Calling all ATOT gun fiends

[mikej007]

Yeah yeah YAG(un)T...

I went shooting for the first time over the weekend with my friend who's a cop... he brought a bunch of his guns for me to try out. I had a great time, which I knew I would. My friend brought his 12ga with a few different types of shells, a .40 Glock 22, some S&W 5 shot revolver that was chambered for both .38 and .357, and his AR-15 with red dot, scope, custom foregrip and collapsible stock. Out of all my favorite was the AR-15. I had a blast (bad pun, I know) with that all afternoon. I'd like to look into picking one up some time soon but know very little about them. I know there's a ton of companies that make them (my friend's is a Colt) and I wanted to know what manufacturers to stay away from, who has good quality, best bang for the buck etc. I know this isn't a firearms forum but I know a lot of you guys out there are really into it.

Where's a good place to pick one up at a fair price? I'm not looking to drop a ton of cash on a totally pimped out AR right off the bat but I don't want to spend less to get a piece of crap.

Also, where's a good source for cheap/decent quality brass? It was pretty expensive shooting the AR15 all afternoon and any rec's on ammo sources would be appreciated.

 

[Electric Amish]

I have heard good thing about DPMS and SABRE AR-15s. I have a Lewis Machine & Tool AR-15 that has been nothing but great to shoot.

You can buy cheap, steel-case (non-reloadable) 223/5.56 ammo for 30-35 cents per round...maybe better if you find a sale.

I get my ammo usually from Cabela's. They have good sales and bulk prices. You can also look at http://www.aimsurplus.com but shipping for ammo is a bitch so I try to buy locally when possible.

 

[Genx87]

Go to a gun shop and look at the different brands and models of AR-15s. I ended up going with a slightly higher end Smith and Wesson M&P Tactical. Came with collapsable front + rear sights, picanny rail system, and a cheap case. I ended up buying the Eotech 557 sight for it.

It however does not like the cheapass steel cased rounds. Lots of jams. Will chew through brass without a problem.

 

[spidey07]

LMT and Colt are consider top of the line and run 1100-1500 for a basic one. A good holographic red dot site will run 350+.

 

[mikej007]

Thanks for the info so far guys. $1500 seems to be the upper limit for me now. I find it very funny that my paintball marker cost as much as some of these AR-15s lol.

Is there a reputable source to get a used AR-15? Any place you guys have used in the past?

And Spidey, that picture is pure win.

 

[adairusmc]

Noveske is just as good as LMT and Colt (I acutally think LMT and Noveske make a far superior product than Colt does, some people will pay a huge premium to have that pony on the receiver).

S&W makes a decent starter AR as well as the brands mentioned.

Stay away from - Olympic Arms. I would rather have a blown up LMT or Noveske than a working Oly Arms. Horrible products, they are the hi-point of AR makers.

 

[nick1985]

Check out Bravo Company. They have always made some of the best parts available, and they just started making full rifles. They have been getting rave reviews, supposed to be some of the best.

http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/

:thumbsup:


The "premium" companies are Bravo(BCM), LMT, Noveske, Daniel Defense, Colt, and probably a couple others.

If you want good bang for your buck, Stag arms are great cheap rifles.

http://www.stagarms.com/



If you are looking for a cheaper rifle, get a Stag. Stay away from Doublestar, Olympic Arms, and the sort.

Feel free to PM me for whatever reason

 

[nick1985]

Is there a reputable source to get a used AR-15? Any place you guys have used in the past?

Buds often has great used AR's. I check daily for deals.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/654_775/gunbar

Good deal on a used S&W tactical right now. S&W makes a quality AR. :thumbsup:

 

[pontifex]

Noveske is just as good as LMT and Colt (I acutally think LMT and Noveske make a far superior product than Colt does, some people will pay a huge premium to have that pony on the receiver).

S&W makes a decent starter AR as well as the brands mentioned.

Stay away from - Olympic Arms. I would rather have a blown up LMT or Noveske than a working Oly Arms. Horrible products, they are the hi-point of AR makers.

I've heard this about their older models or in the past but has since heard they started making better products now.

I don't know much about AR-15s though. So many companies are making these it's hard to find out whats good or not. I remember seeign a chart somewhere that showed what companies used for parts or processes so yo could tell which were the quality rifles. You're better off asking at a gun specific forum, like ar15.com

I wouldn't mind having one, just not on the top of my list.

 

[thepd7]

Bushmaster and Rock River Arms are both brands that I have heard great things about and are cheap. I don't own and have not shot either so I can't speak to them personally though.

 

[Kelvrick]

I second the Bravo company recommendation. Lower wise, I don't see much of a difference except little things. There can be a big variance in price as well, from 65 from a stripped forged lower to a $250 fancy billet lower.

LPK is pretty standard, with single stage triggers ranging from 50 (dpms) to 170 (lmt and colt). There are slight differences in trigger feel, it will be up to you to decide.

Buffer tube wise, I'd stick with mil-spec instead of commercial, it will give you a bigger selection of stocks to choose from. I think all "complete" RRA lowers and rifles come with commercial tubes, so I personally don't recommend getting built ones from them.

Stock wise, you have the standard M4 stocks (collapsible), and the fixed A2 (triangular) and the rest of the choices.

For a good mid-range bare budget build? I'd budget around 700-800 if you're sticking with the standard plastic handguard. Another 150-300 if you want fancy free-floating rail systems.

100 stripped lower
80 lower parts kit
40 buffer tube, buffer spring
550 spikes mid-length 16" upper (comes with buffer and bolt carrier group)

If you want to go Bravo instead, add another like 70 bucks to the total above. I think the only difference right now is that Spikes doesn't HP test their bolts. I haven't heard bad things though and both have top notch customer service.

You might want to browse ar15.com for a while for fun, but as with any site, there are crazies so try to filter out the good info.

Both www.spikestactical.com and www.bravocompanyusa.com will keep you interested in a while.

Another site I like for accessories is www.dsgarms.com.

If you want to go a little higher end, the difference is mainly in the barrel and upper receiver. Add another hundred bucks if you want a cool vltor or billet upper instead of a forged and another 300-500 if you want better barrels like cold hammer forged ones or stainless steel ones.

For 1500 bucks, you can get a laruetactical upper for about 1200 (accurate, but a bit heavy) and spend 300 on the lower. I'd spend 800 on a more basic, KISS (keep it simple stupid) rifle and keep the other funds in reserve for accessories when you know what you want.

 

[Spg]

I hate these threads! It reminds me that I need to move out of California. My dad offered to give me his Steyr Aug, but thanks to California that will not happen.

 

[mikej007]

Thanks for the info guys, I'll look around and see what I can do.

Kelvrick and nick1985, I appreciate the links. I'll check them out when I get out of work.

 

[nick1985]

I hate these threads! It reminds me that I need to move out of California. My dad offered to give me his Steyr Aug, but thanks to California that will not happen.

How about your dad gives me the Steyr, and I give you $500. Seems like everyone would win :awe:

 

[boomerang]

Anyone have any thoughts to share on the AK series? I was at the local gun shop just last week looking at AR's and got steered towards the AK's. Steered because I wasn't certain I wanted to pay the price for an AR15.

Then I came home, jumped on the computer and got all excited by the ACR series until I saw the price. I'm not willing to drop that kind of money.

I'm doing initial research at this point.

I don't want to hijack this thread though.

 

[Analog]

Lowers are pretty much the same (save for trigger upgrades etc). The $$ will go into the upper. If you're near Ohio, go to camp perry and all the big AR manufacturers will be there during the national matches next month, and you can talk to factory reps, check out their stuff, and watch the rifle teams compete. You could also compete someday there when you get your AR, as long as it meets regulation for the Civilian Marksmanship Program. I've got a 20" 1:8 Stainless match grade upper. I've also got a .22 conversion kit which is really cool because it saves $$. At one point I had a 7.62x39 upper which was also fun. These are really flexible guns, and easily changed, upgraded, or as you say, pimped out.

 

[spidey07]

Anyone have any thoughts to share on the AK series? I was at the local gun shop just last week looking at AR's and got steered towards the AK's. Steered because I wasn't certain I wanted to pay the price for an AR15.

Then I came home, jumped on the computer and got all excited by the ACR series until I saw the price. I'm not willing to drop that kind of money.

I'm doing initial research at this point.

I don't want to hijack this thread though.

YGPM

LMT has a new .308 AR that looks to be incredible. Pricey though.

 

[Kelvrick]

Big 5's here in California started carrying AK's for 450-500. I kind of want to get one just to say I got it from california. Otherwise, I'd recommend getting one from henderson's defense just for a little more piece of mind. Otherwise, for a price of a "good" ak, you can get an ar. 7.62x39 is a whole lot cheaper for plinking though.

If you think the ACR is pricey, don't look at the FN SCAR. I consider the Sig 556 kind of an ak in ar clothing.

I also personally say to stay away from piston and 308 ar's on the principal that there is no standard. 308 is a little more with only a few real variants with DPMS being the biggest, but there is still no set standard. Pistons, even less so with every manufacturer being a little different. That is just me being poor though.

 

[nick1985]

Anyone have any thoughts to share on the AK series?

Arsenal/Saiga is considered creme of the crop when it comes to AK's. Century is the bottom feeder. The other brands, such as Lancaster, are middle of the road with mixed reviews of customer service.

Arsenal AK's are not that much cheaper than AR's though. You get what you pay for.

http://www.arsenalinc.com/products.htm

 

[nick1985]

Otherwise, for a price of a "good" ak, you can get an ar. 7.62x39 is a whole lot cheaper for plinking though.

Not really, both calibers can be bought for $200 for 1000 rounds of steel cased plinking ammo.

 

[boomerang]

You get what you pay for.

I knew that was going to be the bottom line. Damned logic!