Geez. I’ve been crazy lucky building ARs! Why hasn’t everyone?

[Eurodriver]

I have assembled no fewer than 15 complete uppers and 4-5 lowers since 2009. I have...wait for it...never, ever, not once experienced a malfunction with any of them.

Some of them only got 200-300 rounds before I sold them. Some of them have 15,000 rounds of hard suppressed used. Some of them have gotten brand new milspec (Colt, DD, BCM) BCGs, some of them have gotten Surefire or Gemtech suppressed carriers with milspec bolts, and some of them have gotten used bolts. One of them had a laser accurate 20” Krieger barrels, and one of them had a shitty 12.5” BCM that couldn’t hold a decent group. Some of them have been 10.3”, 10.50, 11.5”, 14.5” with pinned muzzle devices and 14.5” without.

All have been Swiss watch reliable. I’ve shot M855, M193, Wolf gold, Wolf, Tula, handloaded precision ammo and handloaded M193 clone ammo. They’ve shot it all. (Although the overwhelming majority, 95%+ has been M193 or equivalent)

That sounds impossible, but it’s true. I always use quality parts, but based on what I’ve read here all parts are exactly the same. I’ve shot cheap ammo, but they’ve cycled. I’ve always used a torque wrench and appropriate tools but based on what I’ve read here it’s just plug and play and you don’t need any of those tools.

What’s the deal? Why is this forum consistently full of posts troubleshooting failures to feed, failures to eject, and even crazier malfunctions (lower pins walking out, barrels loosening from barrel extensions, front sight posts loosening up)? What is everyone doing wrong?

Curious additional question that I just thought of as I made this post - can anyone find a thread where a Colt 6920 (barring it being driven over by an SUV...) failed to function?

[pag23]

You said it...quality parts

I haven't built anything yet, but when I sourced some lower parts it was CMMG, Forward Control Design, SOLGW, BCM, Geiselle, Sprinco, Larue..... and every time I checked Sionics they were out of stock..

[MSW]

Same here, but it’s always been Daniel Defense or FN CHF barrels & BCM upper/parts & BCGs.

And, in addition to being hammer forged barrel snob, I’m an ammo snob & don’t use anything other than XM193, IMI & Black Hills red box.

Parts ain’t parts....ammo ain’t ammo.

[officerX]

The only issue I’ve ever had, and still having, is with a Noveske 300BLK build. All Noveske parts except for LPK and buffer. I’m dealing with failure to feed issues. I think it’s probably a gas/buffer problem but I haven’t got it sorted out yet.

Other than that everything I’ve built has functioned properly. BCM, CMT, BA, Rainier, BAD, Tromix 458 SOCOM, etc.


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[Hammer_Man]

Spend some time researching what works, and buy quality parts.

[99cobra2881]

Variables. Lots of variables.

You’ve found a recipe that works and I doubt you deviate very far off it. The difference is others see the shiny adverts, buy a hodge podge of parts without doing the necessary research before hand, slap them together and then have a sht sandwich of failures.

[officerX]

Curious additional question that I just thought of as I made this post - can anyone find a thread where a Colt 6920 (barring it being driven over by an SUV...) failed to function?

Few factory built rifles will malfunction. Few people have probably ever “built” a 6920. I had a factory built Doublestar rifle that functioned flawlessly.


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[TexasGunNut]

Curious additional question that I just thought of as I made this post - can anyone find a thread where a Colt 6920 (barring it being driven over by an SUV...) failed to function?

Once, at Band Camp....
but on second thought it was probably her fault or a random POI shift.

[Hammer_Man]

Variables. Lots of variables.

You’ve found a recipe that works and I doubt you deviate very far off it. The difference is others see the shiny adverts, buy a hodge podge of parts without doing the necessary research before hand, slap them together and then have a sht sandwich of failures.

A lot of people buy bargain basement parts, because price is the deciding factor in their purchase decisions.

[JediGuy]

An unfortunate number of people likely didn’t get their “start” on building here at M4C or SOTAR. Most people probably are told by friends what to get online for cheap (PSA) or go down to their local gun store and buy something that should be good to go, but isn’t (Springfield).

I think this will serve well as this year’s annual reminder thread that AR-based rifles are not all the same quality and are not plug and play in every way.