Another AR-15 noob

What is the purpose of the m4 feed ramps? How do they cause the gun to not jam up?

 

M4 barrel ext were developed to increase the reliability of feeding since the shorter carbines have an increased cyclic rate.

There are 10s of thousands of carbines w/o M4 feed ramps or barrel ext that work just fine.....

However, If I am making a custom build I usually recommend getting the M4 barrel ext cause it's only a couple dollars more and another piece that can actually increase the reliablity of feeding rounds in the chamber

 

Brownells/midway usa has diagrams of everything you need to know, as well as videos on how to build your upper and lower. If you have a bench vice you can get away with building your lower with a roll pin starter, punch, hammer and a magazine. Super easy. There are a lot of complete mil spec upper and lower parts kits out there. I used ammosurplus.com to buy my parts kits, and then bought the stripped upper and lower of my choice. Once you find the barrel of your choice (I use a Daniel defense and love it) you'll just need the appropriate length gas system. Noveske and geissele make very nice hand guards but are a little pricey. Rainier arms also. They carry a lot of top notch parts and are very helpful. As far as BCG's go, I'd recommend getting something that's nickel boron coated. You'll thank me later. Normal BCG's get filthy quick. Especially if you shoot suppressed like I do. The nickel boron literally wipes clean with a paper towel. I used a frankenbolt from surplus ammo on my first build, which was only about $100 but it works flawlessly. I have an lwrc with a nickel boron bcg which is a lot more expensive but I can't tell the difference. Your upper receiver can be assembled really easy. I would assemble your own and have a gun shop torque your barrel on. Anyways, hope this helps. From my experience building your own rifle helps understand the weapon, and you save money because you build it the way you like the first time, rather than buy a run of mill AR and swap all the parts

 

@gman556 I don't think my upper has the m4 feed ramps. It's Aero Precision. It was the last one the shop had in Tacoma. Would it be worth it to drop the money on another one that has the feed ramps or will it be just fine without them? Not planning on going to war or anything. Just blowing up watermelons and cans.

 

There was a Daniel defense barrel I was looking at. Except I don't know what length gas tube to get. How do I know whether to go with mid length or carbine?
Also why have a shop torque the barrel down? I have a torque wrench.

I ordered my BCG a couple days ago and it is a nickel boron one. It's an APF Armory one. A bit cheaper but it had good reviews and seemed like good quality.

 

Are you asking how to pick the correct length gas tube to mate with the barrel or are you asking if you should go carbine or mid length in general? If it's the former, the barrel you choose will tell you which gas tube length to buy to mate with it, for example a carbine length barrel will use a carbine length gas tube. I think people get confused thinking it relates to the barrels' length, but it's about the location of the gas port in relation to the upper, as in a 16" barrel could have the gas port drilled at carbine or mid length. If it's the latter - carbine vs mid, people can argue endlessly which is better. Mid is supposed to shoot smoother, but carbine with a heavy buffer is very similar. The barrel spec will also tell you what size gas block diameter you will need.

 

Sorry, I should have clarified that a little better. I want to know whether to get a barrel with a mid length gas port or carbine. So it depends a lot on the weight of the buffer?
Also if the gas port is closer to the upper then it would allow more gas to be recycled back into the upper whereas a gas port further would allow less gas needing a light buffer correct?

 

No. If it's an option get a midlength gas system (If the gas port is already in the shorter position for carbine then that's what you're stuck with) on your 16" barrel. It shoots smoother and cycles more ammo types more reliably. Adjusting buffers is a band-aid fix for not building your system correctly from the jump. Heavier buffers were intended to adjust the cyclic time on FA weapons. Some use it to make carbine length gas systems shoot smoother but then you also are limited the types of ammo you can run. Design your system properly from the ground up and you won't need to worry about band-aid fixes.

 

OP, I have an AR parts sale going on. Not all of the items are listed here, but many are
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ar15-parts-mega-sale-pic-heavy.372149/

I do not have any receivers or barrels at this time, but have pretty much anything else. Shoot an email, or PM if interested in anything!

 

Also OP YOUTUBE has some fantastic basic build guides!

 

The rifle will work fine without the feed ramps. If you had a carbine I would recommend it because of the shorter gas system.

 

Brownells.com, MidwayUSA and Palmetto State Armory.

Good luck.

 

Love palmetto state armory, I get all my stuff throught them. But there customer service is horrible lmao

 

PSA is iffy for customer service, but for field grade parts the price is very good. If you want anything better than Mil-Spec go through Brownells or Midway. they are awsome.

 

...mid-length vs. carbine-length (gas/barrel system), ...is really a personal preference and ergonomics... I tend to like the additional useable fore-end real estate, plus longer sight radius (for iron sights), afforded by a mid-length setup...

 

You can always have a free float rail no matter what the gas system is, unless u like the a2 front sight post

 

Haven't gotten on in a while. I looked at my upper and it does have the m4 feed ramps. I got my bcg and charge handle last week and installed those. I went with the APF bolt carrier. It was on the relatively cheaper side and had great reviews. Ordered my barrel. It's supposed to be here tomorrow. It a Daniel defense 16" mid length.

As far as installing the barrel, what is the purpose of tightening, loosening and re tightening it 3 times? The process doesn't make much sense to me.

@gman556 I'm going to get the Fortis Rev gen 1 free float. I like that it has rails on top and bottom with the keymod on the sides. I want to go with a 10" rail but I'm not sure it'll cover the gas block.

 

Also, out of curiosity. Could you install a barrel with m4 ramps on an upper with out them?
What about rifle barrel on an upper with m4 ramps?