Brownells a1 uppers and lowers in gray?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Brownells a1 uppers and lowers in gray?

Posted: 5/31/2018 2:50:06 PM EDT

I got a friend who wants to get into the retro thing.
He has looked at couple of my Brownells lowers in gray.

He has a question and I thought I would ask the forum/

Do any of you have the upper and lower M16E1 or A1 lower
along with their A1 upper in gray? What does the color match
look like on these? I know the current finish of gray is not what
retro heads want. I've been on here for a while and I know most want the xm gray.

I have read that some uppers and lowers do not match very well.
My friend wants to know about the factory finish.

Myself, I prefer the xm gray so I am going to have mine refinished in the correct color to the mid 60s.

So if any one has some opinions, lets hear them.

Don

Posted: 5/31/2018 4:07:48 PM EDT

[#1]

Don't take this the wrong way and I mean it in sort of a fun way. Although I kind of agree with the premise.....

Insert Sam Elliot's voice and say this to him and yourself, "Matching is for pussies".

Attached File

We did have a thread not too long ago, where someone posted 4 different retro type uppers of various makes, although I think most of them were NDS, and it showed some variances.

Personally, I think in real life, matching doesn't always happen. It's more of a rifle builder thing........ I think they CAN match in real life, it's just that sometimes they don't. And I think caring if they do or don't is just a thing about how it looks. Not how "correct" it is.

Posted: 5/31/2018 5:24:34 PM EDT

[#2]

Quote History

Quoted:
Don't take this the wrong way and I mean it in sort of a fun way. Although I kind of agree with the premise.....

Insert Sam Elliot's voice and say this to him and yourself, "Matching is for pussies".

https://i.imgur.com/PfLLv9G.jpg

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/32677/IMG_4928-512763.JPG

We did have a thread not too long ago, where someone posted 4 different retro type uppers of various makes, although I think most of them were NDS, and it showed some variances.

Personally, I think in real life, matching doesn't always happen. It's more of a rifle builder thing........ I think they CAN match in real life, it's just that sometimes they don't. And I think caring if they do or don't is just a thing about how it looks. Not how "correct" it is.

View Quote

I just took a look at a few pictures from my days in the Army in the late 80's to early 90's, and while they aren't the greatest quality pictures, the difference between the uppers and the lowers is clearly visible. Of course, I was in a Signal unit and we didn't rate the new A2's that had just recently come out. We had old A1's that were likely Vietnam rifles. I have to wonder if there were any XM16E1 lowers being used, I wish I'd been more observant back then.

I do know that the D stocks were still in use, my last rifle had a D type stock. I didn't even realize that until I looked back at some of my pictures a year or so ago.

Posted: 5/31/2018 6:42:53 PM EDT

[#3]

This may help.
https://www.ar15.com/forums/AR-15/50-shades-of-gray-retro-edition/123-725558/?page=1&anc=7662511

Posted: 5/31/2018 9:42:12 PM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted:

I just took a look at a few pictures from my days in the Army in the late 80's to early 90's, and while they aren't the greatest quality pictures, the difference between the uppers and the lowers is clearly visible. Of course, I was in a Signal unit and we didn't rate the new A2's that had just recently come out. We had old A1's that were likely Vietnam rifles. I have to wonder if there were any XM16E1 lowers being used, I wish I'd been more observant back then.

I do know that the D stocks were still in use, my last rifle had a D type stock. I didn't even realize that until I looked back at some of my pictures a year or so ago.

View Quote

My experience as well. The only matched ones I can remember were depo rebuilds that were flat black anodized at Anniston.

Matching is clearly a civilian OCD trait.

Posted: 5/31/2018 9:59:23 PM EDT

[#5]

I picked up a Brownells upper in gray a few weeks ago. It's darker than the uppers from Colt A1 parts kits. In fact, even sitting next to my modern black parts, I can't see enough of a difference to matter. For all I know, they sent me a black upper with the wrong label.

Posted: 6/1/2018 5:02:02 PM EDT

[#6]

My archived link comparing NDS and Brownells lowers to various uppers.

Posted: 6/2/2018 8:13:17 PM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
I picked up a Brownells upper in gray a few weeks ago. It's darker than the uppers from Colt A1 parts kits. In fact, even sitting next to my modern black parts, I can't see enough of a difference to matter. For all I know, they sent me a black upper with the wrong label.

View Quote

I don't think it was a mistake. They sent me one too that was much more black than gray, and nowhere near a traditional gray receiver. Not as deeply black as some, but certainly not gray. I think they should stop calling them gray.

Posted: 6/3/2018 6:51:31 AM EDT

[#8]

Mine match pretty well

Attached File

Posted: 6/3/2018 1:18:41 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:
I picked up a Brownells upper in gray a few weeks ago. It's darker than the uppers from Colt A1 parts kits. In fact, even sitting next to my modern black parts, I can't see enough of a difference to matter. For all I know, they sent me a black upper with the wrong label.

View Quote

This is my experience as well.

Looks the same black as my A2 clone to its left and contrasts with the Nodak lowers and Colt 604 upper to its right.

Posted: 6/3/2018 6:51:12 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
Mine match pretty well

View Quote

That color is nothing like the one sent to me.

Posted: 6/3/2018 7:59:29 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:

That color is nothing like the one sent to me.

View Quote

It may not be but keep in mind pictures on a screen can be deceiving.

Posted: 6/3/2018 10:47:02 PM EDT

[#12]

Here's a 602 build I finished recently with Brownells upper & lower. The lower is definitely closer to XM gray than the upper. I have a Brownells M16A1 gray lower too, and it matches very well with the upper on the pictured rifle. The lower parts are from AR15Sport.com, charging handle is NoDak Spud. Both of those match in color and are what I consider XM gray. The Brownells recievers are great quality and built very well into a nice rifle despite the slightly different anodizing.

Posted: 6/4/2018 8:29:29 AM EDT

[#13]

Attached File

Posted: 6/4/2018 4:50:16 PM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
Here's a 602 build I finished recently with Brownells upper & lower. The lower is definitely closer to XM gray than the upper. I have a Brownells M16A1 gray lower too, and it matches very well with the upper on the pictured rifle. The lower parts are from AR15Sport.com, charging handle is NoDak Spud. Both of those match in color and are what I consider XM gray. The Brownells recievers are great quality and built very well into a nice rifle despite the slightly different anodizing.

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh515/eyoude/IMG_6861_zpspxl6dzih.jpg

View Quote

Looks good to me. I don't think any of the M16A1's that I was issued in the Army matched uppers and lowers. Matching is nice and I understand wanting to, but if the goal is to have something that looks like what you'd be issued in the Army when the A1's were being issued, matching isn't what you'd get.

Posted: 6/10/2018 11:40:18 AM EDT

[#15]

Here is my addition to this thread and the Retro Hive.
Sorry for the low resolution, but I think the afternoon sun represents the color variations fairly well.

From the back is a Colt CH forge upper parts kit on a gray Brownell's lower.
A gray slick side Brownell's upper, a black PSA flat top and a OKAY.

https://i.imgur.com/fs3Z8SO.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3Fz5hiw.jpg

The charging handles are both Colt's.
The Brownell's slick side upper has a Rifle Supply dust cover treated with navel jelly.

Posted: 6/10/2018 11:52:17 AM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:
Here is my addition to this thread and the Retro Hive.
Sorry for the low resolution, but I think the afternoon sun represents the color variations fairly well.

From the back is a Colt CH forge upper parts kit on a gray Brownell's lower.
A gray slick side Brownell's upper, a black PSA flat top and a OKAY.

https://i.imgur.com/fs3Z8SO.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3Fz5hiw.jpg

The charging handles are both Colt's.
The Brownell's slick side upper has a Rifle Supply dust cover treated with navel jelly.

View Quote

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Brownells a1 uppers and lowers in gray?

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