no feed ramps

[lethal dose]

just out of curiosity, i've been piecing my ar together and have fixed several key issues, but still have others that need addressed. my gun is older and shows signs of moderate wear but clean for the most part. i'm going to pawn the a-1 upper off and replace it with a flat top. the barrel is in surprisingly good condition, however, it's not marked and i have no idea what it is. my question is... should i replace the entire upper and barrel or just the upper and keep the barrel for now? it is an older ar with no feed ramps. i hear lots of mixed opinions. some say that this will never prove to be an issue, others swear i'll never be happy. as it stands, i replaced the bolt/carrier group with a bcm and the gun functions 100% 99% of the time... hahaha... on occasion, the 2nd to last round will stovepipe (proper rifle terminology?) upon extraction, and that's it. i have been told to get the new bolt/carrier group broken in and if it still does it, try another mag. suggestions? thanks!

[lethal dose]

anyone? 42 views and not one suggestion? :p

[carbinero]

use pmags before you proceed with selling.trading.fixing or whatnot.

[emt370]

You will have a couple issues to look at. Since your rifle has rifle feed ramps now, make sure that if you keep the barrel that the upper that you purchase does not have M4 ramps, otherwise it will malfunction. There are still manufacturers that use rifle ramps and not M4. I'm not going to dive into that debate, but I wouldn't say that you would be out-dated or stuck with a lesser rifle as it works almost 100% as you say and the only issue is with extraction, which the ramps won't affect.

In regards to what you should replace, you can't really beat prices now. You can pick up a mid-length BCM upper for $425 and you will know what you have and it will be high-quality.

In regards to the stovepipe issue, the mag shouldn't really matter. This isn't a feed issue, it's an issue to extract and eject a spent round. Just to be clear, stovepiping is when the spent casing gets stuck partially ejected in the ejection port. Do you mean that or a double-feed where two rounds get stuck in the chamber? Might be a problem with the gas system or under-powered ammo if it is dealing with ejection, however most feed issues are mag-related. Try a new mag and if that helps then you have your answer.

Bottom line, if I were you I would get a new upper and know that I am running quality hardware.

[PlatoCATM]

If you want to shoot heavier bullets then it would behoove you to replace the whole upper, as the extended feed ramps will ensure proper functioning of the longer length of heavier bullets. If you only plan on shooting 55-62 gr. bullets for plinking and training then you should not have to worry about it. Same thing with the barrel, if you only plan on shooting 55-62 or non-match grade ammo then you probably would not gain enough by buying a new barrel. You could spend a fortune on an entire upper or as little as a new upper receiver (~$100). It sounds like you just want something that works for as little money as you have to dump into it, but you may find yourself wishing for a premium DMR rifle....

And try a different mag. You should have a bag full anyway.

Hope that helps.

[tracker722]

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[lethal dose]

thanks for all the suggestions! it is an extracting issue, for sure... the round is stovepiping in the ejection port. the reason i was lead to believe it could have something to do with the mag spring tension is because it ONLY happens on the 2nd to last round on occasion. as for the purpose of the gun, it's intent will be to serve many purposes... plinking, dirt shooting, hunting, combat/scenario training, property defense, etc. i honestly have no need for anything greater the 62 grain. i have seen many wild dogs killed with 55 grain fmj .223. so, as it stands, i think i will simply replace the upper and keep the barrel. as for budget, no, i'm not looking to spend as little as possible... if it means having a quality weapon that i can turn to and trust my life to, i'm willing to piece it together a little bit at a time and spend a little extra cash to see that it does so. also, just out of curiosity... what could i get out of an a-1 upper and barrel? they are unmarked and in great shape. any ideas? thank you for all your suggestions!

[Bantee]

If you're looking for any type of defensive use, I would strongly suggest getting a new upper and cutting the old one loose.

[lethal dose]

i already planned on replacing the upper. the debate was between keeping the barrel and replacing the upper... or both. what could i get out of an a-1 upper and barrel? it's used, but completely functional and in good shape.

[Caeser25]

If it functions fine, which it sounds like it does I would just keep it as a spare and buy a .22 kit for it.

[lethal dose]

thanks again for all the suggestions! a member of the m4c, who runs a shop, has complete LMT uppers for $400. i'm just gonna go that route. i honestly have no desire for the .22 conversion... i have an abundance of .22's and don't really care to have another. i rarely find myself shooting them and it'd just be another expense. i figure, if i can get a few bones out of it, it'll be that much more i can put back into the weapon. so... if anyone wants an complete a-1 upper in good shape, hit me up!

[C4IGrant]

just out of curiosity, i've been piecing my ar together and have fixed several key issues, but still have others that need addressed. my gun is older and shows signs of moderate wear but clean for the most part. i'm going to pawn the a-1 upper off and replace it with a flat top. the barrel is in surprisingly good condition, however, it's not marked and i have no idea what it is. my question is... should i replace the entire upper and barrel or just the upper and keep the barrel for now? it is an older ar with no feed ramps. i hear lots of mixed opinions. some say that this will never prove to be an issue, others swear i'll never be happy. as it stands, i replaced the bolt/carrier group with a bcm and the gun functions 100% 99% of the time... hahaha... on occasion, the 2nd to last round will stovepipe (proper rifle terminology?) upon extraction, and that's it. i have been told to get the new bolt/carrier group broken in and if it still does it, try another mag. suggestions? thanks!

Barrel: If you do not know who made it or the twist rate, I would just sell the entire upper and start over.


M4 feedramps come into play with 62gr ammo and above when using magazines without anti-tilt followers.

If you are using a PMAG (for instance) and shooting heavy grain ammo, you shouldn't be concerned about M4 feed ramps IMHO.



C4