Because I'm new to ARs and am planning on building my own, I see terms I really don't know the meaning of. Such as: Mil-spec? Go ahead and LOL, but if you don't know and don't ask, you'll never learn is how I see it. Thanks.
Easy answer is: It is a tolerance range that products that will be purchased for the military must be constructed within. For AR-15s, the buffer tube (that the stock fits on)is a different size than the commercially produced ones, so there are 2 types of the same stock/buffer tube.
It just means it is made to military specifications. For example, you will have a choice between two buffer tubes, mil-spec size and commercial size. Mil-spec size is made of slightly stronger components and is a bit smaller in diameter. The commercial size is slightly cheaper and made of slightly cheaper components and is a bit larger in diameter to compensate. EDIT: well I'll be darned, I got beat. Also: buffertubemind.
just a note on this. I learned the hard way... Alot of if not all of aftermarket accessories are made to fit milspec rails. I had a RRA CAR A4 which came with a YHM quad rail. That rail was not milspec, it was a obviously a civilian spec model and my tango down vfg and some other parts would not mate to it. Same rule applies to almost anything mil-spec, make sure it is compatible with your commercial parts before you buy them or play it safe and buy everything in mil-spec from the beginning Every company makes their civilian stuff to different spec which makes for compability issues.. Mil-spec is always milspec, in theory it should all be compatible.
Andrews, right on the money. The milspec also includes things such as features, accuracy and packaging requirements. Just for the record, and I'm happy to explain to anyone that asks. There's is no AR currently made and available to the general public that is mil-spec.
Ok, so someone PM'd me and asked me to elaborate, so here goes.... The term Milspec is a buzz word, like saying surgical stainless steel or aircraft aluminum. There are certain manufacturers who have certain parts that meet the milspec, such as buffer tube size or the coatings that they use, but this doesn't make the guns themselves milspec. Why can't an AR15 be Milspec? The one obvious one with stating that and semi AR15 is Milspec is that the M4 Milspec for example calls for the gun to have an auto sear and be select fire. That makes every semi auto AR15 on the market non milspec right there. The term milspec is commonly used to refer to guns that have a large amount of features that meet the Milspec. The most commonly referred to ones are listed here: M4 CHART The chart is pretty accurate, there's a few inaccuracies with regards to barrel material, but overall it's pretty good. Here's a link to some of the Milspecs themselves: M16 MILSPEC Documents
