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Posted: 3/2/2005 9:10:47 AM EDT
| I just received my long awaited (7 weeks) RRA TASC Upper MidLength Stainless. I ordered it with the A2 FH and round grips. I received it with the LE Compensator instead of the A2 FH and with a triangular handguard cap installed on round handguards. I notified RRA and they said I could ship the whole unit back to them and they would replace the FH, but that they didn't see where a round handguard cap was specified on the build sheet. I also noticed that the front sight housing seems to be cast instead of forged and it looks kinda crappy. I know that I can repair all these discrepancies myself, but I shouldn't have to. Haven't shot it yet, so hopefully it will redeem itself on the range.... |
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I just checked it again, it's cast. The bayo lug is forged, but the front sight housing is cast. The front sight post is also the cheap 4 slot one instead of the 6 position like on my old OlyArms. The front sight housing is only pinned in so replacing it shouldn't be a problem as long as I don't run into any major alignment problems. Tonight I field stripped it and it seems to be thrown together. The bolt is really really really really tight in the carrier, the carrier gas port is really catching on the gas tube, and the charging handle is covered with burrs. Also, I want to let everyone know not to waste their money on the "lockable" rear W/E sight. It's just a set screw. That stupid LE compensator loves to snatch the cleaning patch off the end of the rod too. One more reason I wanted the A2 FH. I still haven't decided whether or not I am going to send this back for them to "fix" or do it myself. Their waiting times suck..... |
that really sucks man.... i have had nothing but great success from RRA... |
You obviously have NO IDEA what you are talking about. The FSB and bayo luga are one piece, hiw could the FSB be cast and it have a forged FSB on it? Superglue? 
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| The bayo lug attaches to the front sight housing with a pin. The sight housing seems to be pinned to the barrel in 2 places and one of the pins is also holding in the bayonet lug. You are correct that most front sight housings and bayonet lugs are one piece, but not this one. |
I need to see a picture |
| I spoke to a friend who said he asked a number of questions when speaking to RRA about the components of their rifles. He was in the process of ordering a new RRA rifle at the time. He specifically asked about the front sight being a forging versus a casting because Bushmaster specifies theirs is a forging in their catalog. The person he was speaking with at RRA said that the front sight was absolutely a forging. Maybe someone should call RRA and ask them again to verify it. |
Thats why i ordered from Pete at Legal Transfers ...ordered a US PROPERTY MARKED LOWER Upper is Wilson 1/9 Twist M4 HBAR Chrome lined barrel... but it does seem to me that the FSB is CAST and not Forged...it does not affect my shooting   
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That's pretty cheesy |
What is cheesy? 
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sorry, the bottom pinned in bayonut lug, looks cheesy. ETA: I thought they were all suppoed to be one piece, no? |
WTF are you talking about? The only difference I see between it and the forged, milspec front sight bases on my Colt, FN and Bushmaster barrels in my safe is that RRA doesn't use taper pins. |
Welcome to the boards, but I've got to tell you that it sounds like you don't know what you're talking about.
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In my limited experience with AR 15's... i thought they all were manufactured this way...post pic of FSB w/ BAYO already forged in single peice if you can.. I would like to see this |
from another thread, this is a pic of LE6920: http://www.jobrelatedstuff.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=21&t=221967&page=7 
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I'd really like to see some pics of this supposed 2-piece unit. I don't even see how it could be pinned in place. The pin goes through the barrel so either the lug is some wierd contraption that fits completey over the front section and won't fit a normal bayonet or the lug has to fit into a slot milled into the barrel. Neither of these options sounds credible. |
quote from coltarms
ummm.... i think i would take longer/cost more for any manufacture to mill the FSB rather than cast them...seems illogical   |
I'm not sure what you're trying to point out with this picture. That is an ordinary forged FSB and it has two pins holding it in place just like every other AR15/M16 front sight base on the planet. |
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Forged FSB look as if they are cast. They have a sandy, almost porous looking appearence along with what looks like a ground down cast line down the back side. A cast FSB on the other hand, looks like what you would expect a forging to look like. It is very smooth and even in shape, with only a faint line along the center of the front and rear. Don't be deceived by the rough appearence. The fact that it is rough is a sign that it is forged. If it was smooth and uniform it would likely be a cast, at least when dealing with FSB. |
| After actually handling a few different RRA complete carbines, my opinion is that they are NOT of the same quality as LMT or Colt. (Not even close) They (RRA) grind feedramps into their uppers/barrel extensions with a dremel tool, making it essentially a "use once, and destroy" upper. You cant rebarrel one of these uppers and have a new rifle or a M4 barrel extension match up correctly to the reciever. Yours will work fine, but I am just turned off by the short-cuts that RRA are taking. |
| If you look at the photos posted by badroc earlier in this thread, it does appear that the front sight is a different piece from the bayonet lug. Would some other forum members that have RRA rifles, particularly Entry Tacticals or Carbines, look at their rifles and see what their front sights look like. I have a Entry Tactical on order and I sort of don't like the idea of getting some two piece funky cast sight/bayonet setup. If you have one of these guns please check it out and post some information |
sorry for the ill feelings, I should have expressed my self better. I just checked on my personal LE6920 and the front sight block and bayonet lug is one piece. My own personal opinion is the one piece sight block/bayonet lug looks better. |
I probably deserved it. it';s all good. 
What are you smoking?
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Didnt say anything bad or ill about you or about your thought process... the notion of having a separate fsb and bayo lug attached together at the barrel by a pin... hit me like a ton o bricks... the light came on... i was enlightened... etc.. i just thought that the fsb and bayo lug were 2 pieces instead of a cast or forged single piece...
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Wait...wait, for the love of god why does all this matter??? It is a FSB not a lower reciver or bolt, I am missing something here. Or should I run home from work and check so see if my FSB is cast of forged, and if it is cast should I be carfull that the smallest move may make it shatter into pieces. DERP Come on now. Matt |
Matt----- I know that in the big picture of things, whether the Front Sight Base is forged or not isn't the end of the world, but when I pay top dollar for something, I expect to get what I pay for. I expect a Bushy or RRA rifle to be military spec. quality. That means a forged FSB and I will be unhappy if it is not. The Colt only nuts are always dismissing the quality of Bushy, Armalite, and RRA. I am just in hopes that those companies don't give them reason to feel that they (Colt only nuts) are right. If I pay for military spec. quality, thats what I expect to get---------simple as that. |
RRA makes excellent quality parts and I have been satisfied with all that I have tried. However, there is no way that a barrel with a 1/9 twist and made from 4140 steel is milspec. That doesn't mean it won't get the job done and there are RRA barrels being used in the sandbox right now with out any problems. But without 4150 steel and a 1/7 twist it is still a close second to milspec. The good news is that RRA is not really top dollar. They offer great quality parts at a very good price. |
True that...if you paid TOP DOLLAR for your RRA the you got ripped off. RRA is quality with value, they are not out for a arm and a leg. Matt. PS: When i get home I hope my FSB did not crack off while I was gone.  just kidding.If that is your bag to have "TRUE MIL SPEC" then that is your bag and that is OK becuase it makes you happy. |
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Quick note from a Army Small arms repairer and now Stuck as a Unit Armorer deployed to Kosovo. the old M-16/AR15-A1 front sight pins had 5 detents (aka adjustment notches) and a round sight pin. The M16/AR15-A2 front sight pin has 4 detents and a square sight pin. Hope this helps. As for one piece or 2 piece front sight bases all 302 M-16 A2's that I've got here in my arms room are all one solid piece 98% colts and 2% FN's SGT Bingham |
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Wow. There were only 8 replies this morning. Nothing like making an incorrect statement to get a good string going.... I looked at the front sight again as soon as I got done putting in my new gun safe (which I got a really good deal on today at wal-mart.) My full apologies to RRA and everyone on this site who has had their world turned upside down. I WAS WRONG. THE FRONT SIGHT IS ONE PIECE. It does appear to be cast, or it has some sort of coating. There are millimg lines on the bayo lug itself, but the rest of the housing looks cast, and is a different color than the upper receiver. Interesting note, this is the SS barrel and RRA says these are made by Wilson. If one was to order a SS wilson barrel from RRA it would come with front sight housing, barrel nut, and handguard base. As these are also most likely supplied from Wilson, it is no small wonder that they may come with triangular handguards and be different color. As to the other issues I had with the rifle, perhaps I only complained about them because I was already turned off by the compensator and the sight. The bolt issue and the gas tube issue I am sticking with. I have to smack the face of the bolt 3 or four times with my hand to get it to seat into the carrier. I understand that it may be a bit snug at first, but is this really normal? I also understand that the gas tube may rub slightly on the key on the carrier, but if I take the bolt out of the carrier and just slide in the carrier, it doesn't want to go as far as it should. I'm sure there is also an easy fix for this as well. The lockable sight? I was thinking along the lines of a push button lock kinda like a safely. Push this button in or flip this lever and you won't be able to move the sight. In my mind, still not worth the extra money. I would like to thank everyone who provided constructive criticism. I'll make sure to try and return it with the same spirit in which it was given. |
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Take the rifle out and shoot it a few hundred rounds. Then you can nit-pick it to death. Until you have broken it in, you are wasting bandwidth and time. This is like bitching about the little nubbies on new tires and whether or not they will affect gas mileage and off-road performance. Edit to add the painfully obvious. Clean it and lube it with some CLP before shooting it. |
That 'cast appearrance' is jsut how they look. The color is different because it is Parkerized steel. The receivers are anodized aluminum. |
What does removing the bolt from the carrier have to do with the relation between the gas tube and the carrier key? What I would suggest is to properly clean and lube the rifle then take it to a range and put a few mags through it. If it runs fine then don't worry about it. If it is unreliable then return it to RRA so they can have a look at it. |
| Don't worry about your FSB, it's forged. The forged ones are rougher than the cast ones; its like a forged Craftsman ratchet handle or wrench (not the polished ones, though). The cast ones also don't have that thick ridge around the FSB. Look on the inside of the carry handle loop on a forged A2 upper, and you will see the exact same kind of ridge. |
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