Fulton Retro Uppers and Complete Carbines/Rifles?

[MountainRaven]

Have long thought about doing a retro gun for fun and/or iron-sight mastery, but with NoDak being on perpetual backorder, I thought I'd look to see if there was a factory option for a retro rifle or carbine. And found Fulton.

Anybody familiar with these particular weapons? Are they going to be reliable enough for hard use or are they better relegated to being range toys?

Thanks!

[BrigandTwoFour]

Any one in particular? I pulled up Fulton's site and, thinking retro, found this: http://www.fulton-armory.com/fariflecal556mmupruniversalprecisionrifle-3-2-2-7-2-2.aspx

At first glance, I actually think it looks like a fun upper. 20" pencil profile, 1/8 twist for modern ammo, and all that 'vintage' feel. I've never heard anything particularly bad about Fulton. A lot of people really like them for their M1/M14 work. I just don't think they're high on "cool" AR builder list. Whatever shortcomings they might have could probably be easily overcome with a new BCG.

[MountainRaven]

Yup, that's the beasty.

[rmeyer]

Sarco just got in more kits. $499.00 for a kit just add a barrel and a lower. Cheaper than $799.00 just for an upper. I bought a kit from them almost a year ago. I was quite pleased with it. Gun shoots great. I shoot it more than my POF.

[danieljmaunder]

I ordered a Slick Side Carrier from them awhile ago for a 604 clone, Ended up sending it back cause of rust and tool chatter all around the bolt carrier, Got told that it didn't matter cause it was not in critical dimension areas. No experience with the complete uppers though,

[ST911]

Last I knew, Fulton Armory heavily utilized components sourced from DPMS. The finished product however, showed care in selection and assembly of those components.

I've owned several Fulton Armory AR-type rifles (Hornet, Legacy) and they performed well. All have been rifle-length, using GI or premium barrels. Those variables helped limit liabilities that may have otherwise appeared in other configurations.

I don't have enough time or experience with more recent production, or their carbines in general, to comment any further.

I have always found the customer service and response from Fulton Armory to be quite exceptional. If you have further questions, call them, I suspect it's still good.

[Moonlight Again]

Sarco just got in more kits. $499.00 for a kit just add a barrel and a lower. Cheaper than $799.00 just for an upper. I bought a kit from them almost a year ago. I was quite pleased with it. Gun shoots great. I shoot it more than my POF.

One distinction I'd point out. The Fulton Armory "legacy" carbine and rifle both use the slick slide receiver, without the forward assist. The A1 kits from Sarco include the forward assist. I sure wish I knew how to put my hands on a slickside upper (604?), but I haven't been able to figure out how so far.

[Donut]

Depending on how much of a purist you are, the Fulton Armory builds use the wrong slip ring. It's only a $20 part, but still... Of course, if you're buying a "retro" upper with a 1:8 barrel, you're probably not too picky on the slip ring.

[K_K]

I too am interested in Fulton Armory & No Dak for my model 602, XM16E1, and M16A1 builds. Still have to acquire funds put im piecing the parts together in my head.

[Ron3]

Another issue (at I least I think it's an issue) is that Fulton Armory uses a front sight that mounts with set screws. Why the heck would they do this? That alone keeps me from being interested. (Adds more expensive if I have to ship it off. Additionally, if the barrel is set up for set screws, can a standard pinned sight be installed?)

[rubber ducky]

I picked up a Fulton A-1 upper a little which ago - haven't shot it yet, however a few observations.

Yes, it has a "delta ring".

Above the ejection port, there's a raised "A-3" marking - I'll take a pic of it sometime soon.

Yes, the front sight is set screwed - I believe its a practice for precision shooters, where they can mechanically center the sights. It appears that the screws are larger than taper pin diameter, so you'll probably need a new front sight post if you want to drill and pin it.

Like I said, I haven't shot it yet - but that being said, next time around, I'd probably just build one.

rd