Any AR fans?

[Buckhorn150]

Nothing like building your own. So many options with so many choices of parts. 20" to 16" enjoyed every one I've ever built. Feels good when you head to range and shoot a rifle that you thought up by yourself . Problem with me is when the thrill of building the one you finish is done I want to start another one.

 

[volshooter]

Yeah brother, I understand. Range time is fun, I been putting together dedicated things.
I think ya know what I mean.

BTW, I have found myself needing cash and will have to sell off most of what I have.... dadgum shame.

 

[737tdi]

Wow! Never know what us old dudes have stashed.
I like Bushmaster, Double star, have grown real fond of PSA's lately.
Someday a Colt.
Optic wise for carbine, I like open sights or Leupold glass.
The SBR's and pistol lowers I lean towards Laser, red dot or surefire high out put lumen flashlghts. These are strictly short range, no sights needed.
Still I want opinions on iron vs. glass for 16+ inch barrels.

Normally I am not a AR guy, but this year has the back of my neck itching, again. I have been visiting my ffl guy alot in the past few months. I don't really have any need for these uppers but would like to mount sights. I am leaning towards iron since I have glass on others.

Basic flat top, best value for defense on sights?

I am guessing the last sentence is a question. The best for the price for optics for an AR is any quality holo sight. I can no longer use the original that I was trained with 35 years or so ago. The blur has just gotten to bad. I could hit a target at 500 meters then, not so much now.

To be honest I don't look at cost when buying optics. I buy the best that I can afford. I have an ACOG with an EOTech holo on top. I love it. It isn't and wasn't cheap and has only gotten more expensive since I bought mine. You just can't go wrong with this option. Long range (300 meters), short range down to 10 yds. or so. It does take some practice to switch between the two and be proficient with it.

As we all know the AR15 is a exceptional rifle and very accurate. The 5.56 (people keep saying .223 but no) is a good all around bullet. If it weren't then the majority of the militaries in the world are ignorant. Just my opinion but it is a fairly experienced one when it comes to this rifle. This is my rifle, this is my gun, this one's for fighting, this one's for fun. OOhRaah. 8)


Semper Fi:

Karl

 

[DA_TriggR4Ruger]

I build a lot of AR15s and shoot them in 3 gun more than I care to admit. Got two new builds in my shop right now. Wonder if there is a limit to how many lowers one can buy? Lol. Bought about 10 parts kits when they were on sale at PSA last week. $39.99

Love how modular and universal DI/DGI systems are. Pretty much any part from one will fit in another. Given correct gas tube length, etc.

The ultimate survival rifle? Maybe... The 10/22 is near the top of that list as well!

Piston ARs are fun too, just not my cup of tea, and I run a LOT of ammo through ARs. Mine see a lot of wear as most rifles in this line of sport/tactical shooting competition do.

Remington 870 is my goto shotgun and Sig P226 is goto sidearm for these types of events.

Plenty of abuse and extended periods without cleaning! They just keep running. AND if you experience part failure, there is an abundance of parts for all platforms mentioned.

I don't mind the oddball guns, but you start hearing guys asking about parts for a specific gun in one match, they usually have a Glock or Sig in the following match. Just thinking out loud...

One guy had a stamped armalite gun in a match. Was experiencing a few issues with it, returned with a Ruger AR556.

These things dominate!

 

[737tdi]

I build a lot of AR15s and shoot them in 3 gun more than I care to admit. Got two new builds in my shop right now. Wonder if there is a limit to how many lowers one can buy? Lol. Bought about 10 parts kits when they were on sale at PSA last week. $39.99

Love how modular and universal DI/DGI systems are. Pretty much any part from one will fit in another. Given correct gas tube length, etc.

The ultimate survival rifle? Maybe... The 10/22 is near the top of that list as well!

Piston ARs are fun too, just not my cup of tea, and I run a LOT of ammo through ARs. Mine see a lot of wear as most rifles in this line of sport/tactical shooting competition do.

Remington 870 is my goto shotgun and Sig P226 is goto sidearm for these types of events.

Plenty of abuse and extended periods without cleaning! They just keep running. AND if you experience part failure, there is an abundance of parts for all platforms mentioned.

I don't mind the oddball guns, but you start hearing guys asking about parts for a specific gun in one match, they usually have a Glock or Sig in the following match. Just thinking out loud...

One guy had a stamped armalite gun in a match. Was experiencing a few issues with it, returned with a Ruger AR556.

These things dominate!

Oh, there is no doubt that the M16/AR15 is a winner. It is only second in the reliability universe. The SKS comes in first. No, not terribly accurate but reliable. You could bash the dang thing against a tree and it would still cycle. I know because I did it. I caught one on fire and it was still cycling. An unbelievable carbine. Siminov built a great rifle and was copied by Kalishnakov. Anyway, I would say the AR is right there with both of them, except for the crapping on themselves problems. The gas tube has to remain clear or the AR will fail. JMO.

Semper Fi:

Karl

 

[volshooter]

The short barrel rifles will/are be fitted with holo sights or flashlights.
I sure hope homeland security got the message that I will be selling off. 8)
Sure don't need those folks around. I have not found any limit to the number of registered lowers that one can have.
The AR is indeed a great platform. While I still own "at least one", it is a very fine weapon for offense/defense.

An example is a 10.5 upper on a pistol lower with a high lumen flashlight, for home defense. No need for MOA accuracy. Prefer a short 12ga but the AR would still be a go to "in my house" weapons line up. When long arms are needed.

Have no thoughts of tricking out any AR for distance, I have hunting rifles for that.

Really was just a question about mid length flat tops.

 

[Mike J]

I build a lot of AR15s and shoot them in 3 gun more than I care to admit. Got two new builds in my shop right now. Wonder if there is a limit to how many lowers one can buy? Lol. Bought about 10 parts kits when they were on sale at PSA last week. $39.99

Love how modular and universal DI/DGI systems are. Pretty much any part from one will fit in another. Given correct gas tube length, etc.

The ultimate survival rifle? Maybe... The 10/22 is near the top of that list as well!

Piston ARs are fun too, just not my cup of tea, and I run a LOT of ammo through ARs. Mine see a lot of wear as most rifles in this line of sport/tactical shooting competition do.

Remington 870 is my goto shotgun and Sig P226 is goto sidearm for these types of events.

Plenty of abuse and extended periods without cleaning! They just keep running. AND if you experience part failure, there is an abundance of parts for all platforms mentioned.

I don't mind the oddball guns, but you start hearing guys asking about parts for a specific gun in one match, they usually have a Glock or Sig in the following match. Just thinking out loud...

One guy had a stamped armalite gun in a match. Was experiencing a few issues with it, returned with a Ruger AR556.

These things dominate!

If only a good quality AR didn't cost 1-2K.

There are a lot of cheaper alternatives for high quality rifles (excluding the 30 round capacity).

A lot of good folks on modest incomes are left out of the ownership experience, but that's a general truth across all brand name firearms.

Your post got me to go look at prices.Things have went up. IIRC about this time last year Colt 6920's could be had for about $200 - $250 dollars less than they are running now. Of course it is an election year.

When I put my PSA build together I got my premium rifle kit & lower for around $500. I added a rear sight, red dot, sling & 5 30 round P-mags for around $200. Of course I did buy the blemished kit & got a discount for the fact the finish on the barrel had 2 small scratches on it. Granted I will wind up changing the red dot sooner or later but a good rifle can be put together without spending a fortune. There are more expensive options but a rifle doesn't have to be top dollar to work & work well.

 

[Mike J]

Titan here is the rifle kit I used. I did go back & change the trigger to PSA's EPT trigger just because I didn't like the way the stock one felt. It is not the most high end but I believe it is a lot of value for the money. http://palmettostatearmory.com/16-m4a1-chrome-lined-mp-tested-rifle-kit.html

Of course I did have to put it together but if someone is willing to do some research & a little bit of work themselves there are deals to be had.

 

[Mike J]

Titan here is the rifle kit I used. I did go back & change the trigger to PSA's EPT trigger just because I didn't like the way the stock one felt. It is not the most high end but I believe it is a lot of value for the money. http://palmettostatearmory.com/16-m4a1-chrome-lined-mp-tested-rifle-kit.html

Of course I did have to put it together but if someone is willing to do some research & a little bit of work themselves there are deals to be had.

PSA is a fine source for ARs and kits.

I believe building one yourself is the only way to go, but lots of folks just can't get past their insecurities over assembling a firearm. Those are the folks most likely to overpay.

Part of the fun is the upgrading, but it sure CAN drive up the cost. It's not hard at all to spend $200+ just on a premium trigger.

Good luck with your rifle!

You are right. It can become a money consuming monster depending on how much you decide to customize your rifle. The EPT trigger I used is inexpensive at $30. It really cleaned up the feel of the trigger pull though.

 

[NixieTube]

My next purchase for my Stag Model 4 is a Chip McCormick 2-stage trigger. I learned to shoot well with 2-stage triggers and I'm looking forward to one. If I have enough money I might buy a Geissele.

Some people might have an objection to this because it is made in China but I also use a Lucid HD7 Gen III. It's very well made. It has really nice reticles. It works very well. Please don't crash my party about it, I understand what you mean but for $250 it's a really excellent red dot sight. If they're going to make one this nice, I might as well buy one - that was my feeling, anyway, and I haven't been disappointed.

The Stag Model 4 has a 20" heavy barrel and it's not light for an AR, but I like that, and I wanted it that way. It's extremely stable offhand. It's extremely stable in prone. It's a little less wieldy, it's longer and heavier, but I like it. You have a lot of room to hold it, and the barrel is wonderful.

http://mylucidgear.com/reddotsights.php

I'll probably build a second AR this year unless Obama issues an Executive Order banning them, which is a distinct possibility.

 

[NixieTube]

The myth that everything China makes is crap, is as bad as it used to be when 'made in Japan' lost its original meaning. If someone doesn't want to buy Chinese, because it's Chinese, so be it.

I agree and the HD7 GIII is definitely not a piece of junk. The only thing people might want to ditch are the standard mounting screws and nuts and upgrade them to a little better quality fastener. This was my first AR, and my thinking was: "Yes, I'd rather have a Trijicon, et. al., but I'd also rather have a few hundred extra rounds of practice ammo. Let's not make the best the enemy of the good."

It went right on the top of the Model 4 once I removed the carrying handle and it was within 3 clicks of zero at 100 yards right out of the box. It also reliably maintains zero when I change reticles. The single-dot reticle is 2MOA and it's crisp, clean and bright. No disappointments.

The only other addition to the rifle I've done was to swap out the standard grip for a Magpul MOE+. Many, many people know about that product and it was a worthwhile, inexpensive upgrade. On the Model 4 especially with its extra weight, the additional surface area and rubber overmolding of the Magpul MOE+ enhances my control of the rifle.

I don't intend to change out the standard A2 stock. It fits me perfectly, there's no reason to swap it out. It has the standard storage compartment and combined with the little bit of extra storage inside the Magpul grip I can pack a few useful items inside the rifle.

 

[Rook]

I hadn't planned on buying an AR-15 but when Walmart went out of the black gun business last year I couldn't pass up buying one of the Windham's they had on sale for $350 bucks. I would have bought a lot more of them at that price but I didn't find out about the sale until they were just about all gone. I found the last one they had at any of the stores in Knoxville, TN.

 

[Rook]

.

 

[Mike J]

Rook, You got a great deal.

I think the thing is a lot of people assume they all cost 1 or 2 grand. They don't realize how easy it is to put one together or that there are deals to be had on complete rifles if one knows where to look. I ran across this deal last night on slickguns. http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F1STR5035MLS

I don't have any experience with Spikes but everything I have read about them has been positive. This seems like a really good deal for a mil-spec rifle.

 

[NixieTube]

Rook, You got a great deal.

+1 to this.

 

[RoninPA]

I've got three, one I built from RRA parts and use it as a host to demonstrate suppressors, the other two I won at gun raffles. One is a Ruger SR556 (stock except for the red dot) and one is a SIG 516 SBR (and the gun raffle people even paid for the tax stamp ). The SIG is also set up to accept a suppressor (had this at the Eastern get together last year but we didn't get to shoot it much). I'll have it there again this year.

On the Ruger I have a Vortex Strikefire and am very happy with it. On the SIG I have a Bushnell TRS-25 and on the RRA a TruGlo red dot.

The AR platform is so versatile that you can outfit it with just about anything your little heart desires.

That said, I have seen people go so overboard that it isn't funny (think armchair commandoes and arm chair operational black ops, operators :shock: ). In many cases their rifles weigh way more than my M1 Garand and it would take them minutes to get all the gadgets working when (if) needed :roll: ).

 

[blackhawknj]

I am thinking of buying one. As another shooter said to me, "The best reason to own one is that the government doesn't want you to have it."

 

[hpman66]

I was just curious if anyone can say/tell if there is any difference(quality/accuracy/etc.) between the old Bushmasters out of Windham, Maine and the new Bushmasters? The old Bushmaster plant has morphed into Windham Weaponry and seems to be hanging on and selling on the shelves. Haven't heard too much about the new Bushmasters though I have also seen them on the shelves for sale.

 

[hpman66]

I was just curious if anyone can say/tell if there is any difference(quality/accuracy/etc.) between the old Bushmasters out of Windham, Maine and the new Bushmasters? The old Bushmaster plant has morphed into Windham Weaponry and seems to be hanging on and selling on the shelves. Haven't heard too much about the new Bushmasters though I have also seen them on the shelves for sale.

Bushmaster took a real hit after one of the mass shootings when the gun was specifically referred to as a 'Bushmaster' rather than the plain old 'assault weapon' terminology.

Bushmaster sort of became the new name used by the antis for all evil black rifles.

Thanks, but I was referring to quality/accuracy of the rifles not politics---unless the politics created such a bad financial climate that caused profits to go down and then the ensuing fall in quality/accuracy. I have heard the progressive/socialist lib dem MSM's "assault weapon" :roll: :lol: :mrgreen: and "automatic rifle" :roll: :lol: :mrgreen: : a great deal more when describing a MSR's than I have ever heard "Bushmaster". Like I have said previously, I have seen both Windham Weaponry and Bushmaster on the shelves in multiple stores. The new Bushmaster Co. is under the same company umbrella as Remington, Marlin, DPMS, etc. DPMS seems to be evolving and coming out with new rifles like the DPMS .308 R-25 Gen II with twin ejectors.

 

[RoninPA]

IIRC, When Windham (the original maker of the Bushmaster) sold his company to Remington he was under a 5 year no compete clause. He told his employees to find jobs, any jobs and he would make sure that they did not make any less money than when they worked for him, and he kept that promise. He also told them that in 5 years they could come back to work for him if they wanted. The 5 year no compete ended several years ago and Windham reopened the factory under Windham Weaponry name.

As for the quality of both Bushmaster and Windham, I have had many new Bushmasters and Windhams come through the shop and I can't see any appreciable difference in the quality.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if in the future the Bushmaster name went away and you will only find Remington AR's. The company that owns Remington did this when they bought Para Ordnance. Para is now gone, Remington/Para Ordnance has no parts for the Para line and I doubt that honor the Para lifetime warranty. They sold all the parts to SARCO and some of the parts are now obsolete and SARCO does not have plans to replenish them.