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TigerStripe
10-23-07, 05:54
I've been thinking of buying either a Bushmaster Carbon 9mm or the Olympic Glock© mag system. Both use a lower that is dedicated to using 9mm mags, which to me would seem to cut out mag-block problems... Thoughts?

TIA,

TS
Robb Jensen
10-23-07, 06:10
9mm is hard on lowers (meaning on trigger and hammer pins and pin holes). I haven't seen carbon lower 9mm break or wear out but I have seen aluminum lowers that had elongated holes. The use of the KNS pins should help them to last longer. I think I would stick to an aluminum or steel lower for 9mm.
Paulinski
10-23-07, 10:44
GotM4

The pin hole wear is that for full auto or semi-auto fire? Its news to me that 9mm are hard on lowers.

Paul
markm
10-23-07, 10:49
Its news to me that 9mm are hard on lowers.



That's the reason I've never built one (an AR in pistol caliber). I've seen a polymer lower busted from running 45 acp without a pistol buffer. The buttstock was broken clean off.
Paulinski
10-23-07, 11:12
I guess I'd have to keep an close eye on mine. In the meantime I'll use K&S pins.
Robb Jensen
10-23-07, 12:04
GotM4

The pin hole wear is that for full auto or semi-auto fire? Its news to me that 9mm are hard on lowers.

Paul


Full auto is worse on it, but I've seen the problem in semis as well.
Paulinski
10-23-07, 12:24
Is there any way to prevent the damage to lower (I'm already using K&S pins)

How many rounds are we talking here? 5k 10k 20k?

Thanks

Paul
Don Robison
10-23-07, 12:43
I've been wondering the same thing. The Glock mag compatibility is appealing, but the Oly name just keeps turning me off. I just can't bring myself to buy one of their guns.
Paulinski
10-23-07, 12:45
Give the current choices I was stuck between Colt and RRA. Due to Colt availability (I don't have a problem paying extra for Colt) I went with RRA.

Olympic was out of the question, for me at least.

Now back on topic. ;)
jbecker
08-03-08, 17:07
I have a Bushmaster and have only had magazine related problems. Otherwise, it has run fine.
Hawgleg44
08-07-08, 13:46
I've owned two Colt 9mm AR's and they were both extremely unreliable with both Colt and converted Uzi mags. I swore off pistol caliber AR's until I shot my friend's Oly .45. 100% reliable, even with cast bullet reloads, and with an AR45 lower, reliable, durable and inexpensive M3 GG mags. I bought an AR45 lower with an Oly .45 upper and have been happy ever since.

With such good luck with my .45 Oly, I grabbed an Oly 9mm upper, too. It works 100%, and I shoot my own wheelweight alloy cast bullet reloads exclusively. The STEN mags aren't fun to load, but with their reliability, I don't mind.

I'm in with a group of guys who are big into Class III toys. One of them has Oly 9mm and .45 uppers for his M16 and he abuses the hell out of his toys. We have 4 organized shoots per year and the other fun times, and he never runs into a problem with his Oly. He even found the 32 round STEN mags too low of capacity so he took some 50 round Lanchester mags and welded the top of the STEN mags on them. Guess what...no problems. All he's had to do is replace a few ejector springs and extractors, which are both inexpensive. He used to use a Colt 9mm system for his M16, but no matter what he did, it wasn't reliable. I spoke to someone in the NRC, who used to be issued 9mm Colts, and he said it was nothing but problems. From my experience with two of them, and my friends who have owned a total of 4, that's the opinion, too.

I'd rather spend a reasonable amount on an Oly and shoot reliably, even if it means some people laughing at your AR, but remember, you'll be shooting while they are laughing at you and getting plenty of practice with malfunction drills!

Yes, I can see how a 9mm upper can be more stress on a lower. Felt recoil, although it's still mild, is more than a .223. I haven't installed the KNS pins on my 9mm yet, but I plan to. My AR45 lower already wears them, and all of my AR's will soon. It's cheap insurance to protect your investment, even on a .223 where some feel it's not necessary.

I'll try to post a link to a video of my friend shooting is Oly short barrelled 9mm M16. I'm still new to the whole digital video thing. I'll get a friend of mine to give me a hand.
markm
08-07-08, 13:55
I'd rather spend a reasonable amount on an Oly and shoot reliably, even if it means some people laughing at your AR, but remember, you'll be shooting while they are laughing at you and getting plenty of practice with malfunction drills!

Oly's pistol uppers don't have nearly the horrible reputation that their .223 guns do from my informal data collection.

I still could never bring myself to buy anything made by those goobers.
Hawgleg44
08-07-08, 14:17
Oly's pistol uppers don't have nearly the horrible reputation that their .223 guns do from my informal data collection.

I still could never bring myself to buy anything made by those goobers.

I have no experience at all with Oly's .223 uppers, so I can't comment on them. All of my .223 AR's, except for one old pre-ban (I'm in MA) cast Essential Arms lowered carbine, are Colts.

I know a lot of people don't like the cast EA Co. lowers, but mine has been problem free, and with the heavy 16" barrelled upper on it, it's proven to be very accurate, too. I am going to add the KNS pins to it, as I am with all of my other AR's, just for cheap insurance.