Intervals for Replacing Parts on M4?
I think a REALLY useful tool/resource would be a maintenance chart. Assuming an individual cares for their rifle very well (e.g. - cleaning, lubrication), at what interval should individual parts be replaced? This will help many types of gun owners determine whether customization is more prudent than purchasing a new weapon system...thoughts? existing charts? professional insight?
Thank you!
Right, thanks. I do already have this file...this is far from intuitive, and really doesn't break down the replacement intervals for many other replaceable parts.
I am starting to put together a chart, using 'approx round count' and including what to look for in terms of wear & tear. Thanks again though.
well that depends on a lot of variables. parts should be checked often and replaced as nessary. I replace the sear, hammer and springs at least every six months... but i am firing over 5000 rnds a month, where my brothers rifle we have never had to replace anything because he only uses it durring hunting season. so you see it depends on the situation. Best advise. check the parts often and replace as nessary. you will eventually know your weapon enough to predict it.
How exactly are you shooting 5K a month?
Even in a FA gun...the fun would peg out eventually.
Aside from that, even on the best DI Ars, 15-20K is the full life expectancy for an upper and that is under ideal conditions. SBRs that get used hard can have serious gas port erosion and throat wear in as little as 5K rounds. Bolt life gets spotty somewhere between 5-10K rounds depending on the ammo and firing schedule.
To shoot 5K a month, you would be replacing uppers every 60-90 days and lowers at least once a year.
i spend a lot of time on the range teaching our youth to shoot. so that when we deploy... I know at least they can hit what they are aiming at. so look at it this way i am only shooting like 250 rnds (ish) a day.
As an armorer responsible for over 1,000 M4's, A2's, and A4's I can tell you that really the only replacing of parts I had to do was when a grunt would mess one up. Some of those A2's were so well worn that it looked like a stainless rifle due to the black anodizing being rubbed off. But they still kept on ticking. Replace your springs every few thousand rounds and while you're doing it check your parts for excessive wear. Simply changing out parts due to round count (other than springs) just seems like a great way to waste money.
IMHO, YMMV, my $.02, and all that jazz.
