I am interested in buying an AR-15 but am unsure what to look for, specifically nomeclature of the rifle and what accessories would be the best for it.  I not looking for anything with every bell and whistle, just a solid rifle with the accessories needed to  get the job done and maybe a little more.  Any suggestions, anyone?

USGI mags, quality ammo, and a good, comfortable sling

others: tac light, optics

rock river arms tactical entry model....that is gonna be my first AR at the end of this month...i cant wait

lots of extra mags and a picatinny rail w light

Master the iron sights before buying optics. Lots of usgi mags and good ammo.

Like others have said before, get several USGI magazines and find a good ammo that your gun likes. You would be best off mastering the iron sights before you choose an optic.

As for which rifle to get, I prefer the Bushmaster 20" but only you can decide which rifle you like the best.

Good Luck!!!

My first was a bushmaster 20in with iron sights. Get lots of mags, and plenty of ammo.

Extra mags, ammo,  a good sling and a rifle class. Then start thinking about other accessories.

My first AR was a Bushmaster 20" and I love it.  All you NEED are a bunch of mags, ammo, a good cleaning kit like the Otis Cleaning Kit, and you're good to go.  

I will echo the others and say GI mags.  You can find some good deals on the EE if you look around.  Here is a ranking of the mags by brand.  www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=17&t=163158

Quality Rifle - such as those from Bushmaster, RRA, or Colt.

USGI Magazines - such as from Okay Industries, D&H Industries, and NHMTG.

Quality Sling - I'd start with a 2-point sling (one that attaches to the front and back sling swivels) before experimenting with a 1-point or 3-point setup.

Ammo - See the ammo forum for more details. My rifle likes Federal XM193.

Cleaning - Otis Cleaning Kit & BreakFree CLP (or other similar products)

Training - find a class (see the training/tactics forum for ideas)

Quoted: I not looking for anything with every bell and whistle, just a solid rifle with the accessories needed to  get the job done

what's job you're trying to get done?

10 pages, at least....

AMMO!

Buy lots and lots of ammo RIGHT NOW, enough to stockpile and shoot comfortably. Ammo prices are only going up, and "good" ammo like XM193 and Q3131A is getting harder to find. The only good news i've heard in a while is that winchester is producing Q3131 domestically now, and that Wolf is also releasing a brass cased M193.

If you find a good deal, don't hesitate, buy buy buy. I recently found a new gun store that had some Israeli Q3131A and i didn't hesitate and bought everything they had on their shelf. 500 rounds of 55 grain goodness, woot!

Oh yeah, and about the tactical light? Buy something simple like a $50, sixty five lumen surefire/pentagon light. Save up your pennies for a decent optic as well, though you could go the cheapo route and get a clone aimpoint. I just sucked it up and bought a Eotech.

Haha, thank you for the response.  The "job" would be mechanical use efficiency.  I'm an LEO and our command is considering allowing the use of rifles on duty against highly armed subjects.  I have never bought an AR-15 but have fired many.  Not sure what to buy right off hand and seems as if not many have the right idea about which to get.  This forum has answered many questions already and I feel confident with these responses.  Thanks for answering.  

Thank you for the response.  I wholeheartedly agree with mastering the iron sights first.

Quoted: Haha, thank you for the response.  The "job" would be mechanical use efficiency.  I'm an LEO and our command is considering allowing the use of rifles on duty against highly armed subjects.  I have never bought an AR-15 but have fired many.  Not sure what to buy right off hand and seems as if not many have the right idea about which to get.  This forum has answered many questions already and I feel confident with these responses.  Thanks for answering.

I'm probably not qualified to answer this, but...

I put together my AR with more or less the same thought in mind.  I would recommend a good M4 style carbine with a BUIS, an Eotech or Aimpoint in a good mount, and a Surefire M500.  After that, ammo, magazines, and a sling.  

You have a few key choices to make.

1. Decide on a "M4" or "M16" like configuration, i.e. a 16" barrel with a collapsible stock or a 20" barrel with a fixed stock.

2. Decide on a removable carry handle, no carry handle or a fixed (non-removable) carry handle. With the carry handle removed, you have a rail on which to mount either a scope of some sort or an iron sight. For flexibility purposes, I would recommend that you at least buy an AR with a removable carry handle even if you don't currently plan to install a scope.

3. Decide on a chrome-lined or non-chrome lined (i.e., chrome moly) barrel.

4. Once you have answered 1, 2 and 3 above, decide on the brand of rifle you want. Good choices to pick from are Colt, Bushmaster, Rock River, Armalite, DPMS and Stag. Each of these rifles brands likely has more choices for you to make.

5. You also need to think about what you are going to use your rifle for, i.e., do you want a military-spec or a law enforcement spec rifle?

I have a 20" Bushy (looks like an M16) and a 16" Rock River Entry Tactical (M4 style). On balance, both are great weapons. The Bushy is closer to military spec. Rock River rifles come from the factory with more goodies for the money. My RRA came from the factory with a Yankee Hill free-float quad rail, Hogue grip, and two-stage trigger. I then  added an ACOG TA31 RCO scope.

For my Bushy, I free-floated the barrel and installed a Hogue grip, tuned Rock River two-stage trigger and a Leupold MR/T 3x9x36 scope.

I would encourage you to surf ar15.com, go to a few gun shows, go by the gun range and then buy with confidence. Depending how trick you want your rifle(s) to be, this can be an expensive hobby. We haven't even started talking about ammo, magazines, magpul anti-tilt followers, GI .50 caliber ammo cans, dessicants, and on and on. Good luck.

Broken shell extractor and, while the Otis kits are great (I have one), make sure you have a multi-section rod like the one in the USGI cleaning kit, too.  You don't actually want to clean with it, but you might need it to tap something out.

You will want the check with your department, and find out if they have specific makes of AR you are allowed to use on duty.

Get a "Gapper" for the space in between the
pistol grip and the trigger guard.
Less than five bucks, and very effective at
preventing blisters with extended firing.

Quoted: I am interested in buying an AR-15 but am unsure what to look for, specifically nomeclature of the rifle and what accessories would be the best for it.  I not looking for anything with every bell and whistle, just a solid rifle with the accessories needed to  get the job done and maybe a little more.  Any suggestions, anyone?

What exactly is the job you're trying to get done?

Thank you for the very detailed response.  This is exactly what I needed.  

What is a BUIS, and what is the best barrel twist rate for a 77-80 gr bullet?
I am a fairly new noob

Quoted: What is a BUIS, and what is the best barrel twist rate for a 77-80 gr bullet? I am a fairly new noob

A BUIS is an acronym for Back Up Iron Sights

They are used to "back up" a failed optic and generally fit under the rear portion of a flat-top mounted scope. There are also front BUIS set ups that replace the standard front sight base

See the Big Bad BUIS thread


eta: The best twist rate is 1/7 (5.56/.223)

the most popular AR round is 62gr or even 55gr, so 1/9 is a universal ROT.

More and more are going to, or prefer the 1/7 since it better stabilizes the heavier bullets. some precisions shooters go with a 1/8.

The heaviest that I have seen practically used is the 77gr.

Quoted: Oh yeah, and about the tactical light? Buy something simple like a $50, sixty five lumen surefire/pentagon light. Save up your pennies for a decent optic as well, though you could go the cheapo route and get a clone aimpoint. I just sucked it up and bought a Eotech.

What's the cheapest/easiest mount  (besides tape) to put a Surefire light on your AR?
Is there a way of doing it easily without having to by new rails, etc?

BUSHMASTER,COLT,RRA They are all good! Rifle or Carbines
No optics Yet Practice with lots an lots of Ammo!

The AR Rack grade is fine as is!

Besides the ammo and magazines, all you will need is this:

1. Hogue Grip

2. PRI Big Latch

3. McFarland 1 Piece Gas Ring

4. A Quaility 3 Point Sling

5. Sign up for a Class and Master your New Rifle