20" sporter to 16" CAR

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - 20" sporter to 16" CAR

Posted: 12/15/2001 10:22:32 AM EDT

Okay guys need some help!! I want to put a 16" HBAR upper on my sporter, large hole pivot, all the complete uppers I find are in the range of $5-700 (not even M4's!). Would I be better off to find someone to rebarrel my existing upper? Would an M4 barrel work on my upper? Where would I find the Colt barrels, and who would be the best bet to do this kind of a job? I'm scratching my head over which way to go!

Posted: 12/15/2001 11:24:20 AM EDT

[#1]

Check the equipment exchange forum. There are usually some good deals on uppers in the For Sale Parts section. Good luck.

Posted: 12/15/2001 5:06:45 PM EDT

[#2]

Generally, anyone who does AR gunsmithing/customization can rebarrel your upper if that's what you'd like. Some of the majors will do it too... Bushmaster jumps immediately into mind. You may have to do a little research on that.

As to whether it's better or not... I do not know. Do you still want to use your 20" on occasion? If so, then suggest you just get a new upper assembly. It's much simpler that way in the long run.

Posted: 12/15/2001 5:08:22 PM EDT

[#3]

Why not get a non Colt upper, they are much cheaper?

Posted: 12/16/2001 5:35:32 AM EDT

[#4]

Gentlemen, thanks for the response, the problem I seem to be having is finding the large hole upper!! I had been looking for a colt simply for a close color match with a preban rifle, I have a couple other 20" rifles so it is probably not likely I would need the 20" bbl. any longer if I had one of mine rebarreled.

Posted: 12/16/2001 5:58:17 AM EDT

[#5]

It is going to be considerably easier to go with a small hole upper and use a offset pin to adapt it. If you really want a large hole upper, you could always have a someone drill out a small hole upper. That will, however, be affect the potential resale value of the upper though, as Colt is the only manufacturer that uses the big hole.

Posted: 12/16/2001 6:08:02 AM EDT

[#6]

I was told by a couple of different people that this was not an option, that the offset pin was designed to make large hole uppers fit in small hole lowers, which is which? Does this offset pin hold the halves together as well as a regular pin? Thanks!

Posted: 12/16/2001 6:10:13 AM EDT

[#7]

If you are happy with the standard Colt Sporter A2 upper receiver,I'd simply order an M-4 barrel from Bushmaster, the short gas tube, and preferred handguards (I prefer the Knights RAS myself) and install it on the upper receiver with the AR15/M16 barrel wrench and a torque wrench to tighten. If you're not too familiar with installing AR barrels I would highly suggest going to a gunsmith. If you have a preban Colt Sporter like I have, I'd suggest the 14.5" barrel with a Vortex flash hider permanently attached. Just my opinions.

Posted: 12/16/2001 6:17:06 AM EDT

[#8]

Does installing a new barrel on my upper require checking for headspacing, or is it just a matter of torqueing(sp) the new barrel in place?

Posted: 12/16/2001 6:26:08 AM EDT

[#9]

The offset bushing converts big upper to small lower, the offset pin converts small upper to big lower.
Yes, a new barrel requires headspacing.
This is the pin you will need--http://www.bushmaster.com/shopping/lowers/nes-06.asp

Posted: 12/16/2001 9:17:25 AM EDT

[#10]

A new barrel requires headspacing.........can't say I've ever done it.........but that is the healthy, right thing to do in case something goes FUBAR......Quality Parts (Bushmaster) sells the gauges......

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - 20" sporter to 16" CAR

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