AR Sponsor
Posted: 9/22/2011 2:16:02 PM EDT
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I want to buy while I'm still able a gift for an old dear friend of mine, who has been nothing short of a saint during my illness, while at the same time introduce him to the AR world.
However, I need some help from you all, as is is not your everyday AR item. BTW, I did run a search (and if I did it correctly) came back with zero results. I want to buy him a LEFT HANDED AR KIT, preferably a 16" heavy bbl., preferably somewhere around a 1/9 twist A-2 stock and 5.56 chamber, A/3, or A/4 receiver. I've known this guy for 45 years, and since I've been diagnosed with my illness HE'S CALLED ME AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK ON THE PHONE, and we live 1K miles apart, so he's spent a ton of money, just trying to help keep my spirits up, etc. I don't have a lot of money, so I need to get out just as inexpensively as possible, without getting into the junk equipment. I don't want to name names here , however one of the junk companies starts with the initial "V", and the other with the other "B", also no carbon fiber, as far as I'm concerned the jury is still out on them, plus I have no experience them, and want to stick to aluminum and steel. I really, really want to do this for him, but economics play a HUGE factor here. I'm going to have to go into debt to do this, so you can see just how important $$ are here. BTW, I'm not getting him a lower here. He can do this on his own. Doing this for him is extremely important to me. Friends like this a very few and far between, and I want to get him something to remember me by !!!!!!!!! Last thing I would request of you guys that if there's anything you can do to TRY and keep this on page one, I would appreciate it so much. As you all know, once a subject reaches page 3 or 4, the chances of it getting back into page one, and much attention it brings is pretty slim. It's that important to me to do this for him, I'll do whatever I can to get him this left handed kit. As I've said, and will repeat, this quality of friend seldom comes along !!!!! Bang-Flop ETA: The whole point of this post is "who makes what I'm looking for"? Bound to be several somebody(s) |
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Quoted:
Here's a lefty I built for my (ex) wife. Stag upper receiver, Stag BCG, Noveske barrel (all from Rainier Arms) Troy forend, Noveske Flaming Pig, amidexterous controls. http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u247/SaturationTech/SBRs.jpg Hope that helps out some. Thanks a bunch for that and PLEASE keep them coming. I've got a feeling that one's going to be out of my price range, but I'll check it out and see. Thanks again, Bang-Flop |
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Quoted:
Does it have to be a lefty? I'm left handed, and the right handed ones with ambi controls works just fine, and you would have more choices to choose from. Being a right hander myself, it's hard for me to get a the concept on shooting left handed. Are there companies out there that sell ambi complete parts kits? I mean down to the last little piece that you need. You know how it is when you start buying small AR parts, they (vendors) can really nickle and dime you to death in a hurry, and all they have to do is leave out one little spring, etc. then here you go on a search mission. I'm getting him an A-2 stock to go with this, and if there is a company that sells COMPLETE AMBI SMALL PART KITS, then I might be interested in checking that out. The main thing is I want him to be TOTALLY comfortable when shooting this AR. For me, there's nothing worse than having something you just despise using. I had a 1982 Chevy half ton, bought new, that I absolutely hated !!!!! Matter of fact, when I would get in it and go to work, it would ruin a good part of my day, just knowing I was going to have to get in that thing to go home. So if you know a company that sells these complete ambi parts kits, I'd really appreciate a link. Good tip, and thank you for it. Bang-Flop |
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Quoted: Quoted: Does it have to be a lefty? I'm left handed, and the right handed ones with ambi controls works just fine, and you would have more choices to choose from. Being a right hander myself, it's hard for me to get a the concept on shooting left handed. Are there companies out there that sell ambi complete parts kits? I mean down to the last little piece that you need. You know how it is when you start buying small AR parts, they (vendors) can really nickle and dime you to death in a hurry, and all they have to do is leave out one little spring, etc. then here you go on a search mission. I'm getting him an A-2 stock to go with this, and if there is a company that sells COMPLETE AMBI SMALL PART KITS, then I might be interested in checking that out. The main thing is I want him to be TOTALLY comfortable when shooting this AR. For me, there's nothing worse than having something you just despise using. I had a 1982 Chevy half ton, bought new, that I absolutely hated !!!!! Matter of fact, when I would get in it and go to work, it would ruin a good part of my day, just knowing I was going to have to get in that thing to go home. So if you know a company that sells these complete ambi parts kits, I'd really appreciate a link. Good tip, and thank you for it. Bang-Flop The only ambi control that I actually use is an ambi safety. The one that I like best is the Badass safety, and it can be found in the Arfcom store. The reason that I like the BadAss is that there are different paddles that you can install. I found that with a regular ambi safety, the safety paddle seemed like it was in the way. But with the BadAss, I installed the short skinny paddle on the left side if the receiver, and that standard on the right side. Now, I don't even notice the safety with my trigger finger, unless I need it. With the exception of the safety, I like to keep things basically standard as far as controls. There are a few ambi controls, that you could look into. The Magpuls BAD lever can make releasing the bolt a little easier, though I can reach the standard release with my trigger finger easily. Norgon makes an ambi mag release, that I have heard some good things about. I'm not aware of any LPK that have the ambi controls included, but maybe someone else knows of one. The only other thing as a lefty that I would prefer, is to have an upper with brass deflector...not one of the slick sides. Hope this helps. 
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I hope this helps you, I'm helping my friend out with building his first ar and he's a lefty. Short of finding it on the exchange which if far and few in between. the best deal I found was this. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=920208. Then add the rest and you should be fine. I've found that going left handed is just a little more expensive. He's not to worried about the amby controls as that will be down the road when he gets the money for it. Good luck.
edit: midway useally has a deal on buy $100 get $10 off, $200 get $20 and so on. |
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I have a Stag arms upper that i built to what i wanted, I use a ambi safety and that's it dont really need it for just shooting at the range tho
you can get a upper fully put together from stag this one has no sights tho but some other options have sights http://www.stagarms.com/product_info.php?cPath=14_23&products_id=222 LPK from palmetto http://palmettostatearmory.com/417.php not the best pic but here is mine http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k64/etniesracer/beowulf/Recent017.jpg |
| Lookup Bravo Company. From there you can get individual parts, complete uppers or lowers etc depending on what level of "build" you are up to doing. Anything in about any configuration you can think of. They sell good quality parts and at a reasonable price. They also carry ambi safety levers but I too would suggest the BADASS ambi selector safety. Although a little more expensive, it does give you more options which I find useful, aspecialy on the trigger finger side. I’m left handed and my wife is right handed, we both have no problem what so ever firing her right handed rifle or operating any of the controls. And as stated above, as long as the upper has a shell deflector (which 99% of the newer models do) he will be just fine. If it doesn’t have the shell deflector (like the older Colt Sportster) he will end up with nice crescent shaped marks on his right cheek. I know from experience. |
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As a southpaw I haven't found the lefty controls to be that much of a difference.
My main concern were the inherent safety features built into the AR upper and bolt carrier assembly, not to mention the occasional hot brass going down my collar when shooting at an indoor range. You should be able to meet your criteria with a STAG kit, the only issue I see is the requirement for a 16" heavy barrel. Contact STAG and see what they can do for you. Some of the dealers here can definitely help you out but I can easily see the price tag being beyond the realm of a budget gun. |
Sorry to be so long getting back to you guys, but I'm still trying to make this "team membership" work both ways (in my head), and so I'm still fumbling around some with it .
First, and foremost, I don't know how to hot link, so sorry for that. Question #1: What if I get this STAG upper assembly http://www.stagarms.com/product_info.php?cPath=14_23&products_id=222 Question #2: And get this STAG A-2 stock assembly http://www.stagarms.com/product_info.php?cPath=19_28&products_id=251 They also offer what they call an A-2 Aftermarket A-2 Kit, but I have absolutely no idea what this includes, nor if it's necessary or not? Question #3: Just get the STAG LEFT handed safety. Right handed shooters don't need an ambi safety, so why should left hand shooters need a right handed option? Chime in here if you strongly disagree !!!!!! Remember in my OP I stated that cost is a BIG FACTOR in giving him this gift, so if I can use parts that will work, but may only be a slight inconvenience, then that's the way I need to go !!!!!!!! Question #4: I notice STAG sells a very high priced left handed mag release. Will the std. right handed one work, or not? I sure hate to spend the $90.00 they want, and that totaling all these other small parts could be a deal breaker. Question #5: Will the rest of the small parts for a std. RIGHT HANDED kit fill out the rest of the bill, and if it will work, where would you recommend I purchase it. I like the concept of those tapered roll pins, but I haven't bought any small parts of any kind in a long, long time. Also, going this route I would only pay shipping from two different places. As I stated in my original OP, I trying to get out of this without spending a lot of $$, because I simply don't have it !!!!!!!! Given the above info I've supplied, can you guys go ahead and help me finish this project off? And just because I may not have taken a suggestion, you've already made, please don't take offense, and don't hesitate to suggest something else. I really want to get this project put to bed, but I want to do it correctly (where the guy I'm giving this gift to won't have to be chasing parts. As I said in my OP, when he receives the last pkg. from me (or the vendor), I want him to have a complete left handed AR, minus the lower) !!!!!!! I'll call Stag tomorrow, and go as far as I can there, but I'd also like to make all calls tomorrow if possible, but that's where you guys come in. Please don't quit on me, as I'm pretty well lost, minus the info in this post, and the info you've posted. Please keep the info coming, and many thanks to all of you who have helped me so far !!!!!! Bang-Flop |
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Lefty here. All my ARs are right handed; in my opinion the left handed ARs offer no real advantage for lefties and I'll probably never own one. As long as a standard (right handed) AR has a brass deflector then the brass will not hit a lefty. The only lefty friendly control I put on my ARs is an ambi or left handed selector. The Stag lefty or newer Colt selectors (which are reversible) work well for lefties as do ambi selectors. Some lefties like the ambi mag releases like the Norgon (which I believe is the one Stag sells) which are around $90, but I just use the standard mag release and eject mags with my right thumb.
You're looking to buy all parts for the rifle less the stripped lower receiver, right? Are you dead set on the heavy barrel, 1:9" twist and A2 stock? If not, Palmetto State Armory has some good deals on AR kits that include everything you need for a complete rifle except the stripped lower (and possibly the rear sight as that isn't shown in the picture). They have a few listed for $489.99, but these have 1:7" twist and collapsible stocks. You could check with them if they'd substitute an A2 stock for the collapsible stock. The M4A1 kit might use the SOCOM barrel profile which is fairly heavy, but not certain on this. Just add an ambi selector and possibly a rear sight (check with them if included in kit, because I'm not sure) and you'd be all set. I don't have any personal experience with the PSA kits, but they're a good deal and there are tons of reviews on here to check. I think that covered most of your questions, but let me know if I missed anything. |
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I know this isn't exactly the info you're looking for but... I'm a lefty, I've shot right handed ARs all my life and never had any problems. It is very easy for a lefty to comfortably shoot a standard AR left handed as long as it has a case deflector and the extractor does its job properly. If a standard rifle still won't work for your friend, I know that Stag Arms has lefty uppers/BCGs and Palmetto State Armory carries ambi parts, but I don't know if they include them in their parts kits. PSA seems to be the best price for parts that I've found, and I spent MONTHS shopping for parts.
That being said, I don't know the nature of your illness, or if it's recoverable... but, prayers inbound. |
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I'm a lefty & have been shooting AR's for 20+ years . I have also shot left handed ARs . All of my ARs are right handed , which I prefer . I just add ambi mag release & safety . I did add a ambi CH latch , but that's not a necessity . I can reach the bolt release w/ my left index finger & can also see the carrier in my peripheral vision , no need to turn rifle sideways . never had a problem w/ brass ejecting on me . If you decide not to go the left handed route , both DTI & PSA sell kits w/ everything except the stripped lower . Well , not everything , you will have to buy the ambi / lefty parts seperate . My family & I will pray for you & yours . Never give up brother .
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