PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-737

PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly

ISSUE 737

APRIL 2014
PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-737 - Page 21 of 33
38
PS 737
APR 14
Be Your Own Inspector
Inspector
Be Your Own
M16-Series Rifle,
M4/M4A1 Carbine…
Inspector
Be Your Own
When you check out your M16 rifle or
M4 carbine, look for these
problems…
Charging handle:
Won’t lock in
forward position; latch broken
Bayonet stud:
Broken
Barrel:
Bulged;
bore badly pitted
Flash suppressor:
loose, busted
Front sight:
Loose, bent;
detent and
post stuck
Handguards:
Cracks longer
than one inch or that run into
handguard retaining flange; heat
shields rattle while handguards
installed; heat shields missing; all
three front retaining tabs missing
Upper receiver:
Cracked or badly
dented; locking lugs chipped
Chamber:
Pitted
Selector lever:
Stuck; won’t
hold position
Bolt catch:
Won’t hold
bolt and carrier open
Rear sight:
Ears bent; windage
drum damaged; detent stuck
Forward assist assembly:
No
spring tension or moves rough
Front pivot pin and rear takedown
pin:
Either pin is difficult to move
or can be removed from rifle; pins
won’t lock open or closed
Buffer assembly:
Retainer won’t hold;
buffer badly corroded, cracked
Buttstock:
Stock turns, loose, separated from lower receiver;
swivel busted; butt plate or screw missing; any deep cuts or
breaks or any cracks longer than one inch near the receiver
Lower receiver:
Cracked
Trigger mechanism:
Hammer
does not engage sear, lock-
release levers or trigger
Ejection port cover:
Loose,
missing; won’t close
Magazine catch button:
No spring tension; won’t
hold magazine
Magazine:
Dirty or rusty; tube
dented or weak; won’t seat in
magazine well; follower stuck
or has weak spring tension
Firing pin retaining pin:
Bent, broken or missing
Bolt carrier:
Body cracked,
badly corroded
Carrier key:
Cracked, loose, badly corroded;
gas port clogged, carrier and key screws
sheared off, missing
Bolt:
Cracked; face badly pitted;
locking lugs chipped or burred; rings
bent or distorted or spaced wrong;
bolt slides easily into carrier
Extractor:
Spring weak; insert not
inside spring; claw damaged; pin bad
Ejector:
Won’t
work;
stuck
in bolt;
weak
spring
Firing
pin:
Cracked,
blunted,
missing
Cam pin:
Cracked or
missing
737 38-39.indd
1-2
2/24/14
5:18 PM
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