CC,
In my short time here, you are the only poster I have ever encountered who has never once backed up his opinion with a single fact when called to do so.
You may well be active military or ex-military, a gun assembler and even and armorer, however unless you have actually managed to machine parts or even make your own parts to supplement and improve the reliability and/or accuracy of a modern firearm, you are not a builder.
You are rude and a blowhard and I wish to offer you congratulations on making my ignore list. To the remainder of the forum, my apologies for the name calling but, in this case, I feel it was warranted.
If your too fucking lazy to take the information presented in this very thread and do your own research, then you deserve to be ignorant.
I am Rude. I have no patience for stupidity,laziness or ignorance.
Here is a great post from Tacticalmedic556 over at m4c:
BCM or Colt. Avoid LWRC. Tons of info on this site to back that up.
as I have said before:
Had an LMT MRP piston set-up and sold the BCG and rod to re-set it up for DI. Then sold that upper (MRP being proprietary barrels) and went all out with a BCM 14.5 Mid on the LMT lower.
My work gun is a Colt 6933, runs flawless, never a problem.
I've said this before and will say it again; Pistons were a marketing ploy, driven by consumer demand as well as US military bureaucrats who suffered a lack of logic, research and intelligence into the design, and function of Eugene Stoners design.
Noveske held out and never built them for a reason. His quotes on the issue are numerous.
Mike Pannone of CTT has written extensively on M4 weapon reliability and maintenance. Conclusion- Magazine problems account for nearly 80% of problems, Parts, User error and maintenance the rest.
Pistons create numerous other problems in the M4 including carrier tilt, and cam pin gouging. There are too many other issues to list. M4 carbon fouling is a MYTHOLOGY.
Look up Pat Rogers gun "filthy 14" nearly 40,000 rounds and never cleaned. The M4 is designed to be shot dirty, BUT wet! Put some slip 2000 ewl on it and go to town! If you look at hard run M4's the carbon only builds up on non-crtitical areas that really don't rub or touch anything. It may not be pretty, may be a mess when you do clean it, but they run and run well.
Pistons are a non-solution to a non-problem but created a marked and took a lot of money from a lot of guys. The proprietary parts are an issue unto themselves if a shooter is concerned about parts availability.
I shoot M4s regularly as a part of my JOB. I shoot Colt 11.5 inch at SWAT and own my own 6920. Never ever have problems. And that is the honest truth.
A friend of mine on SWAT attended a carbine class for Law Enforcement only. It rained on the range (typical) and was muddy as hell. Three officers there from another department had HK 416s. At some point in the drills, while getting wet and covered in mud, the 416s began to suffer cycling and function issues.
Pannone Articles:
The Big M4 Myth: “Fouling caused by the direct impingement gas system makes the M4/M4A1 Carbine unreliable.”
Source: DefenseReview.com (
The Big M4 Myth: ?Fouling caused by the direct impingement gas system makes the M4/M4A1 Carbine unreliable.? | Defense Review)
http://www.defensereview.com/the-big...m4-unreliable/
M4/M4A1 Carbine Reliability Issues Part II: Diagnosing the root cause.
http://www.defensereview.com/m4m4a1-...he-root-cause/
M4/M4A1 Carbine Reliability Issues: Why They Occur, and Why They’re Our Fault!
Source: DefenseReview.com (
M4/M4A1 Carbine Reliability Issues: Why They Occur, and Why They?re Our Fault! | Defense Review)
http://www.defensereview.com/m4m4a1-...yre-our-fault/
Fact is, Stoner considered a piston and through out the idea.
M4s work very well, and especially well without pistons.
Get a DI.