AR-15 Parts during a AWB situation.

[Extremely Pro Gun]

I have often wondered what, if any, parts should I buy as "back up" or "replacement" or just in case parts for my AR.

Lets say another AWB happens and I know own a grandfathered gun. I break a part on my gun. But since they are easy to build the govt makes the parts illegal. I have bought lots of 30 round magazines for this reason. My gun would be useless. I want it to be as useful as it can be for as long as possible so... what parts should I buy for back up???

 

[Kingofthehill]

I have a spare trigger group, 3 different spring packs, extra BCG and A LOT of mags with replacement springs.

Im curious to know as well since i want to cover my bases as well.

JOe

 

[Z-Michigan]

You have to make a LOT of assumptions here. You are assuming that guns would be "grandfathered" but that spares would be banned. That right there seems like an odd scenario to me. Compare NFA machineguns that can be repaired forever.

Anyway, for an AR-15 specifically, I would suggest a spare lower parts kit, a spare bolt carrier group, an additional bolt, a couple extractors, 2-3 spring sets, firing pins.... look at the emergency repair kits sold by DPMS and others. Consider both wear items (springs, mostly) and breakage items (bolts, cam pins).

 

[happygeek]

How could they make the parts illegal? The 94 to 04 Federal AWB (aka it's bill name Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act) banned semi-auto rifles that took a detachable magazine that also had two or more of the following:

bayonet lug
flash suppressor
pistol grip
folding or retractable buttstock
barrel thingy for launching grenades (M1 Garand type thing for rifle grenades)

Now, since it grandfathered existing weapons, I'd assume they'd have to go off your SN as to whether your rifle was one of the grandfathered ones. So, if you had a stripped AR lower with a grandfathered SN on it, I'd assume you could buy the rest of the parts and make a complete evil AR, and be legal. Companies would still be selling all the parts, you just wouldn't be legally able to combine those parts into a rifle would had two or more of those evil things [because we all know that if you have those evil features on your rifle, it'll use it's jedi mind control on you and cause you to go on a killing spree].

I could be wrong on this one though, I'm certainly no lawyer.

 

[Nugilum]

The assumption being made is the supposed future ASB would have similar language (aka restrictions) as the 1994 AWB. There is no way to know this or comfortably make that assumption.

 

[happygeek]

An interesting hypothetical on the same lines, who was in the Army during the 94 to 04 AWB? I ask because I'm curious what the Army did with all the STANAG mags at the time. Did they treat them as sensitive items? I've seen a good number of pre-94 mags still out there, and I've seen a LOT of mags that were made during the 94 to 04 period (and this is 2008/2009, 5 to 15 years later).

What was to stop an Army guy from taking mags made before 94 and selling them for a huge markup during the AWB? For that matter, in CA right now, how do they know if your pre-ban mags were brought into the state and sold there for a markup after CA's AWB started?

 

[Gordon]

2 or 3 sets of the little pins and detents ect. for sure!

 

[taliv]

if yours is grandfathered, there are going to be about a bazillion other grandfathered AR15s out there. if the AWB is like the last one, they won't prevent people from manufacturing springs, or triggers, or any other replacement parts. so, i wouldn't sweat it. all i'd do is treat it like a machine gun registered lower: KNS pins and try to bang it around a little less than normal

now, if you want to know what the wear parts on an AR15 are... to make sure you get to say, 100k rnds

you don't need a lower parts kit, because most of those parts aren't wear parts, but since you may also need some roll pins to replace some of the springs, buying a LPK isn't a bad idea.

you need a couple buffers, and lots of action springs, like, at least 20
you need at least 10 bolts and I'd get 20 BCM bolt upgrade kits with the extractor and springs
you need about 5 to 10 barrels, depending on what your accuracy requirements are
you might want an extra trigger/hammer, but you'll have that if you got the LPK
you'll probably want at least 10 firing pins
and a sack full of the little firing pin retaining pins
the CH isn't a wear part, but cheap ones get bent easily if you run them, so i'd get a couple spares


and you'll probably want a bungload of magazines. figure you're going to be loading a mag 3,333 times to get to 100k rnds. figure a mag lasts maybe 100 loadings, that's at least 33 mags minimum (though i'd get prob 3x that myself)

 

[Shadow Man]

KNS

Kenyan Naval Ship?

 

[taliv]

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=kns+pins&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10

google is your friend
they prevent the hammer and trigger pins from rotating, which in turn prevents them from making the holes in the aluminum receiver oblong, which in turn prevents your sear engagement from going wonky after years of full-auto fire

 

[Shadow Man]

Wow...just wow Taliv. Can I uh...blame that severe CRS moment on my lack of sleep?

 

[gloucestergarand]

Folks, the most obvious. Ammo. Plenty of it. More than you think you'll need. Am sure there are plenty people smarter than me, back before the election that shrugged our shoulders at those cans Georgia Arms and others had reasonably priced. Now look at the state we're in. Who among us wouldn't beat a path to our local WallyWorld if Sunday's ad in the paper announced ammo on hand on sale at "rollback" prices with that

 

[benEzra]

How could they make the parts illegal? The 94 to 04 Federal AWB (aka it's bill name Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act) banned semi-auto rifles that took a detachable magazine that also had two or more of the following:

bayonet lug
flash suppressor
pistol grip
folding or retractable buttstock
barrel thingy for launching grenades (M1 Garand type thing for rifle grenades)

Now, since it grandfathered existing weapons, I'd assume they'd have to go off your SN as to whether your rifle was one of the grandfathered ones. So, if you had a stripped AR lower with a grandfathered SN on it, I'd assume you could buy the rest of the parts and make a complete evil AR, and be legal. Companies would still be selling all the parts, you just wouldn't be legally able to combine those parts into a rifle would had two or more of those evil things [because we all know that if you have those evil features on your rifle, it'll use it's jedi mind control on you and cause you to go on a killing spree].

H.R.1022 (McCarthy's "renewed and expanded" AWB) contained the following:

`(30) The term `semiautomatic assault weapon' means any of the following:

`(K) A conversion kit.

`(37) Conversion Kit- The term `conversion kit' means any part or combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a firearm into a semiautomatic assault weapon, and any combination of parts from which a semiautomatic assault weapon can be assembled if the parts are in the possession or under the control of a person.

That *could* be construed to mean that the new manufacture of AR-15 parts could be restricted, because such parts could be used to assemble "assault weapons." Not saying they would be, just that they could be. The Bradyites would certainly like to if they could.

I don't personally see a new AWB passing, now that EBR's are the most popular civilian rifles in the United States, but I didn't think the original Feinstein idiocy would pass in 1994 either. I'm optimistic, though.