AAR SLR15 AR-15 / M-16 / M-4 Rifle Armorer Course, Racine WI

Greg "Sully" Sullivan

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SLR15 Rifles AR-15 / M-16 / M-4 ARMORING COURSE

When: December 1-2, 2016

Where: Racine, WI Police Dept

We conducted a 2-day (16-hour) AR-15 / M-16 / M-4 Armorer Course at the Racine Police Department. This was our 4th course here, and we look forward to more. The training room with plenty of table space, decent lighting, and a screen that we were able to project animated graphics of the weapons system, powerpoint detailed pics of gun parts, and especially when looking at finer detail things like machining, stress cracks & wear. The student base was all Law Enforcement from Wisconsin.

Rifles represented in this course were Colt, BCM, DPMS, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, Bushmaster, and a few custom builds.

Day-1 started with going through the course manual and tools that we supplied to everyone. Everyone was shown the tools in front of them, and what they are for, and that these will do about 95% of the work on their rifles (short of restocking and rebarreling, of which wrenches and sometimes fixtures are necessary). We also supplied everyone with a sampling of Slip2000 "EWL" Extreme Weapons Lubricant and #725 Cleaner Degreaser, etc. A short session of nomenclature was covered, at which time covered every feature and exterior piece of the rifle to include all the hidden design features that most people are not aware of, and everyone prepped the rifles for disassembly work. Everyone was taught the procedure series of checks that we recommend.

Everyone was walked through our recommended procedure for field stripping a rifle, and why we do it this way so as not to cause damage, premature wear or stress on anything. We covered maintenance of where and what to clean, and what needs lubrication to keep it running. We showed why not to use the firing pins as tools. We showed everyone what fouling does, and our method for removing it.

We went through the entire bolt carrier assembly, which included inspections, maintenance, upgrades, 3 types of gas rings, differences in finishes, machining, etc. We had several students that gas keys that needed to be staked better, of which we supplied several of the MOACKS tools that were put to good use.

Note: While inspecting bolts, one student found that his Colt 6940 had an ejector spring that was broken into 5 pieces. He was supplied with a replacement.

During the afternoon, we went through the lower receiver assembly. Everyone in this class had some type of collapsible stock, so we went through mounting & gauging, and staking. A couple of the rifles present had to be re-indexed, and staked. The lower receivers were disassembled. We went through the fire control group, to include detailed inspections of all the sear engagement surfaces, spring types, single stage, and two stage trigger systems. We ended the day with going through a detailed session of the eight cycles of fire, proper timing, .223 vs 5.56, different gas systems, etc.

Day-2 started with a review of everyone that was covered on day-1, and we went back into proper timing on the gun. We covered proper timing, cycles of fire, showed what effects timing, how & what happens when it is out or proper time, dwell time, suppressor issues, etc. During this session we dispelled lots of myths, and showed how to get the rifles set up for maximum reliability.

We went back into the lower receivers. We went through machining on parts and receivers, showing examples of good & bad, and how this effects the entire rifle. Once factory machining was covered, we then showed where people alter trigger systems by doing a trigger job, both good and bad, and covered whey we don’t recommend that people do a trigger job on a work rifle. We then went through full-auto, burst, and illegal street conversions. Lower receivers were then reassembled for the last time, inspected, stocks indexed with the castle nuts staked, and everyone made sure everything is in proper working order.

After lunch we went through the entire upper receiver assembly. There were no piston rifles present, but we did a session on these showing in detail how these work, and covered troubleshooting and stress on these. We went through barrel removal, mounting, gauging & inspections. Everyone was allowed to rebarrel their rifles or make adjustments. Everything was gauged, and we had several rifles and were improperly mounted. This improper mounting was causing premature wear & stress, of which these rifles were fixed before they left the class. When inspecting barrels that had been removed, none of them had been put together to the Milspec from the manufacturer. Every barrel that was pulled, was remounted to Milspec, torqued, and properly indexed.

At the end of the day, everyone reassembled their rifles. A function test was done to ensure everything was in working order prop. Everyone did chamber inspections, checked & gauged the four gas seals, gauged firing pin protrusion, measured the trigger press, and headspace.

Here is a brief overview of a few things that were covered:
History of the Weapon
Cycles of Function
General Disassembly & Assembly
Identification of Common Problems and Parts
Nomenclature
Identification of Group Components
Semi, Burst, and Full Auto Parts and Conversions
Complete Armoring Disassembly / Assembly
Barrel Replacement
Cleaning and Maintenance
Sight and Distance Considerations
Ballistic Issues
Barrel: Twist, Length, and Profiles
Gas System
Parts Interchangability, including Brands
Headspace
Firing Pin Protrusion
Trigger Jobs
Chamber Inspection and Issues
Troubleshooting, diagnosis & repair
Gauging, Inspections, Stress & Interval Issues
Accessories and Customizing
Tool Options and Selection
Iron Sights
Optics
SOP/MOD Accessories and Additions


CY6
Greg Sullivan "Sully"
SLR15 Rifles
TheDefensiveEdge.com
(763) 712-0123
 
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