I did some work on my AR-15s a couple days ago.

[Big Frank]

I replaced the rear sling loops with Ace Ltd. Push Button QD Sling Swivel Sockets from DoubleStar, and put Grovetec 1.25" Heavy Duty Push Button Swivels on. The loops on these are way thicker than the swivels from Advanced Tactical I just put on my 10/22. I had to cut a square notch in the M4 carbine stock because I didn't buy the QD swivel stud adaptor that someone else makes just for it. And I replaced the stock trigger guard on the DPMS with a JE Machine Tech anodized aluminum Advanced Operator Over-Sized Trigger Guard, but I haven't switched the Colt trigger guard out yet. That one's still setting here on my desk. You get solid aluminum for the price of a plastic MOE Enhanced Trigger Guard. They're 13 bucks cheaper than an Aluminum Magpul Enhanced Trigger Guard. That's the budget-friendly type of thing I seek out when possible.

I replaced the trigger group on the DPMS with a drop in Rise Armament Rave 140 3.5 lb. Pull, black, curved trigger with Anti-Walk Trigger Pins. It has ZERO take up, and is possibly the best trigger you can get on a $150 budget. I replaced the selector lever with a Rock River Arms Star Safety Selector to match my Colt AR-15. It also allows you to rotate the lever to any of the FOUR positions of the M16A2 Enhanced Rifle trigger group. That has a 3-round burst PLUS a full-auto giggle switch for twice the fun. I swapped out the Badger Ordnance Gen I Tactical Latch (The original charging handle enhancement!) for a Strike Industries Charging Handle Extended Latch. I have a Yankee Hill Machine TACTICAL CHARGING HANDLE LATCH I'm going to put on instead, because I just checked it's a little bit longer. Then I'll put this one on the Colt.

Whenever I find the extra selector lever spring(s) I bought, I'll put a new grip on the Colt. I know I bought 2 springs because the lever rotates way too easily, and I already found a new detent I bought for it. But I have boxes of parts in 2 rooms here, with other stuff piled all over the place.  My Vortex mount should be here early in the afternoon, but I think I'll wait until I swap uppers before I use that to mount my Vortex scope. Maybe sometime this winter.

https://doublestarusa.com/umpb-ars-push-button-sling-swivel-socket-for-a1-a2-m4-stocks-a200.html

https://grovtec.com/collections/push-button-swivels-qd

https://jemachinetech.us/ar15-m4-advanced-operator-over-sized-trigger-guard/#topOfPage

https://risearmament.com/product/rise-armament-rave-140-curved-trigger/

https://www.badgerordnance.com/tactical-latch-gen-i-249-02.html

https://www.strikeindustries.com/si-ar-latch.html

https://yhm.net/accessories/ar-15-replacement-parts/tactical-charging-handle-latch/

[Big Frank]

Here's the Vortex scope and mount on the newest upper I bought. I can't remember where I bought it, but it's an M16A4 type flattop without feed ramp cuts. The Windham Weaponry flattop upper I bought with M4 feed ramp cuts wouldn't work with my original Colt AR-15A2 barrel. I never got around to returning the upper and now WW is out of business, so I'm going to use that one with my Can Cannon, instead of the X-Products billet upper it came with. I'll either toss that in the trash, save t for a spare, or sell it if anyone wants it. I should have bought the Vortex mount with a 2" offset instead of the 3", but didn't measure anything before I placed my order. They were the same price, but I don't need the extra inch and it should weigh a bit less. Vortex lists the weight as 6.7 oz, but doesn't specify which one that is. I believe it's the 2". This is the Sport Cantilever 1-Inch Mount. It has 4 Allen screws instead of 2 hex head nuts like the Pro Extended Cantilever 1 inch Mount. That's one reason it's $179.99 MSRP, instead of $224.99. The Sport mount puts the scope 0.15" higher. The Center Scope Height is 1.59 inches instead of 1.44".

[Big Frank]

I put the Yankee Hill Machine charging handle latch on the AR-15 with the scope, since it's a little bit longer. And put the Strike Industries latch on the other one which has a 12.7" barrel on it at the moment. The YHM latch is steel, and the SI latch is aluminum that won't wear a hole in the upper.

[Big Frank]

Here's the QD socket I should have bought to fit the M4 carbine stock. It's actually made for it, and it's cheaper, but is probably longer, and the swivel sticks out far enough past the butt already. But the other one looks better to me, and I didn't want to place 2 separate orders from 2 different places to get one of an A2 stock and one for a carbine stock. Besides, I forgot who made it.    Windham Weaponry's website is up again. Maybe they didn't close like all the gun industry sources and media personalities said. Maybe they're going through a bankruptcy. Who knows? Not me.

[Big Frank]

Grovetec also makes a AR Buttstock Limited Rotation Push Button Base for 12 bucks but it looks a little longer than what I used. I took the ERGO Grip off my 20" rifle and put a Strike Industries AR Overmolded Enhanced Pistol Grip on. It comes in 15, 20 and 25 degrees, and I have the 15 degree grip. The shallower angle should work well in the prone position. It costs $5 more than their Enhanced Pistol Grip that's not overmolded. The Strike Pistol Grip Plug Tool Holder Insert isn't compatible with the overmolded grip, or I would have bought it.

The ERGO grip was really comfortable but I had a problem with mine. If felt like the selector lever spring was binding in the hole. I tried reaming the hole out a tiny bit, but may have drilled it deeper. There was way too little tension on the selector lever. I put the Rock River Arms Star Safety Selector on to match the other gun, and replaced the spring and detent when I changed the grip. I took the old detent and stuck it in the ERGO grip point down and pushed it down with a punch, and it went down and out the side of the grip. Then I threw the grip away.

I also installed a Rise Armament Rave 140 Drop-in Trigger, 3.5lb. Pull with Anti-Walk Trigger Pins, black, with curved trigger in the rifle. The carbine has a JARD AR Two-Stage Trigger Kit. It's non-adjustable, but you can order them with 2 - 4.25 lbs. pull weight with a regular spring, and 4-4.5 lbs. with a heavy hammer spring. They make 7 different kinds of AR triggers including a set trigger. It's the only set trigger made for ARs. It features a single stage regular pull weight of 3-4 lbs. But unlike any other AR trigger on the market, it also features a set function that allows the user to push the blade of the trigger forward to the set position, reducing the pull weight to just 13 oz.

I have a Magpul MOE+ Grip on the other AR. That one has a Magpul MOE SL Carbine-Length Hand Guard on the 16" barrel, so the grip matches. The MOE+ Grip is also overmolded, and costs $4 more than the MOE (Magpul Original Equipment) grip. That's what MOE stands for if you didn't know, and SL is Slim Line. The Magpul MOE+ Grip only comes in a 25 degree angle and costs a dollar more than the Strike Industries AR Overmolded Enhanced Pistol Grip. The MIAD/MOE Bolt & Firing Pin Core and MIAD/MOE CR123A Battery Storage Core won't work in the overmolded MOE+ Grip, but the MIAD/MOE AA/AAA Battery Storage Core and MIAD/MOE Lube Bottle Core should work. I ordered the latter and it includes a 1/2 oz reusable lube bottle.

I put a Midwest Industries Tactical Light Mount on the 12.7" barrel and have the sling mounted on the right side with a QD swivel. On the left side is a free Harbor Freight 3-1/2 in. LED Mini Flashlight. It has 9 LEDS and runs off 3 AA batteries. I have serious lights for serious guns, but that light's just a placeholder until I decide I want to put one on the good ones on. It's on the left side so I can hit the button on the tailcap with my thumb.

https://grovtec.com/products/lr-ar-buttstock-push-button-base

https://www.ergogrips.net/product-category/gun-parts/ar-15/grips-ar-15/

https://www.strikeindustries.com/products/ar/lower-parts-kit/pistol-grips.html

https://magpul.com/firearm-accessories/grips.html

https://risearmament.com/product/rise-armament-rave-140-curved-trigger/

https://jardinc.com/ar-triggers

[Sponsor]

[Big Frank]

The Harbor Freight flashlight looks like this but it's black. Since it's 1" diameter, it fits quite well in the mount I stuck it in. I have 2 Strike Industries Enhanced Bolt Catches coming any day now. I like that these don't stick way out in any direction like some of the others do. They have one that sticks out way to the left, and some other  companies make some where the bottom lever looks like it sticks out a lot farther. Here's another look at the Strike Industries AR Overmolded Enhanced Pistol Grips. The non-overmolded grips look just like them

[Big Frank]

I also finally got around to putting the Tubb Precision AR-15 Flatwire Buffer Spring in the rifle. It's 2 1/2 inches longer than my old spring that's been in the rifle for 35 years or whatever it was. But when it's fully compressed it's a lot shorter. It fits both Carbine and Standard length buffer tubes and it's strong enough for either length. I lubed up the buffer and spring with Breakthrough Clean Technologies Battle Born Grease with PTFE. Plain old white lithium grease would also work, but I used what I had. The 12cc syringe burst and grease came out the side so I used what spilled out the side first, plus some more. When I was done, I taped up the side of the tube. It protects your guns against wear and withstands extreme temperatures ranging from -75 degrees to +510 degrees Fahrenheit, but at $13.99 for 12cc, it's $551.65 per pound if I calculated correctly. When I run the bolt carrier back and forth, back and forth, it's a lot quieter than before. I should put some big globs of grease on the spring. It's supposed to take the pogo stick sound you hear when you shoot out your AR. The round spring in the carbine either has a coat of oil on it or it's dry at the moment, and it makes a terrible amount of noise.

https://www.davidtubb.com/tubb-springs/ar15-bufferspring

https://www.breakthroughclean.com/breakthrough-clean-technologies-battle-born-grease-w-ptfe-12cc-syringe-clear


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZQUYGbGmr4

[PegLeg45]

3-in-1 sells a PTFE lube that I've been thinking of trying on some of mine.


https://www.amazon.com/3-ONE-Multi-Purpose-PTFE-Lubricant/dp/B00J25JDDY?th=1


There's also one called Super Lube that is a synthetic with teflon additives.

https://www.super-lube.com/multi-purpose-synthetic-grease-with-syncolon

[Big Frank]

There aren't many places that guns need grease instead on oil, but it should be good for things like 1911  mainsprings and mag catch springs. Lets face it, most people will probably never take their mainspring out and oil it. But if you grease it one time, you shouldn't have to touch it again unless you take your gun swimming.

I forgot to mention that a few days ago I changed the front sight post on the 12.7" barrel from the "period correct" XM177E1-style round post to a square post. I couldn't find my A1-style front sight tool with 5 teeth at the time, so I did what I could to make it easy. I held the detent down with a small hex key and unscrewed the sight with an M16 firing pin I picked up while I was in the army. In basic training some of the drill sergeants had a spare firing pin stuck in their pistol belts when we went to the range. It makes a mighty handy tool for working on M16s and AR-15s. That's one of the things it's good for. Sometime after I switched to the square sight post I found the front sight tool for round posts, which also works on rear sights when you flip it over. It was in the muzzle cap lying next to the gun case instead of being in a pocket of the case. Somewhere I had a front sight tool with 5 teeth on one end and 4 on the other, but I don't know where it went. I still had a short one for A2 front sights only and bought another one that can go on a key ring.

When I was in the army, we didn't have front sight tools, but there was a drawing in the back of the TM showing the dimensions of a tool they that could be fabricated. They didn't explain exactly who was supposed to fabricate the tool, but you take a steel rod of the outside diameter needed and drill a hole the of the inside diameter needed, to an adequate depth. Then remove all the metal around the edge except for the 5 equally spaced teeth of the right size. The marines adopted the M16A2 before the army, so I bought a marine corp TM for it before the army manual came out. As far as I know the air force still uses the army manual. This one has the same thing except the tool has 4 teeth for the A2 front sight. And to go with it is a front sight detent depressor fabricated from .08 in. music wire or equivalent. It's shaped like an S with a big hook for your finger and a small hook to pull the detent down.

I never had that either. Or the pivot pin removing tool fabricated from a 1/16in. socket head screw key, or a fabricated pivot pin installation tool. But I have an AR Takedown Tool now that will do both jobs. There's a fabricated key tool that I never had, too. But if the edge of a bolt carrier key wasn't right I just put a drive pin punch, with a tapered shoulder between the handle and shaft, in the hole and gave it a whack. Either it straightens it out or you replace it. Most of the time, if there's not a piece chipped off and it's just lopsided, that does the trick. One easy to make tool is a slave pin that's used to hold the burst disconnector, semiautomatic disconnector, and trigger assembly together so they can be installed as a unit. This would work on any AR if someone has a hard tome getting the disconnector and trigger lined up with the hole in the receiver to put the pin though all 3 of them. Just take a spare hammer/trigger pin and cut off the end with the groove in it to .625" long and bevel the end to match the other end. I wouldn't worry about the heat treat:quench and temper to hardness specified, or finish: MIL-STD-171.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYOlryNIDjg

[Big Frank]

I put a Magpul Enhanced AR Magazine Release on the 20" rifle the other day. it was a really loose fit so I took it off and tried it on my other lower. It was the same so I took it off. I eventually put it back on the rifle, but the button is undersized and rotates a little. I never expected Magpul to make such a piece of crap. Instead of a Magpul Rail Light Mount, Left or Right, I got a Light Mount V-Block and Rings that allows you to install lights with a body diameter from .75" to 1.04" onto the MOE Scout Mount as well as a variety of M-LOK Cantilever and Offset Mounts in both Aluminum and Polymer. And I bought the M-LOK Offset Light Mount, Polymer to put it on. I got the black Harbor freight flashlight out of my Mechanix Wear bag and put it in the mount. It said to only tighten the screws to 15-20 inch-pounds or you could break your light. I tightened both screws to 20 inch-pounds and it crushed the cheap flashlight so bad it wouldn't even turn on. I had to clamp it in my bench vise and use Channellocks to unscrew the tail cap. The batteries and tail cap worked with the other flashlight on my 12.7" carbine, and after I squeezed it back into shape, I got it working again too. 

https://magpul.com/enhanced-ar-magazine-release.html?mp_global_color=118

https://magpul.com/rail-light-mount.html?mp_global_color=118

https://magpul.com/light-mount-v-block-and-rings.html?mp_global_color=118

https://magpul.com/m-lokoffsetlightmount-polymer.html?mp_global_color=118