Considering my first AR... Thoughts?

[Cozy439]

I did not have time to read everyone's response, but I am sure you have received much a lot of good advice and many opinions. DD is very good. So is LMT. Both on the spendy side. I know owners of each and they love them. I (and 2 other friends) have Rock River Arms. I have a few models/calibers. Love them all. My 1st was probably the most accurate, out of the box, iron-sights only weapon I have ever owned. The last last has taken deer and antelope at well over 200 yds - one shot and they dropped where they were hit. You have many fine options. Enjoy!

 

[DoggyDaddy]

A couple thoughts,
Expensive is different from quality. Especially during high demand times.

Right now though, the market is saturated. There are some good deals to be had for even mid-range rifles.
In my youthful age I have learned recently that I get more use/ enjoyment out of paying more for a better quality product. I'm not talking about blindly spending. Even on new ventures, I will find myself more pleased.

And I agree for the most part!
Things I dont cheap out on anymore from personal experience.
Tools - depends on how often I'll be using them, but generally agree.
Food - I'm a bargain shopper. If it's quality, I'll buy it at the cheapest price I can find. If it's crappy, I won't.
Clothes - I should probably buy some new clothes. But the clothes I have still cover me, so...
Toilet paper/toiletries - I cheap out here mostly - Aldi's "Soft and Strong" is both. I look for sales on Speedstick deodorant. I usually use the store brand shave cream. Use Crest toothpaste, so basically just get it wherever when I need it.
Guns - I'm mostly a quantity-over-quality guy, but that's because I'm a collector of old guns. I'd rather buy two or three nice old milsurp rifles than one really high quality AR.
Whiskey - meh. Back when I drank it I drank anything from Heaven Hill to "Gentleman Jack", but I can see this.
House - my dad built the house that I own now, so it's quality. But I haven't done a lot of improvement to the house. Landscape, yes.
Vehicle - I drive what I can afford. Both my vehicles are paid off - my daily driver is a 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring (little station wagon). My other is a 1997 Dodge Ram that's a rust bucket, but still keeps on ticking.
And service. - mostly agree, although sometimes I don't care. Mostly when it comes to price. The cheaper the price, the less expectation I have for good service (although that's not always true).
These are just a few items where I truly value quality and anything less is not worth my time or headache.

Once again price does not qualify. Everyone had different budgets. And thus every situation is unique and these are just my personal thoughts.

My thoughts in red...

 

[Trapper Jim]

My thoughts in red...

Interesting.. I don’t see made in USA as a Prerequisite
Just sayin

 

[Trapper Jim]

Bushmaster. ORC $439. Rural King.

Many will have their opinions but you can’t say I didn’t warn you.

Still the the best advice but oh well

 

[Usmccookie]

My thoughts in red...

Noted and I forgot to mention that what we get from things are we want to get out of them. Mentality goes a long way. I can be happy with not much at all, but I like quality made things that will last me a long time or provide me the experience I hoped for.

 

[maxwelhse]

Still the the best advice but oh well

Still in consideration too, and no matter what way I go, that was an instrumental piece of advice that led me into exploring other options. I don't want you to think I've ignored you, because I haven't.

The options are basically coming down like this:
Your suggestion = $X
Next serious thought = 2x $X
The DD I do still want = 3x $X

Just on that basis alone, it puts all of the options starkly in contrast. I could walk into RK and buy 3 Bushmasters, and that certainly has made me think pretty deeply (and still is), about the other choices. Truth is, I haven't made a decision yet and it will be awhile before I do. I'll likely end up shopping for Christmas deals. I even noticed that Gander Mountain is currently running a sale on P Mags (which I will also need) with purchase of a rifle so even availability at certain retailers for certain deals will all come into play when the time comes.

 

[Expat]

If you still want the DD, get it. They are top shelf. Any time I have wanted a particular gun and cheaped out on it, I ended up being unhappy about it.

 

[Jin]

It sounds like you may want to try out an AR before diving deep into the depths of AR world

I’d say get yourself a MP Sport II or something from PSA that fits your bill.

If you end up liking it, then get a DD or whatever you like.

ARs are like Lays Potato Chips


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[maxwelhse]

If you still want the DD, get it. They are top shelf. Any time I have wanted a particular gun and cheaped out on it, I ended up being unhappy about it.

That's one of my leading thoughts as I mull this over. I just want one. If all of you guys would have told me it was junk, I'd be off in a different direction. That said, appealing offers have been made, and are out there, that are still very appealing. What I will say is the amount of useful feedback I've gotten here far exceeds what I would have ever dreamed of. Usually AR talk falls apart before page 2 in most places. I've received probably 5 or 6 very reasonable opinions here (mostly seconded across the pages) and that's 4-5 more than I had a few days ago. Once again, thanks guys!

 

[Dean C.]

I doubt it is still there but last Saturday night Tim's Shooting Academy had a Daniel Defence V11 with a cheaper Vortex prism sight mounted for $1000 on consignment. Very good condition I looked it over for a friend before be realized his CC did not have a high enough limit to buy it.

Personally especially given the current political climate I would recommend buying a higher end rifle that will last you forever. A DD, LWRC or BCM all fill those roles very well for $1000-$1500. My personal choice would be an LWRC IC-Di as I believe LWRC makes a better gun than Daniel Defence.

But then again I tend to shy away from AR's that are cheaper than a Glock.... My Sig line should be an indication I like quality over quantity

 

[DadSmith]

Get your bling on...
http://cdn2.armslist.com/sites/arms...345_01__magnificent_solid_gold_ar_15__640.jpg

 

[1nderbeard]

Honestly. Get a bushmaster for about 500$ out the door. If you want to go deeper then go deeper and build off that start.

This.
Don't but a Cadillac for your first. You can get in to an economical AR (or two) for much less than $1,500. I'd also look outside of the 5.56 cartridge. Try a 6.5 grendel; made to be better at just about everything and it's deer legal. You can get a nice rifle with a serviceable optic and 1,000 rounds of ammo to practice with for $1,500.

 

[cbhausen]

OP, don’t overthink this! Just about any mid-grade on-up AR will suit your purposes, even the often-maligned Palmetto State Armory and Anderson stuff is more than adequate for most shooters and well-supported by their manufacturers. I’ve built a bunch of Anderson lowers using Palmetto State Armory parts kits and it all went together without a hitch. Toolcraft makes PSA’s bolt carrier groups so they are good to go. And yes, for a little more money Aero Precision is a noticeable step up and finish quality and adds nice touches like a tension screw to prevent slop between the upper and lower and a 4-40 set screw to retain the takedown plunger spring instead of relying on the latch plate to do this.

You can save money by building your AR (at least the lower) and better learn how it functions. Don’t be leery of this, it’s easy, fun and rewarding. Plus, there’s plenty of help around here and plenty of people (like me) willing to loan you the tools to get the build right without marring anything up.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

OP, don’t overthink this! Just about any mid-grade on-up AR will suit your purposes, even the often-maligned Palmetto State Armory and Anderson stuff is more than adequate for most shooters and well-supported by their manufacturers. I’ve built a bunch of Anderson lowers using Palmetto State Armory parts kits and it all went together without a hitch. Toolcraft makes PSA’s bolt carrier groups so they are good to go. And yes, for a little more money Aero Precision is a noticeable step up and finish quality and adds nice touches like a tension screw to prevent slop between the upper and lower and a 4-40 set screw to retain the takedown plunger spring instead of relying on the latch plate to do this.

You can save money by building your AR (at least the lower) and better learn how it functions. Don’t be leery of this, it’s easy, fun and rewarding. Plus, there’s plenty of help around here and plenty of people (like me) willing to loan you the tools to get the build right without marring anything up.

Agreed. And with some pretty nice drop-in triggers it's even easier to put one together. Once I got the bug I went a little crazy... but I'm all better now.

 

[rengler22]

Not that I really regret it, but if I were doing it over again I would have gotten into my first AR as cheaply as possible. It's only after I started shooting, hung around others that were shooting, etc. that I really figured out what I wanted / needed. I went through a lot of iterations and additional rifles all while I was in the learning phase and it probably cost me a bit of money. Now that said, I've never sold a gun and don't intend to, so I'm glad a I have those other rifles.

 

[dbg326]

I was on the fence of building or buying my first AR...After having spent the past week stripping and reassembling (training class for the new job), I'm definitely going the build route.

If your upper is already assembled, really the only tools needed are a 1/16 punch, a hammer, a long hex key (for the grip screw), and a torque wrench with the appropriate key (for the castle nut). A punch to stake the castle nut once torqued is also highly recommended, but some claim loctite is enough... Your gun, your decision.

With that said, I'll be going with value parts to learn what I really want out of the firearm. The PSA kits are quite affordable and seem to run well from the vast majority of feedback.

It will be interesting to see the quality difference between what I've been practicing on (SIG M400) and what I end up going with.

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[maxwelhse]

After taking all of the good advice offered here, I think I'm leaning toward a BCM REECE 18.

I like the 18" barrel, and I like that it's a stainless barrel, and the weight is still pretty light (especially for an 18" stainless barrel). However... When just digging around for what I could expect to pay, I'm seeing they're out of stock almost everywhere. Anyone know why? Is there a run on ARs again that I haven't noticed, or is there a new model coming out, or is there something up at BCM? This seems to pre-date the CV media scare, so I don't think it's that.

Also... Do we have a forum vendor in the Michiana area that stocks BCM? I could probably go anywhere and either order one or have it transferred in, but I'd rather support a supporter.

 

[MCgrease08]

Going back to your original post and purpose, I'd suggest looking at the REECE 16 rather than the 18" barrel.

I've had my eye on this one lately. - https://bravocompanyusa.com/bcm-bfh...ght-upper-receiver-group-w-mcmr-13-handguard/

I personally do have an 18" SS AR barrel on one of my ARs, but it's intended to be a Special Purpose Rifle build for use at longer ranges when I'm looking for a little more precision. It's the only AR rifle I have with a two-stage trigger and I don't plan to hump it around as my first choice of a defensive tool should the need arise for neighborhood patrol or any other application that would require picking up my "go-to" AR.

A 16" barrel with mid length gas system is about as good as it gets if you're looking for something that does most things pretty well. An SBR or 14.5" pinned and welded are better for close quarters. 18-20" are better at longer ranges. But the 16" is a good compromise and you don't lose too much in terms of velocity to where you can't still be lethal out to distances up to 700-800 yards.

Just my

 

[maxwelhse]

Going back to your original post and purpose, I'd suggest looking at the REECE 16 rather than the 18" barrel.

I've had my eye on this one lately. - https://bravocompanyusa.com/bcm-bfh...ght-upper-receiver-group-w-mcmr-13-handguard/

I personally do have an 18" SS AR barrel on one of my ARs, but it's intended to be a Special Purpose Rifle build for use at longer ranges when I'm looking for a little more precision. It's the only AR rifle I have with a two-stage trigger and I don't plan to hump it around as my first choice of a defensive tool should the need arise for neighborhood patrol or any other application that would require picking up my "go-to" AR.

A 16" barrel with mid length gas system is about as good as it gets if you're looking for something that does most things pretty well. An SBR or 14.5" pinned and welded are better for close quarters. 18-20" are better at longer ranges. But the 16" is a good compromise and you don't lose too much in terms of velocity to where you can't still be lethal out to distances up to 700-800 yards.

Just my

Your points are well made, but I just feel that I'm gaining more than I'm losing by going to an 18" barrel and there is so much flat land around our part of the country (especially if fortune favors me at some point and I can buy some of it) that needing to reach out and touch something that might be a little bit of a stretch for a 16" .223 rifle might be a realistic need. I'm sure there are guys that can hit with a 16" at 800 yards, but I'd sure like as much as I can get if I ever have to punch out that far in a pinch. Really, what I'm more thinking about is just a flatter shooting rifle at more like 400 yards. If I have to reach out to 700-800, I'm probably in the wrong caliber anyhow.

Pus, I know this will just be the gateway drug to other ARs and if I don't like it, it can move on or I can swap uppers or whatever.

-----

Soooo... What's the skinny on availability? Just a run on them lately or what? The tax man should be sending me some money back soon and I think this is the pocket with the biggest hole in it.

 

[Cameramonkey]

This was an interesting read. The most interesting was this quote (Which may or may not apply here):

"One of the first things I discovered is that a 26-inch barrel is too long for the .223/5.56. Shortening the barrel increased velocity in some instances."


https://www.gunsandammo.com/editorial/barrel-length-vs-velocity/247991