I’m looking to purchase an AR-15 before I can no longer legally do so. What do I need to be looking for? What’s the difference between the $800 rifle and the $2,000 rifle? How big a deal is it to be able to shoot the .223 AND the .556? All ■■■■■■■■ (based on experience) is welcome and appreciated.
“I’m not a hundred percent in love with your tone right now…”
5.56 is for spraying more lead quicker under a little more control for less $$$ and shooting lots of paper.
7.62 is for hurting people…
300 blackout is for shorter range
Gas piston vs direct impingement. One gets dirty faster and hangs up if you don’t keep it clean. The other barely needs cleaning on most guns until hundreds of rounds. One is lighter than the other and costs more… etc.
The other big difference is barrels
Then you have different stocks
Then you have different actions and all sorts of hot rodding to be done
you may want to go handle some different barrel lengths and stock types and decide what you like and don’t like. The other major decision is GP or DI…
Or you could buy one of all and sell the ones you like the least to SkinneeJ. He is investing I heard…
Personally, I don’t get what the craze is about. An AR is about like a jet ski to me… after the first 15 minutes it gets old…
You are smarter to go after getting a silencer right now than an AR.
I remember when AK-47’s used to be stood up in metal drums in Roses for $99.99
Only one thing is driving people to buy the things, and that’s fear the government’s going to ban them.
Luke 8:22-25
5.56 is a little hotter round than the .223. If it says .223 on the barrel, then it won’t shoot 5.56 safely. I suggest you go with a mil-spec rifle. You can literally configure it any way you want to if your willing to spend the dough. They are like Lego’s for adults who like to shoot. If the parts are mil-spec, they’ll fit.
If you are interested, I have a M4 carbine that I’m probably going to sell.Its a PSA lower with an ATI upper, has all magpul furniture, a vortex strikefire optic, flip up back up sights and a voodoo tactical single point sling. Nothing really special, but it works and works well. I will throw in 2 30rd Pmags that are still in the packaging for $800. I have more than that in it, but you wont buy one new for that price with all the extras I’m throwing in. Pm me if you’re interested.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
Scott, a guy that works for me is looking to sell a PSA AR. He won it in an auction and has only shot a mag through it so far, so the price will be reasonable. He doesn’t need or want it. Its been in a safe for 6 months or so. If its ok with you, I’ll pass along your contact info to him.
ARs are fun; AKs are reelly fun. ARs tend to not like some types of ammo, while the AK likes the dirtiest stuff you can throw at it. Extremely reliable weapon whereas some ARs hang up on dirty ammo. AK47s pack a bigger punch than the AR15 with the 7.62x39. There are also AK74s now that shoot 556, but purists will tell you that an AK74 is not an AK. Same platform, different caliber. The ARs tend to be more accurate, although with the right setup, an AK47 will shoot tight. I’ve got a 4X fixed scope on my AK and I can hit a ball at 100 yards over and over again. Its all I care to be accurate with. Some day, I’ll take it to kill piggies and that’ll do me just fine. Its all in the platform/accessories/optics/shooter.
If your purpose is to have something for target practice, you really can’t go wrong either way. That M4 that Tiger has is a nice weapon as well. They look the same to the masses, scary black rifles.
ARs are like Legos for adults. The only thing limiting what you can do with an AR is your wallet and your imagination.
PSA is running a sale right now on their PSA ARs…their base model AR-15 is $499 and their base model AR-10 is $699.
The AR platform is an extremely versatile platform that can be built into many different configurations and a couple different calibers. Their fun to shoot for the experienced marksman and the beginner. No recoil, relatively accurate, relatively inexpensive to shoot, you can hunt with them, you can plink with them.
There’s a reason ARs are the most popular firearm platform in the country. Talk to knowledgeable people, not just people with a strong opinion.
Earn it everyday
If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.
Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber bullet.
You may want to research gas piston vs direct impingment.
If you clean your firearm as you should, GP isn’t worth the extra money or added weight, IMO.
If you’re someone that doesn’t clean your firearm as thorough and as often as you should, then you might have a different opinion.
BB, you’re going to get a lot of talk about “you need this” and “you need that.” You’re going to be told you need certain parts that our men and women being deployed don’t even have in their firearms. The average AR right off the shelf will stand up to anything and everything the average recreational shooter can put it through. You’ll hear a lot of talk about CHF barrels and how they have a longer barrel life than non-CHF barrels, and they’ll be right, but given the barrel life on a run of the mill AR barrel is 15k-20k rounds, is it worth it to the average shooter to spend the extra money o a CHF barrel? Are you looking for a recreational/sporting rifle or are you looking to buy a weapon suited for your next deployment?
You’ll find that a lot of people use these terms and acronyms more for their own flattery and to somehow make themselves sound more “tacticool.” Tread cautiously and ask lots of questions.
Earn it everyday
If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.
Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber bullet.
quote:
An AR is about like a jet ski to me... after the first 15 minutes it gets old...
I feel the same way about them.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
Ha! Ha! Have at it.
Earn it everyday
If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.
Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber bullet.
I prefer an M1, 7.62/308 myself, but to each their own 
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
My next build is going to be an AR10 chambered in 7mm08. I already bought the upper, I just have to figure out what I’m putting in the trigger, and what kind of scope I want to put on it. It’ll be ready for next deer season.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
quote:
Originally posted by tigerfinMy next build is going to be an AR10 chambered in 7mm08. I already bought the upper, I just have to figure out what I’m putting in the trigger, and what kind of scope I want to put on it. It’ll be ready for next deer season.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
Timney makes some nice drop-ins. I have a Geissele SSA-E in my 6.8 hunting AR.
As far as a scope, I have a Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50 on my 6.8 and absolutely love it. Plus, it looks really good on the rifle.
Earn it everyday
If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.
Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber bullet.
With all the different loadings and ammo tech, all of the different calibers are versatile. And all have their pluses and minuses.
You missed the time to buy…There were some good black friday / monday AR deals out there. This is what I’m waiting on to arrive. I’m putting it with a stripped PSA lower that I already have. This rifle kit was cyber monday-ed for $700.
http://www.adamsarms.net/build-it-yourself-kit-14-5-mid-evo
Check out some of the prices here though. They seem to have some great deals at the moment. I almost bought a Daniel Defense upper from them instead of what I got. They look pretty wiped out on stock, but some left.
Uppers:
https://www.westernsport.com/product-category/complete-uppers/?orderby=price
Thank you all for the wealth of information. Archer, pardon my ignorance, but what’s the difference between the AR-15 and the AR-10? In the event of WWIII and/or a zombie apocalypse, which would y’all rather have?
“I’m not a hundred percent in love with your tone right now…”
quote:
Originally posted by 7csYou may want to research gas piston vs direct impingment.
I was given this advice by someone whose opinion I regard very highly. Will do, thanks.
“I’m not a hundred percent in love with your tone right now…”
BB, the AR-15 is based on the M16 and its 5.56 or .223 round. The AR-10 is its big brother. It is based around the .308 round. They operate exactly the same way, except that the AR10 is more powerful. Also, almost any AR15 parts will fit any other AR15 on the market. Not so with the AR10. They are all proprietary, meaning one manufacturers parts will not work on another’s.
AR15 is the way to go to get started. Ammo is cheaper, parts are easier to come by, and theres an unlimited amount of ways you can configure them.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
quote:
Originally posted by archerARs are like Legos for adults. The only thing limiting what you can do with an AR is your wallet and your imagination.
PSA is running a sale right now on their PSA ARs…their base model AR-15 is $499 and their base model AR-10 is $699.
The AR platform is an extremely versatile platform that can be built into many different configurations and a couple different calibers. Their fun to shoot for the experienced marksman and the beginner. No recoil, relatively accurate, relatively inexpensive to shoot, you can hunt with them, you can plink with them.
There’s a reason ARs are the most popular firearm platform in the country. Talk to knowledgeable people, not just people with a strong opinion.
Earn it everyday
If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.
Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber bullet.
Fabulous statement, will put this to use in a variety of situations. Thanks.
“I’m not a hundred percent in love with your tone right now…”
quote:
Originally posted by Phin5.56 is for spraying more lead quicker under a little more control for less $$$ and shooting lots of paper.
7.62 is for hurting people…
300 blackout is for longer rangeGas piston vs direct impingement. One gets dirty faster and hangs up if you don’t keep it clean. The other barely needs cleaning on most guns until hundreds of rounds. One is lighter than the other and costs more… etc.
The other big difference is barrels
Then you have different stocks
Then you have different actions and all sorts of hot rodding to be done
you may want to go handle some different barrel lengths and stock types and decide what you like and don’t like. The other major decision is GP or DI…
Or you could buy one of all and sell the ones you like the least to SkinneeJ. He is investing I heard…
Personally, I don’t get what the craze is about. An AR is about like a jet ski to me… after the first 15 minutes it gets old…
You are smarter to go after getting a silencer right now than an AR.
I remember when AK-47’s used to be stood up in metal drums in Roses for $99.99
Only one thing is driving people to buy the things, and that’s fear the government’s going to ban them.
http://www.sustainablefishing.org/
www.marshtackycarbon.com
Luke 8:22-25
.300 Blackout is a slow cartridge intended for short to medium range. You can fire .223 in a gun chambered 5.56 but you can’t “safely” shoot 5.56 in a .223 gun. You can go with a .223 Wylde and shoot both but I’d just get one in 5.56.
The cost of the AR is a direct reflection of the components. Like any other rifle build, you can put as much in one or as little in one as you want. Sort of depends on your intended use. If you are going to be running 10K+ a y
quote:
Originally posted by andybMy one disagreement with what’s been said, 300 blackout is not for longer range. Its big advantage is shooting suppressed from what I understand. If you want to shoot a 30 cal projectile long range, then don’t shoot a 308 bullet from a modified 5.56 casing. Step it up to an AR10 and shoot a 308.
Having said that, with all the different loadings and ammo tech, all of the different calibers are versatile. And all have their pluses and minuses.
You missed the time to buy…There were some good black friday / monday AR deals out there. This is what I’m waiting on to arrive. I’m putting it with a stripped PSA lower that I already have. This rifle kit was cyber monday-ed for $700.
http://www.adamsarms.net/build-it-yourself-kit-14-5-mid-evo
Check out some of the prices here though. They seem to have some great deals at the moment. I almost bought a Daniel Defense upper from them instead of what I got. They look pretty wiped out on stock, but some left.
Uppers:
https://www.westernsport.com/product-category/complete-uppers/?orderby=price
www.militaryappreciationday.org
I hope you have your SBR permit and stamp paid in hand before you build that rifle. 14.5" rifles are illegal. The ATF will bury you.
EDIT: I see now that is just the barrel length. They have pinned the brake on for you already to get it over 16" My apologies. 
“Wailord”
1979 17’ Montauk
90 Johnson
Wilderness Ride 115