Regarding "found ammo"...

The Liberator pistol was designed to help the French "find" ammo...and real firearms...on the body of the enemy.

I agree with never trading ammo, and would command an extremely high price for any firearm, even if it was inoperable.

But I would absolutely pillage any personal remains and place that challenged my welfare or welfare of anyone in my group. And the chances of coming across AR-15’s and 5.56 (or 223) ammo would be much higher than anything else.

Excellent point on the emphasis on not using plastic iron sights.

My next question probably needs its own thread but…

Arch, for a non-armorer type, what spare parts (and priority) would you advise for stocking stuffers? Are the nickel boron products (bolt carrier group, firing pin, etc.) really worth the money?

The NiB carriers definitely are easier to clean and have a natural lubricity that decreases the need to run a dirty AR soaking wet.

Spare parts for an AR (assuming your gas key is properly staked):

Bolt
Firing Pin
(2) Firing Pin Keepers
Cam Pin
Buffer Retainer and Spring
(2) Extractors and Springs (with black O rings)

(The above are the parts that seem to fail the most often)

Next:

Trigger/Hammer/Disconnector with springs and pins
Gas tube and pin (crush yours and it's a single shot)
Charging handle with latch

ETA Long Term:

Action spring
Full Lpk

Found my list of "take along" spare parts...

Ruger 10/22 Repair Kit (Vacuum Sealed)

(1) Ejector
(1) Extractor Kit (Extractor, Plunger, Spring)
(1) Firing Pin Kit (Firing Pin, Rebound Spring)
(1) Sear Kit (Sear, Spring)
(1) Spring, Hammer

AR15 Repair Kit (Vacuum Sealed)

(1) Bolt, Complete with Rings
(1) Buffer Retainer Kit (Retainer, Spring)
(1) Ejector Kit (Ejector, Spring)
(1) Extractor Kit (Extractor, Spring, Spring Plug, O-Ring, Pin)
(1) Cam Pin
(1) Firing Pin
(2) Firing Pin Keepers
(1) Spring, Disconnector
(1) Spring, Hammer
(1) Spring, Trigger

You're far more likely to run out of ammo before you'll need any of these items. The likelihood of losing something in the field is greater than breaking something in a properly maintained rifle. Remember, how much ammo can you carry with you? Its HIGHLY unlikely you're carrying enough to wear out a quality rifle. Now, a shelter-in-place situation could see parts breakage.

This leads me into another related comment...

You should have two of anything you consider primary. If you consider your 10/22 a primary firearm then you need:

Trainer - this is the rifle you shoot, practice with, haul around in the field.

Emergency Reserve - this is the rifle you test, sight in, and then clean and store with your gear. This is a low round count rifle reserved for an emergency.

Personally, I don't want to have to depend on: A) a high round count weapon; B) an untested weapon. Redundancy addresses both issues. Obviously, if you choose an expensive design (AUG, SCAR, etc) you're going to be saddled with a high investment cost. ETA: This is where a high quality DI AR15 shines. Currently, Colt ARs are in the $800 range. You can buy two Colt M4 Carbines, (20) 30rd Mags, and 1,000rds of ammo, and an Aimpoint PRO for the price of a plain FN SCAR-16 (5.56 version). Alternatively, you can buy (2) Colt M4 Carbines, (20) 30rd Mags, and 2,500rds of Ammo for the price of the same SCAR.

(2) Colt M4 Carbine = $1700
(20) 30rd Mags = $200
(2,500rds) Wolf Ammo = $625
____________________________
Total Package = $2,525

Street Price of a SCAR-16 is $2300-2500.

Based upon price point vs quality, it is nearly impossible to beat the Colt 6920 (M4 Carbine). Here are my recommended Colt M4 Set Ups based upon three budget levels:

LOW BUDGET

Colt 6920 M4 Carbine = $825 +/-
LMT Fixed A2 Rear Sight = $80
PRI Big Latch (charging handle latch) = $25
SureFire G2X LED Light = $55
Viking Tactical Offset Light Mount = $24
MagPul Rail Section (to mount the VTAC to) = $5
2pt Sling = $25
(10) 30rd Magazines = $200
Total Weapon System Cost = $1,239


MID BUDGET

Colt 6920 M4 Carbine = $825 +/-
Troy Flip Up Rear Sight = $100
Aimpoint PRO Optic = $375
PRI Big Latch (charging handle latch) = $25
SureFire G2X LED Light = $55
Viking Tactical Offset Light Mount = $24
MagPul Rail Section (to mount the VTAC to) = $5
2pt Sling = $25
(10) 30rd Magazines = $200
Total Weapon System Cost = $1,634

HIGH BUDGET

Colt 6920 M4 Carbine = $825 +/-
Troy Flip Up Rear Sight = $100
Aimpoint T2 or M4S Optic with LRP Mount = $700
PRI Big Latch (charging handle latch) = $25
SureFire 600 Scout Light = $200
KAC RAS Rail System = $150 (these are getting cheaper)
2pt Sling = $25
LMT SOPMOD Gen2 Stock = $150
MagPul MIAD Grip = $30
(10) 30rd Magazines = $200
Total Weapon System Cost = $2,405

You can have a fully functional Tier-1 Fighting Rifle for as little as $1,239. This was the BASE COST of a Colt 6920 M4 Carbine a couple of years ago.

For a while LWRC had a program where you get a rifle and a aimpoint T1 in a package that was an amazing deal. I don't know if it's still going though.

I bought one LWRC when they were giving away the Aimpoint T-1. You had to buy a new M6 Individual Carbine and have your FFL file out a form and mail it with a photocopy of the 4473 to LWRC. About three or four weeks later they'd ship the T-1 to your FFL for pick up.

My T-1 came with the riser and LRP mount. I was very pleased. The rifle I bought had an AAC muzzle device (added $100) and was factory Ceracoated (added $150) so out the door for a new LWRC M6 IC Enhanced with 14.5" spiral fluted barrel / pinned in place AAC 51T flash hider / Patriot Brown Ceracoating AND a NIB Aimpoint T-1 with LRP Mount was about $2300.

The free optic dropped the price of the rifle to around $1,700.

The promotion ended August 31st.

I bought my other LWRC (remember I preach redundancy in primary arms) three days before the promotion began. LWRC would not give me an Aimpoint for that one

Darn. Why do you like their piston system so much?

The bolt carrier assembly stays cool to the touch, and relatively clean. The maintainenance routine is pretty simple...occasionally wipe down the piston and swab the bore.

Why is their piston system better than others?

It works.