lysanderxiii
Member
It may be stronger, but it ain't harder, and does not wear as well.
Do AR Receivers Wear Out?
- Thread starter DMW1116
- Start date
mcb
Member
The anodizing on the aluminum receiver is harder than mild steel and wears as well or better.
Ultimately, assuming the AR is made correctly, by the time you wear out a lower or upper you will have gone through several barrels and many tens of thousands of round of ammo. If you can afford that, you can afford to replace a lower or upper too. I am working hard to wear a few of mine out, so far no luck but I keep trying.
Varminterror
Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2016
- Messages
- 14,935
I may not be an expert in the AR, but I can say with certainty I have more experience building, repairing, and shooting AR’s than most folks, and resultingly, I can also say with certainty we have talked more in this thread about the durability of AR lowers than the topic could ever deserve. We’re talking about how long a door panel lasts on a car through normal driving wear and tear, when we all know the door panel lasts far, far longer than the tires, filters, drivetrain, upholstery, etc… to the point of becoming moot.
Charlie98
Member
I actually worked my way through that thread over on ARF... good heavens, I think it was 50+ pages at the time. It did open my eyes up to the fact that stuff wears out and breaks... including AR's. I read the part about bolt lugs shearing off, and scratching my head over it. Then it actually happened to a friend's AR... and I thought 'Holy, Toledo... it DOES happen!'
Ignition Override
Member
DMW1116:
When I saw the thread title, I wondered whether you had spent much time learning which brands have the higher (recent) quality control.
I'm not an AR guy, but spent a very solid chunk of time reading about brands (or builds), before buying three " (7,62 /.308) classic "battle rifles" this year, with no previous experience among these types.
Two are clones, which requires much more caution while reading about each type.
None of Mine were built from parts kits. This is the scariest "elephant in the room".
Without a few referrals, how do you trust a builder?
When I saw the thread title, I wondered whether you had spent much time learning which brands have the higher (recent) quality control.
I'm not an AR guy, but spent a very solid chunk of time reading about brands (or builds), before buying three " (7,62 /.308) classic "battle rifles" this year, with no previous experience among these types.
Two are clones, which requires much more caution while reading about each type.
None of Mine were built from parts kits. This is the scariest "elephant in the room".
Without a few referrals, how do you trust a builder?
gunmechanic
Member
All mechanical things wear out.Even the human body that can heal it/self for the most part wears out.I would while ar parts are cheep and available stock up on said parts and more of the high wear parts.You can always sell the stuff at a later date if needed ,think of it as an investment.
Varminterror
Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2016
- Messages
- 14,935
The problem is that it REALLY, REALLY isn’t.
AR’s are one of the only firearms, among a few global products in general, which have lagged far behind inflation for the last 30yrs. For ~20yrs before the Federal AWB, AR’s were a limited market, a novelty, then obviously DURING the AWB, even moreso, coming with relatively steep restrictions. However, thereafter, through present day, surviving a few pricing blips and runs, AR’s and their parts are cheaper, year over year. The manufacturing base for AR’s and their parts has ballooned ridiculously, with no end in sight. We’ve had a substantial run on AR’s for most of the last decade, substantially accelerating after Sandy Hook, and rarely slowing down since then. During the worst of times, there have always been AR’s and parts to be bought, the only change to the market has been pricing - which flies down just as fast as it does up.
A much better investment is buying ACTUAL investments with the money which would be wasted on what is effectively a depreciating asset, and using the grown future value to buy AR parts when they’re needed. Or, at worst use that money to buy ammo instead, which does tend to inflate in price over time, increasing the value of the dollar spent far better than would buying AR parts.
As I’ve mentioned in this thread, owning spare parts inventory for AR’s in almost all civilian applications is just a convenience, but requiring the sunk capital cost of inventory carry, and the depreciation impact —> bad investment.
mcb
Member
Guns as an investment and an heirloom to be passed down is a disservice that the industry has done to its market and in some sense itself. If you actually use the gun a lot you are going devalue them, and often not wear them out. IMHO A gun that is treated as a safe-queen/investment is a sad gun and for me I would be a sad owner of such a gun. I have one safe queen and it takes every bit of my self control not to start shooting and carrying it. I suspect one day I will fail and be happier for it.
FL-NC
Member
Prior to the M4 carbine being adopted as a standard issue weapon by the US mil, various types/models of carbines were built at Anniston for the SOF community. These weapons were built using vintage receivers from older M16 rifles as the base for these weapons. They were from every manufacturer that ever made A1 type M16's for the mil, in every variation, and so marked. I am sure that these receivers saw extensive service in their original configurations through the years. My unit had the version known as the MK 727 until they were replaced by the M4 in the mid 90's (between Somalia and Haiti). Also, the MK12 series of special purpose rifles that were built for SOF at Crane, Indiana also used the same vintage M16 receivers.
yzguy87
Member
Thought I'd share this arfcom post. It's from Battlefield Las Vegas. They have first hand experience with weapons that most people will never come close to seeing.
https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/H...ow-they-have-handled-on-our-range/118-677135/
https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/H...ow-they-have-handled-on-our-range/118-677135/
Quite a few of the old and well used M16A1 rifles from training bases were sent to depots to be remade into carbines for SOCOM. Those receivers have seen a lot of rounds fired.
