Posted on 03/10/2013 11:53:14 AM PDT by artichokegrower
San Francisco cops dodged a real bullet the other day when one of their AR-15 rifles wound up in the hands of an East Oakland gang after being stolen out of the trunk of an unmarked police car.
The prospect of a police semiautomatic rifle being used in a violent crime prompted a Code 3 response once officers discovered the theft last weekend South of Market.
Police Chief Greg Suhr immediately put out word to start questioning every street source they had.
"No resources were spared," Suhr said.
Asked exactly how they traced the rifle, the chief told us that "it wouldn't be in the best interest of future cases to give away trade secrets."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I wouldn't be so sure of that. If it's full (or burst) capable it more than likely started as an M16. I've been given to understand that when Colt designed the AR-15 they intentionally designed the lower receiver with noninterchangeable dimensions in the area that holds the fire-control group (trigger, hammer, interrupter, auto sear, and selector). That insures that M-16 parts cannot be fitted to an AR-15, converting it to a select fire "assault rifle". The differences are in the diameters (and locations?) of mounting pins and the width and depth of a milled cavity in the receiver that holds the fire-control parts in position relative to the bolt. Even if you had the M16 parts, the conversion requires the re-machining of the lower receiver which cannot be done on a kitchen table.
Regards,
GtG
PS Any attempt at converting an AR-15 to select fire by person or persons unlicensed to "manufacture" NFA Class III items will result to heavy fines and a Federal felony conviction with a long stay at the crowbar hotel.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.