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Posted: 4/8/2011 9:35:44 AM EDT
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Hi all!
Not too long ago I picked up an M4 upper for my Colt preban at a gun show. The upper receiver has a key hole stamped into it which, thanks to these wonderful posters... http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=397380 ...tells me it was made by Cerro Forge. It was on the cheaper side ($400 vs a thoroughbred $700 Colt upper) and it seems to work with my lower receiver reasonably well. Still, the guilt of using some bargain basement gun show upper on a Colt lower feels akin to installing Trabant accessories on a Corvette, so I've been looking to replace it with a real Colt upper. To my surprise, I'me seeing many, MANY supposedly Colt manufactured upper receivers with the Cerro Forge keyhole. Is it the case that Cerro Forge is making the Colt uppers and Colt is simply marketing them as their own? If that's the case then am I simply suffering from irrational gun snobbery since if I did get a real Colt upper I'd only be swapping one Cerro Forge receiver for another? |
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Cerro forge is who made the actual raw forging. Another companies does all of the machining, assembly, and finishing.
If you are satisfied with the overall quality of your upper receiver, the barrel nut threads are okay, it fits okay, the finish is consistent (dry film lube applied internally), the dust cover works, and everything assembled without an issue, I see no need to replace the upper with a colt unit. |
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Nobody is going to notice your upper when they see you shooting it, they'll only see the Colt marked lower receiver.
But if you shoot with friends they might notice it, if you don't want to get snobbed you might want to get a genuine Colt upper complete with the "C" stamp next to the forge marking, Colt marked barrel and BCG. Colt sells direct to customers now complete SP6920 uppers with M16 auto BCG, CH, and Matech 600m flip up folding rear sight, here's the link. http://www.coltsmfg.com/ShopOnline/tabid/62/ProdID/301/Default.aspx If your state have AWB laws you could have it sent directly to ADCO for your state's law compliance. |
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Quoted:
Nobody is going to notice your upper when they see you shooting it, they'll only see the Colt marked lower receiver. But if you shoot with friends they might notice it, if you don't want to get snobbed you might want to get a genuine Colt upper complete with the "C" stamp next to the forge marking, Colt marked barrel and BCG. Colt sells direct to customers now complete SP6920 uppers with M16 auto BCG, CH, and Matech 600m flip up folding rear sight, here's the link. http://www.coltsmfg.com/ShopOnline/tabid/62/ProdID/301/Default.aspx If your state have AWB laws you could have it sent directly to ADCO for your state's law compliance. Thanks for the heads up. I live in CT and we do have AWB laws but I bought my Colt Sporter back in 1990 before they were enacted so it was grandfathered in (I keep a copy of the certificate in the grip). The state police weapons division specifically said that since it's already registered as an assault weapon, an M4 upper (16") is legal on mine because the replacement upper can't make it any more of an assault weapon. If you need any more reasons to show why gun control laws are retarded, now you have it. |
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Quoted:
Only a handful of companies make all the forgings, both uppers and lowers, for everyone. What brand (OEM) is your "M4" upper supposed to be? It isn't branded. I got it from a vendor who sells AR-15 parts at gun shows along with racks of completed uppers, which tells me it was probably put together in someone's basement. God only knows who made the barrel since it has zero markings in it. The fact that it's a no-name upper is why I returned to the show the next day with my bolt and bolt carrier to check the head space before I bought it. I know I tempted the rip off gods buying this thing, but everything was a drop in fit including my Colt .22 adapter, and it bump fires reliably, so I guess it's a keeper after all. Hmmm...can I legally call my rig an M4 since it's on a Colt lower? They can't sue themselves for trademark infringement... |
| Nothing wrong with a keyhole forge upper. I prefer these forgings unless using a bonafied Colt to build or buy an all Colt piece. If the upper does what you want it to, what more can you expect? Colt is good stuff and everybody should own at least one in my opinion but I've personally never had a quality issue with any of them. The real beef is the barrel and BCG. |
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