Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your AR-15

290 Pages·2014·28.22 MB·English

by  Kevin Muramatsu

GUIDE TO
Customizing Your
AR-15
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Whether for practical application or M
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tricking out your gun, today’s AR Z
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accessories are a world unto themselves. N
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Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your

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AR-15 examines the dizzying array of
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options and makes recommendations for U
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today’s growing crowd of AR owners.

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• Exhaustive insights into a broad spectrum of parts, accessories and brands -
1
• From stocks to suppressors, and everything in between 5
• Bonus coverage of “other” black guns: FAL and AK
• Special Section: Full-color photo gallery of custom AR creations!
Whether you’re in the planning stages or putting the fi nishing touches on
your custom AR-15, this comprehensive guide helps you understand your
options for nearly every conceivable variation.
M
u
About the r
a
AUTHOR m
a
t
Kevin Muramatsu is at the forefront of the next generation of fi rearms writers. With regular s
columns in Gun Digest the Magazine, among others, Kevin is known for his original gunsmithing u
ideas combined with countless thousands of hours of hands-on experience. Kevin lives in the US $29.99
Twin Cities area with his wife, three children and not enough guns. T4315 (CAN $33.99)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4402-4279-3
ISBN-10: 1-4402-4279-8
52999
Kevin Muramatsu
Gun Digest® Books N
A
E
PC AN IMPRINT OF F+W, A Content + eCommerce Company
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TT44331155CCoovveerr..iinndddd 11 99//2244//1144 99::3377 AAMM
GUIDE TO
Customizing Your
AR-15
Kevin Muramatsu
T4315_pp1.indd 1 9/19/14 9:28 AM
Copyright ©2014 F+W Media, Inc.
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or
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ISBN-13:978-1-4402-4279-3
ISBN-10: 1-4402-4279-8
Edited by Corrina Peterson
Designed by Dave Hauser
Cover Design by Kevin Ulrich
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|
2 Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your AR-15
T4315_pp2-5.indd 2 9/24/14 9:17 AM
116 Chapter 9
Muzzle Devices:
Comps, Flash Hiders
and Suppressors
126 Chapter 10
Optics and Sights:
Red Dots, Rifl escopes,
Mounts and Oh,
yeah...Sights Too
Table of
contents
156 Chapter 11
Lights and Lasers
182 Chapter 12
6 Chapter 1 Fire Control: Triggers
The AR and Why and Such
16 Chapter 2 190 Chapter 13
Safety Stuff and Tools Miscellaneous
for the AR Series of Accessories:
Firearms Everything Else
28 Chapter 3 206 Chapter 14
How it Works Cleaning and
Maintenance
40 Chapter 4
Pistol Grips
222 Chapter 15
Ammunition and
50 Chapter 5 Magazines
Stocks
236 Chapter 16
60 Chapter 6 Receivers
Barrels: The Heart of
the Gun
244 Chapter 17
AK Accessorization
80 Chapter 7
Handguards and 270 Chapter 18
Forends FAL Customization:
The Free World’s
98 Chapter 8 Right Arm, Only
The Operating Better
System: Gas Blocks,
Bolts and Bolt 284 Appendices
Carriers, Pistons
Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your AR-15 | 3
T4315_pp2-5.indd 3 9/19/14 9:29 AM
DDEEDDIICCAATTIIOONN
BROWNELLS. MOST OF THE STUFF SHOWN IN
THIS BOOK WAS PURCHASED OR OTHERWISE
RECEIVED FROM BROWNELLS AND, AS
WITH MY LAST BOOK, HAS PROVEN TO BE
MOST USEFUL FOR THE CREATION OF
THIS WORK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
AND PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE STAY
IN BUSINESS. FOR ALL OF US.
AAcckknnoowwlleeddggeemmeennttss
The following persons or businesses
have assisted greatly in my acquisition of stuff
and photos of stuff for this book. Larry Weeks from
Brownells (of course), John and Mel from JP Enterprises, Brian
from Wolf’s Den Gun Shop in Hugo, MN; Clay from Bills Gun Shop
in Hudson, WI; Your Mom’s Basement (internet cafe, not really your
mom’s basement, though theoretically it could have been }:-] ), Clifton
Wayne from Monsterman Grips, Alan Thordsen from Thordsen Customs,
Bruce Blatchley, Rachel Muramatsu, and to all the small businesses that have
produced products that have been included in this book. Sorry if I forgot to
mention any other major contributors. Please let me know if I did.
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4 Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your AR-15
T4315_pp2-5.indd 4 9/19/14 9:29 AM
IINNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOONN
Few fi rearms draw forth the mix upper receiver assemblies or if you like, barrel as-
of admiration and derision than the AR series of semblies, can alter the entire scope of the AR’s use.
rifl es (and pistols now). Certainly, with a fi rearm A self-defense carbine in 5.56mm can, with the ma-
that begins its major use in the military, opinions nipulation of two captured pins, be changed into a
will be sharp and often in sharp contrast, particu- Varminter/prairie dog shooter in .204 Ruger, or a
larly if said fi rearm was used in extensive combat, long range target rifl e in 6.5 Grendel. A little more
as the M-16/M4 series has seen. work makes the stock M4-style carbine into a vir-
While we will explore a bit of the history and tual precision carbine, with the replacement of the
utility and other stuff related to this rifl e later in standard handguard with a free fl oated handguard
this volume, it should be noted, with some amount and/or the installation of a match trigger kit.
of pride, that the M-16, in its various guises and We’ll explore the entire range of things you can
upgrades, in some form or other, has served the do, the installation of a selection of the popular
U.S. military for almost sixty years. Since the early choices, and the means to maintain the AR system
commercial years of the Colt SP1 up until modern of fi rearms so that it remains your happy little
days, the popularity of the AR-15 in the hands of friend.
the civilian community has grown in leaps and To save time and annoyance, though this will
bounds. Since the expiration of the Clinton “As- probably gin some up in a segment of the reader-
sault Weapons” ban the growth has been nearly ship, there are a number of posed photos in this
exponential. Since the election of President Obama, book used to illustrate a product or concept. I have
the growth has been insane. chosen to do take these photos without eye or
The wonderful free market has taken advantage ear protection PRECISELY BECAUSE THEY ARE
of this meteoric increase in popularity. How many POSED!
manufacturers build copies or variants of the Finally, it’s pretty much impossible to cover
Remington 700 receiver? You could probably name all the stuff that could have been included in this
a handful of them and you would be naming a sig- book. I did my best with my time and resources to
nifi cant percentage. Compare this to the AR series. cover a broad spectrum of parts, accessories, and
Well over 100 fi rms manufacture at least a lower brands. For the record, I concentrated on several
receiver, fi rms small and large. This is not includ- companies whose products I most like and have
ing accessories such as handguards, stocks, and had the greatest experience. This should not be
barrels. There are far fewer of those entities, but seen as a purposeful rejection of other manufac-
still a signifi cant number. Since the receiver is the turers’ products or services. We all develop prefer-
serial numbered part, and therefore the regulated ences and opinions based on experience and part
part, any law abiding Joe can purchase a lower of the point of this book was to introduce the new
receiver and build an AR that matches his heart’s AR owners to a sampling of the vast amount of
desire. Indeed, this is one of the reasons that the quality resources available to them. So if it seems
AR series has gained such a following: because like I’m in the bag for a few manufacturers, you
it is eminently suited to personalization. I mean, would be correct. I try to be objective, but like most
why would I be writing this book if this was just other media sources, sometimes biases just seem to
some run-of-the-mill rifl e? We’ve found that a lot of shine through. There are no low quality parts in
people will pay $100 – even $400 for a single piece this book. Everything has been used fi rsthand or if
of machined aluminum upon which to build their not by me, by a close colleague. All but a very few
fi rst dream gun. With only a few exceptions, these of these products are also made by American small
lower receivers are of good quality, cut right, and businesses in America, and I’m very proud of that.
are an excellent item with which to begin. While I have no objection to foreign-sourced stuff,
This is not to say that a complete rifl e is not an I’d rather have stuff made in a free country, if I can
option. Certainly, the new AR owner is going to go help it.
fi rst for a complete fi rearm, almost always a rifl e or Kevin Muramatsu
carbine. Even there, the choices are many. “Which The Garage Shop
AR should I buy?” is a very common question. MN
Ultimately, the reason for the huge aftermarket P.S. I wore T shirts from www.takinglibertees.
support, and to some degree the overall popular- com intentionally for the posed photos. Check
ity, is that the gun is semi-modular. Swapping out them out.
Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your AR-15 | 5
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H A PT
C E
R

The AR
and Why
S
ince you have picked up this book, THE EARLY YEARS
whether for study or perusal, I think
A very smart man named Eugene Stoner de-
it’s safe to assume that you either own
signed the basic AR platform. His rifl e was the
or are considering owning an AR-15
fi rst, at least the fi rst successfully, to incorporate
or related rifl e. You will generally be
several features that we consider commonplace
in good company. The AR-15 and its big brother
today. Until that point, these were not found to-
the AR-10 and all the patterns derived from them
gether or at all on rifl es, including military rifl es.
just happen to be the most popular thing in the
This story really starts with the AR-10. The AR-10
gun universe at this time. Part of this is because
was designed by Stoner while he worked for the
the guns are so adaptable. Partly it is because of a
Fairchild Aircraft Corporation. Students of the
growing self-defense mindset among Americans
history of the military/
and the desire to have the best equipment possible
industrial complex will
for that purpose. Also, in part, a lot of people previ-
note that Fairchild was
ously did not have them and, because of recent
also responsible for
events, want one before they are banned.
another superb Ameri-
We’ll address each of these points in this fi rst
can weapons system,
chapter, but before we do so, a bit of history is
the A-10 Thunderbolt II
necessary to bring you up to speed. After all, the
(Warthog) close support
AR platform is over sixty years old now, from its
aircraft, yet another
inception and original construct. Because of the
object that has proven its
controversy surrounding it (if you are unaware of
worth over the last fi fty
this controversy, you will understand shortly), this
years, and continues to
little mini history lesson should help to straighten do so. Eugene Stoner, the inventor
things out a bit and give you a better appreciation The fi rst feature of of the AR-15/AR-10/M-16.
for the endurance of the AR, and even some of the
his rifl e was the incor-
people responsible for it. This will not be exhaus-
poration of synthetic materials in the composition
tive, more of a summary really. More emphasis will
of the furniture. Plastics had been quite common
be placed on recent developments than the specifi cs
prior to this time, but had mostly been restricted to
of the early years.
the fabrication of pistol grip panels, such as seen
on the Colt 1911 pistol and the Walther P38 pistol,
replacing the wood panels. Plastic grip panels were
cheaper than wood and so began to be adopted by
various militaries during the inter-bellum period
of the twenties and thirties. However, wood still
was the material used for the stocking of rifl es and
The ultimate shotguns till well after WWII. Stoner incorporated
AR accessory! plastics into the AR-10’s buttstock, pistol grip, and
handguard, replacing the formerly common wood
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6 Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your AR-15
T4315_pp6-15.indd 6 9/19/14 9:30 AM
(above) A rifl e sales wall in Bill’s Gun Shop and Range
in Hudson, Wisconsin. The entire wall is actually three
times bigger than this and is completely dedicated
to modern sporting arms. Every single fi rearm in this
image is an AR-15 of some sort or another. This is not
atypical with larger gun shops. Twenty years ago this
would have been fantasy. Now it is reality and retail-
ers like Bill’s have helped make it possible.
(below) This is the opposite partial wall from the previ-
ous picture of Bill’s Gun Shop and Range in Wisconsin.
There are two other stores like it in the Twin Cities
area of Minnesota and the both have a similar display
of AR-15 lower receiver assemblies, stripped lowers,
upper assemblies, and accessories.
(left) Even small reloading-centric shops like the
Wolf’s Den Gun Shop in Hugo, MN, have a selection of
ARs and other Modern Sporting Arms. They also sell
better than traditional rifl es.
Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your AR-15 | 7
T4315_pp6-15.indd 7 9/19/14 9:30 AM
The other famous and
popular FAirchild produc-
tion, the A-10. iStock photo.
furniture. This was a pretty new idea and, later,
the joke went that the AR was made by Mattel,
or Kenner, or [name your toy manufacturer and
place it here]. A nice wood stock is something of
beauty and comforting solidity, and soldiers and
civilians alike were used to seeing walnut or birch
on their rifl es, not plastic that made a hollow echo
when you tapped on it. But the advantage of using
plastics was hard to ignore. Plastic is much lighter
than walnut or other hardwoods used in gun
stocks and signifi cantly cheaper to produce.
The second feature was the use of what has
come to be known as a “direct impingement” gas
system. Apparently Stoner did not consider this a
true direct impingement system (like seen on earli-
er post WWII rifl es such as the French MAS 40 se-
ries), since the bolt and carrier assembly is literally
a gas piston. He was right, but the term has stuck
as applied to the AR series of rifl es and is unlikely
Here you see
to go away. Anyway, the point is that conventional
two totally
gas-operated rifl es have a forward reciprocat-
ing piston housed in an gas block, that then acts different design
upon an operating rod which initiates movement
philosophies:
of the bolt (“short stroke piston”), or they have an
operating rod that incorporates a piston into its a tilting style
tip where the operating rod is attached to the bolt locking bolt
mechanism (“long stroke”). Stoner’s design simply
from an
tapped gas from the barrel, channeled it through
a simple hollow tube, back into the guts of the bolt FN-FAL and a
carrier in a cavity behind the bolt. The gas expand-
rotating bolt
ing in this chamber caused the bolt to press fi rmly
against the chamber, while the carrier itself moved head from a
to the rear to then unlock and then withdraw the large frame AR.
bolt to cycle the gun. This system translates to less
mass in the gun which facilitates a lighter overall
weight, and particularly in the front of the gun
which facilitates better handling. Furthermore,
since there is no reciprocating mass (like a big
piston or op rod) banging around attached to the
barrel, this rifl e is inherently very accurate, as
there are fewer stresses placed on the barrel as the
bullet passes through it.
The third feature was the low bore axis. This
||
88 GGuunn DDiiggeesstt GGuuiiddee ttoo CCuussttoommiizziinngg YYoouurr AARR--1155
T4315_pp6-15.indd 8 9/19/14 9:30 AM
allows a recoil impulse There is a popular but some-
As you see here, you can look straight straight into the shoul- what crude retort to the notion
down the top of the stock (okay, slightly der. Traditional style ri- of banning guns: If guns cause
to the side) and draw a straight line fl es use a stock that has crime, then spoons make
all the way to the muzzle. This aids in drop to it, leaving the people fat. It is used to illus-
muzzle and recoil control. barrel itself above the trate the important and valid
shoulder, contributing point that tools do not commit
to the majority of the crimes or perform actions with-
muzzle-rise experienced out the input of human direc-
when shooting. The low tion. Even robots that perform
bore axis placed the re- tasks without direct supervi-
coil impulse lower and
sion do so according to the
essentially removed the
human programming that has
pivot point, or fulcrum,
been built into them. Banning
at the shoulder that tra-
a tool, in this cassee tthhee
ditional designs experi-
fi rearm, may inddeeeedd
ence upon fi ring, and
reduce the numm--
thus reducing muzzle
ber of suicides oorr
rise. This also necessi-
crimes commit-
tated the vertical pistol
ted by fi rearms,
grip so the rifl e could
but that crime
be held comfortably.
will simply be
The fourth feature
was the combination committed usingg
multi-lugged rotating another tool, succhh
bolt head and barrel ex- as a baseball baatt oorr
tension. The vast major- knife, or automoobbiillee,,
ity of rifl es to this point or pills. Indeed, mmoorree
used a system where deaths, both inteennttiioonnaall
the bolt would have two or not, are attribbuutteedd
or possibly three lugs by the U.S. Goveerrnn--
and would lock into the ment’s own dataa ttoo
recesses in the receiver, these causes thhaann ttoo
with the barrel then fi rearms alreadyy..
screwed into the front
of the receiver. A multi-
lugged bolt, in this
case seven (eight if you include the non-bearing
lug on the extractor), allows several things. The
fi rst is a short rotation distance for locking and
unlocking. Any centerfi re rifl e must have a locked
breach for safety reasons. Without getting into a
huge amount of science here, this works well in a
self-loading rifl e and we’ll get into that and other
reasons in a later chapter. The barrel extension
meant that the bolt locked into the barrel rather
than the receiver, making the fabrication of the
receiver much easier and cheaper (a linear tube),
and therefore…
…the receiver could now be made of something
other than steel. Since all the pressure is contained
completely within the steel bolt/extension system,
something with much lower tensile strength could
be used in the receivers, like aluminum alloys. This
further served to lighten the rifl e. Indeed the origi-
nal AR-10, chambered in 7.62x51 NATO, weighed
less than seven pounds, about the average for the
current batch of .223 carbines. It is not uncommon
to fi nd AR-15-style rifl es today that have receivers,
Gun Digest Guide to Customizing Your AR-15 | 9
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