Warbirds Custom Guns
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FALaholic # 17522
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Sorry I'm 1 day late with this, was very busy yesterday (and today) & fell asleep on the sofa only to wake up to 40 degrees at 2am this morning.
The following info. is the result of using gauges, mics & indicators where needed & appropriate. I'll try to relay everything in simple terms so to avoid confusion to anyone who reads this thread.
When I look at a receiver I always start at the front & work my way back. After all, that's where all the action is right ? Everyone else seems to look at the heel 1rst (to see who made it) so for that reason I'll start there.
At 1rst glance the appearance gave me the impression that this was a forged receiver, it's that smooth on the outside, with the exception of just forward of the bolt stop for about 1-1/2". It looks as though they used a surface grinder on the outside because I couldn't see any machine marks (unlike forged receivers costing almost twice the price).
The markings on this newer receiver is much better than those of the Armscorp made Fulton receivers. As you can see the serial number was double stamped. Made on Monday or Friday ? Who knows but, the rest is clearly very well done as it should be.
The witness marks for windage are deep & crystal clear. Hard to miss to say the least.
The heel is not quite as thick as SAI receivers either. At least not on this one.
The rear sight pad was real smooth but, there's a step that goes all the way around. About .005 higher than the rest of the pad.
The hole in the left ear for the elevation knob has a bevel at the bottom & blends into the raised area of the pad. The hole in the right ear for the windage knob does not have this bevel at the bottom.
Maybe the left hole is slightly lower than the right ? Maybe the pad is machined slightly lower on the right ?
In either case the rear sight base appears to be level. The function of the rear sight was a bit tight but, worked well. It will get smoother over time.
3 things got my attention real quick here.
1rst the groove for the op-rod. It may look real rough but, it seems to be cosmetic only. It's much smoother on the front half of the groove.
2nd is that notorious hump in the dismount notch that has plagued SAI receivers for years. I hate it myself & would mill it out if it was my receiver. It serves only 1 purpose & that's to prevent the op-rod from jumping out. If the op-rod fits correctly as it should, that should be no problem. The bottom of that hump could be polished down or simply blended in to make the op-rod removal easier.
3rd is the fact that you'll need an as new or new op-rod for these receivers because the channel for the receiver lug (tab) is full width & they all should be. The latter Armscorp receivers were narrow there to facilitate using worn op-rods.
I used a new op-rod in this receiver & it fit like a glove with no fitting required. In fact, the lock up with the bolt closed was tight with no movement at all on the op-rod. Just the way I like.
4 things to note here.
1rst you may or may not be able to see the smooth surface of the outside of this receiver but, it is smooth unlike previous Armscorp receivers that clearly says "I'm a cast receiver".
2nd the bolt stop window or cut out is excellent. No fitting required here at all. It looks to be machined out rather than cast in place. 1 huge & I mean a huge benefit is that the upper edge on the inside is beveled about 45 degrees. The bolt stop goes all the way up & contacts the left bolt lug 100%. Also, another thing I like was that the width of the cut out is slightly narrower being only about 1/32" of play instead of the typical 1/16" or more. That means softer impact on the bolt stop to receiver however slight it may be. You will not see that on any other cast or forged receiver made today.
Since you can clearly see the receiver leg here, I'll say that for a cast receiver, they're as smooth as they can get with no machine marks (unlike SAI) & the bottom of the legs also have a nice & consistent bevel at about 45 degrees. A big plus if bedding for a NM rifle.
The trigger group was like new with the trigger guard locking lugs being as new & locked up just right. Not to tight or to loose. The housing slid right in but, tight enough that there's not much play from side to side.
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Regards, Warbird
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November 18, 2009 01:35
Here you can see where I checked the lug engagement. The right receiver lug was contacting on the outside 1/2 clearly shown by the bare metal. The left receiver lug was barely making contact as well.
Certified Armorer 
Certified Armorer 
