Quoted:
I'm not exactly sure what you want to know.

<a href="http://s983.photobucket.com/user/44Echo10/media/Gun%20Stuff/AR/feedramps2.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i983.photobucket.com/albums/ae318/44Echo10/Gun%20Stuff/AR/feedramps2.jpg</a>

In regard to M4 feed ramps^^^


Apparently you are not familiar with Zman's awesome retro barrel source spread sheet...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1w7pEEBUP1xMKdDeomZ392fhL95waa-DrdRGYRTVtxtw/edit?pli=1#gid=486239104




http://bpullignwolnet.dotster.com/retroblackrifle/ModGde/RflGde/604.html  604

http://bpullignwolnet.dotster.com/retroblackrifle/ModGde/CrbGde/607.html  607 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for parts and $200.00 tax stamp to do correctly

http://bpullignwolnet.dotster.com/retroblackrifle/ModGde/CrbGde/609.html  609  $200.00 tax stamp to do correctly

http://bpullignwolnet.dotster.com/retroblackrifle/ModGde/CrbGde/629.html  629 the easiest to build without going the NFA route and still look good



Which barrel are you looking at from Tony's, I'm guessing the one with the faux moderator attached?? It looks like crap.

Quoted:
Check ar15sport out for pencils 1:9 and 1:12.

Quoted:
added parts links to above post


Look closely at the pic above about M4 ramps, it probably answers your question

Quoted:
Did somebody say barrels!?  
Someone already mentioned the spreadsheet, but the thread can be found here.

Chrome Lining: Chrome lining does increase durability. It is often claimed that non-chromed barrels have better accuracy. I'm not going to open up that can of discussion.
Nitride: The biggest problem with this for a retro build. Most Nitride I have seen is a jet black in color and will stick out sharply against an XM Gray rifle.

Green Mountain: Fine option, just be aware that they usually do not come with a front sight base. You will have to have one pinned on. Also, note that their 20" 1:12 barrels are offered with standard rifle ramps or M4 ramps.
Tony's Customs: I don't know if those XM177 barrels are the proper profile or not at the gas block or what they do moderator wise.
Brownell's: For the 20", they offer a nice package option with everything attached, but if you are going for all-colt or the model you are building would have the FSB forging flash removed, they may not be the best choice
AR15Sport: If you are looking for a 20" with a different twist rate, they have some offerings here.



604: Pick a twist and go from there
629: Finding the proper moderator and having it pinned to a barrel will the major "challenge".
607: The stock and the required receiver modifications are the challenge and the rest just begs for an SBR.
723/733: Either would be cool! I don't see any real hurdles here. The 723 could probably get by with being pinned, but 733 would need an SBR to be correct.
609: Do you really need this and a 629?  
You could always sell off the fourth A1 upper to someone else who is probably going to cave in to the desire to build a carbine even though they just finished a retro build.

Quoted:
Go with the green mountain unless you need to save a few bucks.  They really don't cost anymore then the other barrels but having someone pin the FSB on will be about $30 or so.  In my opinion it would be worth the extra $30 or so over the others.  In general non chrome lined barrels are slightly more accurate on average, but for some reason Green Mountain barrels, even their chrome lined ones, tend to be more accurate then most any other barrels in the same price range.  Pick up your 20" 1/12 barrels from them and you will be happy you did.  They are also good people.  

If you have an A1 upper, the simplest thing to remember is you can use either barrel.  The m4 feedramps or rifle ramps will both work in them.  The only time you have an issue is if you have a newer upper that already has feedramps cut into it for the M4 cutout then you can only use M4 style feedramps.  Some C7 uppers have these notches cut into them, but most don't.  If all you can find is a M4 feedramp for your build don't be afraid to use it, I find they both run just as well.

As mentioned earlier, the nitrated barrels have a richer black color to them.  It is a really nice finish, and I love how they are both corrosion resistant on the inside and outside both - but if you try matching one up to the Grey anodizing of the A1 uppers it just won't match that great.  It won't look bad or anything, just not correct like a phosphated barrel from say Green Mountain would look.  I personally prefer Nitrated barrels over anything else out there.  They will last just as long as chrome barrels will, don't interfere with accuracy since it isn't a coating, and also protects the outside of the barrel from corrosion and looks good doing it.  But for a correct original Retro build using the older grey colt receivers I would have to go with the chrome lined phosphated barrels.  It is worth having your barrel chrome lined, mostly for the chamber to be chrome lined.  You don't ever see a barrel anymore that just has the chamber lined, generally it is the whole barrel. If a barrel starts its life out as say a 1-2MOA barrel, and we say once it gets over 4.5 MOA it is unacceptable I figure it would take 8-12k rounds on a regular unlined barrel, 12-18k on a chrome or nitrated barrel.  Don't rely on these numbers but I figure it is a fairly close estimate.  What matters the most is your shooting style of the barrel.  If you shoot fairly slow and don't do many mag dumps it may last twice as long.  If you go through mag dumps and shoot 2-300 rounds in a row and have the rifle smoking every time you shoot it then it may only take half of what I said.

Edited to add, SS barrels tend to burn up quicker on average too, though I doubt you will use one on a Retro build.  They tend to be slightly more accurate then chrome moly barrels on average (though not much), but their life is probably only 2/3rds or so of a regular barrel.  And the reason it is nice to have chrome in the chamber isn't only due to it lasting longer, it will also be more reliable.  When the gun heats up and has a lot of rounds through it, it is nice to have a chrome or nitrated chamber so it continues to cycle a little more reliable.

Quoted:
Your welcome, glad I could help.  I think generally the darker more black A1 uppers were made by GM & H&R and also ones that were made as replacements later on.  There are others that know a lot more about that then I do.  But I don't remember seeing any A1 colts that weren't grey.  Some darker or lighter then others.  But some of the GMs I have seen that are anodized black look about the same as the newer M4s of today.  The couple Fulton Armory A1 uppers I have are black so I plan to do GM lowers on them.  

There are some threads out there on comparing your uppers to see what manufacture it is.  The small details is what really counts, like the flashing on the front and back of receiver.  If you posted some pics up I am sure someone could tell you fairly easily.  Idk if you have decided on what to do with your upper in the white yet but I hear good things about Victor at US Anodizing , that is who most people recommend to anodize.  The only thing that turns me away from using him to refinish uppers is the pricing shows $145.  You can find good used A1s on the EE for about that or a little more at times already anodized.  If I had one in the white I would probably have it finished in duracoat/gunkote/cerakote etc since it shouldn't cost as much.

I do plan on using Victor to anodize some lowers when I get to building some 80%s up.  But he only charges $100 for them if they are already in the white so that doesn't seem half bad.  Figure a 80% costs about $30-40, anodizing is $100, and engraving of original Colt or GM or H&R A1 markings/symbolds/serial etc are about $75-100 each it brings the total lower up to around $200-225 or so.  To me that isn't too bad when the lower looks identical to an original M16A1 lower.  Check out some of BraceMans work and you will be amazed at his engravings.  They really do look the same as factory guns, with about the only difference being instead of having a hole for the auto sear he engraves it to look like there is a hole there.  But the symbols look the same, the engraving of model numbers look the same, you can even pick whatever serial number you want engraved so you can have a original serial number from the 60s-70s on it or whatever is correct for the build.

Quoted:
Instead of going with the shorter barrel with a long flash hider, I highly recommend making them into a pistol with the shorter barrels and getting a stamp to SBR it.  After you already have 600-800 in the gun, the extra $200 for the stamp is worth it in my opinion to have a nice 11.5" carbine.  I know some models came factory with those longer flash hiders but they have always turned me away because I see it as a waste.  You have a barrel just as long as a 16" but the velocity of the 10-11" barrel.  That is why I like the 733s so much, I think they are about the perfect carbine.  If it was me I would outfit most troops today that are in the rear or on vehicles a lot the 11.5-12.5" lightweight carbine.  

You really can't have too many A1 uppers.  These past few months I haven't been able to get much since I have been sick and not working but once I get better I plan on buying a bunch of A1 uppers on the EE.  Mostly interested in 603s that have original finish wear for the battlefield pickup look.  On the lowers I planned on doing the same as you, using A2 lowers since they are so cheap but after looking at the threads that show Bracemans work it changed my mind completely.  I even plan on having my A2s engraved by him with modern Colt M4 markings.  I should have mentioned that price I mentioned for engraving also includes re profiling the lower to A1 specs as well.  Here are a couple links to some of the engraving work he has done:

This first one is best

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_123/549978_80__A1_lower.html

https://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=3&f=123&t=635557

https://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=3&f=123&t=573117

Quoted:
If you want a specific length sometimes it's easier and even cheaper to find a good barrel and have it cut down.

Check out the pricing at ADCO , and AR15barrels.com .  AR15barrels is $45 to shorten, thread, open up gas port.  ADCO is a little more I believe but they refinish them after cutting I believe.

I prefer lightweight barrels with .625 gas blocks.  You can find some 11.5 lightweights, but I don't know of many 12.5s.

Quoted:
I believe the best way to contact him is through e-mail.  If the post I read is correct from a couple years ago it is [email protected] .  And he would have to quote you a price but it is around that price to have it reprofiled and engraved.  I figure the more you do or have done makes it a little cheaper.  The only problem is I don't think he does 100% receivers and only does the 80% receivers since they aren't technically a firearm.  That is one of the big reasons I plan on using 80%s.  And also if you have a receiver that is already anodized, after he does the work to reprofile it to an A1 there will be a lot of bare metal spots on it.  It is best to start off with an 80% that is already in the white, then send it to victor for anodizing after he is done engraving, then finally mill out the trigger area and you have your 100% receiver that looks like an original M16A1.  It is actually cheaper to start off with a in the white lower if you are gonig to have it anodized after engraving, because it costs $50 more for him to strip your original finish off to redo it.  

I would use the receivers you have now for the builds, and in the future when money permits get you some 80% lowers and have done the way you want and build them yourself, then you can use the PSA lowers on newer M4 style or A2 style builds.  No hurry anyways, that lets you build the ones now on current PSA lowers and then use them for something else later on when you replace with proper A1 lowers.  You really should look into doing some 80s yourself, if you have never built any guns you may be a little intimidated by them but they really aren't that hard.  All you really need is a drill press, and a decent router which can be had under $100.  Then get you the AR 80% jig that lets you use a router, I think they are $125-150ish or so.  After that you can build as many as you want for $30-40 and about an hours worth of time.  

And on the barrels, it is probably best just to send it off to AR15barrels.com , or ADCO.  Those are 2 different places, ar15 is cheaper but adco refinishes it afterwards.  Most recommend ADCO but I haven't really heard any bad about either although that could require a little more research.  And unless your good friends with the local gunsmith I figure you would have more money invested in having him do it then the guys that do it everyday.  Having a barrel cut isn't that big of a deal really but if the gunsmith has no knowledge or doesn't have the proper tools for that type of barrel/rifle it could end up being more of a pain then it is worth.  Since I like lightweight barrels I would look for a 14.5-16" carbine barrel that has the right profile you want then send it off.  They don't have to profile it or anything that way, all they do is cut the barrel evenly at whatever length you require, then thread the muzzle for your flash hider - many aren't perfectly even from the factory but I believe both ADCO and AR15barrels puts extra attention to make sure they are even in case you ever decide to add a silencer, then lastly open up the gas port hole.  Since the barrel is shorter it will require a larger hole for the gasport to allow it to cycle and function 100%.  Knowing what size to open it up to is important, and there is a wide range of numbers that can be used depending on if your planning on shooting only full power ammo, or if you want to shoot lower power Wolf and PMC 223 as well, or if you plan on adding a silencer later on etc.  But those companies know what size to open it up to because they do it so often, and you can research a little on here and figure out what you think is best too depending on what barrel length you decide on.  

You can find multiple barrels out there already in most common lengths like 11.5, 14.5, 16 etc.  But I don't know of many 12.5 LW barrels, and if you want an odd length then chances are you will need to have it cut.  Starting out from a barrel blank and having a local smith do it is a lot more work then is required though.

Quoted:

I might be able to redo the profile of the lowers myself. My dad worked as a body man all of his life and knows metal and what to do. He is an artist when it comes to metal and fab work. He is legally blind but I'm sure I can be both his eyes and hands if we try it. Maybe I will find a lower on a local gun board and buy it cheap to try it out.

A lot to think about before I dive deeper into these builds. I guess buying the smaller parts like slip ring (delta ring older style) and trigger guard and A1 pistol grips is and should be my next buys. Also some more A1 site kits. I think I need two full kits and one half kit but not sure right off hand now. I also would like to do an A2 build.

I will get some pics soon of the parts I have. I think the one grey upper is factory grey I do not think it has been redone.

Quoted:
Brownels barrels are now in stock. They are chrome lined 1/12 twist barrels with rifle feed ramps and fsb installed. Just a heads up

Quoted:
That Brownells barrels aren't a bad option, especially if you want to save a little bit of time from sending the barrel to have the FSB pinned. I believe they have everything 100% correct now which is very nice. But I still plan on using Green Mountain barrels myself, their accuracy just seems to be better then any others. I doubt most people would ever notice a difference in the 2, or if they did it wouldn't be by much. My favorite 2 barrel companies are Green Mountain, and Ballistic Advantage, both have great barrels for a great price and IMO offer a better deal then about anyone else out there for what you get. I just wish they both made more lightweight profiles. For my M4 type builds I plan to get at least a couple of BAs 14.7 pencil barrels.

I doubt I would attempt to reprofile the A2 lowers you already have by yourself for a couple of reasons. First up Braceman doesn't charge that much extra to do the reprofiling on top of the engraving from what I could tell. And with him you know it will be 100% right and save you hours of work trying to go over it. And secondly, if you do it to a lower that is anodized already then you will either have to paint it after your done, or pay $150 to have it stripped and anodized again. And if you do decide to do any practicing I think it makes more sense ordering a few 80%ers since they are only $30-40, if you screw something up no big deal you are only out $30-40 and they aren't considered a firearm to start with just a paperweight basically. And for your friend that did his 80% builds a few hours away, that gives you an option if you wanted to drive to his place and do a few all in one day. But it really isn't that hard to do really, the main thing to do is research and watch movies of others doing it etc, and learn as much as you can before you start. Then you won't stress over trying to figure out what you need to do. And by far the easiest way to go is with the router jigs, using a standard jig you really need at least a mini mill to do one right. They can be done with a drill press and vice only but it won't turn out as nice and take a lot more work. You should be able to get one done in under an hour with the router jigs and have the satisfaction of knowing you made it yourself.