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When it comes to those damned grip screws I never use them. Take one of those screws for comparison and go get the big black hex head screws that are commonly used to bolt in big speakers in pro audio gear and bass amps. Make sure and get the proper length so they won't be too long and interfere with the safety. No more fumbling around trying to get the grip screw started or in all the way, just put it on the end of your hex head wrench, stick it in there and tighten to spec. I have encountered the same problem with the MOE being too tight and hard to fit on several other brands of lower receivers, but not a Colt.
I fixed the rattle in my first MOE just by putting a small piece of gaffer tape on the "ears" of the grip plug, but I found a better fix. When I got my first MOE grip I thought I wanted to get a bolt/firing pin core and a CR123 battery core, but nobody ever had them in stock. While working on stopping the rattle in the plug I realized that the grip cores would take up a whole lot of valuable space inside the grip, so I started experimenting with what I could pack inside the grip. I put together a package of parts in the corner of a heavy clear plastic bag and heat sealed it. It slides neatly into the grip and also pushes back against the cap and helps stop that rattle, even without using the gaffer tape. There is a wadded up paper towel up in the grip so that the package is nice and tight, and doesn't move. (Also used to put the bolt & small parts on while I sort out problems in the field.)
My current MOE parts stash includes:
1 spare bolt
1 spare firing pin
2 123 batteries
5 rounds of ammo
1 set of gas rings
1 extractor, pin & springs
2 spare firing pin retainer pins
1 spare cam pin
detents and springs
Obviously you can pack a lot of important stuff in there, depending on your needs. My package is put together so that I can break open the bag to access the most needed items (bolt/firing pin/ammo/batteries) and the small parts are in 3 tiny ziplock parts bags that are painted fluorescent orange so they don't get lost. With this setup I can quickly and easily replace a bad bolt if needed and still have enough parts to probably fix the bad bolt later while still in the field. I also have enough parts that I can probably help a buddy get his rifle running again without giving up my most important parts. Though if I were in a really bad situation and the rifle next to me stopped working, I would probably drop the plug with my left hand and throw the package to him and say "take what you need!"
Magpul makes some great products, but the grip cores just take up too much valuable space for me. Buy more PMAGS instead and stuff that grip with the gear you need to keep your rifle running. Even just a few spare rounds or a bolt wrapped in a couple of paper towels is better than letting that space go to waste.
D. Christopher:
Great post. I am going to have to try that, except I will probably pass on the painted bags (or, did you paint the parts?).
'That whole effort was held together by sweat, shame, and a tiny bit of pride.' -- Son of Commander Paisley
Amicus,
No paint on the parts, just colored bags. The important thing being that all the small parts are bagged so that they aren't lost if they get dropped in the mud. If you don't have the spare parts right now, you can always pull the bolt and firing pin next time you clean and see what fits. The ammo might be easier to keep loose because some rounds need to point up and some point down to maximize space. It took me several attempts to fit it all in, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised what you can pack in there, depending on your needs. You can easily fit the bolt, firing pin, extra batteries, and spare ammo without any effort at all. All the extra small parts are so I can be generous in training situations when somebody launches a detent and spring, or looses their FP retainer while cleaning.
Jimbo45, sounds like you've still got a little room left in that grip. Good luck and good shooting.
R/
Dave
Howdy!
Ive replaced all of my grips with MOEs....what is a symptom/sign of cross threading? How can you tell?
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