David Wile
Member
Builoding an M14 On An Armscorp Receiver?
Hey folks,
A few days ago I got information on buying an M14 from West Texas Ordnance. For $1,100 plus $25 shipping, he will build what sounds like a very good rack grade M14 on an Armscorp receiver with all USGI parts. For about $40 more, he will use a new barrel instead of a GI barrel.
Then I thought of a local fellow who has been doing M1 Garand work for quite a few years, and I wondered if he might also be doing work on M14s. When I called him and told him about my interest in building an M14 on an Armscorp receiver, his response was that Armscorp receivers are junk and that I should only build one on a Springfield Armory receiver. He claimed that some of the Armscorp receivers are not machined to the same specs and that he then has to do additional machining on them. First he said "many" of the receivers were that way, and later he said "about half" of the Armscorp receiver were bad and half were good.
While I value his opinions and knowledge on such things, it seems to me that I should get some more information before I reject the Armscorp receiver out of hand. If I were to buy a receiver and all the USGI parts and have an M14 built, I would certainly have confidence that he would do a good job building it. I have watched him work on M1s, and he is a good technician, but I am not so confident in his assessment of Armscorp receivers.
Accordingly, I would like to solicit comments from the folks here about the use of an Armscorp or a Springfield Armory receiver and the expected cost of them. I have an FFL, so I can actualy purchase a receiver wherever it is prudent to do so.
I would also like to clarify some issues between the SA and Armscorp receivers concerning the basics. Am I correct in thinking the SA receiver is a casting that is then milled? Is the Armscorp receiver a forging that is milled? Does it really matter? Also concerning the Armscorps receiver, what is the difference and/or advantages to the choices they offer concerning the lugs on their receivers? They offer a USGI type with no lugs, one with a single lug, and one with two lugs. What is the difference in these and what does it mean to the end user?
I have already seen two favorable comments in another thread about the rifles produced by West Texas Ordnance on Armscorp receivers, and I personally talked to the owner, Clayton Smith. He seemed to be very knowledgeable and a person one could have confidence in. He also uses the no lug Armscorp receiver which looks just like the USGI receiver.
Best wishes,
Dave Wile
Hey folks,
A few days ago I got information on buying an M14 from West Texas Ordnance. For $1,100 plus $25 shipping, he will build what sounds like a very good rack grade M14 on an Armscorp receiver with all USGI parts. For about $40 more, he will use a new barrel instead of a GI barrel.
Then I thought of a local fellow who has been doing M1 Garand work for quite a few years, and I wondered if he might also be doing work on M14s. When I called him and told him about my interest in building an M14 on an Armscorp receiver, his response was that Armscorp receivers are junk and that I should only build one on a Springfield Armory receiver. He claimed that some of the Armscorp receivers are not machined to the same specs and that he then has to do additional machining on them. First he said "many" of the receivers were that way, and later he said "about half" of the Armscorp receiver were bad and half were good.
While I value his opinions and knowledge on such things, it seems to me that I should get some more information before I reject the Armscorp receiver out of hand. If I were to buy a receiver and all the USGI parts and have an M14 built, I would certainly have confidence that he would do a good job building it. I have watched him work on M1s, and he is a good technician, but I am not so confident in his assessment of Armscorp receivers.
Accordingly, I would like to solicit comments from the folks here about the use of an Armscorp or a Springfield Armory receiver and the expected cost of them. I have an FFL, so I can actualy purchase a receiver wherever it is prudent to do so.
I would also like to clarify some issues between the SA and Armscorp receivers concerning the basics. Am I correct in thinking the SA receiver is a casting that is then milled? Is the Armscorp receiver a forging that is milled? Does it really matter? Also concerning the Armscorps receiver, what is the difference and/or advantages to the choices they offer concerning the lugs on their receivers? They offer a USGI type with no lugs, one with a single lug, and one with two lugs. What is the difference in these and what does it mean to the end user?
I have already seen two favorable comments in another thread about the rifles produced by West Texas Ordnance on Armscorp receivers, and I personally talked to the owner, Clayton Smith. He seemed to be very knowledgeable and a person one could have confidence in. He also uses the no lug Armscorp receiver which looks just like the USGI receiver.
Best wishes,
Dave Wile
but my Armscorp M14 (rack grade) interchanges parts just fine and exceeds all MY expectations. Regardless of which receiver you opt for, I'd stay away from that TX "expert". His motives may be different than yours.
