Posted: 6/21/2025 10:48:48 AM EDT
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SLR15 AR15 / M16 / M4 / AR308 Armorer Course When: May 19-20, 2025 Where: Janesville, Wisconsin We conducted a 2-day (16-hour) AR15 / M16 / M4 / AR308 Armorer course that was hosted by the Rock County Sheriff's Dept. This was our first time teaching an Armorers course here, and we look forward to more courses in the future. The training room was set up to allow plenty of table space and great lighting to see small part & wear. The room had a great projection/HDTV system which allowed us to project some animated graphics of the weapons system, powerpoint detailed pics of gun parts and weapons animations. The student base was a mix of Officers from different agencies Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. Rifles represented in this course were SLR15, American Defense Manuracturing ADM, BCM, Midwest Industries, Colt, Aero Precision, FN, APF, Geissele, Daniel Defense, LWRC, Sig Sauer, Springfield Saint, Bushmaster, DPMS, 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. We also showed how to clean suppressors and why. 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. Bolts were fully gone through, which included extractors, extractor springs/inserts/O-rings. The ejectors were removed, cleaned, and inspected. Note: There were a couple of bolts that were found to have worn out gas rings. We supplied new rings to those that needed them. Note: One Bushmaster was found to have a broken ejector spring. This is something we find on occasion, and we recommend that the ejector system be cleaned and inspected on a regular basis, more often on suppressed rifles, and the spring be replaced should is show any signs of stress or breakage, as if the spring breaks into enough pieces the ejector will fail to work. We went through proper carrier key staking. There were several bolt carriers that had gas keys that had staking where the stake marks weren't touching the screws. We supplied everyone with Sully Gas Key Staking Tools and things were fixed. 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. Day-2 started with a review of everything that was covered on day-1, with some greater details and myths covered. 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 had collapsible stocks. We covered the proper mounting & gauging, and proper castle nut staking on the collapsible stocks, and there were a few that had to be remounted to get them properly indexed, and a hand full of them needed to be staked. 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. We covered how the piston system works, break down and maintenance of the system (Yes piston systems do get dirty and have to be cleaned and maintained), how to properly adjust for timing changed, and trouble shooting. 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. Note: During the timing session, we showed examples of adjustable gas blocks, and we also showed the gas control system from https://www.riflespeed.com/, which we like as it is adjustable with a quick turn by hand to one of the 12 different settings, and is well built for durability. We showed how suppressors are properly mounted and gauged. Several people took advantage of the bore gauges that we make, and checked their alignment on their rifles that had suppressors. 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. Notre: There was a Colt 11.5" barreled upper that was brought to class as it wouldn't hold a decent group anymore (5" at 25yds) and the groups were all over the place. It was found to have a loose barrel nut that could be turned by hand and the only thing holding it in place was the gas tube going through the barrel nut teeth, which is something we see on occasion. The barrel was removed, cleaned and inspected, then remounted / torqued and indexed, which should take care of the issue. 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" WeaponsArmorer SLR15 Rifles Defensive Edge Training (763) 712-0123 |