I am looking to buy an AR....

[MrBlack]

+1 BCM

Everything I have ever purchase from this company has exceeded my expectations. Customer service has always been top notch, lifetime warranty, all mil-spec or better parts.

 

[quickndurty]

Couldn't agree more. I have a DPMS that I have set up 3 different ways and loved every shot. The stock triggers are garbage, but no surprise for what you pay. I have THOUSANDS of rounds thru that gun and it runs like a champ.

 

[Working 4 U]

Thanks again guys for the info. You know when I opened this thread I was very polite about saying I did do some searching and I did go to other site and I did research here as well and I'm quite sure I did not read everything out there on this site as well as other sites.

But to no avail there are always a couple of guys that just have to say "Hey guess what this was already talked about....so on and so on blah blah blah" Well you know what instead of just opening the thread and taking the time to comment on it, maybe you should have just skipped it and kept your crappy comment to yourself. I am a nice guy and I will be as nice as possble but when people like to pee in others peoples wheaties just to do it, well I have not use for you. Go be a grump some place else. To those of you that gave me input I would be happy to shoot with you all any day. Thanks for all the good input. To the monitors please close this thread so it doesn't make others mad because we already talked about it. Good day oh by the way
Merry Christmas

 

[mjbskwim]

Presumably a contractor, no?

Keith

Presumably had a contract with the US Army,why? Ranger I believe.

Anyway Working,don't take the BS personal on the weberneter. Everyone is a 6'2 Adonis MoFo,with 14 tours of duty and special ops with guard the Pres qualifications. And they always shoot their Noveski at 900 yards and cover the group with a nickel.
While smoking Cubans.
From their Porsche.
There are always new people coming through here that need info. That ask stupid questions,just like the rest of us did when we showed up.
There always will be.
there are a lot of great,smart experienced people on here that will answer your questions,so don't get discouraged with the stupid remarks.

It doesn't matter where you go on the neterweben,you will find them.

Good luck with your AR

 

[trainsktg]

Presumably had a contract with the US Army,why? Ranger I believe.

I haven't read anywhere that says the US Military has ever used Olys...just asking.

Keith

 

[Boomerang]

To the monitors please close this thread so it doesn't make others mad because we already talked about it.

Please don't close the thread. I've found it quite useful, and I'm in the same situation as the OP (looking to buy an AR in the near future, but with limited knowledge).

 

[Pandaz3]

I recently bought a Daniel Defense M4, It was pricey but it seems to be great quality, it will be a while before I can shoot it.

 

[mjbskwim]

I haven't read anywhere that says the US Military has ever used Olys...just asking.

Keith

I believe some soldiers were allowed to take their own weapons? As long as they were within some specs.
We started talking politics so why he had that gun over there was lost.

This question about ARs,is asked on here quite often. No big deal.So there is lots of advise here also. Lots of prejudices,too.
The reality is buy the nicest gun you can,or want to afford. Cheap ARs are still fun and will kill that summbichen coyote eatin' them chickens.
And probably hit anything YOU can at 200 yards (plus)
But if you will compete,which means you can afford more than a lot of folks,spend some money on the top brand guns. Daniels Defense,noveski,etc.
Thing is,for most of us,the deltons and such will do fine for years of service.
Remember we always change stuff on these guns,so don't worry about little details like the rails and stocks.There is a mod I do with the rear pin detent spring hole that I thread the hole so when I change stocks,or remove for maintenance,I don't have to mess with the spring.
It's great cause I have switched stocks on my ARs about 10 times in the last year.Just from gun to gun,not buying 10 different stocks,lol
They're just legos for adult boys.

 

[IXFE]

I only have one AR15 and it's only 6 months old. So perhaps I'm a good person to learn from. I think some of the more experienced guys forget what it was like to be new to the platform, and they've gotten tired of answering the same questions. Not me!

Leading up to my purchase I did months of research... mostly on AR15.com. No matter how much you research, once you have a rifle you will realize you didn't research enough. That's been my experience...

My focus back then was on two things: 1) recognized brand name (to me), and 2) something that had quad rail, Magpul furniture, and no front sight post. "Why?" you ask... Just because I thought all that stuff looked cooler, newer, and more advanced to me.

My dream rifle was the new <broken link removed> . I fell in love with it just by reading the review in Shooting Times. I was also interested in <broken link removed> , Colt MT6400R, and Rock River Tactical Operator 2. I never seriously considered my own build. I and was warey of brands I wasn't immediately familiar with (e.g. DPMS, Windham Weaponry, etc.). Also, I purposely avoided the expensive boutique brands (e.g. Noveske, LWRD, JP, etc.). I'm not saying this was a good approach, I'm just explaining where my mind was at back then.

I like to look and feel in person, not online. So I started visiting gun stores in town. The problem was that it seemed like everwhere I went only had a few models to look at, mostly pretty basic, never the stuff I listed above (maybe the right brand, but wrong model). And while I wasn't super educated, I knew I didn't want "basic." I also had set a $1,000 budget for myself, but was willing to go to $1,500 if I was really wowed.

So in February I decided to go to the Expo Center gun show. I figured that I'd be able to see everything under one roof. I went ready to buy if I found the right rifle at a good price. I have since learned that Northwest Armory and Curt's is really all you need to know. Go visit those places and you'll see 80% of what you'd see at the show, IMHO.

Lesson #1... the one thing missing from all my research was an honest self evaluation of exactly what I wanted/needed an AR15 for. How was I planning to use it? I've since come to realize this is the FIRST question you should ask yourself. Just saying "plinking" is not enough info. You need to acknowledge things like distance, shooting position, etc. IMHO, there are two main catagories these guns fall into: 1) Sniper sytle (e.g. long range shooting from prone or bench), and 2) Tactical style (e.g. clearing a house). I'm sure the experts will all chime in and tell me I've missed several sub catagories. But this is how it breaks down in my mind.

Okay, so now I'm at the show and I see that Northwest Armory has a Ruger SR556E for what looked like a really good price. Mind you, I didn't know much about the Rugers except they are piston driven, my uncle swears by his non-E model, and generaly they are very expensive. So when I saw one, without understanding what the "E" meant I got excited. Before buying it I walked the rest of the show hoping to see the Stagg 3G or any Colt w/ quad rail. No luck. So I went back and bought the Ruger, totally spontaneous, without ever really researching it, based largley on my uncle's love for the gun. Dumb move...

Lesson #2... Avoid getting emotional at the gun show and feeling pressure to buy based on the notion that the price is good or the gun will be gone if you don't grab it.

When I got home, I immediately starting reading everything I could about the SR556E (there isn't much out there). My biggest gripe is that it doesn't have a chrome lined barrel or a chrome bolt. To get that from Ruger you need to get the non-E model. But it does have the piston system, which like it or not, is worth more. The E model also doesn't have a true quad rail, which I wanted. So I called Northwest Armory back and discussed an trade in (I hadn't shot it yet, but I was going to take a hit). They discouraged me from doing it assuring me that it's a GREAT gun for the money and GREAT platform upon which to build.

More on the quad rail. For the E model you can buy extra rails from Ruger to build it up to be a quad (the holes are already tapped into the hand guard). I have since decided that a quad rail is not worth it for me. Extra weight and uncomfortable to hold. Fewer rails seems to the trend these days. So the E model is nice becuase you can add only the rail sections you need (I have one small piece added on the bottom for my bipod).

Lesson #3... Things you think you need now will become unimortant to you in the future. Unfortunately, you can't predict the future, so you're going to have to just live with this fact.

As mentioned above, I had no clue what I wanted one for other than "cool" factor. Since I got the Ruger, I've learned that I what I really like is target shooting at 100-200 yards. I have been to the wood and tried shooting standing up. It's no fun. I like pistols for that sort of plinking. Knowing this, I think I should have gotten a more "sniper" oriented rig (longer barrel, lighter trigger, etc.). That's not to say the Ruger doesn't do well... IMHO, it's a tack driver at 100 yards, and very fun to shoot. And I have added some accessories to make it work for my application.

• Nikon P223 3-9x40 BDC scope $200 (wish I sprung for the M223 4-16x42 for more reach)
• Nikon P-series mount $50
• Magpul STR Buttstock $100 (great stock for better cheak rest)
• Magpul PMAG's w/ Window $35 (love the windows)
• UTG Bipod $40 (cheap alternative to Harris)
• Ergo Grip $20 (the first thing I upgraded)
• Lighter trigger spring $9 (Curt's did this for me as an alternative to a new trigger. The Ruger factory trigger is actually a very crisp, single-stage trigger. I just wish it was lighter. This helped a little... until I get more serious with a Wilson Combat)

Conclusion (finally)... I'm happy with it for now, but still wonder if I made the right choice. At the end of the day, it shoots great and has a really nice finish, so I have no complaints. But there are so many other options out there, I constantly wonder if I should have waited for the Stagg 3G (due to the 18" stainless barrel and match trigger) or the Colt (because who doesn't have Colt envy?). I can see why some guys end up with more than one of these.

Here are some pics.

 

[trainsktg]

They're just legos for adult boys.

More like Barbies for boys...see how my accessories match my car .

Keith (Sad, I know )

 

[trainsktg]

So in February I decided to go to the Expo Center gun show. I figured that I'd be able to see everything under one roof. I went ready to buy if I found the right rifle at a good price. I have since learned that Northwest Armory and Curt's is really all you need to know. Go visit those places and you'll see 80% of what you'd see at the show, IMHO.

I'd agree with that.

Good post, too.

Keith