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Part of why I got an M4 is that I know it can take a beating. Scratches dont bother me a bit, if the Marines can't beat it up enough to get something else I think I'll be just fine. There's plenty out there and it's value isn't in the rarity or cosmetic condition, at least to me.

I can definitely relate. On one hand... I laugh at my old lady and mock her relentlessly (in good faith) when she's upset she "broke a nail". On the other...the scratch on my SCAR 17 barrel (that I inflicted while swapping a muzzle device) is driving me up a wall.

Since the gun will see regular use, I'd suggest taping off the area around the "gap" in the camo pattern (leaving only the gap exposed) and apply a quick shot of spray paint. I've seen camo colors w flat sheen at the hardware store. Or brush on some model paint from the hobby store. Blend some paints to match the straw color?? Better yet if you know someone who has an airbrush, I bet they would be glad to help you in trade for your appreciation of their craft and a beer or two.....

As far as if you need to do anything to it. These are still the base matte black underneath as far as I know (they were in the SBE lineup). If what I see is what you are talking about on the receiver, it doesn't look like it affected the metal or the finish on it. If that is what you see in person, then personally, I'd say you are safe to leave it without worrying about damaging the metal underneath. If you really are concerned with the look, I'd check out the gun camo options available at local gun store, Bass Pro, Cabelas, and the like. I know on the SBE II, it was fairly common for the camo to start peeling from the edges after a while of hard use waterfowling. That doesn't make it easier for you, but that is one thing that has kept me from ever wanting to replace my old SBE. My guess is they have improved the process, but who really knows.

Thanks for the info. Some of that excess is from assembly which I wiped off. I am in Temecula and go out near Ocotillo Wells often. I do travel through Mojave sometimes. I drilled and tapped my butt stock button. A tool is required to release it.

Assembled my FCG with the new A&S trigger guard that arrived today. Function test perfect out of the box. Cycled dummy rounds several times; all good. I will take her to the desert this weekend for live fire testing. Very pleased with everything so far.

Good to know on the spacers, thanks @StrangerDanger. package arrives tomorrow, can’t wait to play around a bit.

I have some older guns, or otherwise collectible that it breaks my heart when I ding them. But, these rarely get out of the house much anyway. On hunting guns, I grumble then move on. You are going to think this is BS but it is the truth. I was pheasant hunting with about 20 other guys in northern Kansas near the Nebraska border. One of the guys grabs a brand new shotgun from the box. Walks over to a barb wire fence and proceeds to run the wooden stock on it. He loads it, shoots a mag full and then turns around. He walks back smiling ear to ear. His response? Now I can hunt with the damn thing and not miss birds because I am babying it. But, in his defense, it was a base model 870 so who cares. LOL On the other hand, I had a Ruger .44 mag carbine. The gun isn't exactly expensive, probably ~850. But, it was a first year gun and though not mint, it was very nice, especially the stock. It had a forearm barrel band. In the past, if I had left the stock off guns with the barrel band, they have shrunk and I couldn't get the barrel back in. So, I slid a socket that was nice and tight in there. A couple weeks passed and I go to put it back together. My hands slip momentarily; just long enough to move forward and hit socket with enough force to act as a splitting wedge as it cracked the stock from there to the tip. My stomach literally felt sick for several hours. Nothing like damaging an otherwise very nice 60 year old gun.

Polymer fame by itself is fine but you can run into trouble when upgrading the trigger components. I installed the FFT trigger group into my polymer frame and found it was not precise enough to match what FFT made. I sent the whole thing off to StrangerDanger and he put all of my components into an A&S frame and it's been perfect ever since. It sucks to have to spend an additional $220 on a trigger housing but once you start using the gun you'll be glad you did.

I came here to post what RPC said. Dinging up something new that you love sucks. On the other hand, the first scratch/ding is the hardest and now you don't have the pressure of keeping it pristinte. Going even further, I learned to appreciate the character that some imperfections can add to an item, so now I'm almost relieved when I initially damage something (assuming the damage isn't' too bad. If it is, I just get pissed off haha)

A 12 gauge semi auto is a formidable tool for home defense. "Hell and back" reliability, red dot friendly, what's not to love? I paid just north of 1500 abt 10 yrs ago and haven't regretted it once.

hmmm apparently European M4 14" are threaded for choke tubes, presumably for the stand off breacher.