talk to me about ars

[wawhitey]

Never owned an ar, im most likely going to get a .223 wylde. I want a stock with an adjustable comb and lop. Bull barrel. Other than that im lost, dont know what im doing. What do i look for, what is good what is junk, this is a bit of a departure for me, not sure what im doing. This will primarily be a coyote rig. Looking for suggestions. Make / model? Triggers?

[jmez]

I am far from an expert. If you are going to go with a stock rifle then I'd say colt.

Rock River is also a quality factory gun. There is a custom maker here that is a damn good gunsmith and specializes in custom AR's. He starts with Rock River for a lot of his builds. I have a Sig and I like it ok. I don't shoot it much but it is a nice gun.

[dotman]

I feel like I can just scratch the surface as I'm a noobie in this world. I have built an AR-15 and AR-10.

Rock River does have a good option a step up would be Daniel Defense and then there are many other great options out there. Really even the DPMS platform is good. AR owners from what I have researched are a group much like Chevy, Ford, Dodge and Toyota owners, their favorite is the best when in all actuality it is all pretty good and most offer lowend and highend packages.

Checkout cdnnsports.com you may find a smoking deal on something setup similar to what you want, they have had bull barrel colts quite often for a smokin deal.

What I have found is it is cheaper to make a list of what you want, source the parts and build it yourself. Seriously an AR is the Chevy 350 of the gun world. I bought a assembled lower and stripped upper, once I had my butt stock, barrel and handguard selected it seriously took me 30 mins to assemble the AR-15, just make sure you get all milspec components.

So IMO watch some YouTube videos, decide what your plan is for it and then start researching manufacturers. It can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it.

[husky390]

A couple things I'd like to add. I agree with what most people have said except for the build your own part being cheaper than buying new. The AR market is depressed right now for new or used rifles. A couple months ago a guy had one for sale that fit your description where he had over $1,600 in it and he finally sold it for $750. I missed my chance while elk hunting. So, if you're patient, you can find some smoking deals.
Right now, building one will be difficult thanks again to the Pres as people have been making a run on parts again. I had a hard time just sourcing a rifle length buffer tube which should be plentiful. I've only built a lower after watching two Youtube videos and plan to build one similar to what you're wanting once parts are more readily available and priced decently but that is more for the experience and satisfaction. It's fun.

On to AR's.

If you want premium, look into Daniels Defense, LMT, POF, LWRC and I'm sure there are others.

Middle of the road, there are many to choose from, Colt, DPMS, Ruger, CMMG, Rock River, Bushmaster, S&W, etc.

Entry level, Ruger AR556, S&W M&P Sport, DPMS, Anderson, etc. There's a lot out there.

You will need to choose what gas system you want, Direct Impingement or piston. You can google and read through thousands of what's better threads, all of mine are DI as I didn't want to deal with proprietary parts.

It sounds like you are leaning more towards accuracy so I would recommend a "flat top" AR with a gas block that does not have a front sight along with a free floated barrel and upgraded trigger.

Lot's of options on both the trigger and handguard, Elftmans, Timney, Giesele and others make great drop in triggers. There's a ton of options out there for free floated handguards. I would recommend keeping it simple and light. I've had the quad rail handguards and didn't like them. I like the keylock or Mlock smooth handguards so I can put accessories where I want them.

Barrel length, up to you but the shortest length I would go is 18".

Twist rate, I prefer 1:7 or 1:8.

You'll have to choose whether you want button rifle or muzzle brake.

Gas length. With a barrel length of 18" or longer, you'll either get mid-length or rifle length. You just need to know which one you have in case you want to change out the handguard in the future.

Mil-spec all the way

Optics, you will need an AR specific scope mount and will probably need a cheek riser to help put your eye in line with the scope. Take a look at the Magpul PRS which only fits onto a rifle length buffer tube or the Magpul CTR with the Larue Tactical Risr which fits on a 4 or 6 position buffer tube.

Grip, your choice, I prefer Magpul.

5.56/.223 multi cal or .223 Wylde lower.

I prefer bolt carrier groups that are coated, cleaning carbon off of a phosphate treated bolt sucks.

Barrel lining, that's another Ford, Chevy, Dodge question and tons of threads about it on the internet.

You'll want to upgrade the charging handle to something like a Raptor or BCM Gunfighter if you're scoped.

Padded sling with QDC attachments which you will also need on the stock and handguard. I use two position slings.

I like Magpul gear because it works for me and they told the CO Gov and Legislature to screw themselves and moved out of CO when they passed the B.S.gun laws.

Check out the following sites. Youtube channel Nutnfancy. kinda corny but the guy does some honest reviews. Palmetto State Armory, BCM, Primary Arms and Kentucky Gun Co.

Be careful on how much "stuff" you put on this thing. You can easily turn it into a 10+ pound rifle that you don't want to carry anywhere. My first AR had a 21" bull barrel, rifle length stock and was a pig to carry around. I wish I still had it as it was a tack driver but I foolishly traded it off. Now I lean more towards light and maneuverable. My recent AR that I built the lower and bought the upper is a pencil thin 16" mid length, 1:7 twist barrel with free float key mod rail. I like it better than my Colt LE6920 M4.

Lastly, I am by no means an expert and there are plenty of guy's who know more than me about AR's. In all honesty, I prefer to shoot my bolt guns over my AR's. But, they're fun to shoot and what I've typed above is based on my experiences and preferences. YMMV.

[wawhitey]

Lots of info, makes my head spin.

Ill definitely be getting a min 18in barrel, but no brake, ill be putting a suppressor on it. Free floating barrel is pretty much a requirement in my book.

Im not going to go crazy putting crap on it weighing it down. My optic for it arrives in a couple days, along with the quick detach mount.

I was at a gun shop the other day and saw somebodys mag pul stock. Comb and length adjustable via simple dial. I really liked that.

[husky390]

Lots of info, makes my head spin.

Ill definitely be getting a min 18in barrel, but no brake, ill be putting a suppressor on it. Free floating barrel is pretty much a requirement in my book.

Im not going to go crazy putting crap on it weighing it down. My optic for it arrives in a couple days, along with the quick detach mount.

I was at a gun shop the other day and saw somebodys mag pul stock. Comb and length adjustable via simple dial. I really liked that.

That stock would be the Magpul PRS.

I'm seriously considering the Silencerco Omega so that way I can use it for the .30 cal rifles I own down to my AR's. If you're going to go suppressed, you might have to put an adjustable gas block on the rifle to adjust the gas flow for consistent cycling.

[wawhitey]

Adjustable gas block, ill remember that. Had no idea. With the exception of a couple bolt action kills ive stuck with lever guns and revolvers for the most part. All this confusing ar crap is giving me a headache. Direct impingement vs... i dont even understand that crap. The thought of going out and spending money on this thing i dont understand at all is s bit intimidating, but it will be worth it if i do it right. Got a nivisys tam-14 en route to my house right now. Getting serious about coyote control.

[husky390]

Simple version:
DI is what the AR was designed with. Gas flows from your barrel through the gas block, through a tube and into the bolt carrier group to cycle the bolt. Piston AR's siphon gas from the barrel through the gas block but a piston cycles the bolt (similar to an AK). Supposedly piston rifles run cooler and cleaner since you're not blowing gas into the chamber, most will also come with an adjustable gas block however DI is a lighter system. I try to follow the KISS method which is why I have DI.

It could go 50/50 on whether you'd need the adjustable gas block. I can't say for certain as I haven't used a suppressor on an AR yet. I did see a nutnfancy review on the M&P 10 where they said it needed one to run suppressed.

Think of the AR as a 1911 or if you're a car guy, they are the SBC 350 of the gun world. It's at the point there are so many options to choose from it's hard to pick a direction and go with it.

Another option is to buy a cheap beater and use it to figure out what you like/dislike and what you really want. Then go out and drop the coin on the big gun. The Ruger AR556 or the Anderson AR are two that I'd consider if I were to go that route. Of course the Anderson is out of stock now.

https://www.kygunco.com/anderson-am-15- ... ure-112780

Also, spend some time and watch some of these reviews. They've helped me out and I appreciate the no b.s. factor which you wont find in the gun rags.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... tnfancy+AR

[GobbleFarmer]

My brother has a dpms panther arms AR, its tons of fun to shoot. The trigger is stock so is the barrel, bolt, upper/lower. He just prettied up the outside mostly, new stock, grip, fore stock. He did get a different gas block/gas tube. I'll try to put up a pic. We just use it for shooting at paper but I want to take it yote hunting, and maybe deer hunting this year.

[dotman]

If you like the Magpul PRS checkout the Luth-Ar MBA butt stock. Half the price and just as functional, I really like mine on my .308.

http://www.luth-ar.com/product/the-mba- ... -assembly/

Also the Rock River 2 stage match trigger is just as good as any of the more expensive options IMO.

[husky390]

If you like the Magpul PRS checkout the Luth-Ar MBA butt stock. Half the price and just as functional, I really like mine on my .308.

http://www.luth-ar.com/product/the-mba- ... -assembly/

Now I know where Ruger came up with the design for the buttstock on the RPR.

[justinspicher]

I'd build one before if buy one. Most folks buy a $1200 rig but have $0 in shooting skills and think because the gun is capable of 1MOA it will automatically make them a better shooter.

[GobbleFarmer]

bro's ar.jpg (127.65 KiB) Viewed 8110 times

We were shooting at a steel silhouette @ 75 yards last Saturday, thats the furthest we can back up to shoot, Lots of fun. The scope has been moved forward since the pic was taken- it was too far back.

[wawhitey]

Got mine now. Next i need a suppressor for it. Then a fuxed power scope and a green coyote light. Once i get that stuff the tam that i have on it right now will transition to a handheld scanning device

[husky390]

Sweet. What's the specs on it?

[wawhitey]

Its a rainier arms .223/5.56 with a geissele trigger and magpul stock, 18in barrel. The scope i have mounted on it for now is a nivisys tam 14

[husky390]

Cool. Nice rig.