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Posted: 12/28/2012 5:50:12 PM EDT
| Completely new here and have some questions. I just purchased a dpms ap4 carbine. I know they are not the most popular here but it was all that was available and if anyone has tried to an ar in colorado in the last 2 weeks you know how scarce they are. Any ways I would like to know what are the weak points and what i should upgrade internally to make it more reliable. It does have a chromed chamber and barrel but I read that the bolt is a weak link. Thanks for any info |
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Welcome...just clean it and shoot it, repeat. I have always had good luck with DPMS whether complete rifles are parts for my builds. Underrated IMHO. Yes DPMS uses Carpenter 158 for bolt material...its a non issue. I agree I have 2 DPMS and just shoot them until something breaks or you start having problems. I have not had an issue and I have about 1000+ rounds though both rifles. The only thing that I would change is the trigger but it's not bad for out of the box. |
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Vdub1971
There were 11 design changes made to the M16 rifle due to the jamming and powder problem on early M16 rifles. The main modifications were a change in calcium content in the ball powder and strengthening the bolt. I have a DPMS A2 HBAR and other than the heavy barrel it is the same rifle I shot in the Air Force from 69 to 73. These early Air Force M16s were before the 11 changes were made and yes they did jam, BUT this was mainly due to the high calcium content in the early ball powder. The powder problem also caused a higher cyclic rate of fire in full auto and this was beyond the rifles design limitations and "some" of the bolts were damaged due to this high cyclic rate of fire. These improved bolt modifications are what the majority of the AR15 snobs rant about and were one of the 11 modifications made to the "FULL AUTO" M16 rifles. These BCG mods were made by Colt while the Army was still trying to fix the powder problem, once the powder problem and high cyclic rate was fixed the strengthened bolt mods were overkill and not as the rifle were first designed. My DPMS AR15 doesn't have a chrome chamber and bore, it is not full auto, and it does not jam..............ever. Therefore it is light years ahead of the ones I used in the service. |
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My first AR, was a DPMS Sporting Carbine, and it never gave me any trouble. My spare parts kits for both of my ARs are DPMS. I agree the carbine is underrated.
Keeping it clean is a big thing. Learning how to clean the BCG is important, I don't go beyond the field stripping I learned in the Service, but I plan on learning more on garrison level maintenance. |
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Bought an HBAR carbine in the pre-ban madness of 1994. This was before DPMS was selling assembled rifles. A gun store employee had assembled it.
Initially it was a single shot, but the seller then GAVE me a new Colt bolt and carrier. It has worked like a charm ever since. Thousands of rounds down the barrel. Still shoot it from time to time. Keep yours clean and shoot the c**p out of it! |
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