BCM or Colt?

Nice purchase! The SOCOM barrel is a bit overkill as others have said, but screw it... it's your gun to enjoy.

Thank god/alien or whatever my Colt M4 jammed several times during weapons qual few weeks ago instead of a firefight. Did I mention a lot of them did. I don't know, maybe is the platform and not Colt, and yes we do clean and maintain them.

"jammed" is very broad and non-descript. How did the M4s malfunction? You "clean and maintain" them, but were they properly lubed? In the maintenance records, how many rounds have been fired since the extractor was replaced? Were the magazine springs and feed lips inspected?

I understand that you may have had legitimate problems, but it doesn't help anybody to throw out broad complaints with no details.
 
Nice purchase! The SOCOM barrel is a bit overkill as others have said, but screw it... it's your gun to enjoy.



"jammed" is very broad and non-descript. How did the M4s malfunction? You "clean and maintain" them, but were they properly lubed? In the maintenance records, how many rounds have been fired since the extractor was replaced? Were the magazine springs and feed lips inspected?

I understand that you may have had legitimate problems, but it doesn't help anybody to throw out broad complaints with no details.
No, I didn't check the maintenance records on it. Visual inspection was fine, rifles were cleaned and lubed. It was a rainy day so maybe that was too much for the rifles.

Double feed and triple feed mostly with stovepipes here and there.
 
No, I didn't check the maintenance records on it. Visual inspection was fine, rifles were cleaned and lubed. It was a rainy day so maybe that was too much for the rifles.

Double feed and triple feed mostly with stovepipes here and there.

Double and triple feeds sound like a feed lip problem independent of the weapon. Stovepipe sounds like a maintenance issue. The M4 is a reliable platform of cared for properly.
 
Ive been going back and forth on which one to buy also, i can't imagine either one being a bad/wrong decision. Which ever one i eventually get i will be going with the KMR rail, i'm blown away by it's lack of weight compared to every other handguard on the market, stupid light.
 
I know shit about ARs but I did know enough to go with a BCM upper set up for a current build and an early 70's Colt for a collectable.
 
Ive been going back and forth on which one to buy also, i can't imagine either one being a bad/wrong decision. Which ever one i eventually get i will be going with the KMR rail, i'm blown away by it's lack of weight compared to every other handguard on the market, stupid light.
KMR is out of the picture, as I want to keep the front sight base and don't want to pull the barrel (no tools, no knowledge, no talent). So it has to be a 2 piece drop in. I am flirting with the DD EZ car one. The MI SS is a close second. I don't know yet if KACmakes a drop in, I'd have to look it up. Neither one comes with key mod though.
 
KMR is out of the picture, as I want to keep the front sight base and don't want to pull the barrel (no tools, no knowledge, no talent). So it has to be a 2 piece drop in. I am flirting with the DD EZ car one. The MI SS is a close second. I don't know yet if KACmakes a drop in, I'd have to look it up. Neither one comes with key mod though.

Just order an upper with KMR and FSB already installed.
 
KMR is out of the picture, as I want to keep the front sight base and don't want to pull the barrel (no tools, no knowledge, no talent). So it has to be a 2 piece drop in. I am flirting with the DD EZ car one. The MI SS is a close second. I don't know yet if KACmakes a drop in, I'd have to look it up. Neither one comes with key mod though.

I vote for the MI. KAC doesn't make a rail that short I think, well at least for the civilian market. We have their quad rails and rear sights on our M4's and they can take a beating like there is no tomorrow.
 
My next upper will likely be a mid length BCM with a KMR rail. KAC makes some great stuff but damn its tough to get ahold of and kind of obnoxiously priced.

Frenchy, can i ask why you prefer to keep the FSB? old habit/not broke dont fix i assume?
 
My next upper will likely be a mid length BCM with a KMR rail. KAC makes some great stuff but damn its tough to get ahold of and kind of obnoxiously priced.

Frenchy, can i ask why you prefer to keep the FSB? old habit/not broke dont fix i assume?

I have a LW 14.5" upper with a FSB because I wanted a plain Jane iron sighted carbine with a DD 1.5 rear sight. It is a cheap, no optics or Surefire Expensive's, KISS rifle to leave in the truck.
 
Frenchy, can i ask why you prefer to keep the FSB? old habit/not broke dont fix i assume?
As practical as they may be, flip ups are moving parts. By using a FSB, I cut the risk of failure at the worst possible moment in half. This might just make sense to me tho.
 
As practical as they may be, flip ups are moving parts. By using a FSB, I cut the risk of failure at the worst possible moment in half. This might just make sense to me tho.

nah, i get that. my SBR, carbine, and dissipator have fixed front sights. the rest are magpul, and the 20" AR has the flippy metal front sight (YHM). it's generally folded since i don't need it in the way of the optic but one thing i always thought about it was one good whack getting out of a vehicle or through a doorway and that it would be toast.
 
Doesn't a FSB provide the sturdiest gas block too? I heard of people buying it just for that, and removing the sight itself. That's hardcore.
 
Doesn't a FSB provide the sturdiest gas block too? I heard of people buying it just for that, and removing the sight itself. That's hardcore.


With an angle grinder and a dremel you can turn an FSB into a VERY compact gas block. Ugly but effective.
 
Doesn't a FSB provide the sturdiest gas block too? I heard of people buying it just for that, and removing the sight itself. That's hardcore.

FSB's are typically pinned in place, vice a lot of low pro gas blocks using set screws.
 
As practical as they may be, flip ups are moving parts. By using a FSB, I cut the risk of failure at the worst possible moment in half. This might just make sense to me tho.

Nope, makes sense to me as well. That is about the toughest sight you can possibly have, and besides the little chance of it ever breaking, I actually prefer the aesthetics of it anyway. The only gun I don't mind having flip up sights on is my KSG because it's a shotgun, so even if I don't have time to flip them up, or they break, I'm still going to be able to hit what I'm aiming at for the most part anyway. I also run an optic on there too, but that's mostly for range fun. If I need it in a hurry, chances are good that I won't have time, or bother taking the rubber caps off, turning on the optic, or flipping up the iron sights for that matter!
 
My SHTF rifle has iron sights and the most simple setup I can come up with. The other stuff I consider more entertainment than necessary items so they have varying levels of complexity and thus lowered reliability. You gotta have some fun right?
 
I will start out with a PA red dot with lower co-wit. It'll be replaced with an optic (Eotech or Aimpoint PRO) that goes with AA batteries, as funds allow. Rear backup will be Magpul pro or diamondhead, maybe Samson.
 
BUIS are just that, back up. While I dont argue the reliability of a good old fashioned fsb, to save weight and lower the profile of my rigs, I run either bolt on fixed sights up front like the DD's or a solid flip up like LMT, KAC, or even the new magpul pros.

With the ruggedness and battery life of the optics like the aimpoint h1/t1, or even the PA replica, getting better and better every year I find myself relying more and more on their not breaking. I'll always have a good set of working buis on my rifles though.
 
I will start out with a PA red dot with lower co-wit. It'll be replaced with an optic (Eotech or Aimpoint PRO) that goes with AA batteries, as funds allow. Rear backup will be Magpul pro or diamondhead, maybe Samson.

Excellent plan, and pretty much the route I took with my primary AR. I started with the PA and moved it to my M&P 15-22 once I got an Eotech, but honestly, aside from the rumored toughness of the Eotech, the PA has never failed yet, and it still has the same batteries for the past 4, or 5 years, nor has it lost it's calibration. I guess what I'm saying is that you may not feel the need to ever "upgrade", unless your doing it as a feel good type of thing based on the rumored reliability of the higher end optics, or in the case of the Aimpoint, ridiculous battery life. My take on the optic thing is that from personal experience I feel like you are paying more for the brand than actual quality, and have several times contemplated selling my Eotech and buying 3, or 4 more PA sights, or using it as trade fodder for another gun, or something since I'm extremely satisfied with the 3 PA sights I already own and use, one of which is on a 12 gauge. If you are considering a high end optic for an end of days scenario, though, I get it. Honestly the best upgrade I ever made to my primary AR was the trigger. I run the SSA, and it not only increased my accuracy and speed, but also just the enjoyment factor in general. Since many Spec Ops guys run these triggers, I felt that the reliability for a shtf type rifle would be every bit as good as a standard mil spec trigger, where some of the aftermarket ones may be well suited for long range target work, but probably not for battle conditions.
 
Doesn't a FSB provide the sturdiest gas block too? I heard of people buying it just for that, and removing the sight itself. That's hardcore.
No doubt, I buy barrels with a fsb just so I have the option. Rock solid mounting, cheap, and it's easy to grind down.
 
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