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Posted: 11/3/2009 4:30:22 PM EDT
Here's a new picture of buffer tube wear. This wear is back inside the tube a little and is somewhat hard to see due to lighting and my cell phone. Anyway, this carbine is about six, maybe eight, months old and is used as a training weapon. The wear is through the anodizing and can be felt with a fingernail.
EDIT: Had to fix my link |
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Bad lower?
I bought a bunch a while ago, and they had the threads for the buffer tube offset about .030 and the tubes would sit at an angle. Only good for 22 conversions. I think someone failed to lock the lowers securely to the table, before the CNC mill drilled and tapped the buffer holes. |
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For some reason I don't hear much about guys lubricating the bottom and rear of their bolt carrier and lubricating the tube, spring and buffer. A piston AR is not a DI AR, thank God. They run differently with different pros and cons. Carrier tilt can be a con, but there's nothing stopping an owner from putting some grease on the wear and other points. All firearms have initial wear in too and than level out. Use a good firearms grease and your rifle will be better off for it. One of the best differences in a piston AR is it's lubrication pros, instead of directing the heat, gas and carbon from fired rounds back into receiver, eating up lube, making the receiver and other vital componets thick with mush and baked on carbon. The rifle will run very well on a good modern grease which will stay in place, decreasing wear and provide smoother running componets. I used Tetra grease on my former POF and will use it on my next piston AR. I also use it in my other firearms with nothing but excellent reliability and wear decrease from my pistols to various rifles. |
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Quoted:
Sorry, guys. I know the picture is not the best. The wear mark is about 3/4" inside the buffer tube. It is now circled to hopefully draw attention to the spot. If I can, I'll get some better pics up tomorrow. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/media1-7-1-1.jpg Again what rifle is this wear on the tube from?????(Ruger,POF,LWRC, etc) |
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Quoted:
For some reason I don't hear much about guys lubricating the bottom and rear of their bolt carrier and lubricating the tube, spring and buffer. A piston AR is not a DI AR, thank God. They run differently with different pros and cons. Carrier tilt can be a con, but there's nothing stopping an owner from putting some grease on the wear and other points. All firearms have initial wear in too and than level out. Use a good firearms grease and your rifle will be better off for it. One of the best differences in a piston AR is it's lubrication pros, instead of directing the heat, gas and carbon from fired rounds back into receiver, eating up lube, making the receiver and other vital componets thick with mush and baked on carbon. The rifle will run very well on a good modern grease which will stay in place, decreasing wear and provide smoother running componets. I used Tetra grease on my former POF and will use it on my next piston AR. I also use it in my other firearms with nothing but excellent reliability and wear decrease from my pistols to various rifles. Exactly. Pistong ARs do not eat up lubrification as fast as DI and can run much longer wuthout cleaning, but they are not "lube free". My HK MR223 (civi version of HK416) manual shows that bubrification points are: 1) Buffer (whole) 2) Front and rear parts of carrier 3) Bolt (whole) 4) Operation rod bushing (inside) 5) Gas piston with rings No any trace on carrier tilt on my MR223 anyway. |
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Here's a fairly clear pic of buffer tube wear from bolt carrier tilt in a Ruger SR 556. This pic is at about 400 rounds.
Note: I can't post this pic unless I have a URL for it !? How the hell do you post pics from your PC on this forum? Sorry guys... Since then I have used Wilson Combat Ultima Lube (a thick white grease) in the buffer tube and on the bolt carrier and 200 rounds later (about 600 total) there is no additional wear. The extra lubrication is an excellent suggestion by Lympago (and others on other forums) and I highly recommend it even if you don't have the wear marks. |
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Most buffer tube wear that I have seen is at the beginning of the tube where the BC first comes in contact with the tube when fired. That looks a little strange to be that far back.  If one was running a bolt carrier with ramps (like Adams Arms), would that explain a wear mark that's deeper into the extension? |
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Most buffer tube wear that I have seen is at the beginning of the tube where the BC first comes in contact with the tube when fired. That looks a little strange to be that far back. If one was running a bolt carrier with ramps (like Adams Arms), would that explain a wear mark that's deeper into the buffer extension? Ruger claims to have a two stage piston, the initial push being softer and the second being a harder hit. Could this wear be from the second harder hit which causes more downward pressure at the back of the carrier??? |
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Melvin_J, take the pic inside, with a flash. Using sky as a backdrop will always give a dark pic on the shade side of the item being photographed. Sorry, guys. I've been busy with a couple other things and haven't had the time to get over to the armory and get this carbine checked out for detailed pics. Hopefully I can get it done within the next couple of days. |
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Both of these are factory Colt M4 Carbines. Both are the conventional gas tube model.
I find it interesting that these guns have buffer tube wear since this is a characteristic normally associated with piston guns. Both guns are showing wear in the same spot and I'd guess the rubbing is caused by the action spring. |
| I do not beleive that is "carrier tilt" it is just normal buffer wear. People should remember that you have a part (the buffer) that is reciprocating at 650 plus rounds per minute and is being pulled down by gravity as it travels back and forth in the tube. Anodizing wear is going to occur in that 30.00 part. Carrier tilt is usually exhibited as gouge marks in the beginning 1/4 inch or so of the buffer tube and is only a concern to me if there are noticeable gouging marks. If you see a slight wearing of the anodizing, who cares???? You are going to shoot out the barrel before, it wears out. I think carrier tilt is made way to much of an issue..... |
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My point in all this was to demonstrate that buffer tube wear isn't solely a phenomenon found in piston guns. It happens in DI guns as well. This is two different Colts with similar round counts and similar wear patterns. Yes. The wear is in a different spot but it's still there.
I swear I'll try to get some better pictures one of these days. Lousy cell phone! |
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Personally, I see the gas piston as the "final frontier" in the AR15's evolution. The piston systems are basically in their infancy, especailly compared to the basic M16 platform, and will no doubt cause additional unexpected wear and tear but I think the various manufacturers will figure this all out eventually.
I saw the "final frontier" because there's not a whole lot left to change or improve on the M16 other than the gas system. We've seen changes in barrel lengths, powder types, bullet weights, feed ramps, magazines, stock types, triggers, uppers, lowers––what else am I missing?––, etc. The gas system is about the only thing left that's really not any different from the Vietnam days. Well, I guess there's the McFarland gas ring but that's about all I can think of, other than the various LaFrance pigtail systems, etc. Maybe I'm all wet.... 
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