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Before I had my first AR, a recommendation that I read online a lot was to have spare parts. When you had the issue with the hammer, did you think to maybe pick up some spare lower parts?

My research indicated that while early ARs were problematic and it was essential to have parts on hand, more recent ones were crazy reliable and it was no longer an issue. So I considered, and decided not to buy a parts kit, deciding to rely instead on the manufacturer's reputation and warranty. Obviously, a societal/infrastructure collapse was not a major motivating factor in the purchase.
 
I also have an M&P 15/22. I love the hell out of it and it will be the last rifle I willingly part with, ever.

What's the ammo price for .308 like, normally (not now)? What are the benefits of switching to a .308 upper, if I am not a hunter?

Keep the upper in the safe with the ammo and mags and get a 22 upper so you have two .22's in the same configuration. Do you have friends that want to go with you shooting, this would get someone else into the sport. I believe you would need a different lower/mags to shoot 308 and they are not so cheap even on a good day.

If all you have is one you may regret selling it when the hysteria dies down. Also for ammo you may consider getting into reloading if the cost of factory ammo is too much for you. Right now is not a good time to do that but you could buy the equipment now and the supplies later when the panic subsides.
 
308 wont feed in your lower. Do 300 blackout, or 7.62x39. otherwise you wont feed with a magazine.

Interesting. When I was researching the purchase, a LGS tried to talk me into one they had hanging on the wall with a .308 upper. They told me it was all interchangeable. I guess if they meant I could take the whole thing apart and replace 75% of the parts, they weren't lying. maybe I misunderstood, being completely new to the platform at the time. But then again, this is the same LGS who was unable to procure for me the model I ended up choosing, and then got pissed at me when I drove 75 miles to get it elsewhere instead of buying the one they wanted to sell me for $500 more.
 
Keep the upper in the safe with the ammo and mags and get a 22 upper so you have two .22's in the same configuration. Do you have friends that want to go with you shooting, this would get someone else into the sport. I believe you would need a different lower/mags to shoot 308 and they are not so cheap even on a good day.

If all you have is one you may regret selling it when the hysteria dies down. Also for ammo you may consider getting into reloading if the cost of factory ammo is too much for you. Right now is not a good time to do that but you could buy the equipment now and the supplies later when the panic subsides.

I looked at buying an extra upper at the time, and I decided that given the choice of spending $1100 for one and a half guns, or $1250 for two guns, I'd rather have two. So I bought the M&P 15 and the M&P 15/22.
I have a couple of friends that like to go shooting, and we do that occasionally, but not terribly often. I've offered to take one or two new people shooting, but it usually doesn't happen.

I also looked into reloading (9mm) at one time, and not counting the cost of the equipment, it cut the ammo cost roughly in half, but introduced factors such as time and effort to reload, increased exposure to lead, and the risk that I would make a mistake and blow the crap out of my guns due to over pressure rounds or squibs. I might go that route when money is more of an issue than my time, but for now it isn't feasible for me.



Does this forum have an issue with double postings? A bunch of times now, I have clicked the Post button once, been told that I needed to wait 30 seconds between posts (it had been more than that), refreshed the page and found that my message had in fact been posted already.
 
When I bought my AR-15, I drove 75 miles to get the specific model I wanted and the price I wanted.
When I got home and field stripped it, I discovered that the hammer had a big nasty crack in it and some missing material. You could see daylight through it. it was obviously a manufacturing defect.

I looked around online. A FEW online stores had replacement hammers for $25 plus $9 shipping.
I called around. NOBODY would sell me a replacement hammer by itself. Of the few local shops that had parts art all, they all wanted to sell me a complete parts kit for $95.

I ended up driving back down to the place I bought it, and the manage was kind enough to allow the return and sell me another one (which I stripped in the store before we did the paperwork).
That was not their company policy to do this, but they made an exception for me.

So tell me again how there are parts everywhere.
There WERE parts everywhere.
Second, even for AKM parts its more cost effective for them to sell a FCG rather than just one hammer.

$95 for a FCG in 08 and probably now (sadly) is standard.. but inbetween you could find FCG's for $20 and LPKs for under $55.
Now, there will be guys telling you you've got to have XYZ parts when really they'll all get the job done.
As for online, I'm sure you didn't shop around enough. Also, you could have saved money on shipping by ordering something else along with it.
Mags, other parts..etc.. just because YOU didn't find what you were after online doesn't mean anything.
However, if you're talking about right now, well DURRR. Its crazy out there and this isn't "Normal Times" for us shooters.


Also 75 miles for an AR? Brother you were had. You could have just built it.
A year ago you could pick one up down the road (unless you live in the middle of nowhere) for $600-$699-EL.
 
When I bought my AR-15, I drove 75 miles to get the specific model I wanted and the price I wanted.
When I got home and field stripped it, I discovered that the hammer had a big nasty crack in it and some missing material. You could see daylight through it. it was obviously a manufacturing defect.

I looked around online. A FEW online stores had replacement hammers for $25 plus $9 shipping.
I called around. NOBODY would sell me a replacement hammer by itself. Of the few local shops that had parts art all, they all wanted to sell me a complete parts kit for $95.

I ended up driving back down to the place I bought it, and the manage was kind enough to allow the return and sell me another one (which I stripped in the store before we did the paperwork).
That was not their company policy to do this, but they made an exception for me.

So tell me again how there are parts everywhere.

You should have a complete spare parts kit, anyway
 
If you would feel guilty by selling it at a sizable profit over your initial investment, then sell the firearm, pay yourself back what you have in it, and then find someone you know in need of a charitable cash gift. It's a win-win solution, except for the guy paying inflated prices.
 
Also 75 miles for an AR? Brother you were had. You could have just built it.
A year ago you could pick one up down the road (unless you live in the middle of nowhere) for $600-$699-EL.

A year ago I did pick one up down the road for that price. It's just that the road was 75 miles long.
I looked at every single local gun shop (except pawn shops) within a 15 mile radius of Everett, WA, and that equated to about 12 of them.
I don't consider Everett, WA to be "the middle of nowhere".

Everyone had an AR, but they all wanted a minimum of $1000 for them.
I experienced plenty of baiting and switching when I called on the phone vs. getting there in person.

Building one myself didn't seem like a good option, being new to the platform, not having a good mentor, and since units that were already put together and warrantied by the manufacturer were readily available for the same or less money than buying the individual parts.

I did lots of searching online as well. It's interesting, being told that I didn't shop around enough, by someone who has no idea how many hours I spent learning, researching, and shopping.
 
Don't sell it.

Haven't you ever heard the phrase "When you die the one with the most toys wins"?

How the H-E-double hockey sticks are you goin' to win with an attitude like that???

Geez man....get it together.

LOL.....in all seriousness personally the more weapons around me the better I feel....that's just me.
 
Ok, first ignore the your post failed pop up, you did post. My posts are doing the same and I'd guess the other members also. Secondly I want to apologize for jumping down your throat! As you stated, trying to limit the discussion was indeed foolish and it pOed a whole bunch of us! I understand what you are asking but what can we say? You really covered most of the possible answers in your thread (in what could, possibly, be construed in a dismissive manner). As to the stupid Zombie thing, that was started by some Preppers/Survivivalists to spoof those who condem the lifestyle. Since the younger set play so many video games that include Zombies a large number of them bought "tactical" weapons and gear and some of them joined organizations like the NRA to protect those weapons so Zombies took on a life of their own and we seem to be kind of stuck with them. As to the rest we generally don't give a crApp about the rest of the world's eye rolls, but those points that remain are the concerns that most of us share! I know of no other arguments, pro or con for selling off your weapon. As to the problems with the accuracy of your AR they are quite picky about bullet weight/rate of twist, you should explore this if you haven't already. There are many experts on this site far more knowledgable than I. If things get back to a little more normal try gun shows for spare parts.

Again, my sincere apologies for my harsh words. Good luck with your decision!
 
Building one myself didn't seem like a good option, being new to the platform, not having a good mentor, and since units that were already put together and warrantied by the manufacturer were readily available for the same or less money than buying the individual parts.

I did lots of searching online as well. It's interesting, being told that I didn't shop around enough, by someone who has no idea how many hours I spent learning, researching, and shopping.

I only asked "Unless you were in the middle of nowhere", NOT that you were..derp.

As for learning about the platform..AR15.com brother took me 15 minutes my first time looking for info on the net. No one walked me through my first one either. You just learn as you go, they are like tinker toys, easy to play with and build and you can't really do anything to mess them up.

As for you not shopping around, if there wasn't this firesale crisis going on I could have pulled up a number of sites/links as well as personal ads on
AR15.com.. so I KNOW you didn't shop around. You were being picky and rushed, if this post was placed a year ago you would have had a rush of links telling you right were you could pick up a spare FCG, LPK or just a little'ole hammer for your AR for the possible price you were ready to pay.

..And Brother, getting on here and getting all defensive for a question YOU put out on the forum for US to answer is just silly.
I've read all your posts on this thread and you are coming off as very hostle. NO ONE has personally attacked you, trust me this thread is "G" rated compared to others. So I think you're being hypersensitive or very defensive, again for a question you put out there for us to answer.
 
Ok, first ignore the your post failed pop up, you did post. My posts are doing the same and I'd guess the other members also. Secondly I want to apologize for jumping down your throat!
...
Again, my sincere apologies for my harsh words. Good luck with your decision!

Good to know it's not just me or my browser choice that is causing the post failed thing.

Regarding the harsh words, I'm not keeping score. I've been called "troll" and "derped" before, and it will happen again. I don't remember who was rude and I'm not going back to look.

I really was hoping for some fresh perspectives, and wanted to avoid repeating what has been discussed hundred of times before on this forum and others. But, maybe there aren't any fresh perspectives on this, and I have to make my decision with what's already been covered.
 
Sell it all.

The black rifle fetishism in the shooting community is nothing short of hilarity. If you have been ambivalent or indifferent to owning one, there has never been a better time to find a sucker.

The AR, or AK, or whatever intermediate caliber rifle, is not essential to anything save perhaps for posing with them on the internet. There are better options for close in self defense, and there are certainly way better options for shooting at ranges exceeding 300m.

The doctrinal rationale behind the M-16 family don't really apply to civilian world reality or to those models without burst fire capability.

Sell it all and buy some things you'll actually shoot.

My bet is there will not even be an AWBII and you'll be able to reacquire a lightly used semi-only black rifle for fire sale prices inside of the year if you miss it.
 
Sell it all.

The black rifle fetishism in the shooting community is nothing short of hilarity. If you have been ambivalent or indifferent to owning one, there has never been a better time to find a sucker.

The AR, or AK, or whatever intermediate caliber rifle, is not essential to anything save perhaps for posing with them on the internet. There are better options for close in self defense, and there are certainly way better options for shooting at ranges exceeding 300m.

The doctrinal rationale behind the M-16 family don't really apply to civilian world reality or to those models without burst fire capability.

Sell it all and buy some things you'll actually shoot.

My bet is there will not even be an AWBII and you'll be able to reacquire a lightly used semi-only black rifle for fire sale prices inside of the year if you miss it.

I fell into the AR craze a couple of years ago, but soon realized that I didn't need it. One of my hunting rifles, my bird gun, one of my PD shotguns, my 22's, and all of my handguns are semi-automatic. So...it turned out that the one I shot the least was the AR, so I sold it. Looking back I wish I hadn't (because of current events), but in the long run I'm not really sure I'll miss it. I don't make a lot of money, so that was my main reason for selling it. But...if you're in a good financial situation, I'd say keep it. The worst thing it can do is take up space in the safe.:s0155:
 

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