Help Me Update My Gun

[Warp]

The stock I might look into changing over to the MOE SL, but I will do some looking around first. I'm not unhappy with what I have, just didn't know if there were better options.

The stock you have, again, is fine. I have the ACS-L and the MOE SL. I just bought a new stock for another rifle this week...I went with an MOE SL-S and preliminary I like it the most of three but it doesn't matter much, and if I was to replace one of the older ones...I'd drop the SL and get another SL-S. Why? The SL has the least cheek weld among the three and is the only one without storage. I figure an empty storage area doesn't really add weight, but if I want to put a few little things in it (as mentioned above), I can. The MOE SL is perfectly fine but I prefer the cheek weld of the SL-S or the ACS-L.

Don't change things for the sake of change. If it works (well) and you aren't unhappy with it and aren't even sure what you'd rather have instead, just buy ammo

[MistWolf]

I shouldn't be posting because I've been home sick all week and doped to the gills on Mormon Whiskey (Nyquil) but what the hell.

The rifle hasn't been shot enough to know if anything at all should be changed. How do I know that? Because I'd bet dollars to donuts that the AR being discussed is packed with off brand springs- especially the extractor spring. Olympus, you haven't asked once what to do about "double feeds". That tells me the AR hasn't yet been shot enough for the generic extractor spring to start failing, which normally happens between 500 and 1500 rounds. (By the way, a failing extractor won't cause real double feeds. That's the magazine's job. Extractor spring failures manifest themselves as a "bolt over base" type of failure to feed.)

Furniture choices are like undergarments. Everyone has their favorites, but that doesn't make them better choices and you won't know how they fit until you try them on. What's comfortable for my wife is... ah... Ahem...

Getting back go the subject at hand- Olympus, don't start changing things just because you're worried about your AR being out of date. You wouldn't start wearing your wife's silk thongs and brassiere just because some guy on the internet said they were so soft and smooth and the latest hotness, would you? There's nothing wrong with the configuration of your AR (especially now that you've installed an A2 because some guy on the internet told you to). What you can do, is make changes will improve reliability. Changing out your furniture won't do that.

I don't know what brand AR you have, but my guess is that it isn't a Colt. ARs by other makers often use generic springs as a cost cutting measure. Those generic brand springs just don't last as long as Colt springs. Or Sprinco springs. The spring that's the worst offender is the extractor spring. A generic extractor spring usually starts giving out around 500 rounds (some give out almost right away) and rarely make it to 1500. So, do yourself a favor and install a Colt M4 extractor spring in your bolt. Or an enhanced spring from Sprinco. No donut!

Next, replace your carbine weight buffer with an H2. The carbine weight buffer is simply too light, even if your AR is gassed correctly. I'd also suggest replacing the action spring with a Sprinco blue. Or a quality carbine spring. Maybe your action spring hasn't collapsed enough to need replacing, but it's cheap insurance. Next, replace the hammer spring. Again, it probably isn't giving you any trouble yet, but if you're gonna start with fresh springs, might as well start with a fresh hammer spring. It wouldn't hurt to also replace the trigger spring while you're in there.

Since you have the trigger group out, go ahead and clean & dry it. Then add some grease to all the sears before reinstalling it. Before all that, there's something you can do to make your trigger smoother, but you gotta be careful. Separate the upper from the lower. Cock the hammer, then pinch the hammer between your forefinger and thumb. Lift up against the sear a little bit and press the trigger until it releases. Don't let go of the hammer! Do this a few times and it will smooth out the sear surfaces and improve the feel of your trigger. Don't pull up on the hammer too hard or you might chip the edges of the sears.

Beyond that, my advice is- Ammo Before Accessories. Shoot Before Modifying. But that might be the Nyquil talking.