Part 1 - Overview of a 60 year old Armalite/Colt 601 AR15 Parts Kit.
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- čas přidán 12. 02. 2021
- DISCLAIMER: I am a technical expert on the AR/M16, but I am NOT an expert on the historical aspects of the AR/M16. If I make a mistake I welcome correction/education.
Teaser (Previous Video)
Part 1 THIS VIDEO (Overview)
Part 2 COMING SOON (Cleaning & Restoration)
Part 3 CANCELLED (Reassembly)
Part 4 COMING SOON (Physical/Autopsy using USGI & SOTAR Tools & Gauges & Trap Test Fire)
Part 5 COMING SOON (Distressing Lower Receiver & Reproduction Parts)
Part 6 COMING SOON (Range Test Firing)
That hand guard is absolutely stunning, can’t tell you how happy I was when you said you aren’t refinishing! Can’t wait to see this project.
On this week's episode of "This Old Rifle"...
Knowing where it came from is the best part.
The 601, 602 and very early 603 (XM16E1) and very early 604 (M16) had that same FSB which was cast. Sometime in '64 this was changed to forged but they would shave off the forging flash, you could still tell a difference because the cast one have sharper, more squared off edges and lines.
They were still shaving the flashes when M16A1 production started in 1967. By around 1970 they stopped removing the forging flashes.
You have clearly done your research, most youtubers don't know 1/10th of what you have said here. I really like your attention to the details on your retro build, so I thought you would find everything below interesting. Seriously most other GunTubers just slap some retro furniture on just any random AR that has an FSB and call that their M16A1 or XM177 clone.
Barrel profile, for most of 601 production Winchester made the barrels for Colt, they followed the exact Armalite spec and the barrel profile after the FSB was .565
Once Colt started making their own barrels at the end of 601 production in 1963 they slightly changed the profile to .575 after the FSB, no other profile changes were made through the end of A1 production in 1982.
Also you mentioned you weren't exactly sure about chrome lining.
Early AR-15 (601 and 602) as well as early 603 (XM16E1) and early 604 (M16) all had completely unlined barrels from first production in Dec 1959 until late 1967.
Very early barrels may have no markings or later 601 may have a VP for verified proof, in between the FSB legs.
For the next model, the 602, in 1963 the rifling was changed to 1 in 12 and the chamber dimensions changed closer to modern 5.56 NATO spec. These barrels have VP between the FSB legs and also a 12 near the muzzle.
In 1964 the model 603 for the Army and 604 for the USAF were simultaneously released with alot more updates. They had started magnetic particle inspections and now these barrels were marked M VP between the FSB legs and still a 12 near the muzzle, these were made from 1964 to '66.
In 1966 the marking between the FSB legs was simplified to just MP and would be used for about 1 year.
Very briefly after the 603 was updated to M16A1 format in mid 1967, maybe just a month or two into production, they began to chrome the chambers. This update was done at the same time to the 604 (M16) as well. These barrels are marked MP C, the marking now moved to near the muzzle where the 12 used to be. These were used from late '67 to '69. C standing for chrome chamber.
In 1969 when other manufacturers had to step up to meet demand for M16A1 production they had to mark parts to differentiate manufacturers.
So in '69 they started marking the barrels C MP C. The first C now standing for Colt and were made from 1969 to '71.
Late in 1971 Colt began to chrome line the bore as well as the chamber. These are marked C MP B near the muzzle. B standing for Chrome Bore. This marking was used from late 1971 until 1974.
Finally in 1974 Colt started marking the barrels, C MP CHROME BORE.
This marking was used from 1974 until the end of A1 production in 1982.
I sat down with a nice hot cup of coffee a small pastry and enjoyed a look at an overview of a historical rifle about to be resurrected. 🇺🇸
The Puerto Rico Police acquired the rifles early in 1960.
Most of the 601 didn't see much "street action" since they were using for the officers' annual qualification; however, the instructors could not use them because the rifles didn't shoot the 62gn rounds and key holed (Due to rifling twist). Unfortunately, those training sites are nearby the coast hence the rust on some parts; most of the waffle pattern mags were destroyed, and other 601 were cut with plasma cutters and thrown five nautical miles offshore in a spot that I can not disclose.
As an active member of the PR Police, I tried to acquire one 601 before the rifles were auctioned, but due to some ridiculous policy, they would not sell the parts kit inside the Puerto Rico Commonwealth.
TD TD,
Thank you for that history. Much appreciated!
This barrel has a massive amount of wear.l from firing. How do you think this one got that way since they didn't use them much?
Do you think the rust was from exposure to salt water, neglect, or possibly damage from a hurricane?
@@SchooloftheAmericanRifle The rifles were heavily neglected, with almost zero bore maintenance or proper armorer schedule whatsoever. Their latest duty assignment was the PR Police range located in Isla de Cabras "Goat Island," so they were exposed to the saltwater environment. I recall seeing a dolly been pushed around with at least ten 601's and maybe twenty+ 603's all banging against each other. (Imagine how saddened and hopeless I had felt).
Bore erosion was one of the issues they had; maybe 60 years plus sporadic full auto fun from behalf of the Instructors staff had played its toll.
I am glad one of the found its way to you, i know that it will be an educational tool and you will take care of it.Those poor babies had a rough time.
Some of the spent most of the time in the PR Police Academy Vault, those were in pristine contition!!! You could barely see the brown base color on the front handguards!.
Very interesting! No chance any magwell portions of the demilled receivers still exist, is there?
@@wolfsburg8572 every weapon auctioned left the island as they were. So i would say crush receivers will pop up on the market very soon.
M1921, M1928's, M1 Garands, M1 carbines, Colt 733's, GM Hydramatic's etc.
@@TLTL24631 Ah thanks! I certainly hope you're right. Last year I asked around and no one seemed to know anything or thought they no longer existed
Lots of the bent tines were from using the muzzle device to pop the wires on the ration boxes
Third shift delight! Thanks for the good stuff!
Love these original rifles and even the retro rifles.
A friend of mine had an AR 15 that had natural wood stock and gun blued metal. It was all factory and in like new condition. He lived in a rural area near a penal colony so he kept it handy.
Wife buys him a classic AR15 parts kit as a gift, talk about a keeper!
I always enjoy when "Rebel" makes a cameo! Best Wishes to you and your family!
Early contract AF USGI 20-rd magazines were stamped "AR-15" and ".223 Rem" too. Got a footlocker full of them but seldom use them, they really beat up brass.
Apparently pre 1969 mags were stamped .223 and ones after that were stamped 5.56. A tough mag to find is an early 30 rounder with the emerald green follower and floor plate stamped .223. I own one but it has a 5.56 stamped floor plate. Unfortunately it likes to produce failure to feed malfunctions on the second to last round. When they upgraded the follower some time in the 80s they came out with the black follower. Since then the army has adopted three new upgraded mags with the familiar mint green follower in 1994 which was replaced with a tan follower mag around 2009ish. Then with the advent of M855A1 and its steel tip gouging the feed ramps of some M4s they came out with a tan bodied mag which has a blue follower and a higher feed angle around 2015 - 2016.
Love this so much. I miss all the gems on Facebook and I'm so glad you're doing this series!
Love it!!! I just got my M16A1 parts kit from Apex Arms.. So excited to build mine & see how you distress the lower!!
Man this is right up my alley. The attention to detail is much appreciated!
I cant believe I just found this channel today! Instant sub. Y'Tbe algy s u p p r e s s much, geez? Also, sounds like my house. I commiserate.
I've been watching your videos for quite a while now. I have always found them to be informative and extremely well put together. This is yet another high quality video, showcasing the AR's evolution. the big difference to me, is now I FINALLY own my own AR platform rifle. I have learned so much from your videos and AR books from the library, that I actually purchased my rifle in kit form, and assembled it from scratch. the only thing I have to do yet, is have the headspace checked before I go shooting. to be honest, if I thought I would ever use them again, I would just go ahead and purchase the gauges, and check them myself. but I am old enough (had to wait till the kids were grown) that this will likely be my only AR rife I ever buy / build. THANK YOU for all of your & your wife"s work. It IS greatly appreciated!
Wow, I thought 1:12" was the slowest twist, I had never heard of 14". Very cool that you have all these parts on hand for comparison, really good highlights of the venerable platform's evolution. Thanks!
I freaking love break downs of guns and the detail of the video, thank you can't wait for more. Got a subscription from me for sure.
This series is going to be so good! Thanks!!!
This is ridiculously cool Chad! Appreciate you showing this off!
What an amazing piece of history I love this
Great video. I enjoy learning the history of firearms and weapons I own. Looking forward to part 2.
What an awesome video! Historic and given to us by the Master of the AR.. Thank you.
Great job rescuing this kit!!!
Nice project and video!
Very interesting 👍
I've learned a lot about maintenance of my carabine and things about AR15's in general from watching these videoes🙂
I like them very mutch!
Keep up the good work 😊
One of my favorite channels!
The wear on the handguards is just cool!
Armalite was a division of Fairchild, an aircraft company.
So it is said this played a large role in the use of forged aluminum for the AR-15 platform (e.g., upper and lower).
This was a stark departure from contemporary arms design at the time.
@@pavegray and composite barrels, but materials science wasn't quite up to the task in the 1950s. The AR-10 in US Army trials against the M14 and FAL had a composite barrel that unfortunately ruptured during testing. Fiberglass over a steel liner, IIRC, which doesn't have the same thermal expansion characteristics.
You're lucky to have handguards, that is the most difficult 601 part of all to find. Since I got into retros 3 years ago I've seen a good bit of parts, stocks and pgs for sale all the time but never a set of HGs.
We had the a press thing for USGI mags to force them back into shape. It was two pieces of metal, you’d strip the mag down, put the base plate in its place and slide the mag on the mag sleeve thing, put the top on. You would Hammer until it would close, then tap it open, & repeat as needed it would 100% fix all the mags. Edson range had it, idk what happened to it after we got PMAGs
I bought a old M16A1 (with us gov property marking) with 601 furniture. Story was that it was a riffle imported from Vietnam sometime in the 90's. I replaced the furniture with original M16A1 parts. I want to build a 601 in the future. Thank you for your video.
Thank you rex for the review. Trying to figure out what to do with my 601stripped lower
Thanks for introducing us to your cat! Love that.
Bakelite is the proper term for American products as well, many domestic items from that time period including radios and clocks were bakelite. Great video! I would love to take a class from you!
Yes but bakelite is not fiberglass. They are two different composites.
@@brucecamparmament3728 👍🏼
I’ve been wanting to build a AR from old colt parts. Awesome build. It’s awesome you could save this gun and rebuild it.
Great educational video. Also hope it shots well for you when your done.
Excited to see the completed build!
That is a history lesson on your table. Great work Sir!
This was just in time for my lunch break! Thanks for your work!
Mr. Larson would be proud, sir.
Very very educational thank you
Nice kit!
Great video
The organically battleworn handguard is gorgeous
Happy birthday!
It would be helpful to have those in a playlist cause the videos are a bit apart. I'm looking forward to watching the other 3 parts.
We had 50 M16's in our armory in the weapons storage area in West Germany in the late '80's. Approximately four or five were 601's, the remainder 602's and 604's. The 601's had black paint over the fibrite handguards, buttstock, and pistol grip. They also had the Edgewater buffer, and old OD sling. Never had any issues with them during daily issue, exercises, or when we had to qualify our munitions squadron at Kapaun Air Station.
I wish I would have written down some serial numbers on the Armalite/Colt marked rifles, and photo's were verboten since we were in a restricted area. Was pretty neat being able to handle and maintain those old rifles.
Early front sight bases like yours were cast steel and later ones like on the M16A1 and later were forged steel which accounts for the flashes that weren't fully removed during manufacturing. Also the early bend gas tubes were made from carbon steel vs stainless in later guns. According go original technical manuals the proper method for removal involved removing the front sight base. You can remove an early tube without taking the front sight base off but you have less clearance to do it.
I have a Brownalls 601 strip lower What an amazing piece of history. If you're looking for that classic look
Damn those hand guards look cool. All that wear looks awesome especially with how everyone babys their guns these days.
Pretty neat acquisition. Definitely have a bit of parts kit envy. I love my M16A1 parts kit build(even with the many inaccurate parts i used) but an original 601 is not something you see every day.
Just when I was going to sleep, guess my plans changed!
very cool the 601 is a dream ar for me my first and only one i have is an a2 carbine its a clone of the xm15 bushmaster by dpms and i love it
Outstanding!! Can’t wait to see more.
I enjoy the video as always. I enjoy learning about firearms and seeing different makes and models of firearms especially when it’s a rifle like the AR style rifles. I like rebel he’s a good looking cat. Thanks for the work you put into these videos and for putting them out for us to watch and learn from. Keep up the good work and great videos.
Excellent video, Chad. Thanks for the history lesson.
German spec "Good and tight"...
I literally had to clean the coffee off my screen after that.
I literally yelled “haaaaaaa” out loud when he said that haha. Maybe it’s my German American heritage but it was beyond funny to me. My dad got me a 1968 camaro when I was 8 years old we had to rebuild the motor and more my dad used that car to teach me how to work on things he’d buy the part we needed and he’d make me do the wrenching anyway I had absolutely no concept of torque specs as a kid and just figured everything needing to be torqued down to it’s max potential smh, I can’t tell you how many times Thats came back to bite me in the ass. Mechanics will often get mad at whoever wrenched the car before them for torquing shit down but it sucks even more when you did it to yourself lol no one to blame.
It's actually spelled gudentite! 😉🤣
Russian spec is "Titenov"
Good looking cat!
Excellent! But damn it, I'm late for class again! Only by a few mins and I've got a note this time.
Looking forward to the series. I'll try harder to be on time. I'm NOT getting kicked out of this class!
If I may, I'd like to speak on behalf of the entire class.
Sir, your wife is awesome and you are a lucky man.
Thank you, and a huge thanks to, Mrs. SOTAR Wife.
I really like the wear on this rifle and how it has patina / character that would be gone if you decided to refinish it. Looking forward to this series of videos.
Bringing my two favorite things together . Awesome
Love it! I know it's a crime given the great condition, but it would look good to distress that buttstock to match. Or better yet keep an eye out for one with more wear and save the good condition stock for the next build 😉
That is the plan. :)
Wow that’s a score. Hey I have an old old old very used looking Bakelite/fiberglass pistol grip. Still quite functional. I’d like to get a pic of it to you. Or better yet have it sent to you. Mine has a marble look to it, like it actually looks like it’s marble (the type of stone,) if that makes it easier to identify. Cool video! Thanks for sharing
Had a lot of M16A1's with 601 parts. Saw a lot of black solid stocks and knurled lock rings. Also A1 original extractor springs didn't have the insert. That was a later addition to the A1. The old extractor springs had to be changed out before combat use. The stock screw hole also helps equalize pressure around the buffer, and blocked holes can cause short strokes. Black solid buttstocks should be given a sniff test. If they smell like 2-4-D, they are contaminated with Agent Orange. Takedown pins with the hole drilled are newer pins.
Thank you. All great info and I appreciate you sharing. I do find your comments about the extractor insert odd. All of the early models I have serviced were equipped with a white or red extractor insert. Perhaps the ones you saw without an insert was from the insert hardening and being removed or from them being misplaced during maintenance or when the springs were changed?
@@SchooloftheAmericanRifle The spring was a real heavy version like the new spring but didn't have the insert. They found out that they were prone to breaking, and all springs needed to be replaced with the new spring that had a blue insert. I ordered the new springs and kept them in reserve to be replaced upon mobilization. Might as well get the taxpayer's money out of them. All 50 of the rifles in the unit had them. I even had 2 M16E2's in the unit, one had the stinky buttstock, and the SN was low enough to have been in Vietnam. We also had an array of slings on the weapons, some had the old M1 slings, while the rest had the black slings. The A1 buttstock screw also went from a nylon insert to a blue Locktite on the threads. The drilled grip screw also appears to be whatever version the military has in stock at the moment. I had solid in most weapons, but the screws I ordered came drilled. Also very important not to have too long of a grip screw! I had to modify the screws I received, as all were slightly too long, and could cause a unsafe condition in the trigger mechanism.
i love old ar15s
I'm jealous, I love all of the early AR-15 variants, especially pre-'67 when they still had the early features. Chrome BCGs and slick side uppers are just so sexy. As far as lowers, I gotta say the partial fence (1964 - '67) is my favorite.
But the 601 takes the cake with that awesome brown synthetic furniture and peeling green paint.
I wonder what the exact name of the furniture material is? People say "bakelite" but that is unlikely. Bakelite was patented in 1909 and very popular in the 1920s and 30s but had largely fallen out of use by the late '40s in favor of more modern materials.
Love this video, sir ... I thought that I knew better
Thanks so much for sharing this kit with us. Really cool seeing the changes to these rifles over the years. Would love to have an old parts kit to put together, but I'll settle for one of the Brownells Retro rifles.
This is cool.
Awesome video..!!
Ooh, I haven't seen a 1:14" twist barrel before!
As I understand it, Stoner wanted the 1:14 to barely stabilize the 55gr bullets, but Alaska-cold weather testing showed that the bullets weren't stable at those low temperatures.
Green Mountain Rifle makes excellent 1-14 Twist barrels. Don't know if SOTAR has done a gmr barrel physical, but would like to see it
@@johnbrenot2538 cool! Will have to look for one if/when I do a 601 build.
Videos about old rifles are cool
20:09 This is when I pressed like on the video! (I had forgotten to do it till then.)
Unbelievable bro.
Will you be stripping the paint off and returning it to the brown basket weave fiber glass finish? The M-16-E1 I had in basic training was a Harrison & Richardson with the E1 hand stamped rather crudely in to the receiver and both upper and lower were the older Vietnam Green Anodized finish along with the black furniture with the narrow rubber butt-pad minus the accessory door. Even as rough as the rifle appeared, its action was smooth as butter and very accurate at long range. It would consistently hit the 430-meter target on the KD range.
I won't be refinishing or removing paint on the furniture. I'm going to check it periodically for damage and make repairs as needed. Beyond that I won't be refinishing anything. This gun will get well used in my classes.
It's a piece of history that I plan to share until I'm gone.
Thank you for sharing a story about your service rifle. I enjoy stories like that very much.
Many of the Service Members who attend my classes still remember the serial # of their M16 from Basic Training.
@@SchooloftheAmericanRifle I bet a lot of them would love to have them back !👍
@@kevinauld4367 I definitely want my basic training rifle back, it was an oldy with a small block welded to the receiver to keep the fun switch from the fun position.
Since you have the original machine gun lower, and since it dates from pre-'86, does that mean you could legally restore it to it's full auto function without needing to hold an FFL and pay for the SOT needed to build machine guns?
Awsome
Awesome awesome kit man, you are loved to get that for bday man haha! Thanks for sharing and Id never refinish the patina man it took many years to get to that and tells a story.
What's going on with those 45 degree angle cuts behind the bolt lugs on those bolts? I've never seen that before
What a treat
My personal theory on the green color is that they were trying to get a into the Asian market at the time (this part is true), and without any connotation of racism here, they love some jade.
The witness mark on the cam may be intentional. Some people like to put them in the same way every time. I flip mine over every cleaning just to prevent uneven wear.
The cam pin should be inserted the same way each time, switching positions will just produce the wear you want to avoid. Chad said so haha
Were can you get the bcg , who makes them other then the gi ones. Thanks
Legend Brimob Menpor User 1959
Nodak make the Brownells Retro lowers, though Brownells does have different specs and dimensions for the ones they get made from Nodak for their Retro series.
NDS has stated that they only make the forgings for Brownells and the machine work is done by another party.
@@SchooloftheAmericanRifle Huh, I wonder why Nodak don't do the machining, is it a price or volume limit that makes Brownells get them machined elsewhere?
Your wife is awesome, wish mine gave me this kit lol
Sir, do you have any videos about drilling/pinning a front sight block? That would be a very cool piece of knowledge and one I lack.
Could you please give a link or place to find these tools.
Good vid
That old charging handle 🤣
Chad, what is your opinion of ultrasonic cleaners? Have you ever used any? I wonder ultrasonic would have helped with cleaning some of that corrosion.
Can't wait to see in the barrel and maybe get an accuracy report.
Bakelite isn't a fiberglass material, it's a chemical combination of phenol and formaldehyde
I was told that the older bolts were not tapered in the cam pin hole. Meaning that older bolts could be assembled with the ejector in the 5 o’clock position and could be reassembled if you weren’t paying attention. Any truth to that seeing as how you have original bcg on your table?
Now I'm curious too. Is it possible @School of the American Rifle ?
I'm looking forward to this series, how much does that buffer weigh? Or are you going to get into that part later?
I can do that.
Interesting that they removed the auto sear/demilled receiver. Every parts kit I've ever purchased has come with everything and it's up to you to destroy or modify stuff. The amount of HK sears I've thrown away makes me sad 😔
What was the original firing rpm?
Well i quess it only looked like wood. I didn't handle it but from a couple feet away i was fooled.
Re: shouldn't use FA trigger group in a semi auto gun, is there a functional reason or just cya? Thanks for the info, this will be a sweet project to follow.
atf gets pissy.
The way I understand current atf guidance any part for a full auto is considered a machine gun in and of itself.
This kit is gorgeous, especially those handguards! Carrier looks pristine too, but I haven't gotten to your discussion of what parts had issues yet.
Edit: okay maybe not quite so pristine up close. Looks like that chrome held up well over the years though.
A bit of nerdy speculation. Since Puerto Rico is a US territory, the NFA applies. Thus, this machine gun should have been registered even if it was in a police armory. As such, it makes me wonder why the gun was destroyed and parted out in the first place.
The NFA doesn't apply to us 😁😁 that's the beauty 🙏💪