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Posted: 10/8/2016 6:03:27 PM EDT
| I may have the chance to out fit a small pd with semi ar15's, Im think something of good quality but not over priced. Anyone here done this and what brand did you recommend? |
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Do all pds have a in house armorer? Quoted:
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We bought RRA for our department. Several other departments around me allow Colt, RRA, Biushmaster, Sig, POF, and a couple others, depending on their armorer and policies. Do all pds have a in house armorer? Ours uses RRA as well. One of our Officers is our Armorer. |
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I haven't outfitted anyone but thought about this and how would I do it if I was trying to do it on a budget.
If they are trying to stay down on the budget and they can't afford optics right now why not go with a Windham Weaponry Dissipator with the M4 barrel profile? Longer sight radius, barrel is covered, with the FSB out front it might help with height of sights over bore for barricades and the barrel profile would help keep some weight down. You could order them direct from the factory and have them outfitted with mil spec buffer tubes, H buffers and an extra magazine. When you get them in before transfer them to the PD you can put on a side sling swivel for the front sling mount point, a Streamlight rail light mount directly to the hand guard at the 10-11 clock position out front near the FSB. Minimalist but it keeps weight down and is functional. Then add either a VTAC Mk2 sling and a TLR1 or RM1 from Streamlight. Rifle probably $750-800 Light Mount $18 Sling $39 Sling mount $35 Light $100 Total ~$950-1000 for the basic package, the PD gets a factory build rifle (with a warranty) a sling, two mags and a light. They(you) can upgrade them later with optics and BUIS. If they have older car racks or can find them on the cheap that take the AR15/M16 the rifle hand guards would work out. Just food for thought. |
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Quoted:
Do all pds have a in house armorer? Quoted:
Quoted:
We bought RRA for our department. Several other departments around me allow Colt, RRA, Biushmaster, Sig, POF, and a couple others, depending on their armorer and policies. Do all pds have a in house armorer? No, it all depends on the size of the PD and the way they are set up. |
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Yeah, it's completely up to the agency. Most have an armorer, and many small agencies have only one. I'm the armorer at my agency. The LESO Program is, by far, the best option from a cost perspective. The downside is the paperwork and labor. You could benefit from the operation of rebuilding M16 and M16A1's into modern carbines... They'd need barreled uppers, less BCG's (I use the existing BCG, replacing the old rifle extractor spring), and collapsible stock assemblies. Plus whatever optics and BUIS they want, slings, rails, lights, etc. The paperwork would remain the burden of the agency. In addition to the acquisition forms, there must be an annual inventory of all LESO property. It's not difficult, however, and the advantage is $100 surplus rifles. (That's the cost in LA anyway. It varies by state.) I'd obtain quotes incorporating 10.3" to 11.5" 4150 chrome-lined barreled uppers from several manufacturers and then pick from the results. I recommend lightweight or gov't profile barrels. Short barrels can also be obtained through LESO (and cheap) but the process is tedious and more akin to "digging through the DoD's trash bin". You never quite know what will turn up in a search (most of it is junk) and anything shorter than a M4 barrel is quite rare. M4 and M4A1 SOCOM barrels are common in RTD (DRMO) though, so odds of finding a serviceable batch of 14.5" barrels is actually rather high. They'll cost the agency about $18 per barrel. (Don't count on finding any flat top uppers though. I got really lucky after 2 years of constant searching.) The M4 barrels can be shortened, as they are not under modification restrictions. So, if you have a lathe, you could charge for turning them down and threading, plus an inspection and TE gauge beforehand. I would definitely use new carbine gas tubes. Plan on having to replace some of the small parts as well during an M16A1 conversion. Most agencies will want to render them semi-automatic-only for patrolmen, so that's a $10 AR safety swap. The agency must retain all the weapons' original parts. Idk if going the LESO route interests anyone, but feel free to email me if I can help. There are optics on RTD too, but good ones are uncommon. Determining condition is the most difficult part of the whole process. (That's not applicable to the weapons themselves, which are always in excellent to like new condition). We got a dozen Aimpoint CompM4's for $30 each. I like finding the stuff, but if they're all about right now, it's better to go commercial. |
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Do all pds have a in house armorer? Many do not, especially those that do not issue firearms. Many smaller agencies require the officers to purchase their own weapons and maintain them, and will either give a stipend or no interest loan to the officers to buy their firearms. Other agencies have a local gunsmith who acts as the armorer under contract. Heck, some agencies the Chief will buy both guns needed by his entire department. :) Jeff |
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Quoted:
I may have the chance to out fit a small pd with semi ar15's, Im think something of good quality but not over priced. Anyone here done this and what brand did you recommend? Get with the manufacturers for the LEO deals. Usually about 1/3 off what you can buy them for and the manufacturer rep will handle everything but the transfer. You won't get rich, but you get street cred. Jeff |
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Quoted:
Get with the manufacturers for the LEO deals. Usually about 1/3 off what you can buy them for and the manufacturer rep will handle everything but the transfer. You won't get rich, but you get street cred. Jeff Quoted:
Quoted:
I may have the chance to out fit a small pd with semi ar15's, Im think something of good quality but not over priced. Anyone here done this and what brand did you recommend? Get with the manufacturers for the LEO deals. Usually about 1/3 off what you can buy them for and the manufacturer rep will handle everything but the transfer. You won't get rich, but you get street cred. Jeff Cool |
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The bigger agencies in my area issue Colts.
The smaller village PDs almost all went with Bushmaster a decade ago or so when they initially transitioned to ARs from shotguns The bigger agencies have an officer or two that's been sent to armorer classes for the weapons issued by that department. With Boltworks in Dryden doing so much contract work for area police agencies now, I can see where eventually the agencies will drop sending officers to an armorers school every few years at a grand a pop for tuition and board and just send their guns periodically to Boltworks for a look-over.... |
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They shouldn't be squeezed out, but they won't make a lot of money. You usually break even with the labor for the paperwork to get on the dealer program. But you will get referrals from the PD when their buddies ask where they got the ARs, and that's where the money comes in.
FWIW, offer free cleanings for any LEO while they wait. Another great way to build a reputation and bring in extra business. Not looking for instant gratification and profit helps in the long run. Jeff |
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