Ok, let me lay everything out on the table so everyone knows where I'm coming from. Growing up no one in my family ever hunted. We owned guns, but no one ever shot them or even cleaned them. Fast forward to a few years ago and I woke up one morning and decided that I was going to start hunting. I started with ducks because I have a WMA nearby and it has a lot of ducks and all of the public land around me won't let people use a rifle. Plus a shotgun was a little cheaper and I have zero experience with guns anyway and to be honest balistics and scopes etc. seemed a little out of my realm to start out with. Fast forward a few more years and I join this forum and now I want an AR and have no idea where to start. I figure I have two options that are available to me. I can save my money and eventually purchase an AR complete and ready to go or I can make smaller purcchases of parts and build one up. Either way its going to be a long road to travel before I can get one, but I'm a fairly patient guy. I'm looking for advice on pretty much everything.
So I Want To Get An AR and I Need Some Advice
- Thread starter dan11589
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Have an upper in the caliber you want built, heck the lower too. You can go cheap or top shelf but eventually you will end up w the best so might as well start there...only 3-500 difference unless you go LWRC piston.
http://lonestarboars.com/threads/in-stock.2245/
http://lonestarboars.com/threads/in-stock.2245/
Agree with Frank in that if you buy cheap you will eventually have more money in one buy adding this or that. If you are going to build one don't go cheap on the barrel or bolt. Check these out http://www.blackstonearms.com/category-s/108.htm and you can call anytime to discuss options or if you just have questions.
Dan this is for hunting? It's a matter of opinion of course, but if I were in your position I'd save up and buy a lwrc in 6.8 or .308. Depends on what kind of guy you are. I work my A off and do whatever to get the money to buy the best assembled product I can. I don't have the patience to gather parts and while the time away knitting and talking about the weather. Some guys do. Just kidding of course. Imo go big and go 1st rate quality, which again is subjective.
Start off with exactly what you want to hunt. Then pick the best caliber for that. If you ask around here were all pretty much going to agree 6.8. AR-15 performance has some amazing barrels. I have 3 so far. Then do your research and start adding parts from there. Ask around. There's a lot of ar guys on this site that build their own.
As nice and top flight as the LWRC 6.8 is, the no go negative for me is that it is not backward convertible to 5.56.
IMO, for what ever that might be worth, your first AR ought to be in 5.56. Ammo is plentiful and relatively cheap, so learning the platform is cheaper, with the right bullet choice it is adequate for hogs or deer and ideal for predators, and if SHTF is a concern of yours - it is a growing concern for me living 1/2 mile from the DC border and 40 minutes from the Baltimore rioting - the 5.56 allows for a less expensive ammo stock pile which takes up less room and weighs less for any given quantity.
As I wrote, FWIW, which might be nothing,
JPK
IMO, for what ever that might be worth, your first AR ought to be in 5.56. Ammo is plentiful and relatively cheap, so learning the platform is cheaper, with the right bullet choice it is adequate for hogs or deer and ideal for predators, and if SHTF is a concern of yours - it is a growing concern for me living 1/2 mile from the DC border and 40 minutes from the Baltimore rioting - the 5.56 allows for a less expensive ammo stock pile which takes up less room and weighs less for any given quantity.
As I wrote, FWIW, which might be nothing,
JPK
Either get a 6.5 Grendel or a 6.8 SPC. They are both excellent rifles and can take down anything in North America. The best bang for the buck just call Eric at BlackStone Arms and get an upper that is complete from him and get a lower from Aero and put that together and you are in like Flint. Later you can build one if you stick it out. Sometimes building one can get tricking if you do not know the little things that make it work and are easily over looked. Bullets in either caliber are on the market and both fire factory ammo very well. Easy Peasy!!! Do not get to complicated for your first rifle, later you can spend the BIG BUCKS and the sky is not the limit. One of my X rifles I would be afraid to tell you what I had it that!!!
Or you can have him build you a nice one for a very fair price and be done with it and no worries!!. BANG BANG!!
Or you can have him build you a nice one for a very fair price and be done with it and no worries!!. BANG BANG!!
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I have a 223 wylde upper but it just sits in the safe. In Florida I would use it for deer because our deer are tiny but I still take the 6.8. Ammo is super cheap for the 6.8 so it's easy to stock up a lot. I have 2000 pieces of brass and enough primers, powder and bullets to load it all. I also have 500 rounds loaded for it. I think I only have like 100 rounds of 223 loaded because I never use it for anything. Some people love them but for the most part it's useless to me because I wouldn't hunt with a bullet that light. I have watched so many people take them hog hunting and have to shot multiple rounds to drop a hog even with good shots. If your going to build an ar for hunting make sure you get one that will take down anything your going hunting for. The 6.5 and the 6.8 are perfect for that
Ratdog68
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Do not scrimp, or go cheap on:
Barrel/Bolt
Trigger
Glass
The rest is a lot more subjective.
I'm a huge fan of the AR15 Performance ("***") barrels/bolts. I have three of his combos, 02 6.8 SPC, and 01 .223 Wylde. I love my 6.8s. They really shine from a shorter barrel (16").
Triggers. Are you a two-stage fan, or a single stage fan? Don't feel bad about spending $250-$300 on a good trigger once you decide which is best for you.
Glass. Consider your hunting grounds. Heavy cover? Wide open plains? Get your magnification accordingly. Don't feel bad about spending $1,500.00 for a GOOD piece of glass. Of course... if you're going to go creeping around in the dark to kill things... be ready to spend a BUNCH more on optics.
If you're good with your hands/tools, building your own is a gas. I much prefer building my own. If using tools isn't your forte, have someone build for you. If you decide to buy a built upper, and/or a built lower... make those two purchases separate. If you purchase a complete rifle (by default) you will be spending an additional 11% in taxes to the feds. I don't recall whether that applies for upper/lower purchased together in the same transaction... but, bought completely separately, that's 11% you'll be able to put towards upgraded hardware and/or ammunition. Doing business with sponsoring vendors here... you'll get personalized service (much more so than some box store, or some "buy it now" deal on gun broker). You'll get GOOD specs for your barrel/chamber buying from a sponsoring vendor too.
Put some thought into how you'll use your rifle. If you're going to hump it around... consider something a little lighter. If you're going to just shoot it from a bench, weight and long barrels aren't a down side.
Barrel/Bolt
Trigger
Glass
The rest is a lot more subjective.
I'm a huge fan of the AR15 Performance ("***") barrels/bolts. I have three of his combos, 02 6.8 SPC, and 01 .223 Wylde. I love my 6.8s. They really shine from a shorter barrel (16").
Triggers. Are you a two-stage fan, or a single stage fan? Don't feel bad about spending $250-$300 on a good trigger once you decide which is best for you.
Glass. Consider your hunting grounds. Heavy cover? Wide open plains? Get your magnification accordingly. Don't feel bad about spending $1,500.00 for a GOOD piece of glass. Of course... if you're going to go creeping around in the dark to kill things... be ready to spend a BUNCH more on optics.
If you're good with your hands/tools, building your own is a gas. I much prefer building my own. If using tools isn't your forte, have someone build for you. If you decide to buy a built upper, and/or a built lower... make those two purchases separate. If you purchase a complete rifle (by default) you will be spending an additional 11% in taxes to the feds. I don't recall whether that applies for upper/lower purchased together in the same transaction... but, bought completely separately, that's 11% you'll be able to put towards upgraded hardware and/or ammunition. Doing business with sponsoring vendors here... you'll get personalized service (much more so than some box store, or some "buy it now" deal on gun broker). You'll get GOOD specs for your barrel/chamber buying from a sponsoring vendor too.
Put some thought into how you'll use your rifle. If you're going to hump it around... consider something a little lighter. If you're going to just shoot it from a bench, weight and long barrels aren't a down side.
All great advice above! This is assuming you're looking for a hunting rifle and not just a range toy to be a blaster.
RattlesnakeDan
San Antonio Texas
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Dan,
I am a newbie to the AR platform. I will give you my opinion from someone who has just started shooting them. I like trying new stuff. I trade a lot to get what I want and get rid of what I don't care for anymore. I never marry a gun, they are all just tools and trading fodder. There is no emotion involved. I traded my 45-70 guide gun, some will say that was dumb but it did not give me good results, shot a lot of hogs and never dropped one it it's tracks. Bigger is not always better. So I traded for my first Ar in 223/556. I had no idea if I would like it or not, was a little intimidated by it. It was different than most guns. looked different was shorter, it was lightweight and all these AR guys seem a bit too serious to me. So I started shooting it and realized there was no kick, ammo was cheap and it was a blast to shoot. My first couple outings were sketchy because I was shooting cheap ammo at big hogs. I was disappointed but then I found good quality ammo. Since then I have pounded hogs and the first one I lost was last week where I shot behind the neck, operator error. Every other hog I have shot has never taken a second step(except one that was hit in the brush not knowing which end was what). Mostly shoulder shots/running shots and a few head shots, good results. I would like to get a 6.8 at some point but don't have any need to upgrade and spend $ right now but am having fun with the AR and in 556 is fine for me. If I started over from scratch I would get a 6.8 but there are few around here and the ones available are over priced for me.
I am a newbie to the AR platform. I will give you my opinion from someone who has just started shooting them. I like trying new stuff. I trade a lot to get what I want and get rid of what I don't care for anymore. I never marry a gun, they are all just tools and trading fodder. There is no emotion involved. I traded my 45-70 guide gun, some will say that was dumb but it did not give me good results, shot a lot of hogs and never dropped one it it's tracks. Bigger is not always better. So I traded for my first Ar in 223/556. I had no idea if I would like it or not, was a little intimidated by it. It was different than most guns. looked different was shorter, it was lightweight and all these AR guys seem a bit too serious to me. So I started shooting it and realized there was no kick, ammo was cheap and it was a blast to shoot. My first couple outings were sketchy because I was shooting cheap ammo at big hogs. I was disappointed but then I found good quality ammo. Since then I have pounded hogs and the first one I lost was last week where I shot behind the neck, operator error. Every other hog I have shot has never taken a second step(except one that was hit in the brush not knowing which end was what). Mostly shoulder shots/running shots and a few head shots, good results. I would like to get a 6.8 at some point but don't have any need to upgrade and spend $ right now but am having fun with the AR and in 556 is fine for me. If I started over from scratch I would get a 6.8 but there are few around here and the ones available are over priced for me.
Arnold Galvan
Mckinney, Texas
I could not afford to purchase a complete AR or even a complete upper, so I bought piece by piece. Frank gave me lots of advice and after 6 months I finally had my 6.8 AR build. My build was not cheap, but it was the only way I could afford it.
Main components:
*** Nickle Boron BCG
*** 16" 6.8 scout barrel
Midwest Industries free float hand guard
Started an 556 AR build for my little one and after 4 months I have a complete upper and hoping by the summer I can have a complete lower.
Main components:
*** Nickle Boron BCG
*** 16" 6.8 scout barrel
Midwest Industries free float hand guard
Started an 556 AR build for my little one and after 4 months I have a complete upper and hoping by the summer I can have a complete lower.
RattlesnakeDan
San Antonio Texas
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So what do you think you have invested in it ?
Dan, for the 6.8 an upper is about $800 and a lower 300 w/o optics and custom trigger on average I am guessing, to build it right and quality parts. On the cheap but still OK is a Stag 5H upper $525 and 250 in a lower.
RattlesnakeDan
San Antonio Texas
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A little pricey for good stuff huh? I don't buy a lot of new stuff. I do so much trading and dealing that it doesn't make sense for me. I do tend to hold onto something if it just fits right. I just had a new Spikes in 223/556 and didn't care for the feel of it so I got rid of it, never shot it. Traded it off. But finding a 6.8 around here is rare.
Well that last upper I found on Gun broker $316 and a lower w a Gissele trigger $300 was a bargain to get real quality parts, that I why I jumped on them, new they would have been $1250+...so you can find deals out there and some sales if you have patience.
However I hunted w the Stag upper for 2 years and it never let me down, I did add a $165 handguard to it to freefloat the barrel, very accurate... that gun cost me 950 or so
However I hunted w the Stag upper for 2 years and it never let me down, I did add a $165 handguard to it to freefloat the barrel, very accurate... that gun cost me 950 or so
Ratdog68
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Dan... just an FYI (if you weren't already aware). A new barrel, bolt, MD, magazine(s) and you have a 6.8 SPC conversion from your 5.56.
Arnold Galvan
Mckinney, Texas
Here is a break down on my 6.8 upper, these are estimates on what I can remember. Also, my build was done during the AR scare.
*** Nickle Boron BCG $200
*** 16" 6.8 Scout barrel $205
*** Shorty muzzle break $50
RedX Arms Upper Receiver $80
MI Free Float hand guard $150
Bravo Company Gas Block $50
Gas Tube $12
Charging Handle $15
Total $762.00
Bought a complete New Frontier poly lower for $125. During the scare, stripped aluminum lowers were going for $400 so I went with a poly lower. Now you can find great lowers at a good price.
*** Nickle Boron BCG $200
*** 16" 6.8 Scout barrel $205
*** Shorty muzzle break $50
RedX Arms Upper Receiver $80
MI Free Float hand guard $150
Bravo Company Gas Block $50
Gas Tube $12
Charging Handle $15
Total $762.00
Bought a complete New Frontier poly lower for $125. During the scare, stripped aluminum lowers were going for $400 so I went with a poly lower. Now you can find great lowers at a good price.