AR15 Suggestions (difference, Colt)

[CampfireR]

I'll also add I don't need to pay premium Colt prices to see "For Law Enforcement/Government Use Only" on the barrel when FN has the contract now. LOL

[WH59]

Thanks everyone all good info on the "Black Rifle". As I mentioned in an earlier post I have an M1A and when I boughtit there was not much to choose from on the market it was almost all Springfield Armory for a complete rifle. The only other choice at the time was from Norinco which was less expensive but the ones I saw had a slight gap between the receiver and the stock not huge but you could slide a letter envelope through. However with the AR I see alot of variants and when I go to some of the manufacturers websites I noticed they have "uppers" and "lowers" so I assume you need to assemble the rifle. Is this a difficult process? I guess the upside is that one can customize the rifle as opposed to taking a complete rifle off the shelf.

[JordanJP]

If you were to get a complete upper and a complete lower and put them together, the only assembly required would be putting the halves together. All it is is two pins, one near the magwell and one near the stock.

[dober1]

Originally Posted by JordanJP

If you can wait and watch Palmetto State Armory for their sales, you can put together a pretty damned nice AR for around $600. The most expensive singluar parts in your rifle are probably going to be the barrel and the bolt carrier group, unless you buy a fancy fire control group, or a fancy stock, or a REALLY fancy rail/handguard.

If this is your first AR, however, I would not go for building one. You can find Colt 6920s for sale for around $950 or a little less from some places, and that's with tax and FFL transfer (if you can't find one local to you.) I'd go with one of those over a Buhmaster, Olympic Arms, RRA, or DPMS any day. Certain parts may not vary much between manufacturers, such as the actual receivers themselves, but barrels can be very different, triggers can be different, bolt carrier groups can be of different qualities, and other such stuff.

If you want to find a good deal on a used AR15 as your "starter" black gun, go to AR15.Com - Your Firearm Resource. (AR-15, AR-10, M4 Carbine, M16, H&K, SIG, FNH, FAL, AK-47, 50 Cal, M1/M1A, Handgun, Pistol, Training, Hunting, and More!) and go to their "Equipment Exchange". You should be able to snag some deals there, those guys are gearhogs and are constantly upgrading their stuff and selling the stuff they had on the gun previously.

There in red. refer to my previous post about who to avoid. Also beware of the airsoft posers.

[JordanJP]

There is nothing wrong with using AR15, you just have to know what you are looking for. They do have a lot of tools, but they take EE fairly seriously.

[Chango]

Originally Posted by WH59

I am thinking of buying an AR15, I like the standard A2 model and have been leaning toward a Rock River Arms. Does anyone have any experience with this manufacturer and any advice on others currently on the market. I own a number of rifles, shotgins and hanguns so I am an experienced shooter. Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm a Colt snob , have owned several and never had one let me down. The resale value is consistently highest with Colt ARs too, BTW.

My current AR is a LE6920 with an Aimpoint comp m3 red dot; it's one of my favorite guns.

I would get an A3 at least, so you have more options with sights down the road. That's my .02

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by WH59

Thanks to everyone for the information. I see a load of the black rifles in many forms when I go to a gun show, so much that it all looks alike after a while. One question, I have noticed that some rifles are chambered exclusively for .223 Remington and others for 5.56 Nato. Are the cartridges that different? I always thought they were the same.

Thanks Again

There is a slight difference between the .223 and the 5.56 NATO...basically pressures. You can shoot a .223 in a 5.56 chamber but the reverse could prove dangerous. Now with that said, starting in 2009, all .223 ARs are actually manufactured with 5.56 NATO chambers.

As for AR brand names, there is only a few brand that actually buildtheirrifles in house. Therest farm their parts out to oneof a half dozen Machine shops who manufacture most of the AR15s sold in the US. What this means? This means most ofthe parts going into a RRA, Bushmaster, DPMS, Stag etc all come from the same machine shop. All the bran name company does is assemble the rifle which isn't hard at all. So it really comes down to what you're looking for in a rifle and a price range. A Bushmaster, DPMS, and RRA will work great for the occasional blaster rifle or light duty service rifle. If you're looking for a slightly better rifle, look into a S&W or BCM. These rifles are built I house and use a better build process and materials than the average brand company. These are just a couple of examples out of about a dozen good brands.

[titaniummd]

Originally Posted by WH59

What do you plan to do with this rifle? You can spend a lot of money on a Cadillac, but maybe all you need is a Jeep?

Primarily target shooting 100 -200 yards. I reload so I may be working up my own loads at some point. In your opinion would this rifle be suitable for varmint hunting? Nothing long range like prairie dogs but maybe a coyote or fox. Thanks in advance.

I acquired my AR-15 from a guy who is a competition shooter. It's a Rock River Arms upper on a Spikes Lower. Flawless gun for reliability. For me, no QC issues. I have a Chrome barrel. No accuracy issues, but I'm more of a combat shooter, meaning I don't go for groups, I go for hits on steel.

I'm just using an Eotech 556 with 3x, not a Leupold. Our range goes to 250 yards, and I can hit that with my Holosight. If I had a range out to 300 yards, I'd need a conventional scope. However, I practice from 25 yards on a Target to plates at 125-250.




[Mod cut]

[Nite Ryder]

After buying four different AR-15's, I decided I would get something better than all of them and bought a Sig 556. I still have all of those AR's, and in addition a 22lr upper, and a 450 Bushmaster upper. The Sig is the best of the bunch. Don't think I would ever buy a Rock River AR-15, I also own an Ar-10 Armalite and a Springfield M1A, like both of them.

[Montana Griz]

Last summer I decided to "add-one more gun to my small collection". As is true with most of us:....I didn't need it......really could not honestly justify it.....but I wanted one!.

After several hours research on the internet..............this is what I ended up with:

A Tactical CMMG Two stage Complete LOWER ASSEMBLY.
Forged 7075 T6 Aluminum Lower Receiver..hard coat anodized Black Teflon.
A Two Stage National Match Trigger.
MAGPUL "ACS" Stock.
Houge Finger Groove Grip.


Complete UPPER ASSEMBLY composed of:
A 20" Stainless Steel National Match Grade (1 in 8) barrel. NATO 5.56 Chamber, and
Midwest Industries "T" series, 12 inch Black Andozied Free Float Hand Guard.
Forged Flattop "LMT" (Lewis Machine Tool) upper receiver.
Shot Peened Bolt.
(Bolt & Barrel subjected to HPT & MPI Testing & inspection procedures.)
H.D. Extractor Spring Assembly w/ Viton "O" Ring.
Forward Assist; M4 Feed Ramps & A2 Flash Hider.

This "combination" does very well with all bullet weights from 55gr (M-193) to 75 gr Horn A-Max. ( I originally thought the 1/8 twist would possibly be a problem for the 55 gr stuff.........not the case. With the "iron sights" I can get 1 3/8" groups (100yd) w/ the 55 gr M193.........with a scope set on 9, I can get 3/4" groups with the 55's. With the scope set on 14 and the 75 gr A-Max handloaded to give .015 "jump" to the lands (and obviously 'shot single shot-style).......I have on occasion put 3 into 1/2". (Considering "these-old-eyes" "start their 81st year next week..........I'm happy

I really like what I "ended-up-with" and would not change a thing.