Who out there can tell me who manufactures 100% Mil-Spec AR 15s. Bushmaster says there weapons are 100% Mil-Spec. Who else makes them. Thanks to all and all your comments are welcome.

The only 100% mil. spec. rifles are US government rifles, not even bushmaster sells 100% mil. spec. guns.

Bushmaster's are not 100% mil.spec. No commercial producer's are. Colt & FN make them for the military but you can't buy one!

Noone makes a milspec ar15, milspec is f/a. The closest to milspec is bushmaster.

Quoted: Well what would be the CLOSEST to a mil-spec rifle?

Bushmaster

Once even the smallest detail is changed from its spec, a device, widget, etc. can no longer be considered "mil-spec".  There's just no spec for "95% milspec".

Commercial/civilian AR15s (or whatever they're called) aren't milspec simply because they're not full-auto or burst equipped.  Even full-auto stuff designed for LEO markets may not be milspec due to lesser testing, inspection & certification issues. (That is, these LEO rifles may essentially be full-auto versions of commercial rifles).

And in some cases the military may have WORSE stuff than what we civvies want - specsmanship involves lots of weight vs. budget vs. service life issues.  This explains, for example, the plastic triggerguards I've heard of in late M16s.

Of course besides full-auto issues, postban ARs can't have things like flash hiders or barrels threaded to accept them or bayonet lugs. So we have to leave those out of our "spec" as well.
Prebans can have retractable stocks and the above evil features. Postban mock-M4s must have
fixed stock and must have a 16" barrel (or welded flash hider bringing it up to 16").

But we can try to get close. A good-as-you-can-get postban AR should have, among other things:

(1) chrome-lined barrel AND chamber;
(2) 5.56mm mil chamber size (not *match*);
(3) carrier key *staked* to bolt carrier;
(4) proper buffer (not black thing w/BBs);
(5) front sight/gasblock pinned on (no screws);
(6) proper parkerizing/coating (dry film lube);
(7) dry film lube in place BEFORE FS/GB
    installed;
(8) heat shields under handguards;
(9) handguards/stock made outta proper plastic
    (no heat warpage);
(10)no *intermediate* size carbine FS/GB
     spacing;


Later Colts appear to violate (1) above: many "Match Targets" have no chrome lined bbl.
OlyArms are similar, and don't have a chromed chamber either and appear to violate (2) above.
Seems lotsa OlyArms rifles violate (8) as well but that could just be kit guns.

Bushies appear to violate (7) above: barrels are finished (coated) *after* FS/GB installed on bare-metal barrel.

Armalite 20" ARs seem to hit the sweet spots above. But their carbines have an odd sight spacing and gas tap placement, making them "custom" and requiring special parts. (As does the Bushy Dissipator, which I do love.)


Bill Wiese
San Mateo, CA

www.armalite.com/library/techNotes/tnote01.htm

"Mil Spec".......!!

lessee if i can shed some light on this ever darkening subject, when i was in the Navy, if we cud buy a part at the local hardware store & it fullfilled the purpose it was "Mil Spec"....

sooooooo, lets apply this logic to the AR15 vs M16, FORGET LEGALITIES !! can you take the lower parts from an M16 & install them in an AR15 lower frame/receiver & they will function ?? IF yes, they are "Mil Spec" IF no, they are not "Mil Spec", this holds true thru out the rifle..., interchangable parts, irregardless of legalities ARE "Mil Spec"...

just that simple !!

Colt is no longer a "Mil Spec" maker of "main frames" & their internal working parts, i had a 15 min. conversation wyth a Colt rep on the phone today & i can not belive how the place is falling apart, they still have to look up SN info on micro film, nothyng in their inventory is on computer & there is still no catalog & none in the near future............

have a great day when ya wake up.......

Bwiese hit pretty close to home, as a manufacturing/QA engineer for US M16 program (and many commercial AR builders) I have processed over 200,000 Uppers and Lowers, bolt carriers, etc. It is important to remember to meet mil spec there is proper specified gauging, inspection levels, qualifications and certification. I have inspected many components and the Rock River Arms and Armalite are acceptable to the mil Drawings (Inspected on CMM and hard gauges) in regards to dimension. (This is by no means the definitive list).

Robert