First post, AR question

[Tonymin]

Ok, this is my first post. I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and recently got back into shooting after trading some non gun items for a Sig P239. (Wonderful gun) ((Not my first gun))
I just ordered a XT 22 and a Mark 3 22/45 from the only place I found that had anything in stock.

I would love to buy an AR 15 style rifle before it becomes impossible cost wise and legal wise. I am in CA. But I am totally confused about all the brand names and comglomerate parts people have put together. Not two ads have the same brand rifles. How the heck am I supposed to learn what is good and what is junk?

I actually like the look of a standard non collapsible stock. I don't want a 22 and I guess want to shoot 223.

So, what does a noob look for? I probably want to spend about $1,200

I see rifles in the for sale section for as low as $900 but are they junk? I see Sigs for as much as $3,500 and that is out of my range. (Since I have to hide the cost of this purchase from "the boss")

Thank to anyone that won't make fun of me. And no, I am not a kid. I bought my first handgun 30 years ago.

[CSACANNONEER]

If you just want to hedge your bet about a possible future ban, buy a stripped lower and wait for the prices of parts to come down.

[Bravodigger]

Get a complete lower receiver with an a2 stock (the one you like) and start looking into uppers you might like. It's all about personal preference. So get ready to read read read up on the subject that's the best way to get a good idea of what's going to work for you.

There isn't much "junk" for sale it's more that some company's make a superior product and have higher prices. Just watch for the names that come up more often as positive and you probably won't go wrong buying there.

[Tonymin]

This is the basic look I like. I took this pic off this site. The rifle is for sale for $1299
What scares me about these home builds, or even something I build myself, is this is an item that can blow up in your face?

[CSACANNONEER]

To me "home builds" are firearms that are actually manufactured by individuals for their personal use. The guns you're refering to are just assembled at home. When it comes to ARs, it's about as hard to assemble one as it is to snap legos together. There isn't any more or less of a chance of one blowing up in your face as there is a production gun doing so.

[Tonymin]

To me "home builds" are firearms that are actually manufactured by individuals for their personal use. The guns you're refering to are just assembled at home. When it comes to ARs, it's about as hard to assemble one as it is to snap legos together. There isn't any more or less of a chance of one blowing up in your face as there is a production gun doing so.

Ok, that helps a lot. Thanks
So far I learned that there is decent quality brands and extra quality stuff but no dangerous junk.
Buying something that someone else snapped together should not be more dangerous than a rifle I buy in a store.

The rifle in the above picture, what are your thoughts of something like that? My plans with the rifle are:

1. To have in the safe.
2. To occasionally send a hundred rounds downrange for fun when ammo is found.
3. Of course it will be used a lot when the zombies attack...

[bsumoba]

The rifle is a basic AR. Now, I have a few comments:

* The fixed stock is of course a nice choice, but a collapsible stock is much more versatile. Given that this is your first rifle and assuming you do not have pre-ban magazines, you will still be relegated to 10 round mags, BUT, if you make it a featureless stock, you will not require a bullet button! So your mileage may vary.

* The rifle shown above also looks like a rifle length rifle, meaning it looks like a 18-20" barrel and the configuratioon of the gas port is located farther down the barrel. Do a google search on rifle vs. Mid-length vs carbine style gas ports. This rifle looks like it it will be rather long. Again, a collapsible stock and say a carbine or mid-length rifle might be better suited. These will be typically 16-18" barrel lengths.

* This rifle is also a little less configurable. I would say go with a flattop style rifle, meaning no handle upper receiver. That way you can have so options: a BUIS (back-up iron sights) such as mbus, troy, yankee hill, or kac, etc. OR, you can put a scope or red dot sight on it and it won't look funny.

* I am not too concerned about the handguard. You can technically swap it out to a different handguard which will allow you to intall a handguard with rails or an option to install rails where you want it and then attach flashlights, accessories, etc.

With all this said, I still like your option if you feel like you will not go crazy with accessories or want basic iron sights with no red dot or scope. You can can still add this to the rifle shown, but it might look funny, or at least in my opinion. You can also find a cheaper, yet still reliable and will be a workhorse for say 900-1000 in this climate. Look at a M&P15 Sport. This is a very reasonably priced AR and you will not miss any of the features this rifle comes without like a dust cover or forward assist.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

[Agent Tikki]

Ok, this is my first post. I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and recently got back into shooting after trading some non gun items for a Sig P239. (Wonderful gun) ((Not my first gun))
I just ordered a XT 22 and a Mark 3 22/45 from the only place I found that had anything in stock.

I would love to buy an AR 15 style rifle before it becomes impossible cost wise and legal wise. I am in CA. But I am totally confused about all the brand names and comglomerate parts people have put together. Not two ads have the same brand rifles. How the heck am I supposed to learn what is good and what is junk?

I actually like the look of a standard non collapsible stock. I don't want a 22 and I guess want to shoot 223.

So, what does a noob look for? I probably want to spend about $1,200

I see rifles in the for sale section for as low as $900 but are they junk? I see Sigs for as much as $3,500 and that is out of my range. (Since I have to hide the cost of this purchase from "the boss")

Thank to anyone that won't make fun of me. And no, I am not a kid. I bought my first handgun 30 years ago.

There's no easy way to get around this. You just have to learn and read. There are 1 million different options to choose from. If you really want to know, you will just have to research each component one by one.

Its just like cars. So many different options, you just have to put in the time.

[FNH5-7]

You're late to the party. Good luck.

[artoaster]

The symptoms of Black Rifle Disease will include obsessive research of the AR-15 to the point of either confusion or a fairly obvious course of further action leading to purchase of basic components with intent to assemble.

Look at the photo galleries here at CGN and copy a version you like. I would suggest looking at the KISS build carbine with removable or fixed carry handle and A2 front iron sights.

An example:



BTW, that was a post ban barrel that was later threaded to accept flash hider/muzzle device.

[glock7]

Go to the calguns gallery of AR's and see what kind of style you like. For your use I'd keep it simple. But you have to decide what style you like. They can be outfitted from simple with a carry handle sight and round handguards to the railed magpulled, aim point, scoped out, defensive light mounted type of rifle. And those are just two types, there are many styles...

[glock7]

Right now there are no 900 options unless you really really search for deals. Add to that the scarcity of parts and the current pricing, that's a hard number to hit.

[bsumoba]

i saw a $900 retail M&P15 sport recently...they are out there.

now the problem is when a LGS posts that they have stock or when the LGS discloses when they typically get inventory, you see a huge line prior to their opening the doors that day, you can pretty much bet that a sub-1000 dollar AR is going to the first customer or one of the first few.

[S470FM]

you're late to the party. Buy a stripped lower and build it accordingly.

[BigPimping]

Get it before they are gone.