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Posted: 6/13/2026 7:45:27 PM EDT
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So, my understanding is, I can buy tungsten weights that fit inside my current carbine buffer that will allow me to make it an H2 or an H3 buffer… Is that correct? If so, where should I buy those weights at? Amazon? eBay? What is the power move here for a poor person to upgrade their AR cycling? Also, do I need to buy a spring? If I buy a spring, where do I get that? Sorry, not a noob, but haven’t purchased these parts for years. |
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Tungsten has gotten expensive. Assuming you want this for FRT use, it's probably cheaper to get Tromix's FRT buffer. https://tromix.com/product/ar-15-h3-buffer-carbine/ |
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Originally Posted By jaqufrost: Tungsten has gotten expensive. Assuming you want this for FRT use, it's probably cheaper to get Tromix's FRT buffer. https://tromix.com/product/ar-15-h3-buffer-carbine/ Never seen them before but I like them already. "Tromix Lead Delivery Systems" |
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Tungsten prices have gone through the roof! I used to get a three pack of these for $20 on ebay. https://pur-tungsten.net/shop/ar-15-tungsten-recoil-buffer-weights-1-5-oz-3-pack/ |
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Geissele This is where I got mine. "In stock" as of this posting |
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I'm glad I got some cheap Kaw Valley H3 buffers a few months back before tungsten prices skyrocketed. With the sale price at the time (along with free shipping), it was cheaper than I could find a 3 pack of tungsten weights. I'm sorry for you if you're looking for tungsten right now, given the tons of it the military has torn through recently in Iran driving the price up worldwide. I'd be looking to keep price down with alternatives. If you're ok with coloring outside the lines, can you get moldable, powdered or granulated tungsten for less? There's nothing wrong with powder/granulated in your buffer. Give it a little space to move around, like the sliding weights, and it'll have a dead blow behavior. Not traditional, but should work fine if in the right weight range. I also picked up a 12" long 0.55" diam. brass rod a while back. Brass is around 6%-9% denser than steel, depending on the types. While this is no substitute for tungsten weights, it's easy to cut to slightly increase buffer mass by replacing steel weights, and can facilitate fine tuning. |
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Originally Posted By runguns: probably because it would deform, crack or shatter Lead would deform some, yes. A solid weight might swell over time from slamming back and forth, possibly slowing its movement. Lead won't shatter under normal working conditions -- it would have to be very cold. It cracking is possible, but it's less brittle than copper, brass, steel, or tungsten. If not for the health issue, lead powder or fine lead pellets with a little free space to move would probably work fine in a buffer. I read an older review of some H1-H3 Kaw Valley buffers, I believe, and the reviewer stated that they were filled not with solid weights, but with tungsten powder filled (a negative review, as reviewer had opened the buffer and spilt it all over). They use solid now, at least ones I got. But lead pellets would be easier to lose when the buffer is open and they DO present a health risk, especially as they form ultra fine powder from rubbing against each other. |
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Originally Posted By RogueSpear2023: Why not lead weights? I mean it's not as dense as Tungsten but it's denser than steel or aluminum. Steel: 7.85 g/cm^3 Lead: 11.34 g/cm^3 Tungsten: 19.3 g/cm^3 To put it in perspective, if you made an AR buffer with the normal shaped weights and all 3 of them were made from lead, you would get basically an H1 buffer equivalent in total weight. |
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Gold: 19.32 g/cm^3 Plutonium: 19.84 Platinum: 21.45 With current tungsten prices, a lead H1 buffer, materials wise, would actually be less expensive than a tungsten + steel. Not suggesting it should be done, just eyeballing the math. On the other hand: buy lead, borrow a particle accelerator, and turn lead into nice dense gold to use in your buffer. |
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