OK, you AR folks ...

1
I have ended up with a Colt AR-15 A2 HBAR Sporter.

It's been sitting in my mother-in-law's house, generally unnoticed and under a pile of junk, since her husband's death in 1999. Some friends of hers looked at it once and declared it damaged beyond repair, but she doesn't remember why, and these "friends were" jackass crackpots who left town under something of a cloud.

I dug it out today, while at her house for other reasons, because I'm taking another of my rifles to a gunsmith, and thought I might take this one along.

First, however, I thought I might pull it apart and have a look at it myself. There's no apparent significant damage or corrosion to the exterior, though the chamber and part of the barrel was full of cracked corn and seeds (some mice had gotten into the case, it seems).

The bolt and charging handle (or what seem to be the bolt and charging handle) were removed before storage, and they look fine to my eye. Other than that, there's a bayonet/sheath, an extra strap, and a silicone cloth in the case. No magazines, however.

Anyhow, any advice on a good breakdown and check-it-out resource or guide? I'm sure there are plenty out there, for new or well-maintained ones, but is there anything like the SKS and Mosin-Nagant guides that not only deal with the mechanics, but also with identifying trouble spots on older rifles that may not have been treated like princesses? I'm just curious what sort of trouble spots I should look for--I'm going into this armed with a cleaning set, some Ballistol, and a passing familiarity with the action on an SKS. I've never even handled an AR before.

So ... yeah. That's my question ...

Re: OK, you AR folks ...

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atxgunguy wrote:This is a good place to start: http://www.ar15.com/content/index.html#guides

I'm sure M4Builder and the like will chime in soon enough with some good sage advice.

Congrats on the find. Hopefully everything is in working order and only needs a good cleaning.
Oh that is cool. Thanks for the link.

And yes, hopefully ... but past experience has shown that everything that comes out of my mother-in-law's house seems to be damaged or degraded or derelict in some way. There are some issues there.

Re: OK, you AR folks ...

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rharper wrote:
And yes, hopefully ... but past experience has shown that everything that comes out of my mother-in-law's house seems to be damaged or degraded or derelict in some way. There are some issues there.
Too bad it wasn't an AK. You could just have blasted some air through the barrel and taken it to the range the day you found it. ;)
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Re: OK, you AR folks ...

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I would recommend watching some of the youtube videos on building an AR. That's what I did when I built mine. I think seeing how they go together would be helpful.

Have you put the thing together and dry-fired it? Knowing if it goes "click" might be helpful. Also making sure the safety works, the bolt release, etc would be helpful to know.

Also, run a patch down the barrel and see if you get any rust.

My 2 cents as an AR noob.
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Re: OK, you AR folks ...

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senorgrand wrote: Have you put the thing together and dry-fired it? Knowing if it goes "click" might be helpful. Also making sure the safety works, the bolt release, etc would be helpful to know.

Also, run a patch down the barrel and see if you get any rust.
Nope, not yet.

The wife is out of town, and I'm wrangling the toddler and the kindergartner this week. I may have some time to tinker tomorrow, but, alas, no playtime tonight ...

Re: OK, you AR folks ...

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rharper wrote:
senorgrand wrote: Have you put the thing together and dry-fired it? Knowing if it goes "click" might be helpful. Also making sure the safety works, the bolt release, etc would be helpful to know.

Also, run a patch down the barrel and see if you get any rust.
Nope, not yet.

The wife is out of town, and I'm wrangling the toddler and the kindergartner this week. I may have some time to tinker tomorrow, but, alas, no playtime tonight ...
Check out the ar15.com 'function check' threads under the DIY section. If it passes each of those you should be ok.
In a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich the chicken and cow are involved while the pig is committed.

Re: OK, you AR folks ...

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It's trashed I'll give yo 50 bucks and save you the headache of breaking it down for parts.
An intellectual is someone that can change their mind after being given enough evidence.

“ I nearly murdered somebody, and it made me realise that you can't face violence with violence. It doesn't work. ”

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Re: OK, you AR folks ...

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Take the bolt apart, buffer out, take off the handguards and separate the halves. Check the gas tube for any corrosion, cracks or bends that don't belong. Make sure the bolt is free of any debris, cleaned and a dash of oil. Clear out the buffer tube and lower/upper receiver and lastly clean out the barrel and lug recesses in the barrel extension.
All problems can be solved with a copious amount of high explosives.

Re: OK, you AR folks ...

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After a quick breakdown and "preclean" (dry wipe/blow only, to remove the dust and corn--I'm inside, to hear the boys if they wake, so I can't use any of the good stuff, per the wife's request), it looks pretty good. A couple minor spots of corrosion, and a bit of non-mouse gunge, but it comes apart and goes together, the only bend in the gas tube is the one that's supposed to be there, and it cocks and goes click.

I am cautiously optimistic.

Re: OK, you AR folks ...

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Function check charge it squeeze hammer falls. Keep holding trigger back charge again let hammer go listen for metallic click squeeze again hammer falls.
An intellectual is someone that can change their mind after being given enough evidence.

“ I nearly murdered somebody, and it made me realise that you can't face violence with violence. It doesn't work. ”

—Joe Strummer

Re: OK, you AR folks ...

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First...in case you forgot or didn't know it was there. It's stickied in the "how to" forum and is an excellent resource, written by a fellow who, at the time, made his living with an organization that included something like these in its basic toolbox.

http://www.theliberalgunclub.com/phpBB3 ... know+about+

The only thing I can think to add to Paladin's comment is to do a few of those function checks while letting the trigger out slowly in order to get a feel for where reset is.

Then if you are comfortable with shooting it you might limit the first couple of magazines to two, perhaps three rounds...in case the thing decides to double on you. Might not go over real well if it pulled a 30 round "dump" at a public range.

Oh, and the gas rings...don't forget to stagger the gas rings on the bolt...it works more better that way.
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