Help - What should I know/Not Know about buying an AR15? (Vanity)

10/24/16 | Jimmy The Snake

[Cobra64]

Yup. History proves: “Ammo today or none tomorrow.”

[tumblindice]

I bought a no-frills M-4orgery, although a good one.
If I had it to do over I would have paid a little more and got the keymod forestock. As time passed I pimped it with some Magpul stuff.

Make sure the gas key is staked. That’s a pretty good sign the manufacturer didn’t cut corners.
(You’ll put your eye out!)

[doorgunner69]

The prices are all over the place partly because so many come with expensive stocks and handguards already installed. None of that makes the rifle any better for YOU as a new AR owner. The standard GI handguard works fine for starters. Same with the stock, though I prefer a fixed stock to the ubiquitous collapsing stocks. At least not much price difference there.

The boutique brands charge for very carefully fitted parts, which is nice, but a rifle built to GI specs shoots just as well, it does not care about the fancy pedigree.

The S&W M&P seems a good cheap rifle from a known company that certainly screwed it together well. Buying a lower and a "kit" from Palmetto State Armory is a great idea if you are fine with mechanical things. You could have a rifle for less than $500 and know it inside and out.

[tumblindice]

I kept the stock handguard. The nice thing about an adjustable shoulder stock is you can change the pull if you’re wearing body armor and you can make it short for transport. Down side is, try to break your fall with it and it might break.
And prolly a good idea to make sure it shoots OK before bolting on a lot of stuff in case you have to ship it back.
5.56 should be roll-stamped on the barrel.

Yeah, good advice to get a `learner’ that he can break down and re-assemble. S&W, CORE, DPMS, something like that. And it’s smart to have a couple parts kit handy. They aren’t that much money. Extra bolt maybe if you shoot a lot. I cut my teeth on AK two-by-fours. ARs and their little springs and pins are always going AWOL.
Oh yeah Snake, and make sure the inside of the bolt carrier is smooth so you don’t wear gas rings and have to send it back. Otis makes a nice compact cleaning kit.
No rush. Trump is going to beat Her Heinous like a bad piece of meat.

[Billthedrill]

On my third build right now. For a first time through I'd recommend NOT building the thing from a separate upper and lower, and here's why: if you purchase a piece made by a single vendor the warranty applies to the entire gun. If you build it yourself the warranty applies to the parts, it's up to you to diagnose any problems and convince the part vendor that it was their fault. That's great once you're familiar with the innards but is a complication the new user doesn't really need.

Your basic model will have an A2 front sight, mil-spec receiver, carrier bolt group, grip, and either a fixed or a six-position adjustable stock. The trigger will probably be single-stage and may be the first part you decide to customize. It may or may not have a chrome-lined barrel - civilian use usually doesn't require them but then we have to pay for our own ammo, nor our Unca Sammy, and we don't live in Death Valley, most of us - and it may or may not have a forward-assist. Buy it, budget for ammo (and maybe a class or two) and figure out what you like for your first build.

Optics - it isn't a sniper rifle, don't waste money on a 1000-yard scope. A decent entry-level red dot will be fine for most tactical applications. Don't waste money on the really high-prices beauties: ACOG, Aimpoint, Eotech, Trijicon, etc. (Although there is a very nice Trijicon night vision scope online for the low, low price of $17,700). You can go too cheap on these too - plan on at least $100-200 for a decent entry-level red dot optic. I did fire a very nice sub-$100 optic last weekend - a friend has an AT3 Tactical RD-50 that, if it lasts, is a terrific find.

The main thing is not to try to jump in the market at a professional level before you've found out what works for you. You can dump $3000 on a rifle you don't really like or find a perfect fit for $700. The AR is a uniquely personalizable platform (is that a word?). But you first have to find out what fits you.

[doorgunner69]

This is a good example of "just add a $100 lower" rifle kit. The upper is the only thing you need armorers tools for and it is assembled for you.

PSA Rifle kit

[old-ager]

Here you go. The “membership” to save a few bucks is free for thirty days and you can cancel. The “Four Pay” plan gets you the firearm immediately then four payments are spread out on your credit card, like layaway except you don’t have to wait.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/anderson-carbine-556-nato-semi-automatic-rifle?i=662674&p=WX2&CJ=1&cjaffilid=4084797&cjaffsite=Slickguns+Inc&cjadv=CJTSGUSA&cjadvid=1522857&utm_source=Slickguns+Inc&utm_medium=CJ&utm_campaign=SPG+Product+Catalog+-+SportsmansGuide.com

[Charles Martel]

Jimmy, did the responses help you or make things more confused?

[Jimmy The Snake]

Oh thank you. They helped me a lot and yes I got a lot of replies! I got some web site links with buyers guides.

I will be at my usual range and shop Sunday and will talk and look at some guns

Again thank you.