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Posted: 7/23/2004 1:32:25 PM EDT
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Ok, I've decided to build an AR 15, but I need help choosing from among the myriad of available parts. Since I'm on a budget($900), I've decided to go with the J&T basic 16" CAR Kit with flatline upper($450+$65 for detach carry handle) and Olympic Arms T3 forged receiver($125). For mounting stuff, I think a freefloat quadrail handguard would be most practical for me(avg $90). My purpose for the rifle is to go spotlighting hogs, rabbits, skunks etc during most of the year and then, come November, hunt deer. So what I'm thinking right now is I could get a carry handle rail mount and mount the hunting scope onto the carry handle. Then when I want to go hunting, I just attach the carry handle. When I wanna go plinking or varmint hunting, I just take the carry handle off. For tactical lights I need help. I want to get a surefire, but the whole thing is confusing. I read the surefire intro by J. Chang, but I'm not sure if it meant that I needed to buy a complete flashlight in addition or if I could build one from the parts listed in the tutorial. Also surefire is expensive so I'm not sure if I want to spend $300 to mount a light on my gun. Plus surefire's website doesn't have an option to order a custom universal housing with the b option. What I would like for a light is to have it mounted to the side of the handguard with two switches taped to the handguard: constant on taped to the upper right and pressure switch on the upper left. Let me know if my plans are sound, how I could improve them, etc. Any help would be much appreciated.hug.gif |
Hey Welcome the site. I'm guessing what your calling a Flatline upper is a Flat top . The detachable handle is nice . If your mounting a scope on this rifle I would pass on the detachable handle and mount your scope directly on the Flat top. Its better to have your scope as close as possible to the barrel . Plus once you sight in your scope you really don't want to keep taking it on and off.You could rig up any small flashlight to work , you just need a mount to hold it . There's companies that make something like that, just look around on Brownells or one of the tactical sites. I don't know about your hunting laws but here its illegal to hunt with a light. You might wanna check your local laws. Good luck SaFe ShOoTiNg Jerry |
| I was looking through a magazine and came across an ad. HolderFobus USA makes a Tactical Light Holder that holds a Surefire or StreamLight (Scorpion) . I know the Scorpion is around $40 at Cabelas. |
| hey, nice tip about cabelas. Is there any way I could get a scorpion light with different switch options though? Like the surefire's that have a constant on button on the back of the light with a wire leading out for a pressure switch. is it possible to modify scorpion's that way? |
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link to the kit i'm buying: JT 16" CAR barrel is "Shaw 1x9 twist, chrome moly match Hbar." ... lots of cool words in that phrase so it must be goodh.gif i got ahold of an older (2002) surefire catalog and it's got all kinds of info on buying light parts where you can specify switch type and length of wires etc... i guess i'll just call them and see what I can find out... |
Advertising. Chrome moly just means they made the barrel out of chrome moly steel...like any other barrel. Chrome LINED means they chrome line the chamber and bore to improve reliability and extend barrel life significantly. The above barrel is chrome-moly, which is another way of saying it's a plain old barrel. Chrome-moly is just advertising, and people have been screwed by it before. Troy's rifle had bad pitting in the bore due to some mismarked corrosive ammo. If he had had a chrome-lined barrel, that would not have occured. Now he is the leader of the catch phrase 'Go chrome or go home'. Chrome for durability, stainless for accuracy. Simple as that. Also HBAR means Heavy Barrel, which you probably don't want. It's a pain in the ass to carry around an HBAR rifle everywhere, so if you plan to do some walking/stalking with your rifle, you probably want something lighter. Of course, lighter will cost you. The parts kit dealers are counting on that. And of course none of the lightweight kits (Not even Model 1) are available with chrome-lined barrels, so unless you want to custom build your upper (Which I am doing, because I am a picky bastard and I want a lightweight chromed barrel!) you are gonna be stuck with an HBAR. You can get an HBAR if you want, but I HIGHLY recommend chrome-lining. Your barrel will last a whole lot longer, for only another $30. Model 1 sells most of their kits with chrome-lining as an option, which is why I recommend them over J&T and M&A. I will now step down from my soap box. Rant on, fellow ranting ARFCOMers. |
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hm... this model 1 kit says it has a chrome-lined chamber and bore, and it has an option for a chrome bolt carrier. but it also says it has a chrome moly barrel... so does that mean the barrel's finish is chrome moly? or what? this is the one im looking at any help clarifying this would be much appreciated. |
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Chrome moly is the type of steel the barrel is made of. Chrome lined is a chrome plated chamber and bore. Some people like one. Some like the other. If you're shooting a million rounds or never clean your rifle, get chrome lined. If you clean it after each use--which you're supposed to do--and shoot an average amount, chrome moly (not chrome plated) is just fine. HBAR--heavy barrel--is okay for Texas style, deer blind, hunting. However I don't recommend any .223/5.56 round for deer unless you're a really great shot and can kill a deer with one shot in the right place. If you're like most of us you can't do that. Do not wound game--it gives the anti-hunters a good reason for publicity. HBAR is a very good choice for accurate varmint hunting, and would be my choice for that type of shooting. Of course, others will have other opinions. Read a lot before you buy. Avoids the "wish I'd known that" mistakes. Good luck with whatever you choose. |
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Andy, If you are on a budget, you could probably save a few bucks and go with an RRA, Eagle Arms, or Stinger/Mega lower. If you look around and ask questions here, you can probably find one for around $85. I made my 1st build on an Eagle Arms lower that I got for $85 from Quantico Arms, and it works great. If you have a flat top, why not get a flat top mount? I bought one from the following place, and it works great (some people might flame me for this not being a mil-spec part, but the fit and finish is great and it's solid as a rock on my AR): http://www.johnmasen.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=J&Product_Code=1508N&Category_Code=AA Anyway, just my $.02. Happy building! |
M&A? Who Dat? |
I don't think anyone else has said this yet. The kit you are looking at is a Pre-Ban kit. That means you can't assemble it with a Post-Ban lower. When the ban sunsets on September 13th you could assemble it. Otherwise if you plan on building it before September 13th, you'll need a Post-Ban kit. |
I do know the Scorpion has a constant on button. Whether you can get a wire lead with a pressure switch I don't know. The scorpion I have doesn't come apart at the rear like the Surefires do. You access the battery compartment from the front , maybe they changed the newer lights. Check the StreamLight web site maybe they have something . You could get the SureFire G2 ,that runs around $30 but it doesn't have a constant on ,thats $30 extra . Nothings cheap thats for sure. 
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hey guys thanks for all the responses. haven't checked the post in awhile because a friend of mine died in a car wreck last saturdayhe about lower receivers, i wanted to get a forged one, and the lowest price I could find for forged was olympic arms. but i'll look at rra and eagle again to make sure. never heard of stinger/mega but i'll ckeck them out too. thanks for the tip. I'm not really concrete on choosing car over rifle length yet, but I think ill go car. Who is M&A? Got a web addy please? Yes, I know the kit I mentioned is pre ban. i'm gonna order my kit a week before the ban ends and assemble it the first weekend after sept 13. I decided to go with surefire(though I haven't gotten the whole scoop on their 'build your own light' program) because surefire seems to be the standard for gun lights. I looked at their 2002 catalog and it described the different options for the build it yourself deal and I can get exactly what I want with that. |
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Get one of these lowers and save about $20 to $30. www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=21&t=214100 Get the first kit with the Chrome lined Chamber and bore for $450, and select the option for the A3 Flat top with carry handle +$75. Model 1 Sales 16" Car kit with Chrome lined bore Keep them seperate until after the ban expires on Sept 14, 2004. Edited to fix link to kit |
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