Post Apocalyptic spare parts.

MOAhunter

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Minuteman
Dec 17, 2010
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I'm sure many of you have spare parts in the event you cannot ever get any.
Please share which parts you deem necessary for bombproof reliability for at least 1000 rounds.

I'll start with a list of parts & some I'm not sure if a person would really need.

Complete bolt or complete BCG ?
Gas block ?
Gas tube ?
Spare barrel
UPK
Buffer spring
LPK
What to do think, overkill or have missed anything?
 
I've literally sent in excess of a million rounds down range with multiple ARs, and the only two things I've encountered was an extractor that was not reliable, which LMT replaced, and a barrel that is loosing long range accuracy after several years of team matches.

Until recently, I never worried about keeping spares on hand other than an extra barrel and BCG, but with all the panic buying and hoarding, I decided to stock up on some extra spares like lower parts kits, firing pins, cam pins, etc. just to ensure I have parts available and not caught short if something is lost, broken, or wears out.
 
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I just finished buying everything I figured one would need and then some.

Full BCG
BCG Spare Parts
5 Sets of Gas Rings
Spare gas tube for each length I own.
LPK minus trigger and grip.
Couple packs of spare LPK items. (Springs and Pins)
Buffer Tube
Buffer Spring
Have a couple take off mil spec triggers.

Things I'm considering is a spare .750 gas block and another TT trigger. I don't think I'll need these ever though.
I figure as long as I don't have a Lower or Upper, it won't become a rifle.

I'm honestly not concerned with barrels. I feel I could call up Shilen, Bartlein, Criterion, or whoever and get a barrel.
If your reason for buying spare parts is Biden driven, it's online sales of guns and parts he is looking to ban. I do not recall anything about phone ordering. All he would be doing is driving the gun world back in time, to the time before the internet. Yea, it would suck, and I hate the thought. But it just makes things harder to track in the end. You have to call most these people anyways to place a barrel order anyways.
Websites would just be big online catalogs. You fill out an order form that you printed off the website like you were going to order from a magazine. (I feel like I'm dating my age, but I'm only 34. Who remembers catalog order forms, let alone catalogs! I DO!) Midway, Brownells, and Primary Arms would probably be your main large distributors. They would just have to hire more people to process orders and answer the phones. So I'm honestly not all that worried, I wanted spare part anyways, Biden just gave me an excuse to buy them.
 
@loveha , how is the armaspec quality? That seems like a decent lower builder kit, may have to pick one or two up.
Not sure yet, I just bought them yesterday, so I'll know in like a week or so. It was the only kit I could find without the stuff I do not need. If V7 made a full kit, I would have gone with that instead.

I linked those, because I felt like most people interested don't want/need anything else but what is in those kits for spare parts.
I bought one of the first, and two of the second. Probably super excessive. But better to have and not need, than need and not have.
 
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I remember back in the 90's, before Remington bought DPMS, people would say to stay away from DPMS parts as many smaller parts are foreign made and not MilSpec. Don't know if it was really true or not? Back then, I think the only country making AR parts was the Philippines?

Makes me wonder how many LPKs are Made in China?
 
Having run the Gunsmithy at Gunsite for 15+ years, I got a pretty good look at quite a large sample of guns and what goes wrong. So, here's a generic list of what is needed to keep guns running.

Springs. Springs are consumables just like ammo. You should have at least one each of every spring in the gun, personally, springs are cheap and I keep two. They break all the time, I replaced a LOT of springs.

Extractors. High wear commonly broken item, second only to springs. If it needs a pin for installation, get the pin as well.

Firing pin. Rare issue, but possible if the original has a flaw. I've probably replaced three or four over 20 years.

Type specific items:

AR-15 types. Gas rings. Keep several sets and replace them every 5k rounds or when they loosen to the point they will not hold the bolt carrier on when held vertically. Extractor pin and bolt cam pin, FP retainer. If the carrier key is properly staked from the outset, you should be good, but if it's not, get spare screws, replace the existing ones and stake it properly now. A spare charging handle is not a bad idea, but it's pretty rare to damage it. I just keep a complete bolt in a Magpul pistol grip compartment, simplifies field/match repairs.

Glocks. Spare slide stop. Double up on slide lock springs and trigger return springs. Replace the recoil spring every 5K rounds. If you have not already done so, install metal sights.

1911. Fit a spare extractor now before you need it. Get a slide stop and firing pin stop. If you are familiar with the plunger tube installation, that's not a bad item to keep on hand.

If anyone has a model specific question, feel free to ask, but this covers most everything actually. Absent battle damage, abuse or loss, springs and extractors will keep you running.

You don't need a gas tube, gas block, bolt carrier, trigger group parts, barrel, etc. If you are going to keep a complete parts kit, frankly it might just as well be a complete gun.
 
Having run the Gunsmithy at Gunsite for 15+ years, I got a pretty good look at quite a large sample of guns and what goes wrong. So, here's a generic list of what is needed to keep guns running.

Springs. Springs are consumables just like ammo. You should have at least one each of every spring in the gun, personally, springs are cheap and I keep two. They break all the time, I replaced a LOT of springs.

Extractors. High wear commonly broken item, second only to springs. If it needs a pin for installation, get the pin as well.

Firing pin. Rare issue, but possible if the original has a flaw. I've probably replaced three or four over 20 years.

Type specific items:

AR-15 types. Gas rings. Keep several sets and replace them every 5k rounds or when they loosen to the point they will not hold the bolt carrier on when held vertically. Extractor pin and bolt cam pin, FP retainer. If the carrier key is properly staked from the outset, you should be good, but if it's not, get spare screws, replace the existing ones and stake it properly now. A spare charging handle is not a bad idea, but it's pretty rare to damage it. I just keep a complete bolt in a Magpul pistol grip compartment, simplifies field/match repairs.

Glocks. Spare slide stop. Double up on slide lock springs and trigger return springs. Replace the recoil spring every 5K rounds. If you have not already done so, install metal sights.

1911. Fit a spare extractor now before you need it. Get a slide stop and firing pin stop. If you are familiar with the plunger tube installation, that's not a bad item to keep on hand.

If anyone has a model specific question, feel free to ask, but this covers most everything actually. Absent battle damage, abuse or loss, springs and extractors will keep you running.

You don't need a gas tube, gas block, bolt carrier, trigger group parts, barrel, etc. If you are going to keep a complete parts kit, frankly it might just as well be a complete gun.
This is what I have seen as well. But I will say that the bolt lugs crack semi frequently on an AR, so a spare complete bolt (like CoryT said) is probably the easiest thing to have on hand.