Posted on 12/21/2013 1:10:11 PM PST by Wingy
I have an Adams Arms upper contracted by Smith and Wesson. It’s a good rifle. It has some advantages.
The good: Bolt and chamber require just a light lube and stay very clean even after firing a couple hundred rounds.
The bad: More parts, more parts to break. Incompatible with other AR-15 parts
Mine shoots steel case fine.
Anyhow, if you have a Colt, you have a fine weapon. Don’t alter it. If you want to try gas piston, get a complete upper.
Adams Arms make complete uppers.
http://www.adamsarms.net/products/uppers
The other gas piston system that I hear is very good is the Osprey. I don’t know if anyone makes complete uppers using the Osprey. If they don’t you could get a solid lower priced upper like Wyndam Weaponry, Stag Arms, Smith and Wesson and then convert it yourself. Here is a review of the Osprey system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STpLZwQ7Qyg
Not only would they sell to you, I've had a gun store owner look at my plates and break his own rules on how many you could buy so that I could save on gas. He had a one AR magazine limit and sold me three (which is legal on his part and on mine). I am permitted to possess standard capacity magazines, just not to buy or sell them in my state.
Actually, this was the type of reply that I expected to get from the gun savvy group here on FR. The fact that I got so many negative posts, makes me question whether I want to do this or not. I have found one thing positive, and that is that to do this correctly, I should buy a complete upper and not try to convert what I have. Further investigation awaits, but if I do this modification, this is the path I will most likely take.
Sweet!!
Thanks.
I think your best advice is in Lurker’s post #10.
Your Colt AR is the best there is, why change anything?
That seems to be the consensus for this thread.
Here's my reasons for contemplating this change: First and foremost, I just don't like the idea that with every shot, a puff of foul gas is being injected into the most delicate portion of the gun. This is where the most movement is occurring and with the DI system, a fair amount of heat. This is also the area with the closest tolerances and where a minute amount of wear has the most adverse consequences. Dirt, in the form of those foul gasses, would seem to accelerate wear in this area.
Some here have said that wear would be negligible, and maybe that's true as I can't find too much wear after 2,500 rounds, but I am looking towards the future, and I try to be proactive towards things such as this.
I'm fond of this gun and I want it to be around for quite a while and until today, I looked on this as an upgrade. And that's why I asked all of you, because I want to cover my bases and ask the more knowledgeable than I for your opinions. Thanks all!
Yeah, if you're going to change it, change it to a FAL! (jk) I didn't realize you could convert AR's to piston.
The Colt AR 15 is the standard by which all other AR 15 type rifles are judged. If you have one, you don’t want to convert it to a piston.
The piston/DI debate has subsided over the last year. Pretty much the consensus is that a piston AR 15 is not superior to a standard DI (Direct Impingement) model. Both types have advantages.
DI - Considered more accurate because you can free-float the barrel and you don’t have any additional forces (gas piston and rod) causing movement of the weapons. Big advantage to DI — parts are interchangeable with other mil spec ARs. This reduces costs and ensures easier part replacement. Finally, there are fewer parts in a DI rifle. Therefore, there are few things that can break.
Disadvantage — very dirty in bolt and chamber. Must be heavily lubed for proper functioning. Most be cleaned more often. That said, you can fire a couple thousand rounds through a well-made DI AR without cleaning. You just have to keep lubing it with CLP or some other lube.
Piston AR - Big advantage. You don’t have to clean the bolt and chamber than much. Another big advantage would be better cycling of weapon if suppressed and for short barrel rifles. It has to do with overgassing/undergassing etc. You can also shoot one while with water in barrel (like coming ashore from a beach). Don’t try that with a standard DI AR it will blow up/blow apart. *Note - Unless you are a Navy Seal or an armed diver, this advantage won’t be needed very often. Big disadvantage — Parts are not interchangeable with DI. Different bolts and modified bolt carriers. Short stroke (Adams Arms) Long Stroke (Osprey, PWS?) configurations require different proprietary parts. This is a big minus if you are a prepper. If the SHTF, you will need to stock up proprietary piston parts and you will not be able to trade as easily to get them.
Anyhow, I am no expert, but I own both a DI and Piston system. Since, I was a Marine, I used a DI system my whole career. I know it to be a reliable weapons system as long as you maintain it. (For an almost maintenance free system, I also have several AK pattern rifles).
Lately, I am thinking that I will just get DI rifles in the future. The parts interchangeability advantage means more to me. And, like I said, I have AKs to drag through the mud and not clean if I want to do that. :-D
With the exception of the noisy and poorly designed/placed safety, the AK has only reliability going for it.
Oh, the 7.62X39 can also deal with an opponent behind cover better than can the AR.
Something about the penetration of twice (or more) the throw weight being far superior when something like a concrete block wall in between one and ones target.
Given that Americans are now more urban than their ancestors, their defense situations may well be on the range of urban open spaces, which are hardly large enough for using the AR’s greater accuracy.
YMMV.
Sure — a mag isn’t the part considered the gun per se, so there’s no issue with selling to out-of-staters. It would be just like buying ammo on a hunting trip in another state.
That looks like a pistol magazine?
Just buy an xcr robinson arms, you can get them in 5.56, 6.8, 7.62x39, and 7.62x51. I have the latter one and it’s fantastic.
Daniel Defense makes very fine ARs as well.
So does practically everyone else. Many can copy an AR but I don’t think anyone has improved on the Colt.
Wish I had one instead of the M&P I bought during 0bamascare because I couldn’t get the Colt.
Daniel Defense are superb, but you pay for it.
I had a colt h-bar match AR. I sold to a buddy though. Otherwise I’d offer to you heh.
Up here it’s considered restricted and the robinson arms isn’t, so I can go use it wherever. Restricted is range only. The joys of gun control.
I have two M&P AR 15s. They are good rifles.
I would like to get a Colt or BCM upper and bcg.
I didn’t know you guys up nort were allowed to have those?
Can you hunt anything with it?
I would say an M&P is just as good as the Colt but I would still want the original.
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