Adams Arms Out of Business

FancyGunz

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Maybe old news to some, but I just found out that Adams Arms (known for their nice piston AR uppers and conversion kits) is now out of business. They were bought out by their creditor in 2019-2020 and shut down.

Unfortunately for me, I happen to have one of their nice piston AR uppers. It comes with proprietary parts (like the BCG and piston system) which now seems impossible to get. Am I SOL and need to buy a new upper since it's now impossible to get spare parts? Does anyone know if interchangeable replacement parts are available, maybe one of the other piston upper manufacturers?

 
Maybe look on gunbroker if anyone has spare parts. Or just wait until it breaks, it might not ever break. I've got m1 carbines from WWII
which look pretty beat but have not broken major parts like bolt or op rod or piston or anything. Then again, they knew how to build
stuff back then.
 
Huh, weird. Google seems to have de-listed their webpage, if you search "Adams Arms" their page doesn't come up. This led me down the road of looking up whether they exist, which led to pages showing they went out of business.

However their site still works: https://adamsarms.net/

Google being Google again.
 
Huh, weird. Google seems to have de-listed their webpage, if you search "Adams Arms" their page doesn't come up. This led me down the road of looking up whether they exist, which led to pages showing they went out of business.

However their site still works: https://adamsarms.net/

Google being Google again.
I ain't got a lot of skin in this game,
but whyntcha dash off a terse note to them
and report back on the response; if any. Ask about:
  • Prospects for spares going forward,
    • -and maybe-
  • if they have a diagnosis for the search engine flame-out.
Just long and polite enough to be crystal-clear English,
without really trolling them for political or economic opinions.
(If their business is on the rocks,
they don't have the energy to rant free-form about Google cancellation,
but maybe they have a rote answer we'd appreciate).
 
@FancyGunz have you run the adams arms upper enough for parts breakage? They are designed to go for a long time if not forever. The barrel will likely be toast before the piston system. the adams arms bolt should be Interchangeable with mil spec except gas rings not necessary. they use a bolt spring to keep the bolt forward/unlock position until fully into battery. Those springs are available. the BCG is more likely to wear out the receiver extension from tilt long before the BCG itself fails.

in essence, I suggest enjoying the AA upper and not worry too much about replacement parts. Piston AR’s are becoming a relic so it was a matter of time until the AA piston system became extinct either way. They don’t solve as many problems as we all once thought.
 
@FancyGunz have you run the adams arms upper enough for parts breakage? They are designed to go for a long time if not forever. The barrel will likely be toast before the piston system. the adams arms bolt should be Interchangeable with mil spec except gas rings not necessary. they use a bolt spring to keep the bolt forward/unlock position until fully into battery. Those springs are available. the BCG is more likely to wear out the receiver extension from tilt long before the BCG itself fails.

in essence, I suggest enjoying the AA upper and not worry too much about replacement parts. Piston AR’s are becoming a relic so it was a matter of time until the AA piston system became extinct either way. They don’t solve as many problems as we all once thought.

I have used it quite a bit with minimal wear, just trying to future proof it. The bolt design is such that it does not cause carrier tilt wear. I don't agree that piston ARs are becoming extinct, I enjoy using it way more than my DI AR - no gas in face, nearly zero cleaning required, no bcg maintenance (gas rings).
 
I have used it quite a bit with minimal wear, just trying to future proof it. The bolt design is such that it does not cause carrier tilt wear. I don't agree that piston ARs are becoming extinct, I enjoy using it way more than my DI AR - no gas in face, nearly zero cleaning required, no bcg maintenance (gas rings).
What is this maintenance of which you speak? I thought you shot it until it no longer works then build a new one?
 
I’m not sure who’s failing reading comprehension 101 here, but my take is they closed Adams Arms, and reopened as AA Holdings LLC, and can still service customers. Maybe I missed something??
 
Shocker.

None of their stuff was ever “nice” it was aimed at skinflints trying to take shortcuts.


This segment is “lwrc, hk, or don’t bother”.
 
I have used it quite a bit with minimal wear, just trying to future proof it. The bolt design is such that it does not cause carrier tilt wear. I don't agree that piston ARs are becoming extinct, I enjoy using it way more than my DI AR - no gas in face, nearly zero cleaning required, no bcg maintenance (gas rings).
You mean "carrier design." AA uses a milspec bolt with the gas rings removed.
 
Maybe old news to some, but I just found out that Adams Arms (known for their nice piston AR uppers and conversion kits) is now out of business. They were bought out by their creditor in 2019-2020 and shut down.

Unfortunately for me, I happen to have one of their nice piston AR uppers. It comes with proprietary parts (like the BCG and piston system) which now seems impossible to get. Am I SOL and need to buy a new upper since it's now impossible to get spare parts? Does anyone know if interchangeable replacement parts are available, maybe one of the other piston upper manufacturers?

did you read the entire article?

"It was announced and advertised at the beginning of April that Adams Arms LLC’s assets would be auctioned as a turn-key operation, including all tangible and intangible assets. AA Holdings will continue the Adams Arms brand. AA Holdings will fulfill all customer orders and honor all Adams Arms life-time product warranties."
 
How nice can it be if you already need spare parts for it??

I remember when Microtech came out with their version of the Steyr Aug.. People were saying how great the weapon was because everytime something went wrong, Microtech would send them free parts.

I knew a guy that had one and it was CONSTANTLY having problems, yet he swore up and down how great the weapon was because they would send him parts, eventually they stopped sending parts lol.
 
Shocker.

None of their stuff was ever “nice” it was aimed at skinflints trying to take shortcuts.


This segment is “lwrc, hk, or don’t bother”.
Meh. I have an LWRC and two Adams arms piston guns (I used their conversion kits) and both Adams kits are top notch. I have abused one of those guns quite a lot and it has been flawless. You can still buy kits I am sure and if you are concerned just by a conversion kit as spares. I actually have a couple of gas blocks and tubes and a couple of BCGs as spares so could convert to gas if I ever needed to.
 
Shocker.

None of their stuff was ever “nice” it was aimed at skinflints trying to take shortcuts.


This segment is “lwrc, hk, or don’t bother”.

There's also the ARAK from Faxon (as far as AR piston uppers go). No experience with it myself, but looks like it would be fun and a good name. Too expensive though.
 
I remember when Microtech came out with their version of the Steyr Aug.. People were saying how great the weapon was because everytime something went wrong, Microtech would send them free parts.

I knew a guy that had one and it was CONSTANTLY having problems, yet he swore up and down how great the weapon was because they would send him parts, eventually they stopped sending parts lol.
Glad I bought the real Steyr AUG A3 NATO. (ie it takes standard AR Mags) The only problem
I have had with it was using Wolf Steel Cased Ammo. The Cases would stick in the Chamber.
The Solution was to run a Mag of Brass Cased Ammo after a Mag of Steel Cased. This would
clean the chamber and the Steel cased did not stick anymore.

Malodave
 
I remember when Microtech came out with their version of the Steyr Aug.. People were saying how great the weapon was because everytime something went wrong, Microtech would send them free parts.

I knew a guy that had one and it was CONSTANTLY having problems, yet he swore up and down how great the weapon was because they would send him parts, eventually they stopped sending parts lol.
I had one, never gave me any problems, not that I shot it a lot. I am glad I dumped it before they went under.
 
Glad I bought the real Steyr AUG A3 NATO. (ie it takes standard AR Mags) The only problem
I have had with it was using Wolf Steel Cased Ammo. The Cases would stick in the Chamber.
The Solution was to run a Mag of Brass Cased Ammo after a Mag of Steel Cased. This would
clean the chamber and the Steel cased did not stick anymore.
LOL at your field-expedient palate cleanser.
[rofl]
 
LOL at your field-expedient palate cleanser.
[rofl]
My AUG A3 was made by Sabre Defense. It was one of 1870 units made. When Sabre
went Bye Bye with the ATF's help for selling stuff out the Back door. It became an
instant Collectors item. The Price for it jumped to over $3K, since the USA made
Steyr AUGs were now out of business. They are being made again by a different company.

Malodave
 
@FancyGunz have you run the adams arms upper enough for parts breakage? They are designed to go for a long time if not forever. The barrel will likely be toast before the piston system. the adams arms bolt should be Interchangeable with mil spec except gas rings not necessary. they use a bolt spring to keep the bolt forward/unlock position until fully into battery. Those springs are available. the BCG is more likely to wear out the receiver extension from tilt long before the BCG itself fails.

in essence, I suggest enjoying the AA upper and not worry too much about replacement parts. Piston AR’s are becoming a relic so it was a matter of time until the AA piston system became extinct either way. They don’t solve as many problems as we all once thought.
I’ve had my AA piston upper for years and it’s my favorite, go to, nightstand AR. I picked it up over a decade ago and as my main riffle have made many changes to its build. I recently suffered its first failure after running a two day weekend tactical class down on the Washington Oregon border an hours drive from my home in Seattle. When I got back to my house and laid everything out to wipe down, I noticed that the low profile adjustable gas block had clogged so full of carbon that it somehow lost the little ball bearing-detent retaining the adjustment insert and it was now stuck in the block. I must admit that I have almost 5000 rounds thru this rifle and have cleaned it maybe five times. Plus, the rifle never failed on me; I didn’t notice a thing and finished the 500 round class. Even with the closing of Adams Arms and my initial difficulty finding their contact info thru Google, I still receive exceptional service from Adams Arms! This service included receiving a new improved low profile gas block a week later in the mail with no questions asked, I only sent a few emailed pictures of the gas block. Adam’s Arms is a stand up company and IMO will be a loss to the community if they truly do disappear.

I’ve build uppers based on all four piston lengths from pistol to rifle and still run a 556 mid length and rifle length Valkyrie I pieced together on my own. Great stuff!
 
I’ve had my AA piston upper for years and it’s my favorite, go to, nightstand AR. I picked it up over a decade ago and as my main riffle have made many changes to its build. I recently suffered its first failure after running a two day weekend tactical class down on the Washington Oregon border an hours drive from my home in Seattle. When I got back to my house and laid everything out to wipe down, I noticed that the low profile adjustable gas block had clogged so full of carbon that it somehow lost the little ball bearing-detent retaining the adjustment insert and it was now stuck in the block. I must admit that I have almost 5000 rounds thru this rifle and have cleaned it maybe five times. Plus, the rifle never failed on me; I didn’t notice a thing and finished the 500 round class. Even with the closing of Adams Arms and my initial difficulty finding their contact info thru Google, I still receive exceptional service from Adams Arms! This service included receiving a new improved low profile gas block a week later in the mail with no questions asked, I only sent a few emailed pictures of the gas block. Adam’s Arms is a stand up company and IMO will be a loss to the community if they truly do disappear.

I’ve build uppers based on all four piston lengths from pistol to rifle and still run a 556 mid length and rifle length Valkyrie I pieced together on my own. Great stuff!

is this a rifle with a retrofit AA piston system or a factory AA rifle/upper?
if it's factory, is it the 3 position gas system or the newer P2 version with more settings?

my factory AA carbine upper is now at ~1600 rounds probably 90% of them have been suppressed. the only "issue" i've observed is steel cased ammo is sluggish to extract so I do not run any steel cased ammo so as to avoid unnecessary extractor wear. while i like the AA system overall, it's smoked in every way by the PWS long strong piston so unless AA is running a silly good sale I see no reason to build more of their rifles. just 1 man's opinion.
 
is this a rifle with a retrofit AA piston system or a factory AA rifle/upper?
if it's factory, is it the 3 position gas system or the newer P2 version with more settings?

my factory AA carbine upper is now at ~1600 rounds probably 90% of them have been suppressed. the only "issue" i've observed is steel cased ammo is sluggish to extract so I do not run any steel cased ammo so as to avoid unnecessary extractor wear. while i like the AA system overall, it's smoked in every way by the PWS long strong piston so unless AA is running a silly good sale I see no reason to build more of their rifles. just 1 man's opinion.
Great info. With AAs future in question, I’ve been wanting to open my horizons and ensure I don’t limit myself to just AA piston systems. Obviously there are other good designs out there. I’ve had good luck with AA and I often stick with what I know, so some times it takes a push to move elsewhere.

To answer your question… I originally purchased my AA as a factory upper. It came mid length with a 16” barrel. Over the years Ive modified this rifle many times. It currently runs a AA lightweight BCG, 14.5” ultra light Voodoo barrel in .750 (incredible barrel, Ive tried to source a second but they’re gone), xls gasblock (correct, 3 position).

Ive purchased one or two of the retrofit kits back when they were stupid cheep; some coming with free barrels. From these I’ve built all sorts of Frankenstein rifles/pistols.

FYI, I run mostly steel cased Wolf poly. We’re talking over 80%. Ive ran 2000 rounds fairly recently, having purchased 1000 round cases on two occasions.

I currently have 4 AA gas blocks. I have the original flat top that came with my early upper, two XLPs and the new mini I mentioned earlier. I realize all but the flat top could be argued as having design flaws due to limitations in block disassembly.

I’ll be checking out these PWS asap.


 
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