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Posted: 6/27/2026 10:50:02 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Retroguy2][Edited]
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Since JT has scaled back on things, I would like to see if the gunsmith I am working with is willing to attempt to pick up on the faux Edgewater buffers, a true AR buffer, but with an Edgewater padded end. Anyone willing and/or able to assist with a few measurements? I would appreciate it greatly. |
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Get some padded protos going too while we’re at it lol Id help but most of my collection is actually not at my house haha |
"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid"
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
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Originally Posted By Retroguy2: Hopefully not ar the ex's either.  Lol no 
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"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid"
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
| Like the end of an A1 is what i’m assuming he means |
"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid"
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
| I would absolutely love a repro Edgewater to throw in my 601. Paying $400+ for an original that's never even seen is just a bit hard to do. And that's when you can actually find one. |
The artist formerly known as Blanco_Diablo
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalms 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalms 27:1
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Originally Posted By Blackbeard91: I would absolutely love a repro Edgewater to throw in my 601. Paying $400+ for an original that's never even seen is just a bit hard to do. And that's when you can actually find one. $400+ is the reason why I want to try doing a faux repro. The prices being paid for items that inflate things beyond the realm of possibility for most, is often seen in house prices. I do understand about dwindling supply & demand, but some push the envelope a bit much, hence everyone suffers, due to greed. |
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Originally Posted By 57Octane: I thought maybe he was talking about the cap?  Originally Posted By 57Octane: Originally Posted By ArmaLite_Aficionado: Like the end of an A1 is what i’m assuming he means I thought maybe he was talking about the cap? @OP the people want clarification lol |
"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid"
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
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Originally Posted By ArmaLite_Aficionado: @OP the people want clarification lol What I am calling the "cap" for the Edgewater buffer, is the funky looking plastic end that is directly behind the BCG. Not many of those "caps" remain. Just wanna work with a person who owns a "cap" or a full Edgewater, in an attempt to create(recreate) one, to act as a 3D model for faux buffers. |
| Ah, for some reason I thought you were talking about adding the plastic cap on the end of the stem like on A1 and A2 lol |
"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid"
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
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This plastic "cap" or "pad", does anyone have a pic of it? None of my early SP1s have it, those all have Edgewaters through 1971. Here was another old thread on this topic, I guess the making of repro Edgewaters fizzled out in 2013 too. Edgewater reprofuction |
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Originally Posted By jntmjt1: Edgewater buffers do not have any plastic parts. JT This is why i was confused |
"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid"
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
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Originally Posted By Retroguy2: I guess I am confused, as I felt 3D printing can recreate the cap. I have 3D printed a few simple parts, always at least 9/32" thick for durability and they worked, extremely well. Is this a poor idea? I do not know much about 3D-printed plastic parts, but based on my experience with a 3D-printed HK G3 flat-bending jig that I purchased, this seems like a bad idea. The original Edgewater buffers did not have the urethane or rubber bumper on the rear that modern buffers use to cushion the end of the recoil cycle. Instead, they contained an internal spring-ring stack that softened the impact. My old reproduction Edgewater buffers were made the same way, with the spring stack inside. When I stopped making them, I had exhausted my supply of spring rings and top caps. Purchasing new spring stacks was prohibitively expensive. At the time, I found suitable spring rings from Ashby Manufacturing Company in Pennsylvania. For posterity, the part number was U-99-K, with the following specifications: Outside diameter: .815" Inside diameter: .510" Maximum compression: 1,753 lbs. Recoil force: 1,301 lbs. In 2013, the price was $89 per element, and each buffer required five elements. That came to $445 per buffer for the spring stack alone. You still had to manufacture and anodize the buffer body, and that did not include the head cap. At that point, an original Edgewater buffer was considerably less expensive than making a reproduction, so I stopped producing them. To reproduce an Edgewater, I believe you would need either an internal cushioning system, such as the original spring-ring stack, or a rubber bumper on the rear like a modern buffer. Adding a rear bumper is somewhat of a showstopper because it defeats the purpose of making the reproduction look like an original Edgewater. Even if the cap could be made from a durable plastic capable of withstanding repeated impacts, chemicals, and long-term aging, the larger challenge would be duplicating the buffer’s working mechanics while maintaining the correct external appearance. Back in 2013, I believe my Edgewater reproductions sold for approximately $125. They were both cosmetically and mechanically faithful to the originals, and even at that price they were slow sellers. As you know, making them correctly today would be much more expensive, probably to the point of being cost-prohibitive. Bottom line... Would many people want what is essentially a regular buffer with a 3D-printed plastic cap on the front? I do not know, but I have a guess. Just to be clear up front, I am not interested in making any of these buffers or parts again. Due to time constraints, I am no longer doing custom work. JT Attached File Attached File |
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This is amazing information- thanks! When were the caps plastic? My main interest was making a prototype-era Edgewater, and they really look aluminum or phosphated steel to me. I could have sworn I read an old thread where the owner of a 601 Edgewater said it was aluminum when another poster asked about the material. |
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When you said plastic, I thought I was missing parts and packed my stuff to head out on a new quest. I have 9 Edgewaters in various rifles, the cap is metal and not magnetic. The SP1 ones 1966 and earlier have a dimple on the end, 67-71 are smooth, not sure if any other differences. I don't know how they come apart without messing up the roll pin. |
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Originally Posted By Retroguy2: I used to own a cap: I can state it was NOT aluminum, nor any other form of metal... This Edgewater in the photos below is in my hands right now. I think you are mis-remembering the front cap's composition, or maybe you didn't have an original. I can 100% assure you the end cap is either aluminum or a type of alloy. You can see some nicks and scratches showing the shiny metal under the original finish. JT Attached File Attached File |
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Originally Posted By gurn-blanston: ... I don't know how they come apart without messing up the roll pin. They actually come apart easily. When you hammer that roll pin downwards (into the body), there is a hollow area there below the spring ring stack. The pin will fall into that hollow area. Then the cap and spring rings all come off the top and the roll pin is just laying there in the hollow part of the body. JT |
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Originally Posted By Retroguy2: I need disagree. I bought, then later lost, a cap sold by Sarco. I do NOT recall it being metal, by rather a polmer of some type. It flexed a bit in my fingers. I wonder if they sent you the wrong part? That sounds more like a muzzle cap/protector. A flexing Edgewater cap would defeat the purposeful compression/recoil of the spring stack under the cap; and the roll pin would probably tear up plastic in short order. Photo below of a "shoot off" muzzle cap. I'm not saying your wrong, it just doesn't make any sense to me. Good luck with your project! JT Attached File |
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Originally Posted By jntmjt1: I wonder if they sent you the wrong part? That sounds more like a muzzle cap/protector. A flexing Edgewater cap would defeat the purposeful compression/recoil of the spring stack under the cap; and the roll pin would probably tear up plastic in short order. Photo below of a "shoot off" muzzle cap. I'm not saying your wrong, it just doesn't make any sense to me. Good luck with your project! JT https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/111652/Screenshot_2026-06-29_12_13_19_PM_png-3786986.JPG My assumption of what happened as well ^ Hence my earlier confusion in the thread. The cap of the edgewater is definitely an alloy, presumably aluminum. I probably have anywhere from 6-10 in the collection, not including the prototype 1958 body, which also has an alloy top end, though it is hollowed out in the center. All are metal. EDIT - adding this thread in that includes a prototype buffer: https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/-ARCHIVED-THREAD-Retro-Edgewater-buffer-varieties-prototype-Edgewater-photos-added-11-28-/123-768518/? |
"History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid"
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both"
“So Freedom Will Reign” / “SEEK! STRIKE! DESTROY!” / “Led By Love Of Country!”
|
Originally Posted By jntmjt1: They actually come apart easily. When you hammer that roll pin downwards (into the body), there is a hollow area there below the spring ring stack. The pin will fall into that hollow area. Then the cap and spring rings all come off the top and the roll pin is just laying there in the hollow part of the body. JT Originally Posted By jntmjt1: Originally Posted By gurn-blanston: ... I don't know how they come apart without messing up the roll pin. They actually come apart easily. When you hammer that roll pin downwards (into the body), there is a hollow area there below the spring ring stack. The pin will fall into that hollow area. Then the cap and spring rings all come off the top and the roll pin is just laying there in the hollow part of the body. JT Thank you, Sir! That's great to know. None of the ones I have, have been messed with and I'll probably keep it that way. |
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Originally Posted By mirion: A true reproduction of the cap with its three longitudinal ribs would be very expensive to manufacture. It must have originally been a casting or a forging, either would be very costly tooling that is required. I figure they’re castings. They don’t have a lot of machining marks that I recall. I’m not sure on the alloy differences or costs but, perhaps they could be laser sintered from one of the 3D printing services. They’re nondescript enough or a part. I believe the rings are also aluminum. Could probably be turned by a decent machinist. |
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