ar15 question

[deerhunter_98520]

Ok guys im sure this is gonna start a good conversation but i need some help picking out an ar......what do you guys reccomend? Buy one whole or buy parts and build one? Id like to stay around $1200 or so....if its worth it to spend more money on one i can save up more.....so lets hear it guys..manufacturer? Parts? Where to buy?

[CAMPMEAT]

I've had an Oly Arms. DPMS and now a Rock River. They all shoot well. I think it depends on what you want the AR for. You wanna an AR that impresses the guys on here, or one YOU like. Building one, you get one caliber specific if one isn't made by the mfg and you can put all kinds of furniture on it of your liking. All of mine have been store bought. The only difference on my RR is it has a different trigger installed.

[deerhunter_98520]

First and foremost funcionality...i want to depend on this gun...i want one that i can rely on without failure...looks will come second...as i do like a good looking weapon 

[jaymark6655]

First, what  do you want to do with the rifle?  That will help you pick a caliber, barrel length, what type of reciever and stuff like that.

I would recommend building, but I like doing stuff myself.  So are you an do you own oil change type of guy?  Yes, then you would probably like building your own.  If you take your lexus to the dealership for oil changes, then you might want to just buy a rifle.

[CAMPMEAT]

You gotta keep them CLEAN. I learned the hard way. It seems like my RR has shot the best without alot of cleaning, although I do clean it. I do take a cleaning kit with me where ever I take it. I think Walmart has a Sig on sale for something like $550. That would be a good start if you wanna store bought one. I would buy it if I wanted another AR.

[Biggerhammer]

If in fact it's a Sig??? Anything for 550.00 retail is a piece of crap "Sporterized" abortion of a AR platform less, forward assists and other chit. Sig Sauer is a quality product and produces outstanding semi 5.56's , .308's and 1911.

Your Sig Sauer M400 Enhanced with a 7 twist in green or black Magpul furniture is your best bet at WalMart. Retailing around 900.00 bucks. Will do you great for calling coyotes, tearing up the local junk yard, wacking Tango's in your daisy patch or up in the tower if you got off the deep end. 

[CAMPMEAT]

If in fact it's a Sig??? Anything for 550.00 retail is a piece of crap "Sporterized" abortion of a AR platform less, forward assists and other chit. Sig Sauer is a quality product and produces outstanding semi 5.56's , .308's and 1911.

Your Sig Sauer M400 Enhanced with a 7 twist in green or black Magpul furniture is your best bet at WalMart. Retailing around 900.00 bucks. Will do you great for calling coyotes, tearing up the local junk yard, wacking Tango's in your daisy patch or up in the tower if you got off the deep end.

I'm not sure if it was a Sig. I saw an ad a week ago or so. For $1200, he can do a lot better for sure.

[h20hunter]

Really the only tip I can give is when you do get one get yourself two things....one is a gadget to hold the upper and lower "propped" in position for cleaning and the other is a bore guide for cleaning rods.....those two items will make cleaning it much easier.

Happy shooting.....oh...also, you might as well also buy a press 'cause you are going to need it when you start banging out rounds.

[deerhunter_98520]

I want it in .223....i will use it for coyotes mostly....but if shtf i want one that i could rely on for that...or if they start screwin with a assult weapon ban again like im hearing rumblings about i want to get one before it happens.....how hard are they to put together if i built one....ive never built a gun before be have seen alot of guys onbhere talk about it.....i work on my own vehicles....i may not know alot about mechanical work but im not afraid to tear crap apart and figure it out as i go 

[Fl0und3rz]

They are not at all hard to put together for a shade tree mechanic.  For a lower build, all you really need is a small hammer and a set of drift punches.  An armorers tool comes in handy, but is not essential.

Get a stripped lower (the serialized part requiring FFL if not a private purchase).  All other parts are fine to order over the internet. Order a lower parts kit and a stock and grip to your liking, and you are set for whatever upper you want to put on top.

AR15.com has a good guide on building.  I am sure that countless thousands have used this as a guide. (I did for my first.)

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_4/226782_.html

Uppers might be trickier to build, require more specialized tools and jigs, and should be headspace checked before firing.  For the first one, I recommend going with a combo upper, bolt, and carrier from a reputable manufacturer, which should ensure headspace is proper, and will give you an easy option for warranty work if necessary.

I won't comment on particular brands, but $1200 should be more than enough for a reliable rifle that fits your needs.  If you are looking to splurge, the barrel and trigger are probably where your money is best spent.

[jaymark6655]

Building is easy if you take time and not rush it and buy the right parts.

.223...then make sure to get a chamber that can handle both the .223 and 5.56.  1:7 twist rate seems to stabilize 55 up to about 80 grains.  For hunting I usually like the longer barrels, but since you also want a SHTF gun, you might want to stick with a shorter barrel.  I like 16 inches since it doesn't have to have the flash suppressor permanately mounted.
Later if you hate your first choice of flash suppressor, it makes changing it easier.  Or you could go with some like the three prong flash hidder that allows a Q/D sound suppressor.

I personally use a heavy barrel, 16" and its pretty accurate with just a reflex sight (1" at 100 off of a bench) probably would be better with a scope.  The ligthest is probably the  gov profile that allows a gernade launcher to be mounted....usless on a civie gun and I heard it can be flexed if you put enough pressure on the sling or a bipod.

I am guessing you want to use a scope...flat top reciever will make that easier.  I have front sight, but some gas blocks come with a rail to mount back up sights.  Biggest thing with scopes, backup sights and front handguard is getting rings tall enough to clear or backupsights that fold down short enough.  I feel that type of front sight/ gas block, and free float tube is more of a looks thing than anything else, so get what you think looks good.  I do like the classir handgaurd look, but rails or a free float tube make it easier to mount a bipod (just don't hang a whole bunch or crap off of it).

Avoid the temptation to get a two stage trigger, probably not what you want on this type of gun.

I am not big on one manufacturer over another.  It does make things more or a garauntee to fit if they are all from one.  My personal gun was a JSE or something lower with the rest being from DPMS.

Modify.... 6.8 would let you hunt deer too, but you can always build a second upper with a longer barrel for hunting later. 

[deerhunter_98520]

So many choices...sounds like there is an endless supply of parts and upgrades.....yeah id like a scope on it...i also seen a open sight on one recently that mounted on the side that looked pretty slick for close qtrs...that would be nice.....bipod isnt necessary......now as far as building one  it sounds like it might be out of my league....getting into head spacing and all..i think i might have to just buy a complete gun and just start upgrading it with better parts and accessories

[jaymark6655]

Just get a barrel bolt combo that are already headspaced.

[jrebel]

Kinda want to follow this thread as well....

Wouldn't it make sense to buy an AR set up and then modify as you lern more about them?  I was thinking about buying the sig or the RRA and as I learn more and feel I know more about the pieces just modify that one.  I would assume you could then use the parts taken off the original gun and use them to assist in builing another.....Then you have two!!!  YEAH

Or is the above just a bad idea cause not all parts are interchangeable?? 

[deerhunter_98520]

Yeah i think im in the same boat jrebel...i just looked at the how to build link and i think i got more to learn before i attempt that...last thing i want is to take it out to shoot and it falls apart