User Panel
Posted: 3/20/2021 11:02:32 AM EDT
Hi, I just purchased my first AR-15 A S&W AR-15 Sport II and looking forward to being on this forum. I am from North Texas USA in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area.
Gary A. |
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Welcome. The knowledge you will gain here is amazing. Arfcom will also cost you thousands of dollars.
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Whatever you do, and I sincerely mean this, DO NOT BUY ANY SPARE PARTS!
They have a sneaky way of growing into another rifle, rinse, repeat. Welcome! |
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Good luck you will learn a lot about this wonderful
weapon. Sometimes it is a tough love here but they mean well. Just be honest and realize people on this site know tons about the AR 15. Have fun. Attached File |
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we all sincerely look forward to many pleasant interactions with you.
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Spend that stimulus but do not get raped on ammo. Everything I read sez it is rapey pricing . It may come down in price someday.
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A few tips:
Don't buy anything expensive to add to your (presumably) one and only AR. Optics, neato rail, whatever. Mags and ammo are what the current climate dictates is wise. That and you truly need to practice and become very familiar with your AR to understand what it needs (if anything) to suit your needs. Don't go down that rabbit hole right now. Mags. Ammo. Practice. Find a video here or elsewhere that details disassembly, cleaning, up to and including the bolt carrier group. You'll become a lot more knowledgeable in its operation by understanding how it fits together. It's all very simple once you do it a few times. A plain Jane AR in the hands of a proficient shooter is vastly more effective than a $2,500 AR, outfitted with a $3000 optic and various do-dads in the hands of a guy who never bothered to become a good shooter. Mags, ammo. Practice. If this gun is for home defense, I would consider a decent white light to add to it shortly. Half of our lives is at night....and it's dark. Spend a lot of time reading the various technical forum categories for AR's. There's a wealth of info on everything you can think of and even more for things you weren't aware to think of. Welcome. |
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Welcome. My biggest recommendation for a new owner is to go to a training class somewhere outdoors. Emphasis on outdoors.
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i'm also total beginner looking to buy first one. Can I ask you why you picked this model and what other choices did you consider? thx
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Welcome OP!
A S&W Sport was one of my early AR's, and it has been exceptional to shoot. I still take it to the range often even though I have over the years bought other AR's. In my humble opinion, you bought a very good AR. I would suggest you put at least 1,000 rounds thorough the Sport before spending the money to make upgrades, so you know exactly what you want. Is your AR the Sport or Sport II? Enjoy! |
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Welcome to ARFCOM. Enjoy your new rifle. Good luck in finding decently priced ammo. Aloha.
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Quoted: i'm also total beginner looking to buy first one. Can I ask you why you picked this model and what other choices did you consider? thx View Quote Might want to direct the question at those who are more familiar with AR's rather than someone who is entirely new to AR's. If you have some models in mind, feel free to ask about them and you'll get the direction you likely need. |
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Quoted: i'm also total beginner looking to buy first one. Can I ask you why you picked this model and what other choices did you consider? thx View Quote If I had to venture a guess it was probably the model that was available at the time at his local gun store or it was the most affordable. Nothing wrong with that model, its just a no frills base rifle. rifles like it at that price point are great for someone who wants a AR, but doesn't have a real reason to have it other than they want it. Some of us, myself included, shoot competitively with ours and need something specific. Like for instances, I shoot 2 gun, a rifle like his with the addition of a red dot is perfect for that... but on the other hand, I also shoot NRA Highpower and for that I use a 20 inch A2, even though a 16 inch carbine like his is also within the rules. I dont need 2 rifles to compete in both, but I have 2 differently set up rifles so I can have a competitive edge. everyone has their own reasons for their purchase. My advice would be to join a shooting club and find the discipline that interests you, gather info from those in knowledge. This shouldn't be an overnight decision. Or If you just want one without any specific reason for its use other than plinking or exercising your rights, then by all means explore the forums, get some ideas of what brands are decent and go try to find one at your gun shops. I would check back here and ask if the price you are asked to pay is in line with what you are getting. I have always bought kits... never an entire rifle. Kits are easy to assemble and save you a bunch of money. My first kits were DelTons and I still shoot them. My other kits are PSA. I have since upgraded to better 2 stage triggers on all and barrels on some. |
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I was a new owner several years ago and got good information on all my questions. Lots of smart, helpful people on board here.
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Quoted: i'm also total beginner looking to buy first one. Can I ask you why you picked this model and what other choices did you consider? thx View Quote Welcome to the forum. I would suggest you start your own thread and give a bit of information on you like, are you new to shooting, what are the planned uses of the AR you want, will the rifle serve multiple purposes, what is your budget, what distance will you be shooting at, etc. With that information the folks here can better suggest good AR's that will fit your needs. If you have already posted that info., please disregard this post except the welcome. |
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To answer your question it came down to what I could afford ($1K max ) and
And reviews. The only cheesy thing if the front handgrip. Hard to tell in photos but when I picked it up it that shouted “cheap” . It is functional and will to be an issue firing the AR. Just a matter of preference. Than you all for welcoming me here |
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The big downside for new guys is the expense and difficulty getting ammo. We bitched and bitched during the ban, but magazines were easy to get and post ban guns were fine. 1000 rounds of wolf 223 was maybe $ 125 delivered and all ammo was way less.
We used to get cases of ammo almost every week, either 223 or 9mm, and shoot junk auto parts all day Saturday |
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Welcome aboard and get ready for the addiction of your life....It is actually cheaper to drink for a hobby
I remember the $21.97 Winchester 100 round white box ammo....every trip Walmart two to three boxes jumped into my buggy without asking first. One word of advice, BOCO, buy once, cry once....or cry twice....in todays mad, mad AR world There are some very smart guys here, I consider myself a very well infomred/techincal person.....and know a lot about these rifles, but I do get humbled here on a weekly basis....in a good way I just converted a new member to our club last week, he was wanting to get into ARs.....my BIL's nephew, could not find anything....so I reached into my "warehouse" and got him fixed up....PSA lower, PSA upper, Damage Industries internals, CTR stock, LMT trigger, DD buffer, Sig Romeo RDS to get him started....and gave him 20 Magpul 30 round mags, loaded with X193.....I told him to go forth and forge for more ammo |
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Quoted: Hi, I just purchased my first AR-15 A S&W AR-15 Sport and looking forward to being on this forum. I am from North Texas USA in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area. Gary A. View Quote Welcome! Get as much basic bulk ammo as you can find and afford. 55 or 62 grain full metal jacket stuff. Sight in the rifle at 50 yards, shooting prone or from a support like front and rear bags. Practice. Get proficient with those "iron" sights. Look for some defensive ammo, if you can find it. Something like one box of Speer Gold Dot or Federal Fusion. Keep a magazine full of that for self/home defense. Don't worry about optics, lights, other add-ons right now. Read the threads here before spending money on "upgrades". There is a lot of AR junk out there. Seek common consensus before spending money. At some point later, cover what I consider the three basics: 1. A basic no frills two point sling. 2. A basic momentary on weapon light. 3. A basic but reliable red dot sight. This is something worth saving up for to get a reliable one. You're likely to get dozens of well-intended recommendations. If you can afford stepping up to something duty grade or approaching that level, or wait until you can, you will be better served. |
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Quoted: To answer your question it came down to what I could afford ($1K max ) and And reviews. The only cheesy thing if the front handgrip. Hard to tell in photos but when I picked it up it that shouted “cheap” . It is functional and will to be an issue firing the AR. Just a matter of preference. Than you all for welcoming me here View Quote I don't care for the basic clam shell hand guard. If you want a easy and cheap drop in upgrade look at this. https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/forend-amp-handguard-parts/handguards-amp-rails/ar-15-m16-moe-sl-carbine-length-handguard-prod69780.aspx?avs%7cManufacturer_1=magpul |
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Leave now, seriously. Before it becomes an uncontrollable addiction that will cost you $$$$$$$
Welcome |
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Welcome OP
As some others have said ammo and mags are what you want right now. Unfortunately stocking up on ammo is expensive right now due to the current climate we are in. I'd say have at least 5 mags for the rifle if you can. General recommendations are Magpul PMAG Gen2/Gen3 or Lancer L5AWM if you want polymer mags, and Okay Industries Surefeed or D&H if you want metal mags. |
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Quoted: A few tips: Don't buy anything expensive to add to your (presumably) one and only AR. Optics, neato rail, whatever. Mags and ammo are what the current climate dictates is wise. That and you truly need to practice and become very familiar with your AR to understand what it needs (if anything) to suit your needs. Don't go down that rabbit hole right now. Mags. Ammo. Practice. Find a video here or elsewhere that details disassembly, cleaning, up to and including the bolt carrier group. You'll become a lot more knowledgeable in its operation by understanding how it fits together. It's all very simple once you do it a few times. A plain Jane AR in the hands of a proficient shooter is vastly more effective than a $2,500 AR, outfitted with a $3000 optic and various do-dads in the hands of a guy who never bothered to become a good shooter. Mags, ammo. Practice. If this gun is for home defense, I would consider a decent white light to add to it shortly. Half of our lives is at night....and it's dark. Spend a lot of time reading the various technical forum categories for AR's. There's a wealth of info on everything you can think of and even more for things you weren't aware to think of. Welcome. View Quote This is what I meant to quote- I think this right on, welcome and congrats on your new AR. Become proficient with it and enjoy. |
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Welcome aboard! Fair warning though, this site will cost you lots of money!
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Quoted: View Quote Ah, oops, too late! Thank you all for the warm welcome. Looking forward to shooting this rifle ASAP. I have had recent back surgery so it will be great to get back into shooting again and very soon. I bought this with stimulus money as I knew I could not afford it otherwise. Yep I am getting ammo a little here and a little there. It will be nice when things get back to normal (hopefully soon). Crazy run on ammo and guns. |
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Quoted: Good luck you will learn a lot about this wonderful weapon. Sometimes it is a tough love here but they mean well. Just be honest and realize people on this site know tons about the AR 15. Have fun./media/mediaFiles/sharedAlbum/hellyeah-175.jpg View Quote I have no doubt. Many of you have been in it for several years while I only 2 weeks |
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I have an AR15, 7.62x39. What other caliber uppers, if any, will fit my lower?
I inherited it from my brother in law. He bought it because ammo was cheap - we were buying Russian surplus ammo at the time. I already had an AK47 Thanks |
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A new AR owner.. What no one will tell you is no one owns just one AR. They are fun and there is lots of knowledge here.
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