Hi all,

First I just want to say thank you all for such a wealth of information.  I purchased my first AR roughly a year ago and since that time there hasn't been a single question I've had that was not directly answered on here or by following an offsite link.  With that said, keep in mind I am still somewhat new to ARs and this is my first post.

I have a pre-ban Olympic CAR-AR carbine (with the SGW crest). To the best of my knowledge I am the third owner of the weapon and it is still in unmodified OEM form. I also know there are many on here that despise OLY, but please bare with me.  

The rifle is in very good condition, however since I was not the original owner I've decided to replace some simple parts in the bolt carrier such as the extractor, extractor spring, firing pin etc.

During this process I discovered an article on OLY's website Full vs. Semi Bolt Carriers about semi-auto bolt carriers vs. full auto.  After reading it I discovered that by the article's definition of a "full auto" bolt carrier that I indeed have one.  Their main defining characteristic being that both the top and bottom rear portions are equal and also a fully covered firing pin area is present.  Before we go any further, trust me I have triple checked this, both top and bottom are PERFECTLY equal, the bottom is NOT off by just a little bit, it is the same.

With all of that being said my question is, instead of rebuilding the bolt carrier like I planned, should I just get a new complete bolt carrier?  The thought behind that being that I do not want a "full auto" bolt carrier in my AR to avoid legal trouble. I love my AR and my freedom and have no intention of jeopardizing either. Any advice?

Thanks, Jon

P.S. I know this post was long, but I felt it being my first and all I should tag on an intro.

there is nothing wrong with having a m16 carrier in your ar.


look it up in the legal section of the general discussion

Quoted: there is nothing wrong with having a m16 carrier in your ar. look it up in the legal section of the general discussion

+1  M16 carrier in a AR15 is ok, Colt ships their carbines with an M16 carrier.

Its about time you chimed in, FFD-85  

The replies you have are right, the M16 carrier is good to go

There are essentially 3 types of carriers. The photos below show the differences.

The Colt semi-auto carrier (from quarterbore.com)



Then the traditional AR15 carrier -shown with shrouded and un-shrouded firing pin, then the M16 at the bottom



I think the M16 is preferred over the others mainly because it is liberating to know you can legally use them, plus many proclaim a more reliable operation using the additional mass.

YMMV

edited to add: after re-reading you question: ..."instead of rebuilding the bolt carrier like I planned, should I just get a new complete bolt carrier?"

carriers rarely ever wear out, and you may have meant "should I replace the bolt and carrier?"

and to that I would say it depends on the rounds you have thru it. If you have an M16 carrier, just get a new bolt - and get the best you can afford.

1. Colt
2. the rest

After Colt started using them in there new 6920s I got one for my last build ,I did have to use a C buffer
because the H buffer with the heavy carrier there were problems.

if you want a little peace of mind take a dremel and bevel the leading bottom edge back so that it won't be able to trip an auto sear.  that is the idea behind some of the new enhanced BC.  they have more meat on the bottom, but are cut back just enough to not be able to trip a sear.  i'll try to get a pic up later to show you.

these are pics of an M16 BC cut back to SP1 configuration(top) and an Oly enhanced BC with more meat on the bottom and shrouded firing pin (bottom).  if you notice that Oly is cut back only about 1/4" from the what the M16 is.

Why spend money on an old gun? Sell your preban rifle or lower to people in banned states where it still matters and buy yourself a BRAND NEW rifle of your choice from a top manufacturer.  Not only can you buy a brand new AR but you will also help a brother in need which pleases the AR gods.  

Thanks for all your replies guys. I really appreciated the pics as well. Sorry for the lack of re-replies by me, I was out of town for the day.

Anyways I think I'm going to just go with a new bolt as suggested and keep the carrier.  As for getting rid of the gun completely, I think I'll hold on to it for now, my apologies to the AR Gods Jon

Quoted: Then the traditional AR15 carrier -shown with shrouded and un-shrouded firing pin, then the M16 at the bottom www.quarterbore.com/images/ar15_sp1_m16carriers_sm_small.jpg

Both your semi carriers have unshroued firing pin areas in this picture.

Quoted: Quoted: Then the traditional AR15 carrier -shown with shrouded and un-shrouded firing pin, then the M16 at the bottom www.quarterbore.com/images/ar15_sp1_m16carriers_sm_small.jpg Both your semi carriers have unshroued firing pin areas in this picture.

I was trying to figure that one out,could not understand what shrouded meant.

Quoted: Quoted: Then the traditional AR15 carrier -shown with shrouded and un-shrouded firing pin, then the M16 at the bottom www.quarterbore.com/images/ar15_sp1_m16carriers_sm_small.jpg Both your semi carriers have un-shrouded firing pin areas in this picture.

good point. Thanks for the clarification. I was a bit quick with that commentary. The pic is from Quarterbore and had text discussing both, and I suppose I got flummoxed.

Actually, I think #1 and #2 are the same one/type.

The bottom one is shrouded. The others are un-shrouded


A photo to illustrate the rear ends of bolt carriers



and one showing un-shrouded Bushmaster and un-shrouded Colt carriers



Users on these boards have come out loudly in favor of shrouded carriers. FWIW