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Posted: 10/25/2008 6:57:19 PM EDT
| What's the difference between an A3 and A4? Is an A2 with non removable carry handle? Also what is the service life of an AR as far as the action goes? Thanks. |
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A4's don't generally come with a carry handle. They're "optics ready" and normally have a rail already installed. That's what I've seen anyway.
The life of an AR will GREATLY vary depending on the usage. If you shoot full auto all day, it'll last a significantly shorter time than if you shoot semi and clean it fairly regularly. Most will tell you that your groups will open up after several thousand rounds (probably 10k if you treat it right), but that's as easy as a new barrel, which is a couple-few hundred, as opposed to $1k for a whole rifle. At some point, you may also need to replace the bolt and carrier group, but again, that's $100-150. The actual receivers will last longer than you'll have the gun, probably. They're just solid pieces of metal. Take care of your rifle, and it will last you a long, long time. |
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A3 is actually the Military designation for an M16A2 rifle with a full auto selector switch in place of the three shot burst setting. Commercial vendors picked the A3 designation up to designate their versions of the AR15A2 rifle and not impede on Colt's proprietary use of the A2 designation. A4 is the military designation of an M16A2 rifle with a three shot burst setting and a flattop receiver. Miltary A4 rifles can come with standard handguards and a detachable carry handle or they can come with Knights Armament M5 KAC railed handguard and a Matech back up iron sight depending on the National Stock Number used to order. FN-USA produces the military issue A4 rifle now with Colt producing the M4 Carbine line. |
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Quoted: Are you talking civi or military? Each and every new in the box M16A4 and M4 I have ever seen has been equiped with a carry handle from the factory. The BUIS and KAS rails are a unit level add. Once configured into a MWS, the carry handle usually goes into a big box with all the others that are not needed and the optics are used.A4's don't generally come with a carry handle. They're "optics ready" and normally have a rail already installed. That's what I've seen anyway. The life of an AR will GREATLY vary depending on the usage. If you shoot full auto all day, it'll last a significantly shorter time than if you shoot semi and clean it fairly regularly. Most will tell you that your groups will open up after several thousand rounds (probably 10k if you treat it right), but that's as easy as a new barrel, which is a couple-few hundred, as opposed to $1k for a whole rifle. At some point, you may also need to replace the bolt and carrier group, but again, that's $100-150. The actual receivers will last longer than you'll have the gun, probably. They're just solid pieces of metal. Take care of your rifle, and it will last you a long, long time. |
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Military designations. M16-A3. Fixed carry handle, full auto. Very few in service, used mostly by the Navy. M16-A4. Removeable carry handleflat top, three round burst. Civillian/commercial. AR15-A3. Removeable carry handle/flat top. Some come with the carry handle, some with a back up type iron sight, some with nothing. Depends on the specific model and manufacturer. There is no A4 designation on the commercial market... well that might not be true. Some maker could be calling their rifle an A4 and I'm just forgetting them, or don't know about them. It's their product, so they can call it anything they want. Like the 1911s that came out and were named the 1991A1. |
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Quoted: I was talking civie, as that's what I assume he is. You are correct, sir. Thanks for all your help, guys. Back to my quadrail problem, are the two-piece rails any good or should I stick w/one piece? I found this- http://www.ifatactical.com/page/1010205 but don't know how durable they would be. Also, will steel rings maul my top receiver rail? Are there any decent aluminum scope rings available for AR?Thanks again. |
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Quoted: In the Civilian AR15 market A4 is what RRA and couple others call their flat tops, they ship with no carry handle and often with a railed gas block as opposed to an A3 from someone like Bushy who ships their flat tops with a removable carry handle and an A2 sight tower.Quoted: I was talking civie, as that's what I assume he is. You are correct, sir. Thanks for all your help, guys. Back to my quadrail problem, are the two-piece rails any good or should I stick w/one piece? I found this- http://www.ifatactical.com/page/1010205 but don't know how durable they would be. Also, will steel rings maul my top receiver rail? Are there any decent aluminum scope rings available for AR?Thanks again. I have a two piece free floating rail on my M&P and it's rock solid! Even still I'd say the one piece rails are the best if you don't mind disassembling you gas system. Note: any free float rail will require this no matter how many pieces it comes in. |
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