Guns and Weapons for LE Sept 2011-erronious information?

[Redlg155]

The Sept 2011 issue of Guns and Weapons for LE has a review of Spikes Vannguard AR15. On page 40 it states"Spike's uses a standard M16 bot carrier, which are legal to install in semi auto rifles and are stronger and heavier than non-military bolt carriers."

Is this true? I was always under the assumption that this was illegal. If you modified a M16 bolt to semi auto configurations, you would negate any advantages. As worded, the author is stating that a true M16 carrier is used.

 

[Cal-gun Fan]

Well its not the entire bolt, just the bolt carrier right?

 

[Redlg155]

I had mistaken said the bolt in my question, but the general consensus over at AR15.com is that this is legal. I have the same thread asked over there about the carrier and apparently some manufacturers use a full auto carrier.

 

[Carter]

BCM offers a full auto bolt carrier group. The lower of the AR isn't select fire, so its not a machine gun. At least thats my understanding. You can even find full auto AK bolts online.

I believe colt uses the full auto bolt carrier group as well.

 

[Cal-gun Fan]

You mean the upper?

 

[crossrhodes]

It's legal

The M16 BC is legal. Bushmaster has been using them for years as does COLT and BCM and a few others.

 

[C-grunt]

The M16 or "full auto" BCGs are just terms used to describe what a SATNDARD AR-15 bolt carrier group should be. It in no way makes a semi auto rifle into a full auto rfle. They call these BCGs such because some companies use cut down BCGs for what ever stupid reason they have thought of.

 

[Boanerges57]

m16 bolt means it is mil-spec as opposed to civilian spec ar-15. invariably the lug on the back of the bcg is cut down. Im not sure why. I believe the same article stated that the spikes m16 bcg was modified although that may have been in a different publication, I know they were recently reviewed a few times.
I realize the lug is what resets the hammer but im not sure why it is cut down. You can see the difference in the bcg pictures on midway or brownells.
I wqas under the impression that a non modified m16 bcg was nfa. im not sure about that, I certainly dont see a reason why it would be nfa. Its just an answer i recieved a long time ago when asking why there even were different ar15 and m16 bcgs.

 

[One-Time]

at current, the ATF says a FA bolt is fine in an AR

 

[HorseSoldier]

The M16 or "full auto" BCGs are just terms used to describe what a SATNDARD AR-15 bolt carrier group should be. It in no way makes a semi auto rifle into a full auto rfle. They call these BCGs such because some companies use cut down BCGs for what ever stupid reason they have thought of.

I thought the alternative was developed by Colt as part of their general hate-fest/pathological fear that civilian AR-15 purchasers might somehow get enough M16 components to make the military rifle.

 

[C-grunt]

I thought the alternative was developed by Colt as part of their general hate-fest/pathological fear that civilian AR-15 purchasers might somehow get enough M16 components to make the military rifle.

Like I said, whatever sttupid reason the company came up with. LOL

 

[jmstevens2]

I thought the alternative was developed by Colt as part of their general hate-fest/pathological fear that civilian AR-15 purchasers might somehow get enough M16 components to make the military rifle.

With the mil spec BCG it is a simple file down of the sear in the right place and you have full auto, and a trip to prison. Apparently some morons did it anyway, or stole the parts when in the military, and with the whole assault weapons ban the cut out was added to make this no longer work. Made it stupid proof as it were. If you looked at the 2 sears side by side it was pretty obvious what had to come off. I think that is one of the reasons they never wanted to tear it down that far. Sears could be "lost" and then the armorer had no control over the parts.
That is how it was explained to me anyway.

 

[Shear_stress]

Colt began milling down the auto sear trip cut on the bolt carrier of the SP1 by about 1965, long before the 1994 AWB. They've since return to the original style on most or all of their guns.

As for "filing this" or "removing that", about all that's going to accomplish is giving you a severe case of hammer-follow.

 

[Tirod]

The BATF considers the trigger group the critical part of the AR15. Adding the extra pin hole to a lower, and installing the FA control group is necessary to get a reliable FA weapon. The bolt carrier in and of itself can't do it, and like was said, filing the sear into a mess will - regardless of which carrier is used.

When dealing with BATF interpretation, never take the word of anyone, ask directly. Street talk and a buddy's opinion - even if they served - means nothing. They don't magically learn all about the NFA of '34, 80 years of legal interpretation, enforcement, and the bazillion little schemes inventors have tried to get around it. A dealer in full auto guns would be a much more informed source, no some Joe.

For all that, you can run a completely semi automatic AR15 with a Slidefire stock and get the same result - an empty magazine. Full auto isn't all it's cracked up to be.