M16 bolt carrier?

[Shivesy]

If I remember correctly I thought I read somwhere that the M16 bolt carrier was the one that would work best in the Grendel. Is that correct?

[warped]

Yes it is, it is the best carrier for any AR or M platform

[noone]

Just don't have other M-16 parts in your rifle, or BATFE might come a knockin'.

[Peck1631]

Just don't have other M-16 parts in your rifle, or BATFE might come a knockin'.

Obviously this means something could be done illegally, but I am ignorant of what it might be. Can you explain further?

[DirectDrive]

Obviously this means something could be done illegally, but I am ignorant of what it might be. Can you explain further?

The M16 carrier used in a semi automatic weapon is perfectly legal.
The M16 carrier is not only the heaviest carrier (of the several variants available), it is also designed to work with an auto sear if present.
So to recap, the M16 carrier is one of the components necessary in a full-auto weapon. The M16 carrier alone, in a semi auto weapon is legal.

[StoneTower]

To carry DirectDrive's explanation one step further....there have been legal cases where people have had more than just a M16 carrier in an AR15. It has been established that the carrier by itself is considered legal, but if you have a safety selector from a M16 in the same gun with the carrier, thing could start to get interesting even though you still do not have a machine gun. There are many surplus safety selectors that are available in surplus parts kits. It is best to make sure that you have a semi-auto commercial selector before you put your AR15 together.

Be safe so you can go shooting another day

[Peck1631]

Ahhh, got it. Thanks fellas.

[pinzgauer]

The M16 carrier alone, in a semi auto weapon is legal.

The concern about other parts is worth heeding, but the "M-16" carrier is settled. In fact, some large name mfg's ship them in their civvy weapons. (I believe the Colt sporters & LE rifles, even)

There are even letters from the BATF indicating such.

[warped]

Besides the fact "It is that carrier that was intended for use in this weapon" the others fall short.

[LRRPF52]

Since the AR15 already has a pretty high cyclic rate for the reciprocating parts, cutting the carrier weight only increases bolt carrier velocity to the rear, which also increases the return-to-battery forward stroke velocity. It is hard on guns, sometimes beats the magazine spring, causing a failure to feed, and started when the SP1 was released by Colt for the civilian market in the early 1960's. The general consensus is that they didn't want to be seen as providing a rifle that would easily be made into a select-fire assault rifle, so the bolt carrier was shaved in the rear mass area underneath, where it normally would mirror the top rear carrier geometry.

Since it takes a few machining operations and a totally different fire control group to build a true select-fire assault rifle, I'm not really keen as to why the bolt carrier was modified, but businesses are known to attempt to exceed certain standards in government regulation to show good faith and try to avoid litigation.

As more and more AR15 owners attend high-volume formal training courses, including LE & Gov't agencies, people have realized that significant deviations in the tried and true formula for AR15 reliability lead to guns that simply fail, usually within the first 150-300 rounds of Day 1. The companies that build well-renowned AR15's have been specifying M16-weight carriers for quite some time now, to keep the operating parts in-balance with over-gas. In a 5.56 or Grendel, I wouldn't think of using any other weight carrier than M16, in addition to a heavier buffer with heavier internal weights.

[Variable]

In fact, some large name mfg's ship them in their civvy weapons. (I believe the Colt sporters & LE rifles, even)

Yep, multiple ponies here. Shipped with propper M16 carriers. Some of the newest Colt Defense ones have small pin lowers again also. Sanity finally prevails.