Must Have Spare Parts for AR15

[BleedinPurple]

Title pretty much sums it up...

Ar15s have parts and parts by nature can break or be worn out....so my question is what are the must have parts that a guy should have so that my AR15 will run for a very long time...

what parts tend to break or wear the fastest from your guys experience

should i have a few extra bcg's?

forgive me if there is a thread that breaks this down that i may have missed

[Metal god]

I have not been in the AR game long enough to know what wears out the most ,but I always have these things along with tools cleaning kit and lube with me when Im out with my AR

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index...rol-group.html

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index...rer-s-kit.html

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index...epair-kit.html

These were out of stock when I posted this but they stock them often and they sell out faster you got to keep checking back and they will be back in stock

[Quentin2]

Well an LPK and a BCG would be a great start.

Only problem, spare parts tend to morph into a new AR! (Which of course is the best backup!)

[scsov509]

I run my AR's pretty hard, a few of which are full auto and sometimes in need of repair at the range. So I keep a small range box with me stocked with the parts I most frequently need, starting with tools that are essential: Allen wrenches, a gunsmith screwdriver set, some decent punches, a brass hammer and drift, a small socket set, a good flashlight, and basic cleaning and lubricating supplies. I keep a good AR stock wrench on hand at all times as well.

Now as far as AR parts go, the small parts in the lower receiver and BCG are the ones that most commonly break or get lost. So I keep extra hammer and trigger springs, a mag release spring, buffer retaining pins and springs, and detents and springs for a start. I also keep an extra firing pin or two on hand along with an extra bolt cam pin and several firing pin retaining pins (which I am notorious for dropping on the ground to never see again). If you have a good carrier that has a properly staked gas key, then there's no reason IMO to keep an entire BCG on hand as a spare. I do however think either a spare bolt is wise, or alternatively you can keep a bolt rebuild kit on hand that has gas rings, extractor springs, extractor pins, and a new extractor. I personally like to keep extra bolts around because they only cost about $50 and it's just faster to swap bolts quickly than rebuild your bolt if it goes down while you're shooting.

I also like to keep extra buffers on hand of different weights which can easily be swapped out if/when you encounter feeding problems of any kind. I've got enough AR's now that I pretty much have extra buffers of every weight on hand. If you're budget minded however, having an H3 and carbine buffer is all you really need since the weights can be swapped between the two and configured into H1 or H2 pretty quickly. Extra buffers probably aren't essential if you're just running a stock carbine buffer anyway and not running suppressed or full auto. If however you move to a heavier buffer I'd recommend at a minimum keeping an extra carbine buffer on hand in case you start encountering feeding problems.

So that's what I keep around to keep my guns running. It might sound like a lot, but it's really not at all. If you weren't keeping additional buffers around then the rest of the parts including an extra bolt can be acquired for less than $100, and if you have those parts there are few problems you'll encounter that you won't be able to repair.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

A spare bolt is a good investment - several of the most common AR problems (extractor, ejector pin, bolt lugs, gas rings) are on the bolt and replacing the bolt is much faster than replacing the individual components. It is also not prohibitively expensIve to keep a spare and grips like the Magpul MIAD can store a spare bolt in the grip along with a spare firing pin.

Although as long as you can avoid losing parts, I've never seen a USGI pin break. The tip may get eroded after tens of thousands of rounds but that is about it. I have seen aftermarket Ti or TiN firing pins fracture though.

[BleedinPurple]

good answers fellas...thanks for takin the time...so it seems like it just would be a bad idea to get another LPK, bolt rebuild and some firing pins...those are all fairly inexpensive...

but i think quentin may have a point about having all of those extra parts and just wanting to build another AR....i havent even fired mine yet and i wouldnt mind having another...

i guess its a good thing that i dont have another 800 bucks lieing around for another build...

but for now i think i will just get another lpk and a couple spare firing pins and parts for the bolt...and most of all my tool collection is lacking, i still have not managed to go beyond hand tightening the castle nut yet becuase i dont have the wrench

[Metal god]

i havent even fired mine yet and i wouldnt mind having another...

welcome to the dark side

[BillyJack3]

My spare parts turned into another complete AR. So I got more spare parts and now have another complete lower. I'm afraid to get a BCG because I'm sure I'll want another upper to store it in. Then I have to start collecting spares all over again. And my track record isn't exactly ideal for my wallet.

[UtopiaTexasG19]

I always thought that the proper place to store a spare bolt was in a spare upper pinned to a spare lower. When does this stop?

[BleedinPurple]

thanks again for the advice...maybe i should just buck up and build a spare...my wallet is going to hate me

[Cameron]

Ammo!

[Metal god]

AMMO ! Trust us they eat-em like they were skittles . Take your time and build the next one . I built an AR if bought in a store would cost 2k for half that . Take your time and let the deals come to you . You have one , go shoot it learn it understand what you like about it and what you think could be better for you and build that rifle .

[madcratebuilder]

Springs and detents that you can get from a "small parts kit" BCG parts in "bolt repair kits". Spare BCG's become complete rifles around here.

You get to the point of just having spare rifles instead of spare parts.

[wnycollector]

I keep a spare bolt (plus batteries for my RDS and flashlight) in the compartment of my Cav Arms/14.5" BCM middy that is set up for HD duty.

In my range bag, I have a DPMS Field repair kit that includes spare
- Springs (trigger sprin, disconnector spring, hammer spring and ejector spring),
- Extractor spring assembly
- Extractor and extractor pin
- Firing pin and retaining pin

[kraigwy]

I've been shooting AR/M16s since the spring of '67 when I was given one when I got to Vietnam. Used them pretty heavily too. Still have a couple.

I've never carried nor needed spare parts.