Will the upper receiver eventually wear out where the charge handle clips onto it? if so, is there a metal outsert that will slip over the receiver to reduce wear, etc.

I do not know for certain but I have seen Vietnam era M-16s that have probably seen a few lifetimes of civilian use and they were not worn out yet.

I can tell one of mine is wearing out... I could always replace the receiver... hehe

I believe getting an aluminum latch will help the wear.

you mean reduce the wear? where might one get one? are they already aluminum?

This post has been edited by Energizer: November 5th 2009 3:33 AM

I dont know who would make them. I just remember hearing something about that a while back on this site.

The BCM Gunfighter charging handle is all aluminum.

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I was able to see the oldest continuously M16 in service before it was removed from service. It was a Lemay Colt-Armalite. The upper was still intact. The original barrel and stock had been replaced with CAR15/Colt Commando stock and barrel.



TS

Air Force guns don't count as being in service, since they are never actually shot.

The Tactical CH latches have been known to cause excessive wear on the receiver. Do you have a standard CH?

Ummmmmmmmm not quite true, think I shot a round or 2 out of AF weapons.....

Because you aren't pulling evenly backward. Pulling from one side always creates a bit of excess wear.

yep, standard.

2, tops...

I was an Air Force Medical Officer and I acutally shot a couple of hundred rounds through an issue M 16!!. That was in a 10 year period.

The point of a tactical latch is to allow one handed, or one sided, manipulation. That's true though.



TS

This post has been edited by TigerStripe: November 6th 2009 3:11 AM

all of that black stuff on the rifle makes it pretty simple to tell what parts are worn, a charging handle should give out before the reciever though

Yep, one handed manipulation is still worth the wear in certain circumstances. Actually, in a home defense situation if the gun completely goes kaput after you have neutralized the danger then it was well worth the money. And those who's hobby is tactical gun shoots the wear might be an acceptable price for their enjoyment.

While I have a tactical latch on one of my AR's I still pull it the old fashioned way from both sides when I'm at the range or plinking. No sense in wearing it out early, imo.


But Energizer has a normal latch. He shouldn't be having this problem. I'd like to see some pics of the wear. Maybe the CH isn't true straight and wearing heavily.

On both of my Colts the OEM latch is aluminum.
I would venture to say that most OEM CH latches are made of aluminum.