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Posted: 11/11/2008 8:31:28 PM EDT
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As someone very new to the AR platform, please forgive my basic questions.
1) To learn as much as possible on the AR, is there any recommended book to help me become more familiar with the AR platform and building your own, etc? 2) The gun will only be used only at a target range of 100 and 200 yards. To build a mid to upper quality AR, what kind of cost might I be looking at, excluding optics? 3) .223 is the dominant caliber, and I have no justifiable reason for anything else, but what happens to cost if I move to .308? 4) I live in California. I am not all that familiar with the law, but some lowers I have seen include a "bullet" button (tool required to release mag). What kind of rifle components do CA owners prefer? Thank you for your comments and patience with the elementary questions. - Phil |
First of all I will say welcome to the board.  
Now I am not up on Cali laws, I just know they suck. Check out the Hometown forums where other Cali residents could answer some of the legal questions better. Quoted:
As someone very new to the AR platform, please forgive my basic questions. 1) To learn as much as possible on the AR, is there any recommended book to help me become more familiar with the AR platform and building your own, etc? Patrick Sweeney has written books on the AR-15 and gunsmithing. 2) The gun will only be used only at a target range of 100 and 200 yards. To build a mid to upper quality AR, what kind of cost might I be looking at, excluding optics? That all depends on you, your budget, and what you want to spnd. Complete rifles range from mid &800 to over &1500 3) .223 is the dominant caliber, and I have no justifiable reason for anything else, but what happens to cost if I move to .308? That's a hole new rifle all in it self. 4) I live in California. I am not all that familiar with the law, but some lowers I have seen include a "bullet" button (tool required to release mag). What kind of rifle components do CA owners prefer? Check the hometown fourms. Thank you for your comments and patience with the elementary questions. - Phil |
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Quoted:
As someone very new to the AR platform, please forgive my basic questions. 1) To learn as much as possible on the AR, is there any recommended book to help me become more familiar with the AR platform and building your own, etc? 2) The gun will only be used only at a target range of 100 and 200 yards. To build a mid to upper quality AR, what kind of cost might I be looking at, excluding optics? 3) .223 is the dominant caliber, and I have no justifiable reason for anything else, but what happens to cost if I move to .308? 4) I live in California. I am not all that familiar with the law, but some lowers I have seen include a "bullet" button (tool required to release mag). What kind of rifle components do CA owners prefer? Thank you for your comments and patience with the elementary questions. - Phil 3) Getting an AR in .308 will jack up the bill significantly all over the board. Id focus on something in 5.56/.223 for your first builds. 4) First off, you should check out calguns.net if you havent done so yet. Think of it as an ar15.com for us Californians. Get familiar with that site because the people in those forums have done their homework on CA's fubar laws. Now as for what components CA owners prefer, I assume you mean items to make it CA compliant. Right? |
Here's a thread that I found helpful when I was first learning about ARs (all of about two months ago  ).
Take your time and absorb all that for a bit and begin thinking about what kind of rifle you might like to put together. Sorry, I have no California-specific knowledge to impart (other than that I'm glad I don't live there). Take care. |
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+1 to Pat Sweeney's AR-15 books. He has two volumes out. Needless to say, read the first one first (well, duh). It is packed with good information for a novice to get their feet on the ground. The second one isn't really essential - it mainly deals with different brands. But that one is interesting too. Walt Kuleck has an AR-15 book out too. You can Google up the exact title, I don't remember. That one is pretty good too, but I liked Sweeney's better. If you can get your hands on a copy, there is a DVD program called "Mastering the AR-15" by Lenny Magill that has a very good "how to" on disassembly, where you can watch a gunsmith take one apart and then put it together again. Lots of good tips on marksmanship and even a little defensive/tactical info too. I got my M-16 training from Uncle Sam 28 years ago, but even I learned a thing or two from Sweeney's book. Good luck & welcome to ARFCOMland. P.S. I don't know jack about California laws, but I know they are very restrictive. Be damn careful and make sure you know the state laws BEFORE you start tinkering with anything. |
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Quoted:
Yes, want to better understand what CA compliant components are being used by Californians, and also how they are different than what might otherwise be used. I'll be visiting Calguns.net for more CA specific input. Thanks, - Phil OK, I'll give you some info on some CA compliant features. The Bullet Button is probably the most popular amongst Californians. As you may already know, it replaces the standard mag release button. Once installed, the mag cannot be dropped without the use of a tool. Its a great item to get if you want to keep features such as a flash supressor, pistol grip, collapsile stock, etc. This feature cannot/must not be used with magazines greater than 10 rounds. The Prince 50 mag lock kit is intended for top loading only (top loading is quite the hassle in my opinion). It also replaces the standard mag release button. It locks the mag into place by preventing the mag realease button from being pressed through the use of a long set screw. When you tighten the set screw, it becomes CA compliant. Again, you cannot/must not use magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds. If you decide to do some shooting of state, the Prince 50 can be used as a normal mag release button by loosening the set screw. The B15 Bullet Button is another good option. The B15 installs on the Prince 50 and can be used in the same manner as the Bullet Button. It is rather bulky but it is easy to install and remove. If you make frequent trips out of CA, it would be a good choice becuase it can be removed easily to utilize the mag rlease button underneath. Magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds is prohibited with this feature. If you are interested in this feature, I would recommend you wait for the new model to be released within the next couple of months. The new model will not be as bulky and will have a different and more efficient design. The MonsterMan Grip is a great option if you want to utilize your detachable magazine feature without the use of a tool. Yes it does look goofy but from what I hear, it doesn't feel all that goofy. The MosterMan Grip is not a "pistol grip" as defined by CA law. Note that you cannot have any of the following features if you choose to use the MonsterMan grip: thumbhole stock, folding or telescoping stock, grenade launcher or flare launcher, flash suppressor, forward pistol grip. In other words, your rifle must be "featureless". Those are just some of the big players in making AR15's CA compliant. Take a look at their corresponding links to read up on them and see their images. Im sure some of this stuff may be a litle bit confusing but give it some time and you'll get the gist of it. And again, take a look at calguns.net for even more info from some gentlemen who really know their stuff. They'll be happy to help you out. Here is a great link with a step by step layout for building a CA compliant AR15: http://blog.riflegear.com/articles/building-a-california––legal-ar-15-rifle.aspx [I threw this stuff together in a rush so if anyone sees some mistakes let me know] |
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