Originally Posted By Doctor M14: I love the look of the early AR and M16A1 type rifles with triangular handguards. I like how clean the original design looks without all the rails that are all the rage these days. I'd like to build a clone that looks as close to the original as possible, but the problem is I'm a lefty. Is the lack of the cartridge deflector on the early rifles that much of a problem for us lefties? I mean I'm not skittish about the empties flying close to my head as long as they aren't smacking me in the face.
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Actually Doc, I'm probably the guy you need to talk to
I've been a southpaw AR shooter for over 25 yeara, and I, like you prefer the early profile. The horrer stories you hear are just that---horror stories, made up in the middle of the night to scare the kids.
The main thing that will cause an AR to eject into a lefties face or down the neck is a weak extractor spring. All my ARs, including M16, M16A1, and XM177E2 clones are fitted with Wolff HD extractor springsand the black inserts that Brownells sells. Only the short barrelled XM177E2 clone puts it's ejected emptied at all to the rear, and they still come out well away from my face. The rifles eject straight out to the side. My M4gery similarly equipped shows only the tiniest of brass smears at the extreme edge of the brass deflector.
So build your piece the way you want it, spend a few bucks for the Wolff springs and black inserts, and go merrily on your way.