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Retro/Fixed Carry Handle AR15s Pictures and discussion thread
- Thread starter Cap'n Mike
- Start date
And here I think I've just set up a trade deal for my M16A2 clone. Let me know when you let go of yours, I'll pick one up, so we can continue this merry dance.
Nah, I'm determined to at least shoot this one. The last one I owned didn't even make it out to the range; I didn't bond with it.
This one, I want to shoot.
Whiskeywon
NES Member
The only real solution is to own both. I had this dilemma when deciding on m203s and decided on owning more than one
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
Thats a beautiful build
Thanks mike! It's an early SGW, put together with surplus furniture, Colt 20" pencil barrel with a 1/12 twist.
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
Brownells is well stocked
Upper | Brownells
Brownells is your source for Upper at Brownells parts and accessories. Shop our vast selection and save!
www.brownells.com
H&R has a bunch, but you have to get them shipped outside Mass.
Damn, when I was building my 20” rifle I could not get a carry handle upper…so it’s the removeable carry handle upper.Brownells is well stocked
in fact they just came out with 2 new retro uppers.Upper | Brownells
Brownells is your source for Upper at Brownells parts and accessories. Shop our vast selection and save!
View attachment 820532View attachment 820533
H&R has a bunch, but you have to get them shipped outside Mass.
Jeez thanks, I can order any of those to my house as long as I pay for them!!
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
The floodgates have really opened on carry handles in the last few months.
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
My wallet is still recovering
Nam 68-69. Nothing fancy, just looks like the one I had in-country; cotton sling as attached, 20 rnd mags, and finish wear.
For the correct length, I made my own dummy suppressor that telescopes down over the barrel. The actual muzzle ends just behind the slots.
For the correct length, I made my own dummy suppressor that telescopes down over the barrel. The actual muzzle ends just behind the slots.
Mesatchornug
NES Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2011
- Messages
- 13,232
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- 27,574
does the sling the the front sight tower not cause issues?
USAF, Andy.
Mesachornug, Nope it's attached loose enough so that it kinda droops to the side, leaving the front sight post clearly exposed.
Attached this way, the gun doesn't tend to hang on its side or upside down when carried like it does when using the forward sling swivel.
Mesachornug, Nope it's attached loose enough so that it kinda droops to the side, leaving the front sight post clearly exposed.
Attached this way, the gun doesn't tend to hang on its side or upside down when carried like it does when using the forward sling swivel.
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Cap'n Mike
NES Member
That Carbine is outstanding Oozy.
The wear looks perfect.
You can always tell someone who has actually carried one of these by the way the sling is mounted.
The parade sling swivel is useless on these.
The wear looks perfect.
You can always tell someone who has actually carried one of these by the way the sling is mounted.
The parade sling swivel is useless on these.
Mesatchornug
NES Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2011
- Messages
- 13,232
- Likes
- 27,574
So it's just for carry, never for shooting, then?
Yep. A lot of field expedient fixes come out of getting shot at and shooting back.
M60s had a feed problem getting the belts out of the can or the "battle pack" that hung off the left side when the belt tried to turn from vertical to horizontal, going into the feed tray.
Gunners found that the juice can out of the field rats meals fit in between the pack clips and gave a nice radius for the belt to ride over. Presto; no more belts hanging up and jamming the gun.
"If it's stupid but it works-- it isn't stupid".
Thanks Cap'n Mike. Hanging the sling from the front sight was a simpler fix than the bent up paper-clip affair they came up with... and they didn't rattle like the wire ones did.
We always figured if they just sent more design engineers out in the field so they could see how well their brain farts worked in actual operations; the ones who survived could take that new-found knowledge back to their engineering departments and we might get gear that actually worked.
M60s had a feed problem getting the belts out of the can or the "battle pack" that hung off the left side when the belt tried to turn from vertical to horizontal, going into the feed tray.
Gunners found that the juice can out of the field rats meals fit in between the pack clips and gave a nice radius for the belt to ride over. Presto; no more belts hanging up and jamming the gun.
"If it's stupid but it works-- it isn't stupid".
Thanks Cap'n Mike. Hanging the sling from the front sight was a simpler fix than the bent up paper-clip affair they came up with... and they didn't rattle like the wire ones did.
We always figured if they just sent more design engineers out in the field so they could see how well their brain farts worked in actual operations; the ones who survived could take that new-found knowledge back to their engineering departments and we might get gear that actually worked.
Perfect description of that thing!
For a short time I had something similar to your web sling rigged up on my M16A2.
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
I had one of those top sling adapter kits on my M16A2 in the 90s. I also shitcanned the paperclip thing, but the strap for the rear worked pretty good to lengthen the silent sling. My ultimate solution was to aquire an M60 sling, which was plenty long enough for patrol carrying an M16A2 like in Andys picture.
NHCraigT
NES Member
H&R 635 9mm DOE Pistol
www.instagram.com
www.kommandoblog.com
Harrington & Richardson on Instagram: "We’re into alternative energy 😏 #SHOTshow2024"
1,389 likes, 95 comments - harringtonandrichardson on January 23, 2024: "We’re into alternative energy 😏 #SHOTshow2024".
www.instagram.com
A Retrospective: The Colt 633 "DOE" - The Kommando Blog
Before the AR9 would make a name for itself being a Glock mag fed gamer gun, it was used to defend America's power plants as the Colt 633.
www.kommandoblog.com
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
H&R is really killing it.H&R 635 9mm DOE Pistol
Harrington & Richardson on Instagram: "We’re into alternative energy 😏 #SHOTshow2024"
1,389 likes, 95 comments - harringtonandrichardson on January 23, 2024: "We’re into alternative energy 😏 #SHOTshow2024".
A Retrospective: The Colt 633 "DOE" - The Kommando Blog
Before the AR9 would make a name for itself being a Glock mag fed gamer gun, it was used to defend America's power plants as the Colt 633.
Great article on the Department of Energy clone
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
What if Ford had won the Second Source Contract to build M16s for the US Government.
I posted this in a couple of other places but figured it fit here as well.
When I was in Army Basic Training in 1992, My issued M16a1 was a GM Hydramatic, built in Ypsilanti Michigan.
I was fascinated at the time by this, and only later learned of GM and H&Rs second source M16 contracts with the US Government.
A few years back, being a bit of an automotive gear head, and favoring the Blue Oval side of the Ford vs Chevy discussion, I was fascinated to learn that Ford had also been in the running to make M16s.
Excerpt from the book, "The Black Rifle".
I like AR Carbines, and most of the clones I have built fit this bill, but the idea of Philco-Ford M16 clone started rolling around in my head.
What would the roll mark look like???
I looked at Rollmarks from all the M16 Makers, from Colt to FN, including Balimony and Elisco Tool. I decided on a logo rollmark like Colt and H&R.
Philco Ford isn't around anymore, but an Image search revealed some cool trademarks on TVs and stereos from the mid to late 1960s.
Where would they have been built?
Ford World Headquarters is in Dearborn Michigan, this was a tempting choice, but just as Ypsilanti isn't the location of GM Headquarters, Ford was probably not going to be making guns at the River Rouge Plant, they were too busy churning out Mustangs there.
I kept searching.
Ford Aeronutronic Division of Philco-Ford was listed as the bidder on the contract, and they had a facility in Newport Beach California, but I'm not sure if they would have made Rifles there and it dosent sound very "Industrial".
Philco-Ford had an Industrial Factory in Philadelphia Pennsylvannia that was a going concern in the 1960s, so I went with that.
So I got some Stencils made, and Ordered an 80% A1 Lower from Cryostructure and Electro etched the lower and finished the receiver with my 5D Jig and finished it up before the new Mass Ban went into place.
Bearing in mind that this whole project was a bit of a lark and a mental exercise, I intended to use stuff from my parts bin left over from my XM177E2 and Billy's Gun from Predator builds as well as the cheapest reproduction parts I could find for this "what if" build.
After buying what I thought was a cheap beat up Police Trade in Upper off Gunbroker, the project ended up on the back burner last spring.
The upper was a lot nicer than I initially thought it was, and was well worth the $450 I paid for it.
It appears to be an all original Colt 603 (except the Handguard) and some knowledgeable guys informed me it's 1967/1968 vintage, which loosely fits the time period for second source contract guns.
Just to reiterate, this is a genuine M16A1 upper built for the US Government by Colt in 1967. It’s in incredibly nice condition and is an amazing find to me. It’s really kind of wasted on this project, bit alas, that’s where I am. Maybe someday the laws will be struck down or I will retire and flee this hellhole of a state and build a proper and correct lower for it.
For now, I tried to use as many genuine parts as I could.
I scored a gently used original “Type D” stock as well as a genuine A1 grip, as well as a set of refinished original handguards from Collectors Ordnance.
and a set of refinished original handguards.
I posted this in a couple of other places but figured it fit here as well.
When I was in Army Basic Training in 1992, My issued M16a1 was a GM Hydramatic, built in Ypsilanti Michigan.
I was fascinated at the time by this, and only later learned of GM and H&Rs second source M16 contracts with the US Government.
A few years back, being a bit of an automotive gear head, and favoring the Blue Oval side of the Ford vs Chevy discussion, I was fascinated to learn that Ford had also been in the running to make M16s.
Excerpt from the book, "The Black Rifle".
I like AR Carbines, and most of the clones I have built fit this bill, but the idea of Philco-Ford M16 clone started rolling around in my head.
What would the roll mark look like???
I looked at Rollmarks from all the M16 Makers, from Colt to FN, including Balimony and Elisco Tool. I decided on a logo rollmark like Colt and H&R.
Philco Ford isn't around anymore, but an Image search revealed some cool trademarks on TVs and stereos from the mid to late 1960s.
Where would they have been built?
Ford World Headquarters is in Dearborn Michigan, this was a tempting choice, but just as Ypsilanti isn't the location of GM Headquarters, Ford was probably not going to be making guns at the River Rouge Plant, they were too busy churning out Mustangs there.
I kept searching.
Ford Aeronutronic Division of Philco-Ford was listed as the bidder on the contract, and they had a facility in Newport Beach California, but I'm not sure if they would have made Rifles there and it dosent sound very "Industrial".
Philco-Ford had an Industrial Factory in Philadelphia Pennsylvannia that was a going concern in the 1960s, so I went with that.
So I got some Stencils made, and Ordered an 80% A1 Lower from Cryostructure and Electro etched the lower and finished the receiver with my 5D Jig and finished it up before the new Mass Ban went into place.
Bearing in mind that this whole project was a bit of a lark and a mental exercise, I intended to use stuff from my parts bin left over from my XM177E2 and Billy's Gun from Predator builds as well as the cheapest reproduction parts I could find for this "what if" build.
After buying what I thought was a cheap beat up Police Trade in Upper off Gunbroker, the project ended up on the back burner last spring.
The upper was a lot nicer than I initially thought it was, and was well worth the $450 I paid for it.
It appears to be an all original Colt 603 (except the Handguard) and some knowledgeable guys informed me it's 1967/1968 vintage, which loosely fits the time period for second source contract guns.
Just to reiterate, this is a genuine M16A1 upper built for the US Government by Colt in 1967. It’s in incredibly nice condition and is an amazing find to me. It’s really kind of wasted on this project, bit alas, that’s where I am. Maybe someday the laws will be struck down or I will retire and flee this hellhole of a state and build a proper and correct lower for it.
For now, I tried to use as many genuine parts as I could.
I scored a gently used original “Type D” stock as well as a genuine A1 grip, as well as a set of refinished original handguards from Collectors Ordnance.
and a set of refinished original handguards.
Last edited:
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
This is the finished result.
Other than the lower and most of the lower parts kit, everything is genuine M16A1.
Even the sling is a surplus M1 “Seatbelt sling” as would have been issued in the later part of the war.
Other than the lower and most of the lower parts kit, everything is genuine M16A1.
Even the sling is a surplus M1 “Seatbelt sling” as would have been issued in the later part of the war.
BrunoN
NES Member
Thats awesome, ill have to give it a better read when I get home.
But being a mechanic, currently working now, id always wanted a hydramatic since I've learned of them.
Foolishly passed on a complete upper a couple years ago. And almost had a customer receiver made before all the nonsense. Someday I'll pick the project back up.
Well done!
But being a mechanic, currently working now, id always wanted a hydramatic since I've learned of them.
Foolishly passed on a complete upper a couple years ago. And almost had a customer receiver made before all the nonsense. Someday I'll pick the project back up.
Well done!
Marty McFly
NES Member
Thanks for the cetme
Cap'n Mike
NES Member
Thank you
There is some interesting info in there.
For example Kaiser-Jeep also threw their hat in that ring.
More possibilities
BrunoN
NES Member
Thats so cool.
Like i said being a mechanic I've been fascinated with anything car related that got into firearms. Would love a Daewoo but they've gotten pricey, trw m14 is another.
Someday.
