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Posted: 11/13/2002 6:08:53 PM EDT
| I have one on my Colt M-4, 14.5" and had it installed by Gem Tech. They laser weld them in place and check to make sure it's legal by dropping a steel rod down the barrel to assure it meets the legal length. The only drawback is a bayonet will not fit. They do a nice job and I'd recommend having them do the work. |
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The bi-lock is a pretty good FS, but I think its price, & the fact that the Phantom is considered to be the best FS in the biz., makes it a prohibitive choice unless one plans to get & use an M4-96D can. Since you state you won't be going in that direction, I'd recommend sticking w/ the superior FS you have now. Having said that, however, pinning and soldering the bi-lock to the bbl. will keep it at the legal 16" length. Whether you can do it, or have it done professionally, it's certainly an option. |
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OpenFire - Thanks. I posted on the general board and received a similar response. I never considered the bayonet issue, but even though I own one I think that I'll go thorough with the swap. I guess that I can sell the M9 bayonet and at least recoup the cost of the Bi-Lock. Thanks again, |
| You are going to buy a $75 Bilock and you never intend to get a M4-96D? Thats a lot of money to blow for looks. Have you considered the A3 flash hider by KKF? BiLocks are hard to come by and Gemtech does not like to sell them to people who have no interest in buying suppressors. This was a year ago so perhaps things have changed but when I talked to them they were not keep on putting one on my barrel unless they were certain I didnt want it just for looks. |
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I had absolutely no problem dealing with Gem Tech by E-mail. They just warned me that each 14.5" M-4 differs a bit and until they checked with a steel rod to make sure it would make the legal length limit, they could'nt guarantee they could do the work. At the time I had the work done, about one year ago, they had mostly dealt with Colt Factory M-4 complete uppers. As far as cost, yes this is an expensive alternative, but I see members spending alot of money on other accessories they will not use to their full potential. It's all relative. I live in Washington State where it's legal to own a suppressor, you just can't install it on a firearm. I think it's neat looking. No a bayonet will not work, I tried it, it will not come close to passing over the lugs. I doubt this is a problem for procurement process since the bi-lock and suppressors are being bought as a package and high speed operators would have little use for them (bayonets). Gem tech does a wonderful job of blind pinning and welding the bi-lock. I also know if I ever move to a suppressor friendly state, it has been checked for proper alignment with the barrel. |
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I have a Gemtech bi-lock on my M4, I really like as far as the look goes. I would suggest if you are not going to mount a suppressor, you can just buy the flash hider from Gemtech. It is not all that hard to do so. Gemtech will gladly sell you the bi-lock, afterall, it is just a fancy flash hider. You really don't need to have Gemtech install it, any good gunsmith in your local area can perform this task, since you are not mounting a suppressor, you really don't have to have the hider laser welded on to your muzzle. Good luck. |
Those of your who install the M4 barrel and do not have a 203, are POSEURS! Total poseurs. Those of your who install the Aimpoint M2/EoTech 552 and do not have NVDs, are POSEURS! Total poseurs. Those of your who install the Fixed Telestock and do not have a PreBan, are POSEURS! Total poseurs. Etc........ |
I have a bi-lock because my c3 buddy has several Gemtech items. I figure I am a poser 95 percent of the time, and that 5 percent of time i am shooting with his toys, I am a complete stud. 
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| I have a bi-lock on my M4 clone. When I built mine up in 1996 , the bi-lock was the closest thing out there to an A2 flashhider. I had mine installed by Gemtech. They did an excellent job. I think it was only like $25-30 plus the cost of the flashhider. They cant pin the thing on, as the flashhider is just too hard. |
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http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid39/p66344058d031972c27f0298b52b0a578/fd0752bd.jpg Here's one. Came across this pic on the web a couple of weeks ago which is what got me thinking about installing one in the first place. Not post ban legal as I understand it. BTW - I sent an email to Gem-tech about a week ago inquiring if they could do the installation and have yet to get a response. |
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http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid39/p2d4b1bea3349a234998ef9f0bc30cbd4/fd074458.jpg SorryOciffer - From what I understand the Gemtech is classified by the BATF as a flash hider or flash suppressor in and of itself. I have included the best picture of the hider that I could find. It's slots are somewhat similar to those of the standard A2 flash hider. The difference being that the Gemtech unit has two "ears" located at the base of the flash hider unit. These two ears or mounting lugs, hence the name Bi-lock, are used as a way of quickly attaching and detaching a Gemtech sound suppressor such as the M4-96d unit. Because of the mounting lugs, the Bi-lock is about a 1/2 longer then the standard A2 bird cage flash hider. Therefore, when mounted and permanently attached to a pre ban rifle with 14.5" barrel it will bring the barrel up to to the legal limit of 16". As I stated earlier, I would like to make the switch primarily for reasons of aesthetics. I have no intention of ever spending the money or time required to acquire a sound suppressor. Although not all agree, I suspect of many AR owners that the aesthetics of our firearms are just as important to many of us as are their functionality or reliability. If this were not true then why would things such as m4gery's, prebans, touch-up paint, refinishing, M9 bayonets, worries over Bushy purple, pictures posted on forums, etc, even exist? |
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Running a Bi-lock on your unsuppressed rifle is just like putting a NOS (Nitrous Oxide Systems) sticker on your car when you are not running NoX. Lame. Whenever I see a dude running a Bilock on his rifle, I always confront them to see if he is the real deal or just screwing around. If you are not going to run an M4-96d on your rifle, just do yourself a favor and get a flash suppressor or muzzle brake that will actually DO something for you (ie. Vortex, Phantom). |
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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