BROWNELLS AR-15 RETRO FURNITURE SETS

I am building an A1 retro rifle and just received the Brownells furniture kit in black. I was concerned because of the unfavorable reviews but I’m here to tell you this furniture kit is top notch... well made and very sturdy... possibly more so than the originals. I have carried, handled and shot Stoners weapon system since 1982. I know all about AR’s and have built several over the last 30 plus decades. This is a great alternative for your retro build!



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Wow - shockingly poor quality item. The handguard was flimsy with sharp edges and fitted poorly. I love Brownells but this is not up to their usual standards - wish I had paid more attention to other reviewers. The returns process is hassle free, so that's one positive :-)

Ordered this for my a1 build. Packaging and shipping were great but my buttstick has some somewhat deep scratches in it and the handguard is cheaper feeling than I expected. All and all it looks good. I just don’t think I’d want to take it to war anytime soon

Pictures sum up what I have to say. Bought the set, stock and grip were perfect. No problems at all. Handguard was tolerable, but hand lines on the sides that if you ran your fingers over you could actually feel.(Maybe the mold's designed that way? Maybe flow lines in the plastic? Maybe ghosts?) The lines actually didn't bother me at all. What did bother me was the gap. The pieces left an opening big enough to fit a half doller through. On top of that they sqeezed together when you grip it and it feels like a big toy. They are NOT made of week plastic but it definitely feels like they are. I'm gonna keep the grip and stock. They're perfect. They're stellar. They're the bees knees. The handguard on the other hand will probably stay on for now but I'll be looking for a better one. My rifle isn't a true M16A1 clone so I'm not very concerned.



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I only had one problem with this set. The saftey spring hole was not deep enough.Got a spare A2 grip to compare depths and just drilled it deeper, after that, installed fine. Stock is tight and doesn't rattle. Very happy with this set!

The Retro (Brown) Furniture was just as advertised. It REALLY accents the look I was going for on my AR-15 A1 Build. The fit and function is as good as any originals I used in boot camp in the early 70s. Thanks for the Great Products.

These should be pulled immediately from the market. The detent spring hole in the grip was not cut to the proper depth, the buttstock is solid yet rattles, and the hand guards become deformed just from holding the gun. The hand guards were the most disappointing, there is no excuse for such weak plastic in this day and age, especially on such an old design. It's simply pathetic. I'm tempted just to throw everything in the trash.

Received retro set today. It really is "drop-in". No real problems with installing. Finish is great. I am a happy camper.

Fits great on my clone. No gaps in hand guard and parts are color matched. Good quality throughout.

After seeing some mixed review on this retro furniture I was a little hesitant to order. #Mrgunsngear gave a good review online on his channel so I pulled the trigger (pun intended). Today I removed USGI furniture from my retro A1 clone and installed the Brownells set just to see how it fit. It installed without a hitch, fits tight, no rattles. The only down side is that now I have an extra set of A1 furniture, and those always seem to grow into another rifle given time :-)

I feel almost forced to give this a 3 star rating as it’s the only repro m16a1 stock kit made anymore. However, I have to say it is very cheaply made and hastily assembled. The plastic is very thin and no where near as dense as original mil spec A1 furniture. The molding lines are unfinished and sharp. The stock rattles without buffer and spring installed, and the handguards vents look like they were cut out by a monkey with a chainsaw. Brownells could do much better.

I bought a set in black as soon as it came out, and overall am pleased with it. For 80 dollars I feel that I'm getting a decent product. I find they fit well and over all look decent, too. I bought a second set on Black Friday for another rifle.



However, I feel there's a couple things that need to be looked at. First off, the material these are made of appear to be at least as strong as traditional a2 furniture, but it feels a little cheap to me. It doesn't help that the stock rattles around during assembly. I'm not sure why that is, but once it's installed the rattling stops.



Second, the molds they use for these need some tuning, still. The edges for the vent holes on the handguards have a very noticeable raised edge, which I eventually broke down and sanded off with 2000 grit sandpaper and water. The finish in it of itself on the handguards also isn't consistent. You can see lines throughout the plastic, and these do not go away. I tried polishing a set with every product I could think of to no effect at all.

Btw, if you want to buy these to shine up for that retro look, don't bother with these. The zytel they used to make these for some reason does not want to gloss up at all.



Speaking of molds, I noticed that in the pistol grip, the grip screw hole was blocked off, still. It came out easy enough, but that's just further evidence that the molds need to be tweaked.



Bottom line. A heavier material, to get rid of the cheap feeling, would be a good idea and the edges of the hand guard mold really need to be worked down.

The two halves of the handguard barely fit together, and there are substantial gaps between them.



The edges are rough and almost unfinished, requiring some modeling sand paper and razor knives to correct.



If there were any other similarly priced reproductions on the market I do not believe these would be as popular, or as poorly made. Competition leads to quality, and there is none of either here.



They get the look done, they have a heat shield, but they are far from perfect.



Brownells owes it to itself, and its name, to make a better product than this. With what can be done in plastics today, there is almost no excuse for this level of craftsmanship.



I won't return it because there are few other options for around this price. Just keep in mind that it will require some work on your part to be a quality piece.

All the pieces fit perfectly, but they’re not exact copies and were never meant to be. They look great and are well made, if you want a museum piece this probably isn’t the furniture for your rifle. I built a shooter with almost all Brownells parts and couldn’t be happier.



4 stars only because my stock sling swivel is very tight and a slight gap at the butt pad. The handguards are smaller at the rear than my NOS originals but fit better.



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Looks cool, and that's about it. The stock doesn't sit flush to the lower and the screw is incredibly hard to turn into my new buffer tube. The pistol grip also doesn't sit flush and is cut wrong causing the safety spring to bind. The foregrip fits well but has blemishing on the left side. Seems like they cheaped out on quality here to get these to market. I feel like I would be better off buying used GI equipment.

For starters, this product for the price is a good deal. It is rare to find hand guards and type D butt stocks in excellent condition (and you will pay for it if you do). The pistol grip is a perfect reproduction in terms of shape.



The plastic feels a lot different (lighter with a slight roughness as opposed to the smooth plastic of my old stock set).



That being said, I am disappointed in the following:



-The molds for the hand guards aren't the best. Vertical lines are clearly visible that aren't present on the originals (The product photos even show these) as well as there being oval shaped divots (first picture)



The stock is constructed differently then originals. it appears to be made up of 4 main parts: The main body, an interior spacer, the butt pad, and swivel. The originals didn't have a loose interior spacer as far as i am aware. I will note that after putting on the stock and tightening the stock, there is no wiggle. (Second picture shows this odd "spacer", it was loose and needed to be pushed out of the way before installing onto the buffer tube.)



The stock also feels a lot more plastic-y feeling and has a little more flex than the original plastic compound (which by comparison feels SOLID)



If Brownell's could smooth out the mold for the hand guards and eliminate the lines and divots this would be a 4 out of 5 product. If the stock's interior wasn't flopping around as was a solid piece it'd be 5 out of 5



However, as I received it, it'd rate it around 2 to 3 star mark for the fact that it is a cheap, over all decent quality product that has room for improvement in later iterations of said product. I would recommend if you do not have or have a poor quality original A1 stock set.



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The fit was good for the most part, had to get replacement grip due to poor molding. Brownells sent the replacement fast as they are known to do. Only real problem is the fact the color is lighter than the original brown. Worth the price. I used them on a dedicated 22lr rifle.

Was easily installed, fit was good. Only complaint was the color, it needs to be a darker green. Otherwise pleased with the set.

I'm blown away by this product. Brownells has outdone themselves. All I need now is a slickside "604" upper and my late Air Force M16 is done.

Replaced my reconditioned handgaurds with this one from Brownells and couldn't be more excited. My reconditioned surplus A1 handgaurds were obviously sanded smooth and did not match the texture of my new grip and buttstock. Now the rifle looks and feels like the brand new A1 Clone that it is. The fit is much better more snug also. Will be buying the correct buttstock and grip very soon to make the rifle more accurate. Thanks Brownells !

The critique: I bought a black set and green set. The black set was perfect...the green forend set was defective, but I know I can replace it with the Brownells lifetime guarantee. Also, while they look great, no one is going to mistake them for original furniture.



The great: They are beautiful, and very high quality. The style is appropriate, and from ten paces will look original. The ergonomics are timeless, and I expect many people will buy the grip and stock even for use with a free float rail. They are that good. I haven't used enough to evaluate durability, but by all measures, Brownells has another winner.

Received set today, and put them on retro m16a1 build. It made of low quality material compares to original. Also. There are little gaps when you put together handguard. Out side of handguard,. There are dent or melted marks.. overall disappointed. I may need to order original used one with good quality.

Just got this set today and they look amazing. Fit and finish is great and accurately replicates the old m16a1 parts. Can't wait to get the a1 barrel assembly and put this all together