I've built my first AR- now what?

[Hueco]

There's nothing wrong with having guns for pure recreation, of course. Bless all such shooters. But frankly I find myself feeling a bit empty at the fact that I have no greater purpose of this AR other than pure recreation unlike my handguns.

I have no desire to enter competitions or anything like that.

Also I don't really have any friends with whom I go shooting with and share this hobby.

I'll be your friend.

Go ahead and ship that rifle up to me and I'll babysit it for you.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

@9mm guy Ya' think this one here ^^ needs to get a little more enthusiastic about the AR platform?

LOL hey atleast only 2 of mine are the same caliber!

 

[eldbillbo]

Have fun with it. Find a good gravel pit get save some old frying pans the type the Teflon wore off of or get some at a garage sale or goodwill hang them form a stand you can make a stand of out something you would otherwise throw out I have used the kids old crib frames, lawn chairs, tables you can find all kinds of crap to hang targets from on CL or just save your tin cans (be sure to pick them up and recycle after putting holes in them) if you don't have the skills to make one. Find a black Friday deal on some ammo and stock up and just have fun with it.

If it does not have sights just get a good set of open sights, to be honest for those who are not a mall ninja type wanting to dump hundreds of dollars into a hot rod rifle a simple KISS rifle with open sights is the way to go no batteries to replace, no scope to bump off sight good to go. I bought into all the high-end optics and do-dads but have found great joy in hitting clay pigeons at 100-150 years with open sights.

The more you shoot it the less powerful it will fill you will get used to it and part of the fun of it is its power that is why so many guys waste ammo on mag dumps because its fun.

 

[Tony617]

Congratulations. Read up on ammo is good for HD. I use JSP 64gr Gold Dots but the don't make 64gr Gold Dot anymore so you need to by 62gr now instead. For regular target practice I used 55gr M193 rounds.

Since the AR or even a pistol is loud in the home I have a set of amplified gun mufflers on my night stand.

I highly recommend the Cerberus Training Group class. You use your AR15 and learn how clear malfunctions and how to do tactical reloads and other training drills.

 

[MannyGlocks]

As to muzzle blast, consider wearing in 'ear' plugs over which you wear range muffs.

It helps a lot.

 

[Member 5605]

Remember everyone, I'm a beginner at this, as I started getting into firearms just a few years ago as an adult from having grown up with zero exposure to firearms. I'm not used to explosions. Think back to when you've first experienced the raw, awesome power & how surprised you were at the unexpected volcanic nature of the gun's firepower. It takes a lot getting used you since real life firearm shooting is nothing like the movies or TV.

By now your experience on this forum is like sitting around a campfire with a few thousand old and young geezers who are with you, here in the moment and helping you through your process.

Glad that you have camped here and are growing and not afraid to ask questions even if they seem silly to some of us, we are always willing to be helpful to anyone.
Old/new/indifferent to firearms. That's what NWFA is all about.

Kudos to everyone who reads this and contributes on this forum.

 

[jbett98]

Buy a suppressor, your ears will thank you.

 

[American123]

The noise an AR makes is worse than the recoil impulse. If you feel its hitting too hard, it may be an issue of correct grip and stock placement. A 16 inch AR, to me, hits harder than an 18 or 20, but none of them have unpleasant recoil. Your muzzle device choice can also effect the "explosive shock" - there are specifically designed muzzle devices that direct the concussive blast and most of the noise forward of you. Conversely if you have a muzzle break vs a flash hider or one of the afore mentioned devices, you're not going to want to shoot it indoors. Muzzle breaks mitigate recoil, but no one around you is going to enjoy your gun.

For home defense use, open sights and a rifle mounted white light are great, you can add on a decent or better electronic dot sight. Depending on budget - Redfield, Holosun, and Vortex make useful entry level options. If cash allows, Aimpoint is the way to go. But before you get gung ho on optics, learn how to shoot with the iron sights because electronics, even expensive ones, fail. Knowing how to shoot with irons is important. Biggest thing to remember at home-defense ranges, is that your sights sit a good bit over the bore of the rifle, so your point of impact is going to be a couple inches below your point of aim. Not an issue if you hold high on the chest or neck. Could be an issue if you're trying to take a head shot.

Watch the YouTube videos called "First Person Defender" - they put real people into various situations, a lot of home defense stuff, using their actual firearms, and then the instructors give them some tips on how to improve upon what they have. They cover rifle use indoors along with pistols.

Get a good round to stoke your gun with - I kept 45 grain Hornady A-MAX in mine, backed up some mags of SS109 if someone came in and turned out to be wearing armor. Home invasions are rare, but sometimes the home invaders do have armor.

Not on their face

 

[eldbillbo]

Buy a suppressor, your ears will thank you.

Now that is what I call a solution to a problem

 

[Alexx1401]

First the "over penetration is often mostly hype. There is a lot of good .556 ammo that will work fine for home use. All my hand guns can go through the walls of the home if I miss too. It's a chance I will take. Chances are real good never going to be shooting anyone in the home. If I do, the odds of hitting someone outside the home are even more astronomical. As long as you don't do something stupid like start shooting at people fleeing I would not worry.
Now since you like the AR, you can buy or build another lower that will be an "other". With that you can make it as small as you like by adding a pistol upper and brace to it. Even make it is pistol caliber if you wish.
Then of course certainly nothing wrong with buying a can for it also. Pricey, and takes a long time to get the damn stamp but, lots of fun and would be dandy for home use.

 

[Goosebrown]

Great to ask the questions. If you start shooting it you're going to like it a lot I can pretty much promise. Even if you don't use it a lot I'd say stash it in the safe with a few magazines and some ammo just in case.

It you're concerned about over penetration get some defense ammo with drangible rounds. Expensive but might help with that concern

Again thanks for asking the questions

 

[kisfish]

You have no idea what kind of worms you have opened up. It all starts with the first one.....Pretty soon you will be saying the last one I built or the next one will be... They are like rabbits...Good luck and enjoy it.
I went out picking some mushrooms the other day and some jack wagon had done a bunch of mag dumps out of his 556. Picked up all the brass. Its been cleaned up and tumbled, Ready to hit the reloader.

 

[Koda]

Contrary to much uninformed popular belief, your pistol will penetrate walls farther with more energy carried than your .223 AR will. Especially if you load it with any of these polymer/soft tipped rounds that are designed to quickly disperse energy into the target. It's a mass and physics issue, a 55grain bullet of that design will dump energy into the first thing it hits more so than the pistol bullet will. Go watch YouTube tests if you don't believe me.

Id actually like to see something that shows this true. I hear this a lot and have never found anything to prove it, Ive watched videos of the AR15 shooting thru the same amount of sheetrock layers as 9mm.

 

[BPOR11]

Grow a beard

And shave your head

 

[Koda]

What I've realized is practically, I cannot use this firearm for self-defense or home-defense due to it's size and the fact that I love in a suburb where over-penetration would result in disaster. And I am not a hunter. And so the only use for this firearm is recreational precision shooting at my range at 50-100 yards. There's nothing wrong with having guns for pure recreation, of course. Bless all such shooters. But frankly I find myself feeling a bit empty at the fact that I have no greater purpose of this AR other than pure recreation unlike my handguns. Part of that has to do with the cost: the expensive 223/556 ammo and other components such as scopes and bipod that I would need.

Honestly I can resonate with your opinion Im willing to admit I have less practical applications with a defense rifle for the same reasons your expressing.... except I wouldnt completely write off the AR for all home defense scenarios. Im perfectly comfortable with a home defense pistol for the majority of training and even the default go to home defense gun, but Im aware that even that can penetrate enough walls as well. The thing to look for is identifying the appropriate shooting lanes or line of fire to defend your home.

But the advantages of a defense rifle are greater defending against multiple attackers, defending the home in times of natural disaster or major civil unrest.... that might depend on if you prep or are concerned about such events like those (like the cascadia quake).

Also, I find an AR15 a nice companion if you train on public lands? ...especially if you dont have people you know to shoot with and go alone, as well as remote camping trips. And last but not least at all, its an expression of our right to keep and bear arms...

 

[American123]

Id actually like to see something that shows this true. I hear this a lot and have never found anything to prove it, Ive watched videos of the AR15 shooting thru the same amount of sheetrock layers as 9mm.

30 second google search, first video I clicked on. 9mm penetrated 3 2x6 and struck the fourth.223 penetrated 2 2x6's and stayed in the third. Specific bullet was 60gr v max for .223

 

[Koda]

30 second google search, first video I clicked on. 9mm penetrated 3 2x6 and struck the fourth.223 penetrated 2 2x6's and stayed in the third. Specific bullet was 60gr v max for .223

That was an interesting test, the vids I watched used sheet rock layers which I think are more probable in practical use but the 9mm did penetrate more than the 223 in the wood. I think it would take a lot more samples with different loads to draw any conclusions and Im noting the difference between the two isnt significant in the wood meduium so perhaps one doesnt need to worry about over penetration in a house any differently than a pistol round, with the right ammo.
thanks for sharing that.

 

[Pandaz3]

My wife has our two AR 15 Pistols, one rifle and two AR 9 Pistols stashed all around the house, plus her XD9 4" and Glock 17. She believes in AR's for home defense. I have a AR 15 ready for myself.

Training is usually informative, fun and challenging . Take the wife!

 

[Pandaz3]

The noise an AR makes is worse than the recoil impulse. If you feel its hitting too hard, it may be an issue of correct grip and stock placement. A 16 inch AR, to me, hits harder than an 18 or 20, but none of them have unpleasant recoil. Your muzzle device choice can also effect the "explosive shock" - there are specifically designed muzzle devices that direct the concussive blast and most of the noise forward of you. Conversely if you have a muzzle break vs a flash hider or one of the afore mentioned devices, you're not going to want to shoot it indoors. Muzzle breaks mitigate recoil, but no one around you is going to enjoy your gun.

For home defense use, open sights and a rifle mounted white light are great, you can add on a decent or better electronic dot sight. Depending on budget - Redfield, Holosun, and Vortex make useful entry level options. If cash allows, Aimpoint is the way to go. But before you get gung ho on optics, learn how to shoot with the iron sights because electronics, even expensive ones, fail. Knowing how to shoot with irons is important. Biggest thing to remember at home-defense ranges, is that your sights sit a good bit over the bore of the rifle, so your point of impact is going to be a couple inches below your point of aim. Not an issue if you hold high on the chest or neck. Could be an issue if you're trying to take a head shot.

Watch the YouTube videos called "First Person Defender" - they put real people into various situations, a lot of home defense stuff, using their actual firearms, and then the instructors give them some tips on how to improve upon what they have. They cover rifle use indoors along with pistols.

Get a good round to stoke your gun with - I kept 45 grain Hornady A-MAX in mine, backed up some mags of SS109 if someone came in and turned out to be wearing armor. Home invasions are rare, but sometimes the home invaders do have armor.

"Wifey" I thought you were footloose and fancy free in Sequim and Idaho was to be a Hermitage. You must have let your guard down!

 

[BWH]

I would love all of your experienced opinions about this question. I got into firearms to defend myself and family by carrying and being proficient with a handgun. And so when I go shooting and practice my handgun at the range, self-defense is my larger goal.

I've just built my first AR. (Aero lower and PSA rifle kit in a 223/556) It was a fun and gratifying process. And the rifle looks cool as hell in my opinion. I love the customization of it and learning about this platform. I test-fired this thing a few days ago and I was surprised by its power and loudness. I'm still not fully comfortable or used to firing something with this much power since I'm used to my handguns.

What I've realized is practically, I cannot use this firearm for self-defense or home-defense due to it's size and the fact that I love in a suburb where over-penetration would result in disaster. And I am not a hunter. And so the only use for this firearm is recreational precision shooting at my range at 50-100 yards. There's nothing wrong with having guns for pure recreation, of course. Bless all such shooters. But frankly I find myself feeling a bit empty at the fact that I have no greater purpose of this AR other than pure recreation unlike my handguns. Part of that has to do with the cost: the expensive 223/556 ammo and other components such as scopes and bipod that I would need.

I have no desire to enter competitions or anything like that. Also I don't really have any friends with whom I go shooting with and share this hobby. That may have something to do with it as well, since this has been something I've been doing by myself as part of a husband and dad duty to protect our family. Maybe I've finally reached the limits of my firearm hobby.

Anyways, I just wanted to express this and see of you experienced shooters have any thoughts or have any suggestions; or if I'm overlooking something. Thanks in advance for your answers.

I can understand where you are coming from.......let me toss this out there, only based on your proximity.
there are a few events at tri county that you can play in with your handguns. the AR, not so much for where I am going here.
They are "speed" events, Yes, you pay to shoot, there are NO prizes or trophy, its you against the timer, If you do "win" anything, its pride and/or bragging rights. Yes, you would probably score way down the list, most of us have/did, but you learn a bunch and advance. I did. and I am certainly not the young agile guy I was decades ago. I have advance, still am. Doesn't really matter as I know I wont be the king, dont need the pressure and have a total blast shooting these nearby contained events.
The comraderie is great, learning is free, rules basic to tcgc. It could be a whole outlook for you and another group of like minded buddies.

As for your new ar, a 22 insert kit may be fun and not a load, a 9mm upper may be the next assy for your barbie doll

Food for thought