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Posted: 4/17/2012 2:15:06 PM EDT
| I have a dpms ap4 16 inch carbine and I have had zero problems with it so far but i was wondering if it would be necessary to swap out the bcg to something of higher quality like a bcm full auto and maybe an h2 buffer with the sprinco blue spring? Or is this a if it aint broke dont fix it sort of thing... Will it make my gun more reliable and maybe a softer recoil? I am just a little concerned because the rifle comes with a carbine buffer and spring and a semi auto bcg made with 8620 phosphated steel and it doesnt even say what the bolt is made of. Any replies would be appreciated thanks! And please no dpms haters im not asking this question for you to tell me to buy a new gun, i have it and thats that. Thanks. |
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I have a dpms ap4 16 inch carbine and I have had zero problems with it so far but i was wondering if it would be necessary to swap out the bcg to something of higher quality like a bcm full auto and maybe an h2 buffer with the sprinco blue spring? Or is this a if it aint broke dont fix it sort of thing... Will it make my gun more reliable and maybe a softer recoil? I am just a little concerned because the rifle comes with a carbine buffer and spring and a semi auto bcg made with 8620 phosphated steel and it doesnt even say what the bolt is made of. Any replies would be appreciated thanks! And please no dpms haters im not asking this question for you to tell me to buy a new gun, i have it and thats that. Thanks. You have answered your own question. No you should not; spend the $ on ammo and go shooting. |
| I disagree that you shouldnt replace it because you havent had a problem. If you intend the gun for defense and you arent 100% on it, then you need to know that you know that it'll work when it has to. A failing carrier doesnt always give you warnings before it gives up, and you do not want to start diagnosing problems in the midst of trouble. However, if this is a competition shooter, or a project gun for a rainy day, spend themoney on ammo and make sure it matters whether it works or not by making it hit every time it works. |
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If you had a choice on something you put your life on and it was between something that has ran without issues and something you have no idea if it will work the same. Leave it alone. As suggested buy a spare and use when the time comes.
If you want something with softer recoil, precision build, competition rifle, etc then change it. |
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.....I have had zero problems with it so far but i was wondering if it would be necessary to swap out the bcg to something of higher quality like a bcm full auto and maybe an h2 buffer with the sprinco blue spring? 1. Zero problems is good 2. What's the round count ? 3. You don't know if the weapon will run with an H2 buffer and blue spring Sounds like you bought the DPMS and then read more about what goes into a professional rig. From the information given, and I'm going to guess that round count is low, leave it alone. Why not build a second AR just the way you want it. |
| As pretty much everyone has said, don't worry about it and just shoot the thing. As for the buffer and spring, if you think that's something you would like to try out, go for it, but don't short your ammo fund to do it. I don't think there's anything wrong with experimenting to find the tuning that you like, but if it runs well on the carbine buffer and standard spring, I certainly don't think it's something that needs to be changed. |
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If you are using it to shoot paper only it doesnt matter as long it shoot. If you want to use it for self defense or something more than just paper punching get a rifle from some one who builds them right
I have had a DPMS one of my friends as a dpms and I would never own one again |
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Here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna order another BCG for "just in case". That BCG will turn into another gun. That's what happened to me.  I had a castle nut turn into another gun,,,, that is the freaking worst. i had a gas block do that to me. 
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Here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna order another BCG for "just in case". That BCG will turn into another gun. That's what happened to me. I had a castle nut turn into another gun,,,, Coke in the keyboard... 
FWIW, I have changed out a few of mine for higher quality. I sold the others to make up some money, but I kept 2 for parts. |
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Thanks for all the replies guys. I guess I'll save my pennies for now and just invest in some ammo! Time to go shoot... There you go. You might buy a new bolt and cam pin to keep handy just in case. But most likely you'll never need them. Quoted:
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Here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna order another BCG for "just in case". That BCG will turn into another gun. That's what happened to me. I had a castle nut turn into another gun,,,, that is the freaking worst. i had a gas block do that to me. A TangoDown Battlegrip and a desire for carbine length MOE handguards. 
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I have a dpms ap4 16 inch carbine and I have had zero problems with it so far but i was wondering if it would be necessary to swap out the bcg to something of higher quality like a bcm full auto and maybe an h2 buffer with the sprinco blue spring?
Sounds like a case of "fix it till it's broke' 
I would just shoot it. At the most maybe try a H buffer. Doing buffer and spring at the same time is to much change. If you want to play with this stuff change one thing at a time. |
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I have a dpms ap4 16 inch carbine and I have had zero problems with it so far but i was wondering if it would be necessary to swap out the bcg to something of higher quality like a bcm full auto and maybe an h2 buffer with the sprinco blue spring? Or is this a if it aint broke dont fix it sort of thing... Will it make my gun more reliable and maybe a softer recoil? I am just a little concerned because the rifle comes with a carbine buffer and spring and a semi auto bcg made with 8620 phosphated steel and it doesnt even say what the bolt is made of. Any replies would be appreciated thanks! And please no dpms haters im not asking this question for you to tell me to buy a new gun, i have it and thats that. Thanks. Buy another Bolt to keep as a spare. If you want less recoil, you could upgrade to a H or H2 buffer, as long as it runs, especially if you are using underpowered ammo like Wolf. DPMS bolts are 158 Carpenter. Mine has not quit on me yet. |
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I have a dpms ap4 16 inch carbine and I have had zero problems with it so far but i was wondering if it would be necessary to swap out the bcg to something of higher quality like a bcm full auto and maybe an h2 buffer with the sprinco blue spring? Or is this a if it aint broke dont fix it sort of thing... Will it make my gun more reliable and maybe a softer recoil? I am just a little concerned because the rifle comes with a carbine buffer and spring and a semi auto bcg made with 8620 phosphated steel and it doesnt even say what the bolt is made of. Any replies would be appreciated thanks! And please no dpms haters im not asking this question for you to tell me to buy a new gun, i have it and thats that. Thanks. Buy another Bolt to keep as a spare. If you want less recoil, you could upgrade to a H or H2 buffer, as long as it runs, especially if you are using underpowered ammo like Wolf. DPMS bolts are 158 Carpenter. Mine has not quit on me yet. I've looked for that info, where did you find it? I could not find anything that said they use C158, so I assumed they use 8620. |
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I have a dpms ap4 16 inch carbine and I have had zero problems with it so far but i was wondering if it would be necessary to swap out the bcg to something of higher quality like a bcm full auto and maybe an h2 buffer with the sprinco blue spring? Or is this a if it aint broke dont fix it sort of thing... Will it make my gun more reliable and maybe a softer recoil? I am just a little concerned because the rifle comes with a carbine buffer and spring and a semi auto bcg made with 8620 phosphated steel and it doesnt even say what the bolt is made of. Any replies would be appreciated thanks! And please no dpms haters im not asking this question for you to tell me to buy a new gun, i have it and thats that. Thanks. Buy another Bolt to keep as a spare. If you want less recoil, you could upgrade to a H or H2 buffer, as long as it runs, especially if you are using underpowered ammo like Wolf. DPMS bolts are 158 Carpenter. Mine has not quit on me yet. I've looked for that info, where did you find it? I could not find anything that said they use C158, so I assumed they use 8620. Same here. I didnt find anything stating that 158 was used. Do you have any proof of that? |
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Check your bolt carrier and see if it has a shrouded firing pin or not.
Semi-auto bolt carriers with unshrouded firing pins allow the hammer to beat against the firing pin when the hammer resets. This results in bent firing pins and bent firing pins retaining pins. As has already been mentioned, the auto bolt carrier weighs slightly more than a semi-auto bolt carrier, and the added weight can help smooth out the recoil pulse (it works like a heavier buffer). So, if you have an unshrouded bolt carrier, you may not have problems. But, if you're looking to make your gun more reliable, replacement with a auto bolt carrier would help. PSA BCG run aout $110 regular price, but they go on sale at $90 or $100 on a regular basis. Carpenter 158, and you can get the BCG with a HP/MPI bolt. Most carbine gas guns are slightly overgassed. You can try changing the buffer to an H or H2 to soften the ejection, and recoil. I figure on getting the H2 buffer. If it's too heavy, you can always swap a weight with your standard buffer to make an H buffer to try out. |
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Nothing wrong with what you have. Don't let the internet make you feel yours is inferior. If you have had no problems how can you upgrade from something that is already proven to work?
I have over 3000rds so far on my DPMS equipment and it works flawlessly and shows very little wear. I have read in the past that they do use Carpenter 158 for their bolts but don't take my word for it. Ask the DPMS rep on this site to be sure. He will tell you straight. If I were you and wanted to "upgrade", I would buy a spare and replace yours when it breaks....but not until then. I am confident that you will be waiting awhile though, I still am. |
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