Hello! I'm new to this site and new to AR 15's. I do not currently own one but I'm researching what will be the best first purchase for me. I have been hunting and shooting bolt action rifles pretty much my whole life so I'm familiar with them.

That being said, do you guys have any recommended literature for me to read? Books, magazine, websites, etc. Any help with deciding what should be my first purchase would be greatly appreciated.

I look forward to being able to participate in this forum.

Thanks!

The first decision is what will you use it for? do you want a Carbine, Tac Driver/Bench gun, and they are compromises in between. I started out with a carbine and went straight to a 24" bench RRA that would shoot 1/2moa and sorta ruined me for wanting all my ARs in the 1moa range. I have an 18" that will do 1/2moa and now want a 16" to do the same.



Decide on Length



Price and then start looking at manufacturers.



Bunch of quality guns can be bought in the 700-1000 range and can build one in the same price range with some nice upgrades.







 

On the main page of AR15.com, on the left side at the bottom, is a box that says "Articles and Documents". It is full of excellent info about the AR platform. I read every single one, and then lurked on the forum for a year before posting anything. I have been shooting and owning AR's for about 15 years, but never realized that this site was such a GREAT database of useful information. You will learn alot here, there are hundreds of very knowledgeable and experienced members online! Welcome and good luck on your future purchase.

Exact quote (of mine) from an earlier/similar thread:

"The first question to answer is what do you plan to do with this rifle? What do you want it to be capable of?

That will direct you to the parts you seek."

You will get plenty of help, but in order to be effective, you have to ask/answer the right questions.

Read the stickies in the AR subgroups you are interested in.

If you are building a rig you may use for hunting then I would recommend you go 6.8SPC II or bigger. I know a few guys that once they tried an AR for hunting they never touched their bolt rifles again.

Welcome!

Hi,





Well, you are where I was at about five years ago. I fried my brain researching and researching and was cross-eyed from reading about chrome lined cold hammer forged properly staked gas keys mid-length gas system what-nots.





I finally just took the plunge.





I found a guy selling a Daniel Defense M4 V1 in Iowa for a price too good to pass out, I bought it and since then have customized it all I want, thrown a wide variety of optics on it, etc. etc.





Most importantly, got professional training with it and now it is always my go-to rifle.





I say, buy as high a quality rifle as you can afford and just enjoy it.

 

You can read a hundred book and magazines, but they won't really lead you in any one direction.  What is your budget, and what is your intended use for the rifle?  Do you plan on just shooting paper with it?  Hunting?  Home protection and SHTF situations?


Personally, if I were in the market for a new rifle to learn with, this would be my choice:

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F1STR5035MLS&name=Spikes+Tactical+5.56%2f.223+16%22+Midlength+Rifle&search=laser

Thanks for the responses!

I'm looking to use the rifle for home defense and target shooting but also be able to take it coyote hunting. I doubt I'll use it for deer hunting since my bolt rifle does a fine job but you never know. I'm seriously looking at building one. It is a little bit cheaper and I see it as an excellent way to learn all about the rifle. I have a friend who has built around 30 of them and said he could help. Any thoughts on building one?

http://www.702shooter.com/community-awareness/ar15-primer-beginners-guide-purchasing-building/


Check out this article. It helped me a ton.

I just finished my first build. I would definitely recommend building one if you want to know all about how the rifle works and have an idea of exactly what you're holding.

AR15 Barrel Profiles

AR-15 Gas System Lengths


Upper Variants & Anatomy

Those should give you a few good primers. One I couldn't find a decent article on was rifling twists. Be aware that AR-15's are sold with a variety of rifling twists, and this will have an impact on what type of bullets you'll be able to shoot (with any degree of accuracy). Long story short, if you think you'll want to shoot any of the 69gr or heavier bullets, go with a 1:8 or 1:7 twist barrel.

There is a LOT of info out there. There's also a lot of unnecessary accessories, biased brand loyalty, and opinions of "must haves" that aren't based in reality. Remember in shopping around that there's a fine line between buying affordable and buying junk; there's just as fine of a line between buying quality and buying a name/gimmick. Ask questions here, there's plenty of folk willing to help. When in doubt, go with what Molon says.

Rather than getting overwhelmed with everything that's out there, outline the features YOU want in a rifle and try to find one that fits that criteria.

Building one is a good option, I've done it myself and helped others. Just be aware that the boxes of parts you end up with may not all mesh if you didn't do your due diligence before adding parts to your cart and clicking "buy." It's then that you find out things like your gas block wont work with your handguard, your stock wont fit the receiver extension, the upper has M4 feed ramps but your barrel doesn't etc, etc, etc.

Hope this helps, good luck!