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CO, USA
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Posted: 4/27/2024 10:00:20 AM EDT
I have a late 1980s Olympic Arms CAR-15 that is all original. I would like to replace the upper receiver with something that has a rail so that I can add optics (I don't know at this time whether I want to go with Red Dot, laser, or scope), I just want the option to upgrade from the original iron sights and carry handle. I'll probably stay with the original barrel, but I'm not locked into this choice. What would you suggest for a compatible upper receiver? Thanks.
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Posted: 4/27/2024 10:54:21 AM EDT
[Last Edit: DVCER]
[#1]
I’ve only had one oly. Sounds like yours except it had the 11.5” bbl and pinned FS. Probably the same vintage too.
Mine would not take any other uppers. Either it was just not in spec or something. Takedown pins were off just enough you couldn’t beat them in place. Almost like the lower had stretched a bit. Sold it. You could buy a complete PSA gun for not much more than an upper. Welcome to Arfcom.  If you have calipers you could measure the pin spacing and see if you’d have the same problem. |
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FL, USA
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Posted: 4/27/2024 11:20:00 AM EDT
[#2]
I would just buy a new upper that fits your specs if you do.not have tools.
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CO, USA
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Posted: 4/27/2024 12:15:50 PM EDT
[#3]
Thanks for the info. You cited the reason I'm asking, which is to see if someone has done the swap and knows for certain that a particular brand of upper is compatible.
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CO, USA
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Posted: 4/27/2024 12:18:14 PM EDT
[#4]
Yes, except the firearm is old enough, I don't have the original manuals or the specs .. I haven't had much success finding the specs for a specific gun this old so I was hoping for the long-shot that someone here might have already found a compatible brand upper.
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Posted: 4/27/2024 12:23:08 PM EDT
[#5]
IDK man, just related my experience. The oly I had was fun and my first AR, but putting an optic on was pissing in the wind w/o a flat top. I actually bought a complete new upper to put on the lower and was bummed when it didn’t fit.
Said F it, and bought a new lower and ran with it. That was years ago and was also the only problem I’ve ever had fitting uppers and lowers Some are tight, but the oly was impossible. |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 12:32:02 PM EDT
[Last Edit: DVCER]
[#6]
Nearly all these small frames (vs AR large frames) are made to the same spec, one reason they are so cool. Everything *should be swappable.
http://www.transasianaxis.com/orig_site/content/manuals/M4_16_23Pchange8.pd Huge manual linked. They may call out the pin spacing which is Pretty much standard. And you probably know Colorado is pushing hard on the ban wagon, I would do something soon. Real soon. |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 12:38:19 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Mike_314]
[#7]
How much do you want to spend?
If you have the tools an upper receiver runs about 50-100 or a bit more depending on the brand and vendor. If you're not going to do it yourself, you should find out what a gunsmith will charge you to swap a receiver. If you buy an assembled upper from Palmetto State Armory, you can choose from a variety of quality and configurations. If you choose to buy from PSA, check the daily deals. There's always a sale and sometimes free shipping. If order an upper that doesn't doesn't fit your Oly lower, an assembled lower from Palmetto is $150 on sale. Then you can have two rifles and be on your way to be as obsessive as most of us.  https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-ar15-complete-moe-ept-stealth-lower-black.html |
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Posted: 4/27/2024 12:41:13 PM EDT
[#8]
If I had a preban Olympic Arms, I would be looking into selling it to a dealer in Massachusetts for as much money as I possibly could get and then turn around and buy two brand new PSAs and have some money left over.
I helped a local guy sell a couple stripped preban Oly lowers a couple years and he got $900 per lower from an FFL in MA. |
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ITA
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Posted: 4/27/2024 2:10:37 PM EDT
[#9]
I’d get a spare upper
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Posted: 4/27/2024 4:25:38 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Frens: I’d get a spare upper He’s not sure one will fit, and I related my experience with a new upper not fitting an old oly lower. He should probably keep it and buy a new flat top AR, while he can. |
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Posted: 4/28/2024 9:09:27 PM EDT
[#11]
Olympic Arms AR-15’s are NOTORIOUS for NO ONE else’s uppers fitting, back in the day they CLAIMED every other manufacturer was out of spec including Colt, FN, Knights Armament, etc
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CO, USA
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Posted: 4/29/2024 5:15:41 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DVCER: IDK man, just related my experience. The oly I had was fun and my first AR, but putting an optic on was pissing in the wind w/o a flat top. I actually bought a complete new upper to put on the lower and was bummed when it didn’t fit. Said F it, and bought a new lower and ran with it. That was years ago and was also the only problem I’ve ever had fitting uppers and lowers Some are tight, but the oly was impossible. You reinforce my concern and I'm beginning to lean towards buying new or selling it to buy new. |
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CO, USA
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Posted: 4/29/2024 5:16:46 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DVCER: Nearly all these small frames (vs AR large frames) are made to the same spec, one reason they are so cool. Everything *should be swappable. http://www.transasianaxis.com/orig_site/content/manuals/M4_16_23Pchange8.pd Huge manual linked. They may call out the pin spacing which is Pretty much standard. And you probably know Colorado is pushing hard on the ban wagon, I would do something soon. Real soon. Yes, I am well aware of the lunacy in our state capital. |
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Posted: 4/29/2024 5:34:31 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By tky: You reinforce my concern and I'm beginning to lean towards buying new or selling it to buy new. Keep it and buy another. I doubt you’ll get 600 bucks for it, probably a lot less. |
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VA, USA
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Posted: 4/29/2024 7:55:24 PM EDT
[Last Edit: dalle0001]
[#15]
Check what the return policy is at a LGS and buy a stripped upper and attempt to fit it on the lower. If it lines up and closes then you’re good to go and go return the upper. A stripped upper will be like 80 bucks top at most stores and even with a restock fee it may give a peace of mind before spending 100s or 1000s.
Another idea is if you have a friend who has an ar15 ask if you can see if the lower will fit his upper. Most people here weren’t alive yet in 1980, lol. Not even me and I’m an old fart. The time most of us were legally able to buy our own ar15 would have been early 2000s and perhaps some of us had relics or bought older rifles. So it’s very unlikely you’d find someone here in the ar world since the 80s. |
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Posted: 4/29/2024 9:39:21 PM EDT
[#16]
I hate to admit it but I purchased my first AR-15 new in 1972, it was a Colt and I paid full retail……$265.00
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Posted: 4/29/2024 11:48:46 PM EDT
[Last Edit: NWRed]
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DVCER: Keep it and buy another. I doubt you’ll get 600 bucks for it, probably a lot less. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By DVCER: Originally Posted By tky: You reinforce my concern and I'm beginning to lean towards buying new or selling it to buy new. Keep it and buy another. I doubt you’ll get 600 bucks for it, probably a lot less. @DVCER  The market for Pre-94 ARs isn't in CO. Here are a couple examples. https://www.thegunparlor.com/pages/preban-firearms  Attached File |
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Posted: 4/30/2024 12:14:23 AM EDT
[Last Edit: NVCapCop]
[#18]
Originally Posted By NWRed: If I had a preban Olympic Arms, I would be looking into selling it to a dealer in Massachusetts for as much money as I possibly could get and then turn around and buy two brand new PSAs and have some money left over. I helped a local guy sell a couple stripped preban Oly lowers a couple years and he got $900 per lower from an FFL in MA. Sell the pre-ban lower to a ban state (if still possible) and buy an entirely new rifle with the proceeds. I helped a buddy do this a few years ago. An old Colt HBAR was traded/upgraded into a handy AERO railed middy. |
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VA, USA
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Posted: 4/30/2024 8:06:34 AM EDT
[Last Edit: dalle0001]
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By NWRed: @DVCER The market for Pre-94 ARs isn't in CO. Here are a couple examples. https://www.thegunparlor.com/pages/preban-firearms https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/22018/Screenshot_20240429-204451_png-3201726.JPG From what I understand a lot of gun stores won’t accept private sellers in ban states. So you have to sell it to them. They’ll buy at pawn shop prices which means perhaps 1/3 of the total value. I think him saying $600 is a bit optimistic as realistically most places would buy it for $200-300. You can ask your LGS if they can ship it. As an example I live in a “free” state and one time I bought a relic black powder from NJ and it had to go through my FFL and I had to do a background check here because the gun shop was worried they couldn’t just hand me something otherwise legal since it was a FFL thing in NJ so just to play it safe they’ll run it through the system. In the end I paid total $60 bucks on top of the gun value for something that is considered easily purchased. The far left is pretty smart about how they word these grandfathering clauses as their objective is to make it a huge hassle for the average person in keep or selling their pre-ban items. Just because you see it going for $2k doesn’t mean people are buying it. |
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Posted: 4/30/2024 4:10:13 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dalle0001: From what I understand a lot of gun stores won’t accept private sellers in ban states. So you have to sell it to them. They’ll buy at pawn shop prices which means perhaps 1/3 of the total value. I think him saying $600 is a bit optimistic as realistically most places would buy it for $200-300. You can ask your LGS if they can ship it. As an example I live in a “free” state and one time I bought a relic black powder from NJ and it had to go through my FFL and I had to do a background check here because the gun shop was worried they couldn’t just hand me something otherwise legal since it was a FFL thing in NJ so just to play it safe they’ll run it through the system. In the end I paid total $60 bucks on top of the gun value for something that is considered easily purchased. The far left is pretty smart about how they word these grandfathering clauses as their objective is to make it a huge hassle for the average person in keep or selling their pre-ban items. Just because you see it going for $2k doesn’t mean people are buying it. Based on this post alone, I wouldn't take your advice on any subject at face value. You paid an FFL to do a background check on a non- FFL item because the sellers state requires it ? And your FFL went along with it instead of just giving you the package. I've got some relevant personal experience - an actual completed sale of some preban lowers to an FFL in MA a year ago - and have posted a little bit about it in an effort to help the OP decide what he should do with his rifle. I learned a long time ago I don't know everything and lots of times there are things that I don't think have any value whatsoever , when they are extremely valuable to certain people or in certain places due to some circumstance I am unaware of. This is clearly one of those situations for you. |
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OR, USA
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Posted: 4/30/2024 6:16:03 PM EDT
[#21]
My 2 Oly ban-era [PCR] lowers have fit with any upper I have tried.
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VA, USA
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Posted: 4/30/2024 6:48:48 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By NWRed: Based on this post alone, I wouldn't take your advice on any subject at face value. You paid an FFL to do a background check on a non- FFL item because the sellers state requires it ? And your FFL went along with it instead of just giving you the package. I've got some relevant personal experience - an actual completed sale of some preban lowers to an FFL in MA a year ago - and have posted a little bit about it in an effort to help the OP decide what he should do with his rifle. I learned a long time ago I don't know everything and lots of times there are things that I don't think have any value whatsoever , when they are extremely valuable to certain people or in certain places due to some circumstance I am unaware of. This is clearly one of those situations for you. Unfortunately I could not debate it and the FFL agreed with me that I should be able to walk out but they were talking with each other in the back to continue doing the background check on it for the transfer just in case since they weren't sure. Basically their idea is to doa background check regardless if it comes in from an FFL to an FFL. I doubt there's any law in it but it was either do it or don't get the item. |
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Posted: 4/30/2024 8:15:02 PM EDT
[#23]
If you buy a new gun you will have the two and if you buy/build a upper you still essentially have the two.
If you buy a stripped upper and swap out barrel and other parts you still spend most of the money and have only one gun and a pile of lose parts. You really don't know the condition of the old barrel until you shoot it alongside a new one. Historically the Oly guns had a good reputation for accuracy but were somehow treated as second tier after ABC (Armilite,Bushmaster Colt) Not sure of what is available now but for most years in the past it was possible to find good quality complete uppers for sale much easier than decent deals on all the parts to build a upper. |
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MP, USA
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Posted: 4/30/2024 9:39:36 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By NWRed: If I had a preban Olympic Arms, I would be looking into selling it to a dealer in Massachusetts for as much money as I possibly could get and then turn around and buy two brand new PSAs and have some money left over. I helped a local guy sell a couple stripped preban Oly lowers a couple years and he got $900 per lower from an FFL in MA. This. |
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