Hi,

I'm new to the forum but have been viewing the forum for years. It looks like some of the best skilled experts are located here and I'm proud to be a member!

Now on to the reason for my thread. A very good friend of mine in Tucson, AZ wants to build a Diemaco C7A1 clone. He is an older gentleman that has no understanding or interest in computers or the interweb so he asked me for helt.

He have some of the parts he needs but needs a barrel. He is thinking of getting one new barrel (it not original then close to) and another barrel he can use when taking it out  for shooting targets and empty cans and where the precision and condition of the barrel is not important as long as the barrel is cheap. He has a lot of cheap ammo he will use in this barrel.

My question is where is it possible to find the barrels he needs?

From my understanding he needs a 20" pencil contour 5.56 barrel, but have not been able to find a cheap one or an original one.

Best Regards,
Thomas

M16A1's had a thinner barrel profile than A2's, you might check into people doing reproductions for that.

I would build separate uppers so you can just pop them in and out instead of changing just the barrel around (which isn't that simple)

Talespin fan?

A lot of cloners hang out over here:



http://www.ar15.com/forums/f_3/123_.html

building another upper is an excellent idea! He could build one as a safe queen and one he could shoot the sh... out of...

haha yeah Talespin was a top funny series from my childhood :-D

thanks. I'll have a look and/or post a WTB request for my friend

Same here, I don't know how many different Lego Seaducks I built as a kid.  I have the whole series on DVD now, its still a good show.

Velkomst! And there's the extent of my Danish. I agree with the others, build two uppers if he wants a safe queen.

For a C7A1 you want a standard 20" government profile with .750" front sight base.  You say C7A1 so this will be a flat top rifle?

He's building a c7a1 not an m16a1 clone, the two are very different beasts.

OP

What the guy above me says is correct. You might want to try the a2 subforum here. A lot of guys who do diemaco clones etc hang out there even if the c7 and c8 rifles never really had a2 sights etc.

you guys are awesome! I have presented the idea with two uppers to my friend and he will go ahead with this idea. But why stop there as he says... so now he will also be looking into the M16A1 but that uses the same 20" pencil barrel correct? only it has a twist rate of 12 instead of 7 correct?

haha thats cool :-D Although it has a twist as Welcome in Danish is "Velkommen" But awesome you knew it :-D

Should have learned a little more. I'm half Danish, great great grandparents came over from Denmark. Nielsen's, Hansen's, Jepsen's

Does anyone reproduce a C7 barrel?

He just said 20" pencil barrel, A1's are on the thinner side of things.

That's a good question. I honestly don't know. I do know some members have gone to some extreme lengths to get the exact right profile for their barrels but off the top of my head I can't remember how or what they did

it's never too late :-D

I had great great uncle who immigrated to USA. We have a letter from him where he explane he had to buy a Colt six shooter. :-)

I actually thought a government profile/pencil profile were the same for Colt M16A1 and Colt Canada/Diemaco?

I guess in this project it dosen't matter if the barrel is a bit thicker or thinner... as long as he can punch mark it to his needs. I'll ask him to be sure as this might limit the selection quite a bit