View Full Version : Best place to buy small parts: detents & springs, etc. ??
The other day I was swapping stocks on a couple of my AR's when I mangled the safety selector spring & then proceeded to lose the detent in the process. I'd like to just buy a small bag of these things- 10 or 20 or so but at $2ea that's just stupid. These small bits should be $0.10ea. Where's the best place to buy these small parts cheap?
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It is hard to beat G&R Tactical for all of your parts. Grant supports and is on this Site daily.
Just buy a LPK and then extra dropsy parts for backup.
But maybe it's just me...
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LPK is great if you need the whole shebang but I really don't. I already have extra grips, triggers, trigger guards, etc. 'cause I never used them from the original LPK's I bought. The parts I do need should come double or triple in LPK's just so people have spares. I mean, those detents probably cost fractions of a cent each to manufacture. A postage stamp would mail an envelope full of them.
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Just buy a LPK and then extra dropsy parts for backup.
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LPK is great if you need the whole shebang but I really don't. I already have extra grips, triggers, trigger guards, etc. 'cause I never used them from the original LPK's I bought. The parts I do need should come double or triple in LPK's just so people have spares. I mean, those detents probably cost fractions of a cent each to manufacture. A postage stamp would mail an envelope full of them.
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I'm the same way, I hate to break open an LPK. Grant has the "extra" parts I was referring to above. Below is a LINK to G&R's parts.
But you're going to be disappointed if you're expecting any part to be 10￠. Grant doesn't sell ChiCom stuff so it won't be cheap but you can be bet they'll be quality parts.
LINK (http://www.gandrtactical.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&category=GRTA)
But maybe it's just me...
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Palmetto state armory has a extra parts pack for $10 or $12, or close to it. It has extra detents & springs, etc.
I'll look into Palmetto State. Thanks.
http://www.thecitizensarmory.com/
This place stocks all those little bits for a decent price and offers shipping respective of the size of the bits ordered.
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Just be aware that "all parts are not equal".
If a part's origin has not been "filtered" by someone trusted (like Grant) then there are no guarantees that you're not getting a DPMS or worse part.
I have read that Stag parts are OK but I've never used them.
"Made in America" is not an approval stamp of being gtg on AR parts.
But maybe it's just me...
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http://www.thecitizensarmory.com/
This place stocks all those little bits for a decent price and offers shipping respective of the size of the bits ordered.
I just added up what it would cost to get all the small parts that you would need for a lower build, and it came out to over $80 :eek:
Maybe it wasn't your intention to get ALL the parts, but unless you are only needing a few parts, it would be more cost effective to get a completed LPK from a retailer.
I just added up what it would cost to get all the small parts that you would need for a lower build, and it came out to over $80 :eek:
Maybe it wasn't your intention to get ALL the parts, but unless you are only needing a few parts, it would be more cost effective to get a completed LPK from a retailer.
Oh yeah, no doubt. But if all you need are a few springs, detents, or other small items, this place offers the best deal. Other places have good prices on those items, but charge a flat rate shipping of $7-11.
I don't need all the crap that comes in a lpk. My roll-pins aren't going anywhere. The buffer retainer & spring on the other hand... it would be nice to just have a bag of 20 or so of those things 'cause they go rogue once in a while. Midway wants $2 each for those things and that's just rediculous for what the part is. Safety detents? C'Mon, that's not a $2 part & its not rocket science to manufacture one to spec.
Thomas M-4
08-24-11, 00:18
I have ordered small parts from Grant. I usually try try to order the small parts with another order.
Thomas M-4
08-24-11, 00:26
I don't need all the crap that comes in a lpk. My roll-pins aren't going anywhere. The buffer retainer & spring on the other hand... it would be nice to just have a bag of 20 or so of those things 'cause they go rogue once in a while. Midway wants $2 each for those things and that's just rediculous for what the part is. Safety detents? C'Mon, that's not a $2 part & its not rocket science to manufacture one to spec.
If you go to sears they mark up small parts to ridiculous levels.
Drill bits and cut off wheels are marked up to 300% from actual store costs. What I am trying to say is normally small low cost parts are marked up to a higher % rate than more expensive products .
Rattlehead
08-24-11, 00:29
Order them from Grant at www.gandrtactical.com (gandrtactical.com)
Palmetto State Armory has a couple of parts kits. http://palmettostatearmory.com/field-repair-kits.php One of them may fill the OP's needs. Next time I order from them I plan on ordering one of the armorer kits. For now, I have a complete lower parts kit awaiting build.
AGENT TIKKI
08-25-11, 15:11
http://www.riflegear.com/c-7-lower-parts-kits.aspx
AGENT TIKKI
08-25-11, 15:12
oops
http://www.riflegear.com/c-43-lower-receiver-parts.aspx
http://www.riflegear.com/c-7-lower-parts-kits.aspx
Thanks for this link...even though its not the one that you meant. I really like the looks of this kit (http://www.riflegear.com/p-602-cmmg-survival-kit.aspx) for spares in case something breaks or for preventative maintenance.
I did a search on the quality of CMMG and it looks like its hit or miss when it comes to their rifles, but since this is just small parts, this should be at least decent quality I'm assuming? Any thoughts?
AGENT TIKKI
08-25-11, 22:24
Honestly a dentent is a detent. I honestly don't have a problem with any of the small bits and peices I've ever got from them. At least they have pretty decent prices and you can get spares for just about everything. I especially like $1 hammer springs. :D
AGENT TIKKI
08-25-11, 22:36
Thanks for this link...even though its not the one that you meant. I really like the looks of this kit (http://www.riflegear.com/p-602-cmmg-survival-kit.aspx) for spares in case something breaks or for preventative maintenance.
I did a search on the quality of CMMG and it looks like its hit or miss when it comes to their rifles, but since this is just small parts, this should be at least decent quality I'm assuming? Any thoughts?
Honestly I can say that I've ever used that cmmg kit. I've only bought a bunch of dpms spare parts. they've saved the day when I've been out on a desert shoot when I'd otherwise would have had to call it a day. It'll do in a pinch. As for preventative maintenance, I'm a new shoote with only afew thousand rounds down tghe pipe so my gear has yet to get run down. But id assume only changing detents and springs as things start to loosen up. I can't see there being much of a difference in those parts to be honest. The bolt and firing pin on the otherhand....
Honestly a dentent is a detent. I honestly don't have a problem with any of the small bits and peices I've ever got from them. At least they have pretty decent prices and you can get spares for just about everything. I especially like $1 hammer springs. :D
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I've only bought a bunch of dpms spare parts. ...
... I can't see there being much of a difference in those parts to be honest. The bolt and firing pin on the otherhand....
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Why do you make exception at the "bolt and firing pin"? If a "detent is a detent" then a "part is a part" and a "BCG is a BCG" and so on...
Not the kind of talk that gets promoted on this site...
But maybe it's just me...
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AGENT TIKKI
08-25-11, 23:16
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Why do you make exception at the "bolt and firing pin"? If a "detent is a detent" then a "part is a part" and a "BCG is a BCG" and so on...
Not the kind of talk that gets promoted on this site...
But maybe it's just me...
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Are you saying you put the same amount of importance in a detent as you do with your firing pin? Honestly I don't. They just have a habit of disappearing on me while swapping parts. So I get extras.
Now why would you put the same importance on them? Do you insist on mpt and hpi testing on all your detents?
Are you saying you put the same amount of importance in a detent as you do with your firing pin? Honestly I don't. They just have a habit of disappearing on me while swapping parts. So I get extras.
Now why would you put the same importance on them? Do you insist on mpt and hpi testing on all your detents?
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Here's the deal...a broken $1 trigger spring can render your rifle as dead as a bad FP or bolt. A bad detent can allow your Safety to slide to Fire when you don't want it to or make it very hard to go to Fire when you need it to.
To claim that you have such a deep and thorough understanding of the rifle that your are able to group certain components as not needing quality composition or manufacture is basically "redesigning" your rifle.
Probably the same thinking that allowed Oly, DPMS, Hesse, etc. to get started.
This Site does not promote a "jaga" mentality and definitely does support the notion that "a part is a part". To condone that thinking, may cause someone that uses their rifle in life or death situations to buy, build or repair a rifle that is less than adequate and prone to fail at an inopportune time.
But maybe it's just me...
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AGENT TIKKI
08-26-11, 02:27
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Here's the deal...a broken $1 trigger spring can render your rifle as dead as a bad FP or bolt. A bad detent can allow your Safety to slide to Fire when you don't want it to or make it very hard to go to Fire when you need it to.
To claim that you have such a deep and thorough understanding of the rifle that your are able to group certain components as not needing quality composition or manufacture is basically "redesigning" your rifle.
Probably the same thinking that allowed Oly, DPMS, Hesse, etc. to get started.
This Site does not promote a "jaga" mentality and definitely does support the notion that "a part is a part". To condone that thinking, may cause someone that uses their rifle in life or death situations to buy, build or repair a rifle that is less than adequate and prone to fail at an inopportune time.
But maybe it's just me...
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Preach on! So what should the op be using? Well what are you using? Can you enlighten me on the differences between a quality detent and a dpms one?
I mean no disrespect really I don't. Please tell me I'm missing. I really want to know.
Also I do realize that I'm new to this forum. But what is "jaga" mentality and what would be m4carbines' overall build theory/mentality?
I see where both of you guys are coming from, and I am alwasy one to buy quality as well, I just didn't know if there was any "real" differenced between small parts such as pins, detents and springs? There is no question in my mind that bolts and barrels are not all made equal.
UCRT, since you have voiced your opinion, what is your thoughts on the CMMG small parts? Should they be G2G?
AGENT, the theory of this forum is that if you are going to own a rifle that may be put to use to protect the lives of you or yours, then you should buy quality and take it seriously. Period. There is no room for DPMS or Oly who cut corners in parts just to drive down costs and jepordize the whole build.
Preach on! So what should the op be using? Well what are you using? Can you enlighten me on the differences between a quality detent and a dpms one?
I'm unsure if anyone has ever compared the parts closely but I look at it like this:
Most of us have around $1,000 - $1,800 in our rifles. Why in God's name, based on the overall cost and (I'm assuming) quality of the rifle, would you want to skimp on lower parts? It's like the guy who owns a Ferrari bitching about a $1,800 oil change. Not sure the exact figures on what you're looking at, but I'm pretty confident that the differences between components from G&R vs. company X are negligible, when compared to the overall cost of the weapon. And we know his stuff is solid - so order from somewhere like that and you won't have to worry.
urbanamish
08-26-11, 08:59
I've always picked up spare parts at gun shows, from guys who had tables full of that kind of thing. It never occurred to me that it may be inferior quality, but I can see that could be a risk, at a place like a gun show.
I have already added small parts on to an existing Brownell's order as well. It's not too bad if you can piggyback onto an order, so as not to have to pay the shipping just for the small parts.
I like the idea of buying them from G&R, though, in the future. Appreciate what Grant does for the site.
Then let me be the first to say, if I could afford the Ferrari I'd sooner do the oil change myself then pay $1800 for some over-educated snob to loosen, and then re-tighten a single bolt. Anyone who would do otherwise is a F'n idiot. I've got one fiat American dollar that says a good rapport with the local mom & pop auto shop gets you just as good or better service for a sane price.
$2 for a detent pin is insanity not quality. All you folks crapping on DPMS may be justified for many parts but on the detent pins I call for proof or else you're drunk on the punch. Hell, I bet RRA, DPMS, LMT, & Oly all buy their pins from the same places. I bet if you bought a thousand pins from each manufacturer you'd find a similar percentage of rejects in each batch. I bet any difference in mean time to failure is insignificant.
Then let me be the first to say, if I could afford the Ferrari I'd sooner do the oil change myself then pay $1800 for some over-educated snob to loosen, and then re-tighten a single bolt. Anyone who would do otherwise is a F'n idiot. I've got one fiat American dollar that says a good rapport with the local mom & pop auto shop gets you just as good or better service for a sane price.
$2 for a detent pin is insanity not quality. All you folks crapping on DPMS may be justified for many parts but on the detent pins I call for proof or else you're drunk on the punch. Hell, I bet RRA, DPMS, LMT, & Oly all buy their pins from the same places. I bet if you bought a thousand pins from each manufacturer you'd find a similar percentage of rejects in each batch.
Breathe :eek: the Ferrari reference was an example. And since you strayed that much, Ferrari techs actually undergo a lot of training to work on those cars as it's not just a drain plug. On some models you actually have to pull the block up and remove the rear fenders to even get to the oil pan. So a great degree of that $1,800 or so is the labor intensive process of moving the motor. Either way, my example was not saying I don't buy American or that I take all my cars to stealerships to get the oil changed. Chill out.
And secondly, if you are convinced you have your little 'supply chain' in order, why the hell did you ask about where to get the components? All some of us were saying is that quality internals are a small price to pay when compared to the overall investment in the weapon.
$2 for a detent pin is insanity not quality. All you folks crapping on DPMS may be justified for many parts but on the detent pins I call for proof or else you're drunk on the punch.
So they'd skimp on components like barrels, bolts, etc. but then they'd throw in quality internals? :sarcastic: ooooook. With those aforementioned manufacturers, I'd bet if you can't see that part, it's most likely not top-grade.
I'm not freaking out. I'm just expressing my point of view. I asked where to get these parts at something more like wholesale prices. Seems like a lot of the replies are either way off topic discussing quality or inferring that I should just ante up & pay the $2/ea for some kind of quality assurance.
My assertion is that the very best detent pins ever made cost <$0.01ea to make. I'll take 100 for $0.20ea if someone will sell them to me like that and there'd be a reasonable profit margin in it for the dealer. That's what I'm looking for.
ETA: And what is this ethereal "Top Grade" quality detent pin you speak of? I bet you'd never know the difference even if there was one. It's just not that kind of part. Even if there was a quality difference (which you haven't proven there is) it's the type of part where it only makes sense to even consider when you're calculating mean time to failure for a quantity of like the entire U.S. armed forces. Statistically speaking for any given individual the margin would be insignificant. "Top Grade" detent pins. OooooKaaay. :rolleyes:
ETA: And what is this ethereal "Top Grade" quality detent pin you speak of? I bet you'd never know the difference even if there was one. It's just not that kind of part.
I was speaking generally, as what I said was: 'I'd bet if you can't see that part, it's most likely not top-grade.' See how I didn't isolate any specific part when I said that? You're damn right I wouldn't know the difference, which is why I buy those parts from manufacturers/distributors I trust and have gotten quality components from in the past. Ones without a tracking record for shitty parts.
I was drawing a correlation between not readily visible parts to the consumer not being top-of-the-line. Barrel steel, bolt material, key staking, etc. To the uninformed eye these are 'hidden' and not easily discernible. So...thinking critically one would assume that if THOSE parts are not up to snuff...well other 'hidden' parts in the lower might not be the best of quality either.
Frankly I don't give a shit what you use, you don't need advice if you want to go to the cheapest places to get stuff...they're easy to find.
Complete pin/detent package $7.50
http://www.bushmaster.com/products.asp?cat=501
or from another quality manufacturer
http://www.del-ton.com/ar_15_lower_s/84.htm
I want the best I can get so I would prefer parts from companies that follow the "TDP" as would many others. Bushmaster, DPMS, Oly etc... Do they have military contracts? They do not sell their products to soldiers, maybe they choose not to cater to the "TDP" crowd because the market is not as big as the Gander Mountain, Cabellas, Brownells market that JoeBob and Timbob buy their rifles at. Maybe they choose not to follow the "TDP" because their targeted customers have no idea what it is. What I'm saying is, their parts are only inferior when held next to "TDP" guns, on the rack at Gander Mountain they are something to behold and they are being bought every day and may or may not be functioning well!;)
finally...thanks :thank_you2:
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