Hello everyone,

I found this site about 3 weeks ago and have been addicted since.  Making it through the down time was tough, but I kept faith that the site would be back up.  So now I'm making my first post.

I've wanted an AR15 for years since a friend of mine got one.  I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about them lately and now I'm getting ready to build my first one.  I'm looking to build one just for plinking and shooting no further than 200 yards.  I'm leaning towards a 16" CAR kit from J&T and a stripped RRA lower from Gunsmoke.  

So anyway, my question for the board is... What first attracted you to the AR15?  and what about them keeps you coming back for more?  For me, the look and feel of one is incredible.  I can't wait to have one to call my own.

finite element

I shot my first one in the Marine Corps. It was a M-16, of course, in A1 config.

Lack of recoil & inherent accuracy are two of the biggest reasons for the commercial success of the AR-15, IMO.

My current AR is a Colt, Model 6601.

IMO, I wouldn't build my first AR, I'd buy it whole from either Colt or Bushmaster.

My .o2

It's like a chameleon. I've got one that will shoot under 1/2 inch when I do my part. Then I've got a pre ban with all the bells and whistles that is perfect for CQB. You can configure them to most tasks short of big game hunting, although around here they work great for small whitetails. An AR10 would be great for hunting bigger stuff. Parts and accessories are everywhere. You can spend more on gidgits than you do on the rifle. Accurate, reliable, affordable, and politically incorrect, what more could a guy want.

Quoted: Accurate, reliable, affordable, and politically incorrect, what more could a guy want.

Spoken like a true addict!! Just like me!!

DK

I didn't choose the AR15, it chose me.

The first gun I ever fired was an M16 in basic, I shot 34 out of 40, missed expert by 1 shot. Ever since then I was addicted.

I got hooked after shooting a friends colt. Actually I wanted an HK SL8-1 at first but it just cannot compare to the AR-15. I ended up buying an almost mint pre-ban colt sprter H-bar from a friends dad for cheap and have prolly put about $250 in it so far. This is definetely an addictive lifstyle :-)~ In my 4-5 weeks of owning this gun I have learned that people willl either be very jealous that they dont have one, or they will say stupid shit like "what exactly do you need that for?". Its a gun that has a black cloud around it and maybe one say people with this gun will have to use it to protect their right to own it. I just went to the gun and knife show today and bought a free float tube, harris bi-pod, and hogue rubber grip.....................I think I should leave it alone for a year......or maybe not!

Thanks everyone for your replies.  It's interesting to see everyone's ideas.

BobCole, I'm curious, why do you recommend that I purchase my first AR15 rather than build it.  I was given a pretty overwhelming feeling that it's better to build than to buy a complete.  I've been looking at a Bushmaster 16" A3 with carry handle at my local shop.  The tag is $860 but I don't know what fair prices are for completes.  Would you mind giving me some more feedback?

thanks
finite element

1983 Fort Leonard Wood.  First rifle I ever shot that fit like a glove.  Took 12 years before I bought my first and now I cannot stop.  You know what really sucks?  Getting hooked on Corvettes.  I just spend $350.00 on a new induction system for my 2000 Hardtop.  

Son you listen to BobCole.  I bought my First AR, and I bought it whole (just before Gore lost the election).

These things are addictive, they are a blast and there is plenty to learn.  A new gun with a warranty keeps you sane in case you need it and entitles you to support on the phone too.  So far I have not needed it, every time my gun has screwed up, it has been my fault.

What do I like?



They're easy to handle, fast target aquisition (full lenght or carbine), ergonomic, modular, easily adaptible to whatever you want it to do, accurate, reliable,.....and EVIL.

You're new to AR's so I suggest you buy a complete rifle (I suggest Bushmaster, you can get them for less than $860 I guarantee you). Best way to get your feet wet.

And then make AR15.com your second home. Believe me, all the answers are here.

Just ask.

Probably I liked them early because the AR-15 was so very different from previous military rifles.

Here was a rifle that used a relatively small cartridge but was quickly proven in battle.  (But not before some monumental screw-ups.)

I've always thought it it interesting the AR-15's inventor detested the caliber - he considered the 7.62 more suitable for military use.

The AR-15 continues to evolve after over forty years of service.

Now, buy yourself an ArmaLite M15A4 !

(finite, you'll see we 'always' agree here on AR15.com.)

  Personally, I love the sound of the buffer when firing the weapon and how it makes a slightly different noise and feel when you run the mag dry.

I am also new to this site and also my first post.Always wanted an ar15 and finally bought a new Bushmaster XM15 E2S, 20in barrel with a AK-style muzzel brake on it; I guess put on by Bushmaster; for $795 at a local gun show. So you can get one for better than 860. And I agree with the guy about the warranty.Mine has ,of course, the Bushmaster warranty plus this Davidson GarranteeD thing that gives a lifetime replacement warranty; good or not I don't know. Been doing a lot of reading to totaly familarize myself on it before I take it out and shoot it. I'm sure it will shoot as good as it looks.

I do not like the AR-15. I LOVE IT! (just ask my wife, she'll tell ya).

BUT WHY?
parts, parts, parts.
easy to shoot, easy to maintain, lightweight, and as the same reasons that seb127 mentioned above.
my wife has recently shot my Colt for the first time, now even she's hooked.  
anyway,you can not go wrong with getting one. good luck and happy shooting.
colt

Quoted: Accurate, reliable, affordable, and politically incorrect, what more could a guy want.

MORE of them.

I hate them - I'm just a groupie and wannabe.

finite. If i was gonna build one id go with different suppliers. I don't know what the eventual cost would be of your lower & kit but i did some research in shotgun news and online and found some low cost results. You can get a good kit from model1sales (www.gunkits.com) for $400. It would include EVERYTHING but the stripped lower. Then you could get a good stripped oly arms lower for $109 from Jeff's shooters supply (no wesite )  

But thier address is, PO box 1054
                     Trussville, AL 35173

                     Phone:205-833-3705

                     Fax: 205-8360778
Mon-Thur 10-5 central time. closed Fri,Sat,Sun
you can email them at: [email protected]

------------------------------------------

All together thatd be $509 + s&h.

if thats cheaper than your current picks then id switch.

It was the Colt M4 carbine that I carried in the army that got me started. I had an M16A2 in basic and I hated it. When I got to my unit I was the first soldier in the battalion to get the new M4 rifle. They came in straight from the factory the same time I arrived. It was divine intervention. Ever since I've had to have them ALL.

They are Sexy!

Many reasons, but the big one:
Pinpoint accuracy.
'Nuf Said.

Because it makes me feel good. Like many other things that do the same, I keep coming back. My uncle use to say "If it feels good do, if it still feels good do it again." I, too, first used the 16, and now allow the 15 to take it's place. there will always be a place by the bed for it!

For years I have shot and collected M1 Carbines----which, to me, are the original "fun gun". The AR15-A2 is similar in terms of lack of recoil (at least as compared to the M1 Rifle), but is an improvement when it comes to things such as accuracy, impact, reliability, availability of new parts, low cost of plinking ammo, et. al.
When I first shot an AR-type rifle in Basic out at Ft. Ord in '69----I absolutely detested it.  We had some of the first 16's that had been brought back from the Nam-----the one I had didn't even have a forward assist and was always jamming----it was a piece of junk----and soured me on the AR platform for decades afterwards.  Thirty years later, though, I must say that the A2 platform is impressive.

Quoted: BobCole, I'm curious, why do you recommend that I purchase my first AR15 rather than build it.  The tag is $860 but I don't know what fair prices are for completes

That's pretty fair price, IMO.

The reason I suggest you buy whole rather than build is simple: experience.

Just like our first car/truck or 1911, we're not sure what combo we want & what flavor.  >gg<

Plus, if you get a hodgepodge AR the resale value is not near as to what a complete Colt or Bushmaster would be.

Even after carrying & shooting a M-16 in the Marine Corps, I still bought my AR whole. Now I consider going to a M4 style upper or maybe a flat top. Point is, I have experienced the uses of the AR in the civvy world & have a better feel for what I could want or use. Plus if I want to go to a different style I could sell my **complete** AR for more $$$ than I could for a Brand X lower & Brand Y upper & Brand Z trigger group, etc. etc.

There's also a few brands that are less than perfect, shall we say. While I haven't any experience with those I DO know that Colt & Bushmaster aren't one of them.  >gg<

IMO, I wouldn't want to invest $800-1000 in a rifle & then slap my forehead & say "I could've had a better gun for the **same** amount of money."

My .o2

Thanks everyone.  Now y'all have leaning the exact opposite direction I was yesterday.  Now I'm thinking pretty hard about purchasing that complete Bushmaster I've been drooling over at the shop everytime I go shoot in their range.  

I appreciate all the replies and advice.

finite element

Ditto on all of the above!    hey finite-element  just want to add to bob cole's reply if i may...when you get ready to buy that new bushmaster be sure and look at the reciever just below the adj rear site, and see that it has a raised FK,FG..some kind of bushmaster mark!  i say this because several other people here(vinnie from nj)ect have said that they have a splinterd A there meaning it is an oly reciever.   mine is a factory assembled bushy with just that A on it!   then you would end up with an x, w, type rifle.  i have posted with bushmaster in the industrial forum and am waiting for some kind of explanation as to this very subject....  just something for you to watch for,  you can't go wrong reading here this is where i found out about it!    bushmaster,armalite,colt thats the way to go......

Because they are cool , they make me look cool , because I am cool .

oops i gave ya the wrong link. its www.model1sales.com

and like i said. the kit would be $400 and the lower $109  which would be $509 + s&h and the cost of tools youd need. NOT $800 or $1000 dollars.

But then again Id still go with bobcole anyway. I love my bushy 20" A2. And now that I know the inner workings of the gun real well id have an easier time building one. (though im still gonna get an instructional tape AND book just in case) and I don't have $720-$800 to spend on the next AR I want. So im gonna build me a post ban 16" car "style" gun. Although I would build a preban if somebody had a preban stripped lower with the proper documents for sale *wink* *wink*

I fell in love with the M-14 while in basic training at Ft. Jackson in 1966.  I hated the M-16 given to me in Nam.  I have several ARs nowadays but still perfer the M1A.

What do I like about them?

light weight, little recoil, sexy looking, lots of configurations,  accurate up to 200 yds.

What don't I like about them?

Limited stopping power far out(from my experience in RVN), hard to clean, mags are flimsy, dirt screws them up something fierce, too expensive for what they are (no comments about the M1A please).

Welcome to the club.  You will have a lot of fun with yours.  You will get hooked and soon you will say "I have several".

I like the AR cause it feels like "Victory"

If you haven't bought one yet consider getting a flat-top. I got an m-4 upper w/ carry handle and i'm kicking myself in the ass for it. Don't get me wrong, it still kicks ass, but i think the flat-top is more versitile....

The model I'm looking at is the A3.  It's a flattop but comes with a removable carry handle.  I already have a red-dot scope that I've had for years and absolutely love, so that would probably be mounted on it.  

So far it seems the most popular reasons are the little recoil, configurabiltiy, and accuracy.  I'm going to go to the shop tomorrow  for some target practice and talk to 'em about that Bushy I want so badly.  Thanks everyone for all the incredible advice.  Sure is a great bunch of people here.  

finite element

As accurate as my Remington Police model with 20's the speed and keeps me buying new accessories and parts for it to try out.  Definately the ability to accessorize was a draw to the gun, without it, I'd be bored!

My reasons for liking AR's are numerous:

I figure that the military has been using them for forty years now so they're probably good enough for me.

There is a certain fascination with military hardware and I am susceptible to its allure, but not quite as much as a friend of mine who owns an authentic Marine Corps surplus HMMWV! (Military vehicle collector, and collector of vintage pattern uniforms)

I tried one and loved it.  Inherently accurate, low recoil, high capacity magazines readily available, and cheaply.

Customizable to beat the band.

The project aspect of machining my own lower receiver from a raw forging was TOO attractive to me, so I did it.

It's a very easy platform to work on, and very forgiving to the amateur gunsmith.  Minimal tools required to do EVERYTHING to them.
A few punches, a barrel wrench, an adjustable wrench, and an allen wrench for the pistol grip screw is about all you need to totally disassemble and reassemble the rifle.

I went from zero AR's to two of them in one month.  One's an A1 configured rifle (no flash hider or bayo lug to be post-ban legal) with a Colt upper and a Bushmaster lower (new lower) with A2 stocks, guards, and grip, and the other is built on the receiver I made, with a Bushmaster 20 inch National Match heavy barrel, late model A1 upper receiver (with forward assist and case deflector, also post ban configured), and A2 stocks, guards, and grip.   They're similar except for the heavy barrel on one, and no case deflector or forward assist on the other.   Both shoot great, and both have a different feel to them.
The HBAR one lives with a scope, while the A1 type is left on iron sights.  If I were patrolling the neighborhood for thieves after a disaster, I'd carry the A1.   If I were hiding on top of the water tower, waiting to snipe them, I'd take the HBAR.

One thing I love about AR's is I could have a hundred of them and they could all be configured differently than all the rest.

The weirdest thing about them is getting used to the sound of the buffer spring in its tube when you fire it.   But my HBAR rifle doesn't make that springy noise, for some reason.

Going full auto with one with a noisy spring sounds like a honeymoon in a cheap hotel!

(A friend of mine has a legal full auto one he lets me shoot once in a while.)

CJ