don't laugh as i don't know :(

i am thinking about either a bushmaster or rock river arms with an adjustable stock, like a rra tactical car a4 or bushmaster carbine 16.  my question is this - after i shoot for some time, can i just put another upper on it like an upper with a 20-24" barrel for some long range (200yds +) shooting?  or am i way off here?

also, what is a 223 wylde chamber?  i know the differences between a 5.56 and 223, but am not familiar with this.

Yes. You can also change calibers provided you have the right mags and the bullets aren't too long for the AR mag well.

A Wylde chamber is an intermediate chamber between .223 and 5.56. It is theoretically more accurate than a 5.56 because of less "play" in the chamber but at the sacrifice of a bit of reliability. For your purposes, it won't make a difference.
Don't worry, there are no stupid questions at this forum. We all were "noobies" once and there was a time when every person on this board had never picked up an AR. The only dumb question is the one that is never asked.

Quoted: don't laugh as i don't know :( i am thinking about either a bushmaster or rock river arms with an adjustable stock, like a rra tactical car a4 or bushmaster carbine 16.  my question is this - after i shoot for some time, can i just put another upper on it like an upper with a 20-24" barrel for some long range (200yds +) shooting?  or am i way off here? also, what is a 223 wylde chamber?  i know the differences between a 5.56 and 223, but am not familiar with this.

Wylde is an intermediate chamber, popular with match shooters...

It allows for more 'room' than .223, but is tighter than 5.56, and works better with extra-long heavy bullets than either...

As for rifle configs, if you plan to use a 20" or 24" barrel, get a fixed stock, A2 upper.

Especially true if you would eventually like to shoot a competitive match, as telextocks & optics are not permitted...

If you just want to blast around, get what you want....

In general, your first rifle should be an A2.

Get the carbine for later, once you've learned to shoot on the more accurate/forgiving design...

thanks for not flaming me. :)  

so basically all you need is one complete lower and you can change the uppers till your hearts content?  do you need to have an ffl to have uppers deilvered to you or can anybody order them?

BUSHMASTER A2

most lowers and uppers are compatable

can somebody point to info regarding the differences between an a2 / a3 / a4?  why is an a2 more accurate/forgiving?

Quoted: can somebody point to info regarding the differences between an a2 / a3 / a4?  why is an a2 more accurate/forgiving?

Ok, A2 vs A3/A4

Handle Designs:

A2 = fixed carry-handle iron sights, optics may be added by a clamp-to-the-handle rail.  Rarely seen in carbine configurations, but very common for rifles...

A3 or A4 (same thing) = flat-top 'railed' reciever, which you may clamp an optic to, or a carry handle for iron sights. Available in carbine and rifle configurations (with the rifle config having a fixed stock)...

The term 'A2' is generally used to describe a M16A2-style rifle-sized weapon, which means long-ish fixed stock, 20" heavy barrel, and fixed sights.

The 20" barrel is by-nature more accurate than the 14.5" or 16" units on 'carbine' models, and the fixed stock balances the larger weapon better.

In general, a first AR should be the A2-style 20" fixed-stock design. Get a carbine for your 2nd...

Quoted: Quoted: can somebody point to info regarding the differences between an a2 / a3 / a4?  why is an a2 more accurate/forgiving? Ok, A2 vs A3/A4 Handle Designs: A2 = fixed carry-handle iron sights, optics may be added by a clamp-to-the-handle rail.  Rarely seen in carbine configurations, but very common for rifles... A3 or A4 (same thing) = flat-top 'railed' reciever, which you may clamp an optic to, or a carry handle for iron sights. Available in carbine and rifle configurations (with the rifle config having a fixed stock)... The term 'A2' is generally used to describe a M16A2-style rifle-sized weapon, which means long-ish fixed stock, 20" heavy barrel, and fixed sights. The 20" barrel is by-nature more accurate than the 14.5" or 16" units on 'carbine' models, and the fixed stock balances the larger weapon better. In general, a first AR should be the A2-style 20" fixed-stock design. Get a carbine for your 2nd...

so get the a2 first and get comfortable with it, then to switch it to a a/3/4 carbine i would just require a new upper and if so desired an adjustable stock?  is changing an upper sometihing you could do while out shooting?

Anybody can order an upper. The only part of any gun that is legally speaking a weapon is the lower receiver or frame. Basically, it's whatever part of the firearm with the serial number on it and this part must be in place for the firearm to function. Everything else, the upper, the lower parts, the stock, whatever can be ordered online or over the phone and handed to you by the man in the big brown truck a few days later.

Bushy A2 lower is a good place to start. I built my first AR lower and decided to go with a colapsible stock but that's because I'm a pretty small guy (5' 7") and from well over a decade of shooting everything from rifles to handguns to shotguns, the one thing I've found is that I usually need a size or so down from the average for a gun to fit me. The average guy in the Army is somewhere around 5' 10", so the A2 is designed around him. Best advice though, go to a gun store and ask to hold an A2 versus a colapsible and see which one feels more comfortable.

No, you can't change a stock on the fly. It's not hard by any means but it generally requires a special wrench to loosen and tighten the stock into place. The whole process takes about 10 minutes at most, but it's not as easy as switching out an upper which takes 10 seconds at most.

Quoted: Quoted: don't laugh as i don't know :( i am thinking about either a bushmaster or rock river arms with an adjustable stock, like a rra tactical car a4 or bushmaster carbine 16.  my question is this - after i shoot for some time, can i just put another upper on it like an upper with a 20-24" barrel for some long range (200yds +) shooting?  or am i way off here? also, what is a 223 wylde chamber?  i know the differences between a 5.56 and 223, but am not familiar with this. Wylde is an intermediate chamber, popular with match shooters... It allows for more 'room' than .223, but is tighter than 5.56, and works better with extra-long heavy bullets than either... As for rifle configs, if you plan to use a 20" or 24" barrel, get a fixed stock, A2 upper. Especially true if you would eventually like to shoot a competitive match, as telextocks & optics are not permitted... If you just want to blast around, get what you want.... In general, your first rifle should be an A2. Get the carbine for later, once you've learned to shoot on the more accurate/forgiving design...

so there should not really be any problem shooting the xm193 round in a 223 wylde chamber?  i have read the ammo oracle and it seems like i should't go any lighter than 55grn in a 1:8, 1:9 barrel.  does this sound o.k.?

also, just out of curiosity, is it legal to shoot tracers or is it a state by state thing?  do they make the barrel dirty?