles, including a lot of disappointment that they didn’t live up to expectations about them being true replicas of the military issue weapons:

FN Military Collector Series (M4 and M16A4)

Ignoring the issues with the roll mark / text that’s engraved on the lower receiver, can anyone provide some current feedback on the M16A4? I’ve heard that they produced another batch that corrected the selector markings, so I’m curious if any other updates may have been done to the rifle. What I’m mainly interested in is whether the internal components, stock, barrel, BCG, and other parts are good quality, even if no one can confirm if they match the MILSPEC. I’m familiar with the whole TDP conversation, but it seems unlikely to me that FN would go to all the trouble to use completely different internal components, furniture, etc. Even if they did, how do FN’s commercial parts, such as their lower internal parts, FCG, etc. in their FN15 series measure up to other brands?

Two specific questions: (1) Does this FN model have M4 feed ramps and barrel extension; and (2) does the buttstock have a plastic buttplate as I saw reported somewhere?

Where I’m going with this is that I carried an FN M16A4 briefly on a deployment and would like to have a clone of that rifle with as many FN parts as possible. I’d be willing to replace things that aren’t quite right in order to stick with FN as the basis for it. I can get a little better deal on it through FN’s military / LE discount program. The one thing I’d like to replace eventually to go all out on the clone would be to find an actual FNMI stamped 20” barrel, which I know were available a few years ago through surplus sources but may be hard to track down now. I believe the Military Collector rifle comes with just the cage code on the barrel.

Thanks for any feedback you all can offer!

[pingdork]

I recently bought a FN15 20” AR. Not the Mil collector version. It has m4 feedramps, F marked front sight base, plastic hanguards. Overall the rifle looks good, staking on gas key is good, parkerizing looks well done. I haven’t checked the extractor spring yet. Only shot it one day so far, burned through 200 rounds fairly fast and it was a pleasure to shoot. Very soft and ejection was consistent 4 o’clock. After I zeroed the carry handle at 25m I was able to shoot a 20 round group at 100yds in a 5-6” circle with Xm193. For my old, extremely nearsighted/ astigmatism eyes I was very pleased I could get that group when all I could do was center the post up at the bottom of the blurry fuzz that was my target down range


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[Iraqgunz]

Follow the link and you can actually see some detailed pics of the current rifle on the FN site. It mirrors one that I saw locally. Selector issues and other markings seem to have been addressed.

https://fnamerica.com/products/rifle...collector-m16/

I followed this discussion a couple years ago when the FN Military Collectors series M4 and M16A4 were announced, which wrapped up with a couple assessments of the two rifles, including a lot of disappointment that they didn’t live up to expectations about them being true replicas of the military issue weapons:

FN Military Collector Series (M4 and M16A4)

Ignoring the issues with the roll mark / text that’s engraved on the lower receiver, can anyone provide some current feedback on the M16A4? I’ve heard that they produced another batch that corrected the selector markings, so I’m curious if any other updates may have been done to the rifle. What I’m mainly interested in is whether the internal components, stock, barrel, BCG, and other parts are good quality, even if no one can confirm if they match the MILSPEC. I’m familiar with the whole TDP conversation, but it seems unlikely to me that FN would go to all the trouble to use completely different internal components, furniture, etc. Even if they did, how do FN’s commercial parts, such as their lower internal parts, FCG, etc. in their FN15 series measure up to other brands?

Two specific questions: (1) Does this FN model have M4 feed ramps and barrel extension; and (2) does the buttstock have a plastic buttplate as I saw reported somewhere?

Where I’m going with this is that I carried an FN M16A4 briefly on a deployment and would like to have a clone of that rifle with as many FN parts as possible. I’d be willing to replace things that aren’t quite right in order to stick with FN as the basis for it. I can get a little better deal on it through FN’s military / LE discount program. The one thing I’d like to replace eventually to go all out on the clone would be to find an actual FNMI stamped 20” barrel, which I know were available a few years ago through surplus sources but may be hard to track down now. I believe the Military Collector rifle comes with just the cage code on the barrel.

Thanks for any feedback you all can offer!

[heavygunner8]

I recently bought a FN15 20” AR. Not the Mil collector version. It has m4 feedramps, F marked front sight base, plastic hanguards. Overall the rifle looks good, staking on gas key is good, parkerizing looks well done. I haven’t checked the extractor spring yet. Only shot it one day so far, burned through 200 rounds fairly fast and it was a pleasure to shoot. Very soft and ejection was consistent 4 o’clock. After I zeroed the carry handle at 25m I was able to shoot a 20 round group at 100yds in a 5-6” circle with Xm193. For my old, extremely nearsighted/ astigmatism eyes I was very pleased I could get that group when all I could do was center the post up at the bottom of the blurry fuzz that was my target down range


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Where did you buy your FN15 20"? They're out of stock everywhere, I"ve been trying to find one.

[pingdork]

Where did you buy your FN15 20"? They're out of stock everywhere, I"ve been trying to find one.

LGS in Tacoma happened to have one. I was there to buy some 30-30 ammo they had for cheap, walked out with the rifle. Been on the hunt for a 20” for a long time. Don’t see them available online that often


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[3ACR_Scout]

Follow the link and you can actually see some detailed pics of the current rifle on the FN site. It mirrors one that I saw locally. Selector issues and other markings seem to have been addressed.

https://fnamerica.com/products/rifle...collector-m16/

The first photo (right side) shows that the selector says “SEMI” above it, but the third position (BURST) seems to missing. The other views still show SAFE FIRE AUTO. I can also still make out the “FN15 RIFLE” in the roll mark, which a bunch of people complained about when it was released. Glad to hear that the one you saw in person has been updated though.

[Hammer_Man]

I have read online that FN's AR15s are not built to mil spec, because legal reasons surrounding use of the TDP. Does anybody know where these guns differ from the TDP?

[3ACR_Scout]

That’s where I was going in the OP - there have been tons of discussions about how no commercial rifles except Colt’s can be truly MILSPEC because they can’t legally use the TDP, but I’m not sure how that is implemented in actual practice. Do manufacturers like FN deliberately change the metal they use for the FCG, for example, do they intentially change the shape of the hammer, or do they simply use parts from the same vendors that perhaps aren’t tested in the same way to ensure that they meet the MILSPEC. Is this Military Collector M16A4 essentially the same rifle internally, but it hasn’t gone through the same testing?

This comparison video shows how the FN rifle is missing the markings on the BCG that are required by the government contract. Is that the only difference?

Making an M16A4 Clone Rifle

That’s what I was hoping to get more information about. Most of the original comments about this rifle centered around the writing on the lower receiver and the one comment I mentioned about the stock having a plastic buttplate. Is there really any difference in the material, design, and specs of the parts used in this commercial rifle vs. the military M16A4? I’m not sure we could tell without disassembling the two of them side by side and doing some thorough tests on the materials used to make the components.

[Eurodriver]

I would buy an FN M16A4 clone regardless of TDP-ness if they didn’t go retarded-ness in the rollmarks.

That’s why you buy a clone. So it says “Safe/Semi/Burst”.

Not “CAL556x45NATO” or whatever the **** is on that abortion.

Why can’t they write M16 on it too instead of FN15 RIFLE?

Total fail. And on my mobile device all the pics still show SAFE/FIRE

[3ACR_Scout]

I may deal with the incorrect markings by using an 80% lower. Here’s a closeup of the first photo that appears in the FN website listing - you can see that it says SEMI over the selector but is missing the BURST:

https://www.ammoland.com/wp-content/...fle.jpg?ff3838

I’m guessing they aren’t being produced like that, and the photo is wrong for some reason.