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Posted: 3/22/2010 6:17:58 PM EDT
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First off, sorry if this is posted in the wrong section.
I am planning on purchasing a new Colt AR-15 this week and I had some general questions I was hoping you guys could help me with. 1. What barrel length? I plan on to use it mainly for varmit and hog hunting, less than 300 yds, 2. I really like the look of the Quad-rail, any suggestions? What's a good brand? 3. What kind of laser system would you recommend? 4. Can I adjust the sensitivity of the trigger? I plan on getting a 4x12/40 or 50 scope, most likely Leupold. Thanks for any help and advice yall can give, I appreciate it. -Marcus |
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Welcome aboard Marcus. You're in the right place to get lots of opinions and advice.
My advice? Wait a month. No, seriously. There's a metric sh!tload of good info that passes through here everyday, day after day. And some days have better stuff than that! Spend some time here and just ask questions, look at builds (pic threads "tacked" up top) hear some opinions. Bring a thick skin though, 'cause this is the internets afterall. 
My $0.02: 1) 20" for hunting. 2) Anything but UTG for the rail. (search for "free float handguards") 3) No laser for me, thanks. (they're harder to see than most people realize) 4) Search for "drop-in" trigger. If I were you, I'd go to the gunshop to look around, put some hands-on with different setups. Ask if they got anything with a match trigger or railed handguard. But remember, gun shops are like used car dealers. Whatever they have is best, everything else is crap. (and try to keep a straight face when they tell you that) The idea is to see these things for yourself. Be patient and look around. Big gun shows are great for that also. Get a clear idea of what you want, how much it should cost, and whether you should buy or build. That will take a little time, but here you are, in the right place afterall. Tex78 |
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Quoted: First off, sorry if this is posted in the wrong section. I am planning on purchasing a new Colt AR-15 this week and I had some general questions I was hoping you guys could help me with. 1. What barrel length? I plan on to use it mainly for varmit and hog hunting, less than 300 yds, 2. I really like the look of the Quad-rail, any suggestions? What's a good brand? 3. What kind of laser system would you recommend? 4. Can I adjust the sensitivity of the trigger? I plan on getting a 4x12/40 or 50 scope, most likely Leupold. Thanks for any help and advice yall can give, I appreciate it. -Marcus First off, I wouldn't go with Colt for a varmint rifle. It'd probably do, but there's better choices out there. 1. 20" for hunting 2. LaRue is my favorit of the quad rails, but several other companies make good ones as well. 3. I wouldn't 4. Not the stock trigger |
| Ok, looks like the general consensus is 'no' on the laser site, no problem, just seemed cool. I think I'll go with an 18'' barrel and Ill look into the quad rails that were recommended above. Just thought I would go with Colt because they have a lot of history and they seem reliable. Any recommendations on Brand, if not Colt? Thanks. |
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300yd/300m 16 is good to go with right twist and ammo. But I would recommend 18 to 20.
Rail get what you like I have no huge preference to state. Laser pass... put the money to training, ammo, and mags. You can tune or swap the trigger very easy Which Leupold are you looking at? |
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I went to the Gun Shop this morning and they mostly carried Bushmaster and Rock River rifles around the $1000 range give or take, they had a few used ones as well. Is any one brand better than the other? I would really like to get a good reliable one before I start putting money into accessories. Im pretty sure Im going to get an 18 inch barrel. I want the scope to be a 4x12/40mm Leupold, or something of similar quality. I've ruled out getting the laser, seems like everyone says no to getting one. My only setback right now is the brand to get, once I figure that out, consider it ordered. Thanks.
By the way, I dont plan on using this for competitions or anything, just recreational shooting and shooting the occasional Florida swine. |
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Quoted:
I went to the Gun Shop this morning and they mostly carried Bushmaster and Rock River rifles around the $1000 range give or take, they had a few used ones as well. Is any one brand better than the other? I would really like to get a good reliable one before I start putting money into accessories. Im pretty sure Im going to get an 18 inch barrel. I want the scope to be a 4x12/40mm Leupold, or something of similar quality. I've ruled out getting the laser, seems like everyone says no to getting one. My only setback right now is the brand to get, once I figure that out, consider it ordered. Thanks. By the way, I dont plan on using this for competitions or anything, just recreational shooting and shooting the occasional Florida swine. Go for RRA: http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs430.ash1/23786_370820188681_510918681_3788580_8313011_n.jpg |
| The concept behind the gas piston system is really good my 2 cents on it is wait a while on the gas piston setup and let the companies out there that are making them perfect/get the bugs worked out before buying a setup like that. other than that do your homework on all the brands there is too many to list you might want to look at building one because with that you buy it one piece at a time and you get everything you want. that is the best thing about your rifle is it is yours put whatever you want on there if you want a laser put one on it if you want two lights on each side go for the gusto. guys on here have great stuff to say but at the end of the day you are the only one that can decide what goes on your gun. |
| For an 18" barrel in 5.56 cal, I would go with 1/8 or 1/7 rifling so I could use the heavier bullets for larger game than varmints. You can still use the flat-shooting 55 gr for long shots on ground hogs, etc. You might want to include the Remington ARs in your deliberations since they are purpose-built for hunting. They also provide a .30 cal with the standard receiver. This is 125 gr at 2800 fps, plenty stout for deer, hogs, etc. I personally don't believe you need the 'quad rail' on a hunting rifle - just a very good variable-power scope. |
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ok, dont rush yourself. First we need a price range.
2nd, depending on #1, you may be better off having a custom gun built. check out Adco and bravocompany's 18" uppers. ussually they are called mk12 uppers since they are clones of the mk12 used by our military *not my pic but an awesome mk12 "clone" 
also check out daniel defences recce upper (16" barrel) at 300 yds, there will be no issue with the 16" get a 1/8 or 1/7 twist barrel. this will allow you to use the heaviest bullets available for them darn pigs 
and make sure you dont go cheap with your scope mount. oh and good decision on skipping the laser. not very practical. |
| Thanks for all the input guys. I just talked to someone else who has sold quite a few AR's and he said that a 16" will get the job done and they are cheaper than the 18" and he recommended the Gas Piston also. He also said that the Bushmaster is a pretty decent gun for the price. I like the setup that's in the last picture above, about what Im looking for. I really like the look of the quad-rail, just makes it look 'tougher' in my opinion. |
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I have to agree with those above who said that for your purposes, go with 20" or even 18". If you drop from 20" to 16" you're losing a good bit of velocity, which is a negative for hunting. Also, considering you'll be doing varmint shooting out to 300 yds, the added velocity of the 20" will give flatter trajectories, which are more forgiving if your range estimation is slightly off (read you'll get more hits on small critters). Also faster bullet = less wind effect on the bullet (not sure how windy it gets where you're at). Take your time doing the research and check out as many published sources as possible (they're a lot more credible than what you might find on the internet).
Regarding your question about Bushmaster vs. Rock River, I have both and have had no problems whatsoever (about 4,000 rounds through the bushmaster and 2,000 through the RRA). The Bushy is a standard 20" and will get 1/2 inch 5 shot groups at 100 yards, though that's with the addition of a RRA match trigger. Haven't done any serious accuracy testing yet with the RRA (it's a 16" midlength). The Rock River comes standard with the NM trigger though, so if you're looking at comparable models, and the price is the same, I'd go with RRA for that feature alone. |
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