Good first AR15? (Vanity)

6/26/11 | Self

[verum ago]

Hey all, I'm looking into getting an AR15, but am totally overwhelmed by all the choices. What I want is something that's reliable, and has a rifle length barrel. Cheaper is better. I am not looking into getting a crazy customizable hyper-accurate super gun. Just a plinker. I've seen the Olympic Arms plinker, looked kinda rough.

[jaydee770]

A regular ol’ DI style AR or one of the new Gas-Piston ARs:
I’ve no problem with either, but until the industry settles on some standard, I’d tend stick to a DI gun. *Only* because you can get DI rifle parts from anyone/anywhere and (currently) piston rifles are pricier, so stretch your budget with a DI gun.

I’d also recommend sticking to whatever caliber is issued to the military: 5.56 or 7.62 Nato. Reason being, if TSHTF (post-zombie-mad-max-apocalypse-natural-disaster-etc), ammo will be scarce and military ammo would likely become tradable. Also, because of the proliferation of DI guns in the military, that would be another TSHTF reason: parts availability.

Honestly, either one will be fine. But you are probably going to get more bang for your buck and enjoy it more if you get a middle-of-the-road DI style AR and use the rest of your budget to buy sights/optics/mags/bullets.

I’m currently looking at a very tempting piston rifle package deal for $1300. I’ve got nothing against piston rifles and they intrigue me and I really would like to add one to the fold. However, there’s no standard yet and parts availability years down the road concerns me. I will probably end up with a $700 DI rifle and add a $300 .22LR upper and pick up as much ammo as I can (especially .22lr).

I really want that .22LR upper for four reasons:
1. An AAC “Element” suppressor will keep it quiet when I’m in “squirrel assassin” mode in the back of the property.
2. 1k rounds of .22LR = $50. 1k rounds of 5.56 = $300-$350.
3. I want to start my girls on that AR platform, but use the .22LR to teach them the basics.
4. It’s slap-on instant versatility and just plain fun to shoot.

As with everything, your mileage may vary...

[Blood of Tyrants]

Nope, I mean the AK-74. It is similar to the AK-47 but it is in 5.45 X 39 caliber, very similar to the NATO 5.56.

[JohnD9207]

I know the round was just wondering if you type as well as I do

[JohnD9207]

Last weekend I watched a guy with the 22 conversion kit on the range and he was having a blast! Up until then I was wondering why anyone would want one. Not any more...

[archy]

Good first AR15? (Vanity)

Any recommendations?

Squantos and Travis, kindly throw in your own two cents worth. I tend to agree that the full-length 20-inch barrelled AR is the way to fly, both to get as much power and accuracy [sight radius with iron sights] out of the 5.56mm cartridge and to maintain as long a gas tube as possible for enhanced reliability.

I've got both a 1:12 twist barrelled M16A1-equivalent AR semi and a 1:7 twist M16A2; of which either is used according to the ammunition available, 55-grain M193 ball or equivalent with the 1:12 twist or 62-grain M855/ SS109 or heavier bullets with the A2 1:7 twist. Also, the 40-grain lead bullet of the .22 long rifle is much better suited for use with the earlier 1:12 twist barrel, if the use of a .22 conversion kit is of as much interest to you for additional training or versatility's sake.

The M16A2 configuration is to be chosen for use as a 600-yard match rifles, if that's among your intended purposes, and that's what mine is mostly meant for.

My M4 shorty version can't really be called an M4gery because it's really closer to the configuration of the Canadian Diemaco C8FTHB. Since it's not one of the longer-barrelled versions you prefer, it's likely of less interest to you, but it is useful to me both for evaluating ammunition intended for the shorther 14.5 and 16-inch barrels, and as a testbed for evaluating various Picatinny-rail mounted optical and electrooptical sights.

So far as manufacturers go, there's really very little difference between lower receivers, and an accurate and reliable gun can be built on a fairly unimpressive lower receiver, as witness the various guns built on the cast Sendra, Essential Arms and *Coal City* lowers a decade and a half ago. Both polymer and stainless steel lowers have been around, but they are of course not the norm. The old SGW lowers [now Olympic Arms, which began as Schuetzen Gun Works\ were pretty good when Hank was building them in the mid 1980s and early 1990's, and I'm also fond of both the machined billet component lowers and complete rifles made by SI Defense in Kalispell, MT.

A local gunshop has been going through the Hi-Standard ARs as well, happy with them due to reasonable cost [which their customers like] and minimal after-sale returns for replacement or repair, which their gunsmith likes. I'm fond of them as well, and have reccomended one to my fiancee as her pick for an analogue to the M16A2s with which she was trained in the USAF, she having tried a Colt CAR-15 and not liking it, preferring folding stock versions of the AK74 for her uses in the carbine role.

Additional info: check the articles posted *here*. There's some solid wisdom in some of the response posts here and there.

[archy]

I actually decided against starting a thread at arfcom because while starting one here is opening a can of worms, starting one there sometimes seems to be opening a can of worms and tossing a lit M80 in.

Yeah, but the hogs like the results. Yum!

[mad_as_he$$]

If you want to plink and you want an AR style get one in 22.

[archy]

Interesting to see that Remington has taken the former Masada/MagPul ACR and made it their own. Given Remington’s work with the M24 weapons system, it might show quite favorably as a tactical rifle than it would under the Bushy lineup.

And then again, it might not:

Bushmaster Firearms Intentional, LLC has become aware of a possible firearms performance issue that may develop with a small number of ACR rifles and we are requesting you discontinue the use of this rifle immediately, and contact us at your earliest convenience so that we can make the necessary arrangements to have the rifle returned to us for inspection and update if necessary.

All Bushmaster produced ACR rifles are impacted by this notification.

During routine testing, Bushmaster discovered a design flaw which could result in multiple rounds firing continuously when the trigger is pulled. This unexpected firing of multiple rounds creates a potentially dangerous situation.

Since the safety and quality of our firearms is our utmost concern, Bushmaster is implementing the following corrective action plans to correct the effected firearms as quickly as possible.

Therefore, we are requesting your timely assistance with the following action:

1) Please immediately discontinue the use of your ACR rifle(s).

2) Contact our Customer Service Department at 1-800-883-6229, (Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM -6:00 PM EST).

Please have the serial # of your firearms(s) available when you call.

3) We will provide you with return shipping instructions and issue you a RMA # (Return Authorization Number).

This will assist us in processing, and updating of your firearm and returning to you as expeditiously as possible.

The shipping address for the return of your firearm is listed below

Please contact us prior to shipping

Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC

Attention: Dept. ACR 999 Roosevelt Trail
Windham, ME 04062
customerservice@bushmaster.com

4) This process will be accomplished at no cost to you and will be completed as expeditiously as possible.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, and we will return your firearm to you as expeditiously as possible.

If you have any further questions concerning this request, please call us on the above noted toll free number between the hours of 8:30 AM and 6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Thank you for in advance for your cooperation in resolving this important matter.

Sincerely,

Customer Service Division

Bushmaster Firearms Intemational, LLC

[SJSAMPLE]

Yikes.
Even ARs sometimes have trigger issues.
One such issue landed a National Guard troop in federal prison.

I still want one :)

[Squantos]

I bought two bushmasters m4gerys. One for the house an one for thee gun matches. Both dressed identical. About 15,ooo rounds thru each since I bought both on same day.

Truck gun is a TRW based M1A with spare mag on the stock with a unertl 10x a Marine ummm...gave me....:o)

77gr black hills for the AR’s an 168gr Federal Match for the M1A....

My boss loans me an Hk 416 for work....very reliable rig.

I win the lotto I’m buying the semi auto variant of that in 6.8.

[jaydee770]

I was looking at a Chiappa (?) 22.lr complete upper for $309+tax... but then I read some reviews that said it was italian made and the barrels in these things are problematic. So, I’m still researching & looking...

[JohnD9207]

There are many conversions available. All I know is that guy at the range was having a ball shooting his. Olympic Arms has one that fits my lower and it will be here before the weekend I hope. Enjoy

[JohnD9207]

There are many conversions available. All I know is that guy at the range was having a ball shooting his. Olympic Arms has one that fits my lower and it will be here before the weekend I hope. Enjoy

[2ndDivisionVet]

Gun Review: Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport (A brand new AR-15 for $640?)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2753925/posts

[verum ago]

Interesting! Thanks for the necro-post! (Don't say that much, but I do mean it)

I'll have to look into this one.