EMT40SW
Member
I’m looking for a kit or spare parts list of part to keep on hand to service my AR15 for the next 20 years. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
AR spare parts kit
- Thread starter EMT40SW
- Start date
AR 15 Parts Kits | Midsouth Shooters
Midsouth Shooters carries a variety of AR 15 parts kits including lower and upper receiver parts kits from brands like Guntec and Del-Ton.
www.midsouthshooterssupply.com
Here ya go.
JohnMc
Member
Father Frog has a decent list on his AR page.
It's old but ok, about 1/4 down the page.
It's old but ok, about 1/4 down the page.
CapnMac
Member
There are plenty of options. In days of old, these were often split into two groups "essential parts" and "spring kits."
I bought one of each back about 1994, a year after getting my A2
Here, thirty years' and [mumble mumble] ARs later, and the only thing I have used out of the kits would be a replacement buffer detent spring (the previous spring having followed the pin into orbit, ne'er to be seen by human eyes again).
Now, "lower parts kit" does not count, as those are "expended" in building a stripped lower. I'd not think of those as "replacement" parts.
After thirty years, I'm, sorta, just sorta, getting close to needing a new sealing ring on the bolt of the A2.
Lo-Profile
Member
I bought 2 each of Aero upper and lower parts kits .... My LGS order the upper ones, had the lower ones in stock.
Everything you'll ever really need for field repairs
herrwalther
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I have a few of these kits as just in case replacements for breakages or a part gets lost to the Murphy black hole. Has saved me from order something many times.
www.midwayusa.com
AR-STONER AR-15 Ultimate Repair Kit
The AR-STONER Ultimate Repair Kit is the best option on the market for replacement small parts for your AR-15. Keep this kit on hand during your next...
www.midwayusa.com
Bwana John
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I usually end up with enough spares to just build another rifle.
The spare parts are easier to find that way.
The spare parts are easier to find that way.
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
The kits above are great for building/rebuilding.
As far as wear and breakage, a complete bolt with rings and firing pin, and buffer spring are pretty much all I would consider essential.
Magpul makes are grip module that holds a pin and bolt so they are always at hand.
As far as wear and breakage, a complete bolt with rings and firing pin, and buffer spring are pretty much all I would consider essential.
Magpul makes are grip module that holds a pin and bolt so they are always at hand.
Other than burning the tips of a couple of firing pins with pierced primers, I can't recall having to fix anything, in the field or otherwise. That's the beauty of the modern AR15.
I do bend up those cotter pins that retain the firing pin on occasion and have extras stashed in my parts drawer. Easier to replace with a new one than fight a bent one going back in.
I do bend up those cotter pins that retain the firing pin on occasion and have extras stashed in my parts drawer. Easier to replace with a new one than fight a bent one going back in.
Varminterror
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Spare parts kits for civilian AR’s are the “in store extended warranty” of the firearms world.
Find them in separate or group parts at Midway and lots of places, but don't forget to pick up a GOOD extra complete upper, and all the parts for the lower, double up, even triple up.
The future will make you pay more or even not available, for various reasons.
The future will make you pay more or even not available, for various reasons.
This... Who needs spare parts when you have spare guns?
Varminterror
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I would encourage anyone considering a spare parts kit to write down:
1) A list of all of the applications for which they use their AR(s)
2) Scratch off all of the applications which would have critical need for a replacement part which cannot wait 1-2 days to order and receive a replacement.
3) For ONLY the applications which remain, those not scratched off of the list, define which parts are most likely to fail, and order those parts
Most non-competitive civilians will not have any applications which survive step 2.
If you don't have a spare FPA and trigger for your hunting rifle, you probably don't really need a spare bolt, firing pin, or FCG for your AR.
1) A list of all of the applications for which they use their AR(s)
2) Scratch off all of the applications which would have critical need for a replacement part which cannot wait 1-2 days to order and receive a replacement.
3) For ONLY the applications which remain, those not scratched off of the list, define which parts are most likely to fail, and order those parts
Most non-competitive civilians will not have any applications which survive step 2.
If you don't have a spare FPA and trigger for your hunting rifle, you probably don't really need a spare bolt, firing pin, or FCG for your AR.
Point of fact, my father broke an extractor on his then new 99 Savage his first time hunting with it. The rifle had only fired a box of ammunition to zero it at that point. He had to get a gunsmith to repair it, and almost missed deer season because of it. I don’t even know where a guy can find small parts for a 99 anymore. I wish he had squirreled a few spares away back then. If I could, I’d have spare parts for all my rifles and shotguns too. I have been picking up small spares for NEF singles and other guns I own that are out of production.
The most needed parts I’ve found in semi-autos are extractors and extractor springs. I’ve also seen two firing pins break in my life: one Glenfield 22 rifle and one Romanian AK. Both replacements were made from scratch, but a Bulgarian AK firing pin eventually ended up in the WASR. It had to be ordered from overseas. Sometimes it’s really good to have an extra part just in case. There’s also no guarantee that AR parts will be so common in twenty years. Who’d have thought in 2000 they’d stop making NEF shotguns? Yet here we are now. Break a firing pin or striker assembly and you’re surfing eBay until you find a used that fits.
Varminterror
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"Point of fact..." AR-15's aren't Savage 99's which haven't been manufactured in almost 30yrs, and which never had more than one manufacturer producing parts, and which didn't have the most massive pipeline of any firearms parts in the world...
Another "Point of fact" - AR-15's aren't Glenfield 22's or Romanian AKs.
Sure, 20yrs from now if AR's become as scarce as Savage 99's, pick yourself up a few spare parts... But today, that simply isn't a reality - so following the 3 step program I offered above is applicable for AR-15's... I made a living for a while literally selling hundreds of thousands of dollars in AR parts and providing repair, rebuild, and general smithing services for AR's (among almost any other firearms too), and as I said before, the spare parts kit for the AR-15 is the in-store extended warranty of the firearms world.
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Varminterror
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This just isn't a reality for AR-15's, dude.... Break a firing pin for an AR, and we're online ordering one from any of a hundred websites and deciding who has the cheapest overnight shipping, or driving to a gunshop or box store and buying one from a shelf...
W.E.G.
Member
My spare parts "kits" either become buried in the mess, or they become new guns.
I can never find spares of anything.
I can never find spares of anything.
Captains1911
Member
I have a large spare parts kit, but I also have several ARs. I rarely need any of them, but it’s certainly nice to have when I do. I’d say a lower parts kit (including trigger parts), complete bolt assembly, extractor, extractor springs and inserts, gas rings, cam pin, firing pin, firing pin retaining pin (or 3), carrier key and screws, and buffer spring should cover almost every common repair. You could go crazy like I did but I really think those are the spare parts you’re most likely to ever need. If you wanted to make it simpler instead of buying the BCG parts separately, just get a complete BCG, but the bolt carrier itself is pretty bomb proof. A spare charging handle wouldn’t hurt either.
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ThomasT
Member
One truism I have learned is that if you have a spare part on hand the part will never break. Have spare bulbs for your car? Then your bulbs will never burn out. Have a spare fan belt? You fan belt will never break. The only parts that break are the ones you don't have spares for and they only break when you are a 100 miles from home on Christmas eve after all the stores are closed until December 26th. Or they don't reopen until January 2nd. Having a complete spare gun is a really good idea.
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
Many folks buy ARs in case a particular "Something" happens.
If that particular "Something" does happen, parts will no longer be available anywhere.
I wheeled jeeps for a bit. And you bet i had spare parts, and used em. But just buzzin back n forth to the grocery store....proly never would.
You run stuff hard, plan for a fix.
Funny, when my dad was doing .22 and Field Pistol IHMSA he had 4 guns go down in a month. Minor stuff but still.
Contender, High Standard, Kart slide on 1911, Colt Python. He fixed em all, but had to order a couple parts. He shot a lot, so stuff was gonna happen.
Four in a month was kinda silly
You run stuff hard, plan for a fix.
Funny, when my dad was doing .22 and Field Pistol IHMSA he had 4 guns go down in a month. Minor stuff but still.
Contender, High Standard, Kart slide on 1911, Colt Python. He fixed em all, but had to order a couple parts. He shot a lot, so stuff was gonna happen.
Four in a month was kinda silly
There have been times when military surplus rifles, AK parts kits, FAL parts kits, etc. have been so plentiful and cheap that nobody really thought ahead. You don’t break many parts on them, so the supply of parts kits sold out before people really started to break them. Being in the gun community in the early 2000’s taught me that you can’t just count on anything to always be there. You also have situations like political panic buying when even plentiful parts might get bought up. I don’t think everyone needs everything, but spare extractors and firing pins don’t take up much space. We’re in the golden age for AR’s now, but we might not always be.
Varminterror
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This survives #2 in my triage tree...
Active competition where losing a day means losing a lot isn't really applicable to the overwhelming majority of AR-15 owners with spare LPK's or spare carriers on hand...
And of course, those 4 aren't AR's, as none of them have the largest supply chain of spare parts of any firearm in the world...
