Free: Contests & Raffles.
One thing I have never seen anybody mention, but I have found important, is the use of the forward assist when hunting. I love the ability to lightly let the bolt pull foward, and then silently push it into place.But to answer the original question, go for it, it's a great gun. If you don't see yourself wanting more at some point, then jump on it. If you are the type of person that will want to upgrade later, you might as well save yourself some heartache, save up, do some research and buy exactly what you want the first time. but that's me. Anyways, it's a good gun, and worth the money.
Quote from: McCRIZZLEY on March 08, 2014, 11:33:23 PMOne thing I have never seen anybody mention, but I have found important, is the use of the forward assist when hunting. I love the ability to lightly let the bolt pull foward, and then silently push it into place.But to answer the original question, go for it, it's a great gun. If you don't see yourself wanting more at some point, then jump on it. If you are the type of person that will want to upgrade later, you might as well save yourself some heartache, save up, do some research and buy exactly what you want the first time. but that's me. Anyways, it's a good gun, and worth the money.I agree with Mccrizzley about the "silent bolt drop" option. If the first round doesn't seat and there's no FA, there's no other way that I know of to close the bolt completely, rather than ejecting round #1 and then racking round #2 hard and loud(hoping this one loads right). That's not a big deal until it's a big deal. Dust covers keep dust and mud out, sort of... If it gets in there and you need it to run, you'll wish you had a FA. For plinking at the range, neither options are a big deal.Everybody's got different opinions about what makes a good AR, so take it all with a grain of salt. If $650's the out the door price, you can't go wrong. I've got a SW optics ready and it's a solid shooter. 1/9 vs 1/7 isn't a big deal until you're shooting several hundred yards from my experience (hope that doesn't chafe any uber-AR officiandos out there). By then, you're probably going to be ready to sell this one (maybe make a profit during the next BLACK RIFLE MELTDOWN, mwah-ha-ha...) and move in the direction that's caught you interest.Personal tangent: I like to balance weight and accuracy. AR's are inherently accurate but they can get really heavy when you start adding a bunch of crap. I'd rather have a good match barrel and trigger than all the lasers, grips, flashlights, etc. The next guy who answers might have a completely different opinion, too. No biggie.
I will not use a FA and all of my AR type rifles do not have it. If you need to chamber a round quietly it's easy enough to push the carrier fwd with your thumb thru the ejection port.
Quote from: jay.sharkbait on March 09, 2014, 11:49:13 PMI will not use a FA and all of my AR type rifles do not have it. If you need to chamber a round quietly it's easy enough to push the carrier fwd with your thumb thru the ejection port.Um, I'm confused. Are you saying you can use your thumb to force the bolt carrier forward through the ejection port? Pushing the extractor over the rim of the chambered round? You sir must be superman or a first cousin to Chuck Norris... I just tried and am nowhere near able to do that by using my thumb. Forward assist works.I will not own an AR without a dust cover or forward assist. Both are critical features when working in adverse conditions. The elimination of these standard feature is only a cost cutting measure and an unacceptable compromise. I also use forward assist to fully chamber rounds when I can't be noisy or prefer to leave my primers unmolested by the firing pin. An AR15 is a 'sealed system'. The reliability is in part determined by how well you can keep debris out of it. A dust cover is important.As far as twist rate, it depends on what you want to hunt. 1:9 will stabilize bullets up to 69gr alright. 1:7 will stabilize 77gr+. If you're going to be using very light weight bullets get something along the lines of 1:12 twist. My preference goes to 1:8 or 1:7 twist due to the added versatility with 77gr, which is about as heavy as you can use in an AR15 platform due to cartridge/magazine length restrictions.If this rifle will be specifically for hunting and you aren't going on a month long guerrilla fighting campaign, a chrome lined barrel may not be in your best interest. Bare steel will probably have better accuracy.For self defense: a fast twist rate and chrome lining are desirable. For hunting: it's up to you.
Where are you finding the 262's?
You can argue the pros and cons of the forward assist all day, but the fact remains that it was added to the gun for the COMBAT troops. Think how many semi-auto hunting rifles that have been made through the years without a forward assist!If a round does not chamber easily, something is wrong, and you better find out what! all 5 of my ARs have a Forward Assist feature, and I regard it as a cosmetic feature....
Quote from: WoodlandShooter on March 10, 2014, 03:25:01 PMWhere are you finding the 262's?That's "Secret Squirrel" stuff. I like the charging handle.
Quote from: WoodlandShooter on March 10, 2014, 03:25:01 PMWhere are you finding the 262's?Better yet, what are they? I've reloaded and shot so many reloads I don't know if I even have a factory round!
If a round does not chamber easily, something is wrong, and you better find out what!
