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Hi all,
After going shooting this weekend the wife is tired of plinking with the .22 and the .308 is just too much gun for her to be happy with. So she asked that I find her some middle ground. I'm looking for some advice from the experts on the board. I've done some internet research but I would like opinions from those with more practical experience.

I am looking to purchase my first semi-auto 5.56. And by purchase I mean, buy one fully assembled. As I don't think I would trust a firearm of my own construction. :)

We would be using it for home defense and target shooting on the weekends for self improvement, with some varmint shooting a couple times a year with friends thrown in. I'd like something in the sub $1000 range (The subber the better), that is ready to go straight out the box and is easy to maintain as the wife has to clean her own toys.

What would you recommend?
 
This subject has been talked about a lot and there are a number of threads on it if you do a quick search.

But in my opinion there are two options the new Ruger Mini 14's in the 800 dollar plus price range or one of the many AR15's starting around 500 plus.

The problem is in my area at least all the Ruger 556, S&W M&P Sports both AR15's got bought up this last month and all that is left are the 700 plus AR's with added features you may or may not need.

Parts and the accessories are cheaper for the AR over the Ruger Mini 14 but the Ruger has more of a traditional look to it, less evil shall we say.

The AR is still the best choice in my mind for ease of use, light recoil and accuracy in my opinion though and if you can find a Ruger 556 or S&W M&P Sport for the money they are hard to beat.
 
It has been asked many times before, but that's ok. :)

Skip the Mini-14. Buy an AR. Deals can be had for around $500 as mentioned. Oh yeah, and skip the Mini-14. :D
 
Most people looking to buy their first AR end up with a carbine-gassed 16 incher.
The market is flooded with these.
It's a civilian concoction that was never issued and they look odd to me with all that length of barrel sticking out complete with a useless M203 barrel cut.
They're ugly but they work.

A compromise is the mid-gasser, but they are not plentiful as built rifles.
It was never issued but its geometry is more correct.
The Springfield Saint is a midgasser with some nice upgrades for the price point.
 
I like a 16" middy, better proportions if nothing else. You can also find 14.5 with pinned flash hiders, that will make it look like a real M4.

If you can buy a complete lower somewhere that would free you up to order whatever you wanted for an upper, instead of trying to find the exact rifle already matched up.

But I would also agree, get an AR over a mini 14.

Since you listed home defense, targets, and varmints I would really suggest an AR, since you could easily swap uppers. A rifle well suited to HD is not going to work all that well for varmints, and vice versa.
 
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Ar is the consensus of the local brain trust. Personally l can't stand the collapsible stock, and the barrels with the m203 barrel cut. Too much wiggle in the stock to make a comfortable bench or target gun. The 203 cut on the barrel just looks stupid.

For Christ sake don't get her a pink gun
 
I'd buy a Palmetto State Armory kit, and a lower reciever and assemble it. 319$ for the freedom kit and a 59$ Anderson lower. Under $400 for a quality AR the upper comes pre-assembled and test fired, a youtube video would show you how to assemble the lower. For another $299 1000rds 5.56 and a few mags at 8.99$ and you would have a good AR and a 1000rds for the price of a Saint.
No construction experience needed, the only speciality tool you'd need is a AR Armorers wrench for the castle nut (good to have if your gonna own an ar either way). My 2cents
 
Not a Ruger fan, so I would go for an AR style. Make sure it's a 5.56 and you can always run .223 through it. Don't let salesman tell you it's the same thing. While you can run .223 through the 5.56, it's a bad idea to run the 5.56 through a .223. You probably know this, but a lot of salespeople have no clue about the pressure differences and will try to tell you it's the same.
 
I have a verity of AR's rifles from 14.5 pinned flash hider, 16 in M4, 16 in heavy, 16 in Socom, 16 in Canadian C8 heavy all carbine length and one 16 in mid length, 18 in rifle length heavy and light and a 20 in A2 profile and any will do the job. Yes the Mid length will give you a bit less recoil and is less harsh on the operating system but in reality you will probably not notice it unless you shoot 1000 rounds through each to compare.

Some say they do not like the look of the M203 cut out but I feel it knocks down the weight for better handling (just kidding) and I can care less about looks as the AR is not a pretty gun to begin with.

So unless you feel you have special needs for its use then a standard carbine will do what you need and later down the road you can upgrade to a custom one to fit the needs. Like some have said once you have a lower getting a different upper is easy for longer range, lighter weight or just something different.


My personal favorite is a 10.5 AR pistol for the home use but not as cheap a rifle and for your first AR I would go with a rifle. Just my opinion.


A-182831-crop.jpg
 
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Just as with any other product, the AR15 is made by a multitude of manufacturers and each has their selling point.

I like my Ruger SR series AR pattern rifles a lot but there are quite a few rifles out there that can be had for less.

Some good choices would be:
  • Palmetto State Armory
  • Rock River Arms
  • Primary Arms
  • Smith & Wesson
and on and on.

I'd suggest you go to your local gun store and check out a few. Do some research online. Some of the larger internet retailers, such as Bud's Gun Shop and Grab A Gun, have some great search options on their website. Also, don't forget our supporting vendors here. They are usually small, local, businesses that support the forum. Membership benefits from that support and we should do all we can to support them.

Good luck with your search!
 
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Hi all,
After going shooting this weekend the wife is tired of plinking with the .22 and the .308 is just too much gun for her to be happy with. So she asked that I find her some middle ground. I'm looking for some advice from the experts on the board. I've done some internet research but I would like opinions from those with more practical experience.

I am looking to purchase my first semi-auto 5.56. And by purchase I mean, buy one fully assembled. As I don't think I would trust a firearm of my own construction. :)

We would be using it for home defense and target shooting on the weekends for self improvement, with some varmint shooting a couple times a year with friends thrown in. I'd like something in the sub $1000 range (The subber the better), that is ready to go straight out the box and is easy to maintain as the wife has to clean her own toys.

What would you recommend?

Depends on how much you want to spend...

I bought a Spike's Tactical mid-length for about $1K. Probably too much now a days but now but there may another rush on AR-15 in case they are banned some day. I have not looked at the Saint but it looks like a decent AR-15 looking at the specifications. I am perfectly happy with my new AR and have only shot four 30 round magazines so far. Have a light and sling as well on it do it makes a good HD. I shoot mostly M193 for target shooting but for HD I have some 20 round and 30 round magazines loaded with 64gr Speer Gold Dot JSP. Buy as many 20 and 30 round magazines that you can since they may be banning magazines that can hold over 10 rounds by the state government at some point.
 
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Depends on how much you want to spend...

I bought a Spike's Tactical mid-length for about $1K. Probably too much now a days but now but there may another rush on AR-15 in case they are banned some day. I have not looked at the Saint but it looks like a decent AR-15 looking at the specifications. I am perfectly happy with my new AR and have only shot four 30 round magazines so far. Have a light and sling as well on it do it makes a good HD. I shoot mostly M193 for target shooting but for HD I have some 20 round and 30 round magazines loaded with 64gr Speer Gold Dot JSP. Buy as many 20 and 30 round magazines that you can since they may be banning magazines that can hold over 10 rounds at some point by the state government at some point.
A Spike's middy is a nice rig.
 
Black rifles matter! Go AR hands down all day long watch for sales and they can be had on the cheap. Or build your own. ;)

IMG_0541.JPG

All in I'm under a grand for this one! And building it was half the fun!
 
If you go cheap, SHE WILL KNOW!! You may wind up paying more than you know. Good luck.

Maybe a nice varmint bolt gun in 223? They don't chew through ammunition too fast and she will have the "big" gun. Remington sips varmint comes to mind.
 
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PSA 16" Mid-Length 5.56 NATO 1:7 Nitride 13.5" Lightweight M-Lok Upper With BCG, CH, & MBUS SIght Set - 516447488

Complete upper with sights: $387 after shipping, no tax or transfer fee required.

PSA AR-15 Complete Lower Magpul MOE Edition - Black, No Magazine - 5165447832

Completed lower: cost $233 after shipping, transfer fee of $25 and sales tax of 10%, that may be different for you than for me.

Total build cost with sights is $620, very good value of AR for the money and if you wanted to scope it in the future you have a nice free floated lightweight rail to do so with.

When you buy a complete lower and a complete upper there isn't any mechanical skill required, a child could assemble a completed upper and lower with a tiny amount of instruction.

Lots of options at this site. Many more other than this, but these two choices would serve you well.

You want a lightweight AR for women, my girlfriend enjoys shooting hers because 1) it doesn't kick that bad at all 2) it's not so heavy she can't hold it up.

I would also recommend getting this recoil pad. Even though .223 doesn't kick all that much, this pad makes it much more enjoyable to shoot for the lady. I liked it so much after trying it on my girlfriends rifle that I went out and bought several for me. They are really nice.

https://www.amazon.com/LimbSaver-Classic-Precision-Fit-Recoil-Synthetic/dp/B00AU6EPQO
 
PSA 16" Mid-Length 5.56 NATO 1:7 Nitride 13.5" Lightweight M-Lok Upper With BCG, CH, & MBUS SIght Set - 516447488

Complete upper with sights: $387 after shipping, no tax or transfer fee required.

PSA AR-15 Complete Lower Magpul MOE Edition - Black, No Magazine - 5165447832

Completed lower: cost $233 after shipping, transfer fee of $25 and sales tax of 10%, that may be different for you than for me.

Total build cost with sights is $620, very good value of AR for the money and if you wanted to scope it in the future you have a nice free floated lightweight rail to do so with.

When you buy a complete lower and a complete upper there isn't any mechanical skill required, a child could assemble a completed upper and lower with a tiny amount of instruction.

Lots of options at this site. Many more other than this, but these two choices would serve you well.

You want a lightweight AR for women, my girlfriend enjoys shooting hers because 1) it doesn't kick that bad at all 2) it's not so heavy she can't hold it up.

I would also recommend getting this recoil pad. Even though .223 doesn't kick all that much, this pad makes it much more enjoyable to shoot for the lady. I liked it so much after trying it on my girlfriends rifle that I went out and bought several for me. They are really nice.

https://www.amazon.com/LimbSaver-Classic-Precision-Fit-Recoil-Synthetic/dp/B00AU6EPQO

I got a 6 position retractable stock and bought the following LimbSaver.

https://www.amazon.com/LimbSaver-Re...&sr=1-4&keywords=limbsaver+slip+on+recoil+pad
 
Whatever you get, make sure it is 556, not just 223, this allows you to shoot both rounds in your gun.
I like both the mini and the AR. with the AR, you are only an upper away (quick easy swap) from a 300 AAC BO, a more versatile and fun caliber to shoot. You can shoot 80grns to 280grns 30 cal bullets. (you can use the same bullets you use in your 308--- and if you really Love her (and can afford the extra expense) put a can on the 300 AAC. If you don't mind single shoot, the 300 AAC handi rifle is smaller, lightweight, accurate and a hoot to shoot especially with a can. With the single shot, you have more fun and use less ammo (base price around $240 if you can find one, they are that popular.
 
AR-15 all the way! (And this is coming from someone who started with a Mini-14)

I've often argued that the AR-15 is one of the best home defense rifles available, due to it's lack of recoil and ease of use for women, children, and people of smaller stature. Add to that a choice of multiple cartridges, readily available magazines and ammunition, common components, and ease of customization; it truly has become an "Everyman's Rifle".
 

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