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Posted: 3/15/2009 5:32:21 PM EDT
| I was not happy when I my new A2 buttstock came this week. Everything is made of plastic buttplate, trap door, latch, and hinge. Does anybody make one thats built to last? I know RRA makes them this way but the last one I got from Model 1 (maybe 5 years ago) seems like 10 times the quality. |
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A military A2 buttstock has all metal on the buttplate, as well the stock portion is fiberglass or similar to fiberglass construction, NOT plastic as in typical plastic. Yes, people will refer to fiberglass as plastic. But a military buttstock is NOT model plastic, the outer layer is very fibrous with a hard foam filler.
My AR has a collapsible buttstock, NOT sure what commercial AR's have been using for full A2 buttstocks, but I would think a quality commercial version of the A2 stock should come a little closer than what you describe. |
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Quoted:
A military A2 buttstock has all metal on the buttplate, as well the stock portion is fiberglass or similar to fiberglass construction, NOT plastic as in typical plastic. Yes, people will refer to fiberglass as plastic. But a military buttstock is NOT model plastic, the outer layer is very fibrous with a hard foam filler. My AR has a collapsible buttstock, NOT sure what commercial AR's have been using for full A2 buttstocks, but I would think a quality commercial version of the A2 stock should come a little closer than what you describe. Ref USGI: Well, the stock is a plastic material, the butt plate is in fact and has always been plastic and the last issued A4 stocks and the replacement stocks have plastic doors now that have replaced the metal ones. The hinge and lock pin are still steel. A commercial stock may have some light crappy plastic but do not confuse with the latest GI plastic doors as they are just like the metal doors but hard long wearing plastic, not thin and junky. Like the song..........The times they are a changing.... |
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Quoted:
Its been about 10 years since I've had an military A2 in my hands. They must have changed the butt plate, in the late 80's and early 90's, it was metal not plastic on the butt. I am sure that you remember it that way, however the M16, M16A1, M16A2 and M16A4 have now and always have had a plastic butt plate. The butt plate is the thing that is on the end of the sock that fits up to your shoulder. They have been plastic since the thing was put into production. The trap door however is the thing that opens up to allow cleaning gear to store in the stock and it was metal during the M16A1 and M16A2 run as well as many M16A4s, BUT they are making them out of plastic now as well. As stated the hinge and lock pin are still made of steel but the door is as strong as ever. |
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Yea, I'm thinking hard, like you said, I remember well the trap door for the cleaning kit was metal, no doubt about that, but now that I think harder, even though the butt plate was a separate screwed on piece, that was very hard, it was NOT metal, a plastic or composite of some type. There was a metal frame within the buttplate, to hinge and snap the trap door to. Yea, sorry, but after these guys reminded me and thinking a bit harder, I agree the butt plate always was plastic or a composite.
Same with the stock, plastic?, yes and no, it felt and looked like a composite or fiberglass, maybe plastic but lots of fibrous reinforcement that gave a matte almost fabric like surface. It did NOT look like it was popped out of a plastic mold, and if your aftermarket stock looks like it was, then I would worry about the quality. |
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