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Just bought my first AR platform rifle. It's a Bushmaster C15 Carbon. Now what? I prefer the iron sight style AR, but this model doesn't have that. Can I convert this to the iron sight style? Thanks in advance.
New to the AR type
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I assume you have the Optic Ready Carbine (ORC) model like the one pictured below? You can convert the rifle to have irons, like Spots said, you can get a carry handle for the rear sights. Or, you can do the BUIS (back up iron sights) that fold down when using optics for both front and rear. Several companies make them, just depends on what you want to spend. I like the Magpul ones because they are cheaper and decent quality (not something that is battle worthy, but stout). For the front sight, you will also have to change your rifle to a free float handguad with a top rail. The free float is the only way to go with irons since they don't move wheras drop-in rails will move and alter you point of aim and impact. Go here to see videos on how to do it. You will need some tools too, which is a good thing because you get to know the platform and can fix what needs fixin' for the most part. AR-15 Free Float Tubes - How to Install - MidwayUSA
You could also see about getting a front sight base from Bushmaster to replace the current Gas Block and then add whatever rear sight you want. This is a little easier than going the free float handguard route and requires less tools.
Feel free to keep asking questions.
You could also see about getting a front sight base from Bushmaster to replace the current Gas Block and then add whatever rear sight you want. This is a little easier than going the free float handguard route and requires less tools.
Feel free to keep asking questions.
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Thanks for the replies. This is a new world for me, and am just getting my feet wet in this area. So many choices, and so many ways to improve this rifle.
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Did a Google search on reviews for this rifle. 99% of them were positive. IF I were to replace the upper, what would be a good choice?
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Again, it's preference. What uses is the rifle for, plinking, hunting, HD etc.? If you want accuracy, you'll need a heavier barrel. Don't get wrapped up in what others say, form your own opinions of your rifle and go from there. If after a few hundred rounds it is having some issues still (many have issues during the initial break in but stop after a few hundred rounds) and you don't want do deal with it, you can sell it and buy another upper. A "good" upper is the upper you prefer and you like that fits your purposes.
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Don't respond to the trolls. Don't quote them. Put them on your ignore list.
fishslayerbob
fishslayerbob
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They make carry handles that go on your rail. and also front sight posts can be bought to attach to your gas block. Going free floated with some irons on would be a good way to go too.
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/1342940801995642739?q=front%20sights%20ar%2015&hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1C1TSNF_enUS418US418&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44011176,d.aWc&biw=1241&bih=606&sa=X&ei=ID9JUY_vHsK6yQGu04CwDw&ved=0CGEQ8wIwAQ
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/10156560116712526791?hl=en&q=carry%20handle%20ar15&oq=carry+handle+ar15&gs_l=products-cc.3...35434.41452.0.41655.22.16.1.5.0.0.97.1256.16.16.0...0.0...1ac.1.7.products-cc.Zhfy0KJCfqA&sa=X&ei=YT9JUe7EDOqZyQHA54HwCA&ved=0CGIQ8wIwAQ
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/1342940801995642739?q=front%20sights%20ar%2015&hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1C1TSNF_enUS418US418&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44011176,d.aWc&biw=1241&bih=606&sa=X&ei=ID9JUY_vHsK6yQGu04CwDw&ved=0CGEQ8wIwAQ
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/10156560116712526791?hl=en&q=carry%20handle%20ar15&oq=carry+handle+ar15&gs_l=products-cc.3...35434.41452.0.41655.22.16.1.5.0.0.97.1256.16.16.0...0.0...1ac.1.7.products-cc.Zhfy0KJCfqA&sa=X&ei=YT9JUe7EDOqZyQHA54HwCA&ved=0CGIQ8wIwAQ
More than you wanted to know...
Congrats on the new purchase.
I've got a couple ARs myself and I'll try to clear up some of the confusion. I'm sure there are some knowledgeable folks here, but please check out m4carbine.com and ar15.com if you want more info on the platform, they have tons of knowledgeable members and info threads about the weapon. (I'm Krusty783 on both forums.)
I'll see if I can clear up some things:
First: Barrel features
From Bushmaster's website, it looks like your rifle has a lightweight or "pencil" barrel (.625 OD). Standard AR barrels are called medium or government profile (.750 OD). The term is not completely standardized, but Gov't profile barrels less than 20" have a channel machined down to around .625 in front of the sight post/gas block. This is for mounting an M203. This sight shows the profile of the different barrels:AR15BARRELS.COM - Barrel Profiles
You don't need to think about changing your barrel for a gov't or hbar or heavy profile barrel unless you plan on doing lots of mag dumps or shooting long distances consistently. The accuracy difference between a LW and heavier barrel profile inside of 150-200 yards will be within the margin of error of your groupings.
A more important feature is the barrel twist rate. Your barrel's caliber and twist rate are stamped on it somewhere. The most common rates are 1/7, 1/8 and 1/9 (1 twist in 7", etc.). 5.56/.223 ammunition is a bit unstable, and heavier bullets require faster twist rates to stabilize. 1/7 is Gov't standard and is most common. I've only seen DPMS uppers consistently use 1/8 barrels, and I've seen very few 1/9's. A 1/9 twist should be good for bullets up to about 65-69 grains, and 1/7 is good for any bullets you can get your hands on. (There are also 1/12 and other twist rates, but your barrel is definitely 1/7, 1/8 or 1/9).
Second: Iron Sights
Front sight posts or gas blocks like yours with 2 bands are usually held in place by taper pins that go through the bands and into the barrel. It looks like Bushmaster just uses an A2 front sight base and cuts the top off, which is a cheap move if that's the case (judging by the pic on their website). For a few $ more they could have used a railed gas block or a flip up front sight.
You can replace that front sight with a YHM / Midwest Industries / GG&G / Someone's flip up sight, or get a railed gas block and put a flip up front sight on it. Or, you can buy an A2 Front sight if you wanted a fixed front sight post. You can install a railed gas block or flip up front sight without having to change your handguard. Here's the GG&G one: Bolt-on Flip Up Front Sight - Clamp on Dovetail Sight Rail
Just Google "Replace AR-15 Front Sight" for videos on how to do this.
You can then get almost any fixed or flip up rear sight you want. Except the "Micro" sights because these are lower than standard sights and are meant to be paired with each other. Magpul MBUS sights are the cheapest you'll find at about $50-60 for the rear.
Third: Reliability
Aside from matching the buffer & spring to the gas port, the main reliability point of pain of an AR15 is the Bolt Carrier Group (BCG). The Official Mil Spec for the bolt calls for several quality control and manufacturing features to ensure the bolt is designed and assembled correctly.
These are:
Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI) Which checks for small cracks.
Shot Peened (Stress Relief)
Pressure Tested/Test Fired
Staked Gas Key
It's not clear which, if any, of these processes have been followed in the manufacture of the Bushmaster BCGs. Since you're only taking your rifle to the range (and not your cruiser/the sandbox), keep it stock and shoot it. Then shoot it some more. When you get some money and the market slows down a little, but a new BCG which has been MPI inspected and test fired, etc. and sell yours on Ebay/Gunbroker/Armslist.
New BCGs run about $230. You can also find BCGs which have a Nickel Boron (NiB) coating which is supposed to make them easier to clean, and silver. You can buy a NiB carrier if you want, but that's up to you.
Finally, ARs tend to like running wet especially for the first few hundred rounds while everything wears in. It's a good idea to get some quality lube and strip, clean, and lube your rifle before you go to the range and take some lube with you to the range. For an AR, "quality" lube is anything more viscous than remington oil. SLP-2000 and Frog Lube are 2 of the "premium" lubes out there. You can use either one of them, CLP lube, or even Mobil 1 5w-30. Seriously, there are quite a few professional AR operators who use Mobil 1 synthetic 5w-30 in their rifles. Google how to clean and lube an AR-15 and you'll find all the help you need.
I hope this helps. There is several metric tons of info about ARs on the interwebs. Google is your friend and can probably answer any question you have about the rifle. If not, email me and I'll try to help.
Congrats on the new purchase.
I've got a couple ARs myself and I'll try to clear up some of the confusion. I'm sure there are some knowledgeable folks here, but please check out m4carbine.com and ar15.com if you want more info on the platform, they have tons of knowledgeable members and info threads about the weapon. (I'm Krusty783 on both forums.)
I'll see if I can clear up some things:
First: Barrel features
From Bushmaster's website, it looks like your rifle has a lightweight or "pencil" barrel (.625 OD). Standard AR barrels are called medium or government profile (.750 OD). The term is not completely standardized, but Gov't profile barrels less than 20" have a channel machined down to around .625 in front of the sight post/gas block. This is for mounting an M203. This sight shows the profile of the different barrels:AR15BARRELS.COM - Barrel Profiles
You don't need to think about changing your barrel for a gov't or hbar or heavy profile barrel unless you plan on doing lots of mag dumps or shooting long distances consistently. The accuracy difference between a LW and heavier barrel profile inside of 150-200 yards will be within the margin of error of your groupings.
A more important feature is the barrel twist rate. Your barrel's caliber and twist rate are stamped on it somewhere. The most common rates are 1/7, 1/8 and 1/9 (1 twist in 7", etc.). 5.56/.223 ammunition is a bit unstable, and heavier bullets require faster twist rates to stabilize. 1/7 is Gov't standard and is most common. I've only seen DPMS uppers consistently use 1/8 barrels, and I've seen very few 1/9's. A 1/9 twist should be good for bullets up to about 65-69 grains, and 1/7 is good for any bullets you can get your hands on. (There are also 1/12 and other twist rates, but your barrel is definitely 1/7, 1/8 or 1/9).
Second: Iron Sights
Front sight posts or gas blocks like yours with 2 bands are usually held in place by taper pins that go through the bands and into the barrel. It looks like Bushmaster just uses an A2 front sight base and cuts the top off, which is a cheap move if that's the case (judging by the pic on their website). For a few $ more they could have used a railed gas block or a flip up front sight.
You can replace that front sight with a YHM / Midwest Industries / GG&G / Someone's flip up sight, or get a railed gas block and put a flip up front sight on it. Or, you can buy an A2 Front sight if you wanted a fixed front sight post. You can install a railed gas block or flip up front sight without having to change your handguard. Here's the GG&G one: Bolt-on Flip Up Front Sight - Clamp on Dovetail Sight Rail
Just Google "Replace AR-15 Front Sight" for videos on how to do this.
You can then get almost any fixed or flip up rear sight you want. Except the "Micro" sights because these are lower than standard sights and are meant to be paired with each other. Magpul MBUS sights are the cheapest you'll find at about $50-60 for the rear.
Third: Reliability
Aside from matching the buffer & spring to the gas port, the main reliability point of pain of an AR15 is the Bolt Carrier Group (BCG). The Official Mil Spec for the bolt calls for several quality control and manufacturing features to ensure the bolt is designed and assembled correctly.
These are:
Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI) Which checks for small cracks.
Shot Peened (Stress Relief)
Pressure Tested/Test Fired
Staked Gas Key
It's not clear which, if any, of these processes have been followed in the manufacture of the Bushmaster BCGs. Since you're only taking your rifle to the range (and not your cruiser/the sandbox), keep it stock and shoot it. Then shoot it some more. When you get some money and the market slows down a little, but a new BCG which has been MPI inspected and test fired, etc. and sell yours on Ebay/Gunbroker/Armslist.
New BCGs run about $230. You can also find BCGs which have a Nickel Boron (NiB) coating which is supposed to make them easier to clean, and silver. You can buy a NiB carrier if you want, but that's up to you.
Finally, ARs tend to like running wet especially for the first few hundred rounds while everything wears in. It's a good idea to get some quality lube and strip, clean, and lube your rifle before you go to the range and take some lube with you to the range. For an AR, "quality" lube is anything more viscous than remington oil. SLP-2000 and Frog Lube are 2 of the "premium" lubes out there. You can use either one of them, CLP lube, or even Mobil 1 5w-30. Seriously, there are quite a few professional AR operators who use Mobil 1 synthetic 5w-30 in their rifles. Google how to clean and lube an AR-15 and you'll find all the help you need.
I hope this helps. There is several metric tons of info about ARs on the interwebs. Google is your friend and can probably answer any question you have about the rifle. If not, email me and I'll try to help.
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8,460 Posts
Hi peacethroughsuperiorfirepower;
Try it out first. Run some mags through it and see how it functions. When I bought my first WASR AKM, they had horrible reviews; canted front sights, wobbly mags, etc. Mine was and is a champ. Yep there are some duds out there, but mine works great! My I.O.'s AKM's were another story - they have taken some TLC but if the design is good, even if the execution is poor, you can work with it. The AR platform is a good design overall, and even if you end up having some issues they can be resolved. For right now you have a clean slate and for all we know you got a really outstanding rifle.
So don't let good, bad, or WTF?!? reviews get to you. You've got an AR and if it works out of the box, great. If it doesn't they are relatively easy to troubleshoot and every part you could ever want is available out there (okay harder to find right now with "firearmageddon" going on, but still...).
Good luck and please keep us posted on how its going for you.
Fingers crossed that you got a winner!
Best,
Grumpy
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3,368 Posts
I have had excellent results from Bushmaster in the past although mine were the old Windham ME models. I think much of the disinformation you get on the web is just because people don't seem to like the idea that a large company (Freedom Group) has bought up so many companies so they trash them regardless of any actual problems they have experienced.
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23 Posts
Thanks for the replies and advice. I really do appreciate that. As of now, I plan to put some rounds through it and see if it lives up to expectations. I would like to convert it to iron sights, as it is currently an optics ready model, but we'll see. It is to be used as a range and defense weapon, not for long range work. A lot of ways to go and a learning curve for sure.
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Not even close. More like this: Google Image Result for http://perkeez.com/Vietnam/viet-graphics/m16a1.gif
That guy can't be real...
Technically, didn't we start the war with Garands, M1 Carbines, and M14s? The M16s didn't start showing up until around '68 I think.
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The Air Force was the first to adopt the M16 in 62 and was using them in Vietnam in 63 but mostly for guards and MPs and the Army followed by first fielding them in Vietnam in 64. They became the standard Army rifle by 69.
I don't know about Garands but plenty of M1 carbines and M14s saw service in country.
I don't know about Garands but plenty of M1 carbines and M14s saw service in country.
Thank you guys, honestly I wasn't even born back then and it is really hard to find truthful sources. Most books are superficial when it comes to arms and some of the books about nam are total trash. That's why I ask if someone who actually was in nam can clarify it because they know it firsthand. I started to doubt that anything they teach us in history is true after studying the Kennedy assasination. My rule is if I wasn't there I can't know for sure I can just guess.
I think that is exactly why we should respect and honor our war veterans - because they know.
I think that is exactly why we should respect and honor our war veterans - because they know.
Un less you in law enforcement I would not spend to much money on iron sight. I think it would be best to set you self up with a quality red dot site, Like a Aimpoint That can be your main site and just get a Magpul rear sight if you really want a BUIS.
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