SLR15 AR-15 / M-16 / M-4 / AR308 Armorer Course
When: June 5-6, 2019
Where: Ohio Tactical Officers Association Conference, Sandusky OH
We conducted a 2-day (16-hour) AR-15 / M-16 / M-4 / AR308 Armorer Course at the Ohio Tactical Officers Association Conference in Sandusky OH. I'm testing my memory on this, but I think this is our 13th year teaching at this conference, and we look forward to more in the future. The training room offered plenty of table space, okay lighting for a conference room (but we prefer brighter so people can see small parts). The room had a large screen that allowed us to project some 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.
This class was a mix of Law Enforcement Officers from all over Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana.
Rifles represented in this course were SLR15, Colt, Aero Precision, Bravo Company, Rockriver, Bushmaster, Palmetto State Armory, Primary Weapons, Wyndham Weaponry, HK, Sig Sauer (gas and piston), and a few custom builds.
Day-1 started the day by going through the course manual that all students are given. Students were supplied with their own set of basic tools that are necessary to do 95% of the work on their rifles (short of restocking and rebarreling, of which wrenches and sometimes fixtures are necessary), 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 taught our recommended way to field strip 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 our recommendation of how to remove fouling and why, and everyone got to use our methods.
The entire bolt carrier assembly was covered, to include inspections, maintenance, upgrades, 3 types of gas rings, and differences in finishing and machining. carrier key (gas key) installation and staking, ejector systems, etc. Everyone was introduced to the different types of gas rings. We went through what each types does, and their proper installation order. We replaced a few worn out sets of gas rings.
Note: Two Officers found broken ejector springs, one was a Rockriver and the other a Colt 6945. We gave them new spring. We occasionally see broken ejector springs, which is why we recommend that they are pulled out on a regular basis for inspection, maintenance, and lubricating.
Note: We went through proper carrier key staking. Upon inspection several people found their gas keys were lightly staked, where the staking wasn't touching the screws on Palmetto State Armory, Aero Precision, Bushmaster, and Rockrivers. We supplied everyone with a MOACKS and Sully Gas Key Staking Tools, everyone decided to use the Sully Gas Key Staking Tool and get things corrected.
We got into the lower receiver assemblies, starting with the fire control group (trigger group). We teach this in a building block format, starting with baby steps of getting things out and in, then build into how things work. Everyone learned how to install and remove things so you don't cause damage. We went through detailed inspections of all the sear engagement surfaces, spring types, single stage, and two stage trigger systems. At the end of the day everyone put their rifles back together, making sure that everything was in proper working order.
Note: One of the Officers had a fellow Team Mate text him during the day, who was taking a rifle shooting course. He has a Colt 11.5" rifle wasn't running correctly, and with an exchange of texts he couldn't tell us exactly what it was doing, which is something we see often where people don't know how describe a problematic firearm. I had him bring the rifle in after he got off the range, and stuck around after class so we could work on it. I inspected the rifle, and it was dirty, and bone dry, so I have it a thorough cleaning. The extractor had heavy carbon fouling, and a weak spring with blue insert, I cleaned it and upgraded him to a heavy spring/insert/O-ring. The gas rings had no seal, so we replaced them. His action spring (buffer spring) was over 2" shorter than normal, he stated that his round count is estimated at 17K with no replacements, so I changed out his spring. I cleaned the chamber and bore. The barrel nut was indexed incorrectly, causing friction, so I realigned it correctly. Once everything looked good, I have it a thorough lubrication with some Slip2000 "EWL", and gave him a bottle, sending him on his way.
Day-2 started with a review of everything that was covered on day-1, going over it in greater detail and adding on a few things as we went. We then went back into trigger groups in great details, covering single stage, 2-stage, good and bad triggers, differences and options in spring systems, diagnosing problems when semi-auto turns into burst, and showing the differences in quality of triggers that are on the market. Once done with semi-auto trigger systems, we went into select fire trigger groups covering full-auto and burst trigger groups, to include replacement and diagnosing and repairs when experiencing malfunctions.
After trigger systems, we went through the rest of the lower receivers. Everyone in this class had collapsible stocks. We covered the proper mounting & gauging, and proper castle nut staking. Everyone stripped their lower receivers, which allowed a chance for further inspections, and we went through a session on troubleshooting. Once everyone was comfortable with the entire lower receiver assembly, the were put back together, inspected, and made sure everything is in proper working order.
We then got into a session on the timing. This is where we cover proper cycling, covering what effects timing, and how & what happens when it is out or proper time, dwell time, suppressor issues, etc, and how to get things into proper timing. This also led us into piston systems. There was a HK 416 and a couple of Sig Sauer piston rifles in class. We covered how the piston system works, break down and maintenance of the system, how to properly adjust for timing changed, and trouble shooting. Several of the piston rifles had never had their piston system cleaned, and it showed as the fouling was very heavy, this was remedied. We also covered dwell time, and how it pertains to cycling issues, and hopefully got the point across of why we do not recommend barrel lengths shorter that 11.5" on unsuppressed rifles.
The last half of day-2 was spent on the upper receiver assembly. We covered barrel removal, mounting, fixturing, gauging & inspections. We show numerous ways to fixture a barrel into a vise, and our preference as to which fixtures/methods to use when and how. We showed how to mount, then properly torque and gauge the barrel system, which ensures it is in proper working order. A couple of students took advantage of having access to the tools and hands on instruction by pulled and remounted their barrels.
At the end of the day everyone put their rifles back together, everything was inspected and gauged to make sure it was in proper working order. Everyone did chamber inspections, checked & gauged the four gas seals, firing pin protrusion, 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 Systems & Piston Systems
Parts Interchangeability, including Brands
Headspace
Firing Pin Protrusion
Trigger Systems
Chamber Inspection and Issues
Troubleshooting, diagnosis & repair
Gauging, Inspections, Stress & Interval Issues
Accessories and Customizing
Tool Options and Selection
SOP/MOD Accessories and Additions
CY6
Greg Sullivan "Sully"
SLR15 Rifles
TheDefensiveEdge.com
(763) 712-0123
When: June 5-6, 2019
Where: Ohio Tactical Officers Association Conference, Sandusky OH
We conducted a 2-day (16-hour) AR-15 / M-16 / M-4 / AR308 Armorer Course at the Ohio Tactical Officers Association Conference in Sandusky OH. I'm testing my memory on this, but I think this is our 13th year teaching at this conference, and we look forward to more in the future. The training room offered plenty of table space, okay lighting for a conference room (but we prefer brighter so people can see small parts). The room had a large screen that allowed us to project some 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.
This class was a mix of Law Enforcement Officers from all over Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana.
Rifles represented in this course were SLR15, Colt, Aero Precision, Bravo Company, Rockriver, Bushmaster, Palmetto State Armory, Primary Weapons, Wyndham Weaponry, HK, Sig Sauer (gas and piston), and a few custom builds.
Day-1 started the day by going through the course manual that all students are given. Students were supplied with their own set of basic tools that are necessary to do 95% of the work on their rifles (short of restocking and rebarreling, of which wrenches and sometimes fixtures are necessary), 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 taught our recommended way to field strip 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 our recommendation of how to remove fouling and why, and everyone got to use our methods.
The entire bolt carrier assembly was covered, to include inspections, maintenance, upgrades, 3 types of gas rings, and differences in finishing and machining. carrier key (gas key) installation and staking, ejector systems, etc. Everyone was introduced to the different types of gas rings. We went through what each types does, and their proper installation order. We replaced a few worn out sets of gas rings.
Note: Two Officers found broken ejector springs, one was a Rockriver and the other a Colt 6945. We gave them new spring. We occasionally see broken ejector springs, which is why we recommend that they are pulled out on a regular basis for inspection, maintenance, and lubricating.
Note: We went through proper carrier key staking. Upon inspection several people found their gas keys were lightly staked, where the staking wasn't touching the screws on Palmetto State Armory, Aero Precision, Bushmaster, and Rockrivers. We supplied everyone with a MOACKS and Sully Gas Key Staking Tools, everyone decided to use the Sully Gas Key Staking Tool and get things corrected.
We got into the lower receiver assemblies, starting with the fire control group (trigger group). We teach this in a building block format, starting with baby steps of getting things out and in, then build into how things work. Everyone learned how to install and remove things so you don't cause damage. We went through detailed inspections of all the sear engagement surfaces, spring types, single stage, and two stage trigger systems. At the end of the day everyone put their rifles back together, making sure that everything was in proper working order.
Note: One of the Officers had a fellow Team Mate text him during the day, who was taking a rifle shooting course. He has a Colt 11.5" rifle wasn't running correctly, and with an exchange of texts he couldn't tell us exactly what it was doing, which is something we see often where people don't know how describe a problematic firearm. I had him bring the rifle in after he got off the range, and stuck around after class so we could work on it. I inspected the rifle, and it was dirty, and bone dry, so I have it a thorough cleaning. The extractor had heavy carbon fouling, and a weak spring with blue insert, I cleaned it and upgraded him to a heavy spring/insert/O-ring. The gas rings had no seal, so we replaced them. His action spring (buffer spring) was over 2" shorter than normal, he stated that his round count is estimated at 17K with no replacements, so I changed out his spring. I cleaned the chamber and bore. The barrel nut was indexed incorrectly, causing friction, so I realigned it correctly. Once everything looked good, I have it a thorough lubrication with some Slip2000 "EWL", and gave him a bottle, sending him on his way.
Day-2 started with a review of everything that was covered on day-1, going over it in greater detail and adding on a few things as we went. We then went back into trigger groups in great details, covering single stage, 2-stage, good and bad triggers, differences and options in spring systems, diagnosing problems when semi-auto turns into burst, and showing the differences in quality of triggers that are on the market. Once done with semi-auto trigger systems, we went into select fire trigger groups covering full-auto and burst trigger groups, to include replacement and diagnosing and repairs when experiencing malfunctions.
After trigger systems, we went through the rest of the lower receivers. Everyone in this class had collapsible stocks. We covered the proper mounting & gauging, and proper castle nut staking. Everyone stripped their lower receivers, which allowed a chance for further inspections, and we went through a session on troubleshooting. Once everyone was comfortable with the entire lower receiver assembly, the were put back together, inspected, and made sure everything is in proper working order.
We then got into a session on the timing. This is where we cover proper cycling, covering what effects timing, and how & what happens when it is out or proper time, dwell time, suppressor issues, etc, and how to get things into proper timing. This also led us into piston systems. There was a HK 416 and a couple of Sig Sauer piston rifles in class. We covered how the piston system works, break down and maintenance of the system, how to properly adjust for timing changed, and trouble shooting. Several of the piston rifles had never had their piston system cleaned, and it showed as the fouling was very heavy, this was remedied. We also covered dwell time, and how it pertains to cycling issues, and hopefully got the point across of why we do not recommend barrel lengths shorter that 11.5" on unsuppressed rifles.
The last half of day-2 was spent on the upper receiver assembly. We covered barrel removal, mounting, fixturing, gauging & inspections. We show numerous ways to fixture a barrel into a vise, and our preference as to which fixtures/methods to use when and how. We showed how to mount, then properly torque and gauge the barrel system, which ensures it is in proper working order. A couple of students took advantage of having access to the tools and hands on instruction by pulled and remounted their barrels.
At the end of the day everyone put their rifles back together, everything was inspected and gauged to make sure it was in proper working order. Everyone did chamber inspections, checked & gauged the four gas seals, firing pin protrusion, 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 Systems & Piston Systems
Parts Interchangeability, including Brands
Headspace
Firing Pin Protrusion
Trigger Systems
Chamber Inspection and Issues
Troubleshooting, diagnosis & repair
Gauging, Inspections, Stress & Interval Issues
Accessories and Customizing
Tool Options and Selection
SOP/MOD Accessories and Additions
CY6
Greg Sullivan "Sully"
SLR15 Rifles
TheDefensiveEdge.com
(763) 712-0123