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Posted: 10/25/2002 11:35:28 PM EDT
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Hello all, I just joined the forum after lurking a bit. To be honest, I wouldn't have joined if there was search function in place on these forums but it's darn near impossible to find anything just flipping through pages of posts. I have limited experience with rifles and just purchased an H&K USP9c and have enjoyed it thoroughly but am toying with the thought of getting a nice rifle before they're all banned! I read the Ammo FAQ and that answered some questions but can anyone recommend a good starter AR-15 (mostly for plinking and HD)? I read in the ammo FAQ that a 5.56mm chamber is preferable to .223 Rem unless the .223 Rem is Mil-spec and then it doesn't matter (with regard to firing mil-spec high-pressure ammo). Did I interpret this correctly? I'm thinking about a post-ban Bushmaster...16" or 20"...which one? Any other brands to consider? What's the advantage to a muzzle brake (reduce muzzle rise)? I think a 1/9 twist is preferable correct? I'm not opposed to spending around $750 for a rifle, is this too little, too much? BTW, I've never fired one of these things either. I'm not sure where to go in order to fire one before buying one...basically, I'm an uber-newbie! Thank you for any advice you can offer! Drivie |
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Okey dokey, here we go: Get a carbine first, since shorter is better for HD, and the rifles only advantages are velocity and sight radius. Dont get a brake. They are loud and most AR recoil is the carrier moving anyway. If you think they are a good thing, you can get one later. Get Bushmaster, Cavarms, or RRA. They make fine products. Cavarms barrels are not chromed, so maybe you should consider BM and RRA first. Chrome is nice. 1/9 is a good one. 1/7 is OK, but thats mostly colt |
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Hey Jack, Thanks for the quick replies. Of the Bushmaster line of AR's which models (specifically) would you recommend? They have so many that I can't determine the differences. Kind of off the the trail a bit but how would you rate an AR-15 as compared to a Kalashnikov-type rifle (say a Robinson Armament VEPR K)? Thanks again! Drivie |
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Rock River and DPMS are in the top five (along with Colt, Armalite, and Bushmaster) in no particular order. Olympic would follow in at number six if you were to continue the list. Those six are really the only ways to go. They have the most experience and make products that more people have been satisfied with than not. Right now, many people, including myself, are saying that Rock River is the best quality at the best price. My advice: buy a Rock River stripped lower and a kit. Put it together and learn about every aspect of your rifle while you do it. Any way you go, I think you will be satisfied with the Rock River. Heck, stick with the top five or six and you should be satisfied anyway. Any rifle with a 5.56mm Nato chamber will be able to handle milspec ammunition. Any rifle with a .223 SAAMI chamber will not be able to handle the higher pressures of military rounds. All the companies will have both depending on which model rifle you buy. Competition rifles usually go with the SAAMI chamber. Always ask the manufacturer to make sure which chamber is in the rifle you are wanting to go with. |
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Thanks for the info Knightone. I looked at the Bushmaster site and every rifle was listed as .223 Remington. Is this the same as 5.56mm NATO or is it .223 SAAMI? Also, how would I go about getting a stripped lower and where would I purchase a kit to build my own? Thanks for your assistance. Drivie |
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The best thing to do is call and ask Bushmaster about the .223 listing. Generally, I think they are all 5.56 NATO chambers except for the competition models. Just call and make sure. A stripped lower can be ordered from any of the companies (except Colt) that make the rifles. They can also be obtained from any dealer that sells the rifles. The lowers, however, must be shipped to a FFL because this is the part that is considered the actual firearm. Legal Transfers and Norala Tactical Weaponry (both listed in the industry section of this site) have Rock River stripped lowers. Pete at Legal Transfers sells his at a slightly higher price ($125 from Pete and $110 rom Norala), but his has the neat "U.S. Property" mark stamped on the receiver above the selector switch. Norala also has Bushmaster lowers. Quantico Arms (also listed in the industry section) has Eagle Arms (Armalite) lowers for a good price. Olympic Arms, Model 1 Sales, and J&T Distributing (once again in the industry section) have a wide variety of kits for sale. Gunsnstuff.com has kits also, but their selection is limited to a couple of different ones, usually whatever they have on hand. Word on these boards is that J&T is the best with Olyarms fast on J&T's heels. I am not sure of Model 1 as i have no experience with their products ( I have just ordered some parts from them though) and I never hear anything on the boards about them. I'm sure there are others that sell kits, but I can't remember the others off the top of my head. I hope this gets you started, though. Another thing you can do is buy a complete lower with parts installed from one of the places that sells lowers and have them ship it to your local FFL. Then you can buy any upper from any company you want and just put the two halves together and have a complete rifle. This can also save you some cash because when a complete firearm is sold, it is automatically taxed as a firearm (something like 20% or something like that). The price of a complete firearm should have this tax included and will reflect that. If you buy the two halves separately, this tax is not included. Just remember, a lower must be shipped to your FFL. An upper can just be shipped to your house. A kit will include everything except a stripped lower, so it can be shipped to your house as well. Whichever direction you decide to go, I know you will love your AR. Good luck and have fun shooting. |
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Man Knight, you are a wealth of information and I can't thank you enough for your help. Couple more questions. I have some basic questions regarding AR's and am wondering if there is a FAQ somewhere that answers all the questions that a newbie would have like: What is a CAR? What does HBAR mean? How difficult is it to assemble a complete AR for someone who buys the kit and does it themselves but is a newbie? What materials should your AR be made from? That kind of stuff. Thanks again, Drivie |
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Drivie, I am not sure if there is a general FAQ on this site. I have never seen one, but it is a good idea. If it doesn't already exist, they should compile newbie questions and answer them. As for terminology, Hbar stands for Heavy Barrel. CAR has, in my experience, referred to AR carbines. Although i know Colt has marketed their AR light machine gun as the Colt Automatic Rifle (CAR) to military and Police. The upper is the hardest part to put togther, it has to be exact. Kits from J&T have the uppers already completed and require you to install only the parts of the lower. This can be difficult because of the wealth of small parts. If you are good with your hands, I'm sure it will be no problem. The best compromise would be to get the upper and lower separately. you save a few bucks and get a complete rifle. The places i mentioned before trhat sell lowers also sell uppers. so you can get both from the same place. See if they can preassemble the two halve together and see if the fit is tight and then have them ship the two halves separately, the lower to the FFL and the upper to your home. The one and only advantage to getting a complete rifle is that the factory ensures the fit of the two halves and the fitting is covered by warranty. The warranty might be worth it because I have heard of rifles coming from the factory sloppy or with a misaligned front site along with other problems (even from Bushmaster). Although I know J&T ensures their product and will replace any defective item they sell. I believe norala and legal transfers also do the same with their products as well, but don't be afraid to ask just to make sure. Bottom line is go with the guy who promises up front that they will replace any defective item with no charge and no questions asked. Both J&T and pete have a lot of supporters on this site that say they will do the right thing if there is something wrong. Around here, a lot of people say the same about Norala, and I myself have not had a problem with them ever. If you ever need info on any vendor, just post here asking for opinions. You are sure to get at least a dozen responses fairly quickly. Most people will want forged aluminum receivers. These are the most common and are extremely strong. Cast aluminum receivers are also available and are generally only a few dollars cheaper than the superior forged ones. Although, an AR receiver doesn't have that much pressure on any of it really. So unless you are absolutely going to severely abuse it, and i mean severely, you will not notice the difference. There are also receivers cut from solid pieces of aluminum, but I have never heard anything about these. Cavarms makes a carbon fiber/polymer type receiver with a built in pistol grip and buttstock that seems to be doing well for a lot of people. I plan on trying one of these myself on my next project. Hesse makes a carbon fiber/aramid receiver that is built like traditional receivers. I so not know how these ar, but Iear hess is going under, so I don't think these will be around much longer. Gunsnstuff.com has hesse rifles and Hesse receivers still in stock, though. As far as steel, titanium, and other materials, they don't seem to be too popular. Their cost is high, and the aluminum ones work without problems anyway. A good forged aluminum receiver will probably be the way to go. |
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sorry, I didnt see your post again. Your basic choices are iron sighted, flat topped, and dissipator. I do reccomend a 16 inch barrel. I advise against 14.5, as it isnt really powerful, and you need a muzzle device anyway. its up to you. Do you like sights or scope? |
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