i live in dacula GA 30019 near lawrencville. im looking for a few shops i can browse and chat about ar15 preferably a shop that won't screw me over. the few gun shops i do visit is mainly handguns and so i rather find a shop that really knows what they are talking about when it comes to AR. i got money burning a hole in my pocket so before it falls out i want to see a shiny AR15 in my hands this week.
could you guys also recommend some gun ranges with more then the typical 75ft.

Ed's down in Stockbridge has a good stock of weapons and ammo. Call before you make the drive.
http://edspawn.com/

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http://www.ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=8&f=35

+1

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The great world wide web!

In my experience gun shops are a waste of time especially if you're searching for knowledge! Remember, they're sales people. They want to sell you what they have so that they can pay the bills. It's business. Of course there are some great dealers/employees/shops but in general, I'd trust the consensus of a couple dozen strangers on Arfcom more than 2 guys in my local gunshop! As you said, most local shops don't specialize in ARs, so why look to them for advice?

This +1

Just find a shop that has a good FFL transfer fee and order online and have it shipped to the shop of your choice.

98% of the shops around my area have employees that don't know squat about AR's, or pretty much most of their inventory. Its usually whats the most expensive is the best (which can be true). I've been fed all kinds of BS before in shops when it comes from advice. Every store has a few ex Navy SEALs or SF that buys stuff from them......if that is the case former operators love Middle TN.

Only one shop that knows its shit around these parts (middle TN) is Hero Gear, but its an hour n half drive, so I just order and ship to FFL.

Just research online, ask ?'s, find out who's got what on sale, and order it via the web!

its true forums really are the #1 place to soak up knowledge. i realize everything i need to know can be found here but you still can't beat the hands on you get at the store when you can pick it up and feel it its right for you. i can look and read all i can about a car but you can't get the same test drive feeling from a monitor that you can at the actual dealer if you get me.
my army cousin told me at the base they have a Remington 5.56 18in free float barrel, adjustable competition style stock, flip up sights, bipod for $1500 sounds great but i still want to hold it in my hand before buying. like little red riding hood i want to know if its to small to big or just right in my hands. also since its a complete rifle i will want it to be as close to what i would build.
considering the barrel, bipod and stock this rifle seems to be more geared to shoot long range.  what i had in mind was something as light, short as possible that can also take down wild boar and maybe even a deer but for the most part it will just see paper.

im sure most AR15 will do what i want so ultimately what would make me hit the "buy it now" button is something light i can carry for hrs and look good doing it.

And I'll further add that unless you're near a fully stocked AR specialty store, among other guns, you're options on anything AR related are severely limited. In this age of cyber stores, it just makes sense to buy online. Deals are usually better online as well.

I've actually bought a brand new car before test driving it, I just knew it was what I wanted, but I get what you're saying. In your case go to all of the local shops and handle as many different configurations as you can, take notes, take what each salesman says with a grain of salt, and ask a million questions here before buying.
I'll bet you that if you buy a new rifle locally rather than online you're spending too much. If you find exactly what you want in a store get as many specs on it as possible or even take a couple quick pics and ask us to help you find the best deal on that rifle or maybe even one a bit better.

eta: that $1500 "deal" doesn't sound too great but without knowing details we can't know for sure. Regardless, you said it's not the configuration you want so definitely pass on it.

the great thing about AR15 is they are like legos with an almost endless configuration possibility but that is also what makes it confusing to a novice like me. if you want to talk cars i can do that having done autobody both paint and body for 15 years. yea i can buy a car without test driving it since cars is what i do for a living so i know them inside out. an AR15 on the other hand i never owned 1 and dont have to many friends with them either. I have a group of friends with CCW that i go to the range with every month or so. we have a decent selection of hand guns we practice with and want to add AR15s to our arsenal.
i can tell you what i want it to LOOK like and DO but for the technical stuff im clueless.

i want a light weight 5.56, i like the tactical rail look so the plastic round heat shields is not for me.

i found this in the build it yourself forum

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab101/josephgustafson/Gunpictures006.jpg

this is pretty much what im looking for. i  love almost everything on here or very close to it.  i would add a vertical grip. barrel seems very short to me i  do like it but would this be capable of say 300 yards? i would probably put on a 3x9 scope or higher mag for that.




ok these are pics of things i DON'T want so you get an ideal of what im looking for.

the stock will work ok but the round style heat shield i dont like or the front and rear iron sights.
http://img197.imageshack.us/i/thewelcomingcommitee001.jpg

the stock on this is not my cup of tea

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/7555/1002186s.jpg

this looks like it can really reach out and touch someone and i would totally want it but as my 2nd AR15 for when i need the distance. i like the stock, has flip up sights for close range plinking. bipod and scope for long range hunting.
come to think of it this is a perfect hunting rifle, and if i take off the scope/bipod and add a vertical grip then it would be the perfect paper punching plinker too. only thing i can't seem to get away from is the tatical rails off the first pic.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c341/faawrenchbndr/CB68SPCintheweedsI.jpg

also not my cup of tea,
dont care for the iron sights, heat shield or  stock

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii279/romeosierra616/DSC00311.jpg

can you guys recommend me a 1 stop shop website i can add items to the cart  and get feedback here. im itching to buy so my obsession  won't stop till i get 1.

Nice try WP,  why is this post still here?
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=492086

what are you trying to say? that i should post in the GA forum or pointing out that im a Fing moron?

It's a ways, but +1 on eds pawn for both ARs and Glocks.  As far as ranges, I'm on the other side of Atlanta but there's a DNR range in Jasper County.

OK, well this is a good starting point! The first pic is an SBR (short barreled rifle) since it has a barrel less than 16" total length. In order to build/buy an SBR you need to go through the NFA process and pay for a $200 tax stamp; it's about a 3-4 month process and may be a little trickier depending on your local sheriff. So you don't want iron sights, a fixed stock, std handguards, or a fixed FSB and you DO want a flat top receiver, free float handguards preferably quad rail, optics, collapsible stock, relatively lightweight.

You may like a Recce style rifle...? Here is mine 2nd from right:
16" barrel, 10" Daniel Defense Lite rail, LMT SOPMOD stock, Burris XTR 1-4x scope in Larue SPR-E mount, etc.


Your one-stop shop would be BravoCompany/BCM if you want it now, Spike's if you want to save a few bucks and can wait a few weeks, or SmartGunner if you want a great deal and can wait 6+ weeks. All of these options are top quality!

i think he was just trying to say that you will get a better response in the hometown section because not everyone else on here knows where to shop in GA...

its good that you know what you want but i cant tell you from experience you wont know EXACTLY what you like until you try different things, but you are on the right track, goodluck

thx for the help. and yes the 2nd to the right is pretty much  what i want.
question. i was looking at bravocompanyusa, is the upper receiver "group" mean  a complete item? like ready to bolt on a complete lower receiver?
i just dont know nearly enough to order part by part so a complete upper and lower would eliminate a lot of guess work and errors on my part.

Upper receiver group at BCM means upper assembly minus bolt carrier group(BCG) and charging handle. They have an option in the drop down menu to add a BCG/CH for $139 IIRCn/m they removed those options. So you'd just need a complete lower from any manufacturer, upper receiver group, and BCG/CH. All you'd have to do is push together 2 pins and decide what sights you want to use and you're ready to rock.

The upper reciever groups from BravoCo just need a BCG, Charging handle and handguards if you get one without them.

9/10 items at bravocompany seem to be out of stock. any other good sites with upper receiver groups i can look at? i  been clicking on every manufacture link at the top of the page but you guys might know of a better place thanks.
so let me see if i understand this right. if i get any barrel shorter then 16" i will need extra paper work and fees? well if that's the case ill just look for 16+ then or 14.5 with a permanent flash suppressor to make it 16"
5.56 and 1:7 twist. is what im aiming for so the search is starting to narrow down.
again thx for putting up with a novice like me but  we all got to start somewhere right.

Here are a couple options for you but you can mix and match them at will:

1: BCM 16" SS410 w/ DD Lite 12" rail $875
BCM M4 lower $360
BCM Gunfighter charging handle $45
BCM BCG $140 out of stock currently

2: BCM 16" BFH middy w/ Troy TRX extreme 13" rail $729
BCM M4 lower $360
BCM Gunfighter charging handle $45
Daniel Defense BCG $125 after coupon code see Smartgunner's industry section to get coupon codes

3:DD custom upper (16" 1/7 lightweight middy, low-pro gasblock, 10 or 12" M4 rail, A2 flash hider) $655
Daniel Defense BCG $125 after coupon code
DD charging handle $23 after coupon code
LMT lower w/ SOPMOD, 2stg trigger, ambi selector $509

4:Spike's 16" M4 upper w/ 9" BAR rail $675 includes BCG/CH
Spike's M4 lower $275
You could easily change stocks on any of these lowers but don't know why you would change the SOPMOD.