Best SHTF AR15/M4 Platform for Durability/Reliability and what spare parts?

[Washington]

Hello gentlemen. I'm new to the forum so I'll quickly introduce myself. I am a history professor and long time gun enthusiast. I'm proud to bear the "Washington" name as my handle on this website, I will use it in good health rest assured. I have spent a lot of time reading on your forums and have not found the answers to my questions so I figured I would ask directly.

Anyway, onto business. I have quite a collection of AR-15/M4 rifles that I have amassed over the years. I have taken about a dozen tactical operator classes from a local training agency. I've become fairly confident in my ability to shoot a plethora of rifles under most conditions (other than of course being shot at lol).

It is my nature to always be prepared, and in the event of a SHTF scenario such as: financial meltdown resulting in mass riots/looting, foreign military invasion, or even armed domestic insurrection I need to know some things.

Here are my questions numbered for ease of viewing:


1. What AR15/M4 platform/brand/model would be the most durable, reliable, and trustworthy in times of absolute life and death. I have quite a large budget, so money is no option. Considerations here include ability to sustain heavy amounts of ammunition being thrown downrange without MINIMIZED chance of major mechanical malfunction or damage, as well as being practical for part interchangeability in case of the need to scavenge (HK416 is out of the question for this reason).

2. What part(s) would you recommend to have on hand besides the usual cleaning tools, extra magazines/ammo, mag lula, and various optics? I currently have 2 Bushnell trophy red dots, and a cheapo holographic that I don't much care for. Any other suggestions for extra equipment to have? (Different optics, bolts, firing pins, etc)

3. Should I decide to keep a 7.62x39 on hand for ammo scavenging purposes, what would be the MOST reliable and user-friendly rifle of this type? I am new to the AK platform, so I will need good suggestions here. Furthermore, what parts/accessories for this would be advantageous?


Lastly, I was considering buying a Stag Arms ST2T Plus Package and mounting an EOTECH 512 on top to co-witness the midwest rear flip sight w/ standard front post. Is this a good rifle for the purposes I illustrated above? Furthermore will the EOTECH 512 cowitness the stock sights properly?


Sorry for this excessively long post, but I figured this is the best place to come for advice. I appreciate it guys, I really do.

Take care!

-JW

[Meplat]

[BountyXP]

I guess my first question would be...if you have "quite a collection" of "AR-15/M4 rifles"...what about your current collection leads you to believe one of them cannot serve as the platform for this build? Since you dedicated a lot of space to reliability issues have your current rifles proven to be unreliable or malfunction prone in some way that is directly attributable to the characteristics of the rifle and not maintenance, magazines, user error, or some other factor?

Telling us what you have and why none of it will work in your opinion would give us a better understanding of what to suggest for your needs. The answer may be sitting in your gun safe already...

[Jambino46]

Hi,

This info is all over the internet but here is a basic rundown. Take your pick of Noveske, BCM, LMT, Daniel Defense or Colt. These are usually ready to go out of the box. I'd pick up a spare bolt carrier group a bunch of ammo and mags and call it a day.

Gary

[Washington]

I guess my first question would be...if you have "quite a collection" of "AR-15/M4 rifles"...what about your current collection leads you to believe one of them cannot serve as the platform for this build? Since you dedicated a lot of space to reliability issues have your current rifles proven to be unreliable or malfunction prone in some way that is directly attributable to the characteristics of the rifle and not maintenance, magazines, user error, or some other factor?

Telling us what you have and why none of it will work in your opinion would give us a better understanding of what to suggest for your needs. The answer may be sitting in your gun safe already...

Thanks for the reply.

I have the following:

Bushmaster Carbon 15 (Surprisingly very good)
Olympic Arms GI-16 (low end plinker)
Sig 556 SWAT (Very disappointed in this one)
Colt Match/Target AR-15
Rock River Arms Tactical Entry
Armalite LEC15 Flat Top


From what I understand, some of the higher end AR's, such as the Stag I mentioned (being on the lower end), some LWRC rifles, spike's tactical, etc. are the best of the best when it comes to overall quality and durability. As far as my guns go, I have not had more than a few failure to feeds or failure to extracts overall. I use Lancer L5 translucent mags for the most part (the updated ones with the black followers).

Any further insight would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[Washington]

Hi,

This info is all over the internet but here is a basic rundown. Take your pick of Noveske, BCM, LMT, Daniel Defense or Colt. These are usually ready to go out of the box. I'd pick up a spare bolt carrier group a bunch of ammo and mags and call it a day.

Gary

Hey there. Thanks for the reply. I heard a lot of good things about Noveske. As far as the spare bolt carrier group, any particular manufacturer? I found LMT selling them for around $150, so I might grab one of those as well.

[Jambino46]

I would grab this one but it's out of stock. LMT is fine.

http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-B...0auto%20mp.htm

[Norinco]

I'm not trying to be a jerk but this is getting out of hand.

If you read the stickys at the top of the forum you might just find the information your looking for.

http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=7355

[Eric D.]

Welcome. From your reading, I'm sure you've gathered that there is no bull shit here. People will tell you how things are and it may be a humbling experience. Some responses may seem coarse, but almost everyone is out to help you.

I commend you on seeking out training. Which AR's have you used in classes? Real world use is the best way to determine what gear works for you and what doesn't. Classes also illustrate that there is a difference between brands.

Anyway, onto business. I have quite a collection of AR-15/M4 rifles that I have amassed over the years. I have taken about a dozen tactical operator classes from a local training agency. I've become fairly confident in my ability to shoot a plethora of rifles under most conditions (other than of course being shot at lol).

Preparedness is a good thing. It doesn't take much reading here before one sees which brands are held in high esteem. Colt, BCM, Daniel Defense, Noveske, etc. Any parts from any of the reputable manufacturers are fully compatible with each other. As far as setup I would suggest a 16" barrel with a midlength gas system and a fixed FSB.

Its a common misconception that you need to spend lots of cash for a quality rifle. The base models of most of the above brands can be had for around $1000. The rest of your money is best spent on an optic, magazines and lots of ammo.

What do you consider heavy amounts of ammo? Remember, the M16/M4 is not an MG.

It is my nature to always be prepared, and in the event of a SHTF scenario such as: financial meltdown resulting in mass riots/looting, foreign military invasion, or even armed domestic insurrection I need to know some things.

1. What AR15/M4 platform/brand/model would be the most durable, reliable, and trustworthy in times of absolute life and death. I have quite a large budget, so money is no option. Considerations here include ability to sustain heavy amounts of ammunition being thrown downrange without MINIMIZED chance of major mechanical malfunction or damage, as well as being practical for part interchangeability in case of the need to scavenge (HK416 is out of the question for this reason).

Definitely a spare bolt. As funds allow my spare parts kit is going to consist of an entire LPK, bolt, and bolt rebuild kit. *Note: Spare parts tend to turn into complete rifles

Depending how mechanically inclined you are, if you ever start tinkering with AR's, some specialty tools may be in order as well.
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=7463

Ditch the crappy optics. Look into Aimpoint and EOtech for a quality RDS.

2. What part(s) would you recommend to have on hand besides the usual cleaning tools, extra magazines/ammo, mag lula, and various optics? I currently have 2 Bushnell trophy red dots, and a cheapo holographic that I don't much care for. Any other suggestions for extra equipment to have? (Different optics, bolts, firing pins, etc)

While I can't recommend any other 7.62 rifle I would not recommend an AK. FWIW Arsenal Inc. is known for putting together the "best" AK's. What it comes down to is lack of part standardization and parts of questionable origin. Feel free to ask me for more info on this subject.

3. Should I decide to keep a 7.62x39 on hand for ammo scavenging purposes, what would be the MOST reliable and user-friendly rifle of this type? I am new to the AK platform, so I will need good suggestions here. Furthermore, what parts/accessories for this would be advantageous?

I would avoid this personally. It looks good on paper but Stag's track record says otherwise. Use the orange search button at the top of the page.

Lastly, I was considering buying a Stag Arms ST2T Plus Package and mounting an EOTECH 512 on top to co-witness the midwest rear flip sight w/ standard front post. Is this a good rifle for the purposes I illustrated above? Furthermore will the EOTECH 512 cowitness the stock sights properly?

[crazymoose]

There is quite a bit of high-quality hardware on the market. As has been said, Colt, LMT, Bravo Company, Noveske, Knights Armament Co., and Daniel Defense are generally recognized as occupying the highest tier.

For maximum durability, I suggest a hammer-forged and chrome-lined barrel. Unless you want to assemble your own rifle (not at all difficult after purchasing about $150 worth of tools), this leaves Bravo Co. and Daniel Defense as the best-priced and most readily available options. Another consideration for reliability and durability is a mid length or rifle length gas system. Since you want a hammer-forged barrel to maximize barrel life, this eliminates the rifle length system (as far as I know, there aren't any manufacturers offering a hammer-forged 20" barrel; if someone makes such a barrel, I'd like to know about it).

Essentially, what you're looking for is a 16" barreled rifle with a mid gas system, easily available from Bravo Co. and Daniel Defense. For spare parts, I'd keep an extra complete bolt, fire control assembly springs, an action spring, and batteries for your chosen optic (if it uses them).

For optics, I would suggest an Aimpoint for non-magnified use, either the small T1 model or the larger M4, which uses "AA" batteries. If you want some magnification, a Trijicon ACOG is extremely durable and does not require batteries. A quality optic should be used in conjunction with a quality mount, and one should expect to pay over a hundred dollars for a good mount (LaRue, American Defense, among others) that will be durable and which will retain its zero even after abuse and repeated mounting and dismounting. Also, if using a non-magnified optic, decide if you want your iron sights arranged in an "absolute" co-witness with the optic's dot (tip of front sight sits precisely in the middle of the optic's field of view), or the "lower third" co-witness, where the sights occupy the lower third of the field of view. This will dictate the height of the mount to be used. Personally, I prefer the "lower third" option, as it allows a more uncluttered aiming field as long as the optic is functional. Also, do you want a fixed rear sight, which will always be in view, or a folding sight, which will be out of the way, but requires you to flip it into place before use, should the optic fail?

Stock, grip, and handguard/rail selection is more a matter of preference and is not material to the mechanical function of the rifle, although a good stock or grip can store batteries, cleaning and lubrication supplies, small spare parts, etc.

My expertise is very limited compared to that of some of this site's experts, but the above considerations are what I follow when building rifles for the purpose you've stated.