Which Assault Rifle?

[jason97496]

Man! you have 11 mouths to feed? I...I...don't know what to say....

My wife has a good job

I collect child support from my ex-wife and disability from the VA.

 

[finch6013]

I would do some research and handle some guns at shows and shops and make a choice based on personal reasons, not what members tell you since we all have different opinions and likes. As I said before, I prefer the AR platform. It can shoot multiple cal from .22 on up with a simple swap of a few parts in most cases. From my personal experience when I owned an ak and other guns I always wanted an AR and wasn't satisfied until I had one. Keep us posted on what you are thinking of buying

 

[jason97496]

When I first started buying guns, I took the approach of handling them at gun shows, and seeing what I like the feel of. I wound up with a Jiminez 9mm that is a piece if crap and a .357 revolver that is so small, it hurts my hand to shoot.

I asked around on this forum and wound up with a Glock 19 that I love.

I have a lot of respect for the various opinions of the members of this forum.

 

[finch6013]

Understood. I have learned alot from peoples opinions on the forum.

 

[Dutchy556]

AR....

Pick a configuration you like, they're like legos for adults. Black, deadly legos...

Accurate, controllable, reliable, highly customizable. The military and LEOs use them & a huge number of civvies use them, so they're a good choice in terms of commonality, which for me is a big factor.

 

[RallySoob]

get the AR, you won't regret having the best when/if you ever 'really' need it

 

[ORBrit]

the nice thing about the AR platform is the huge aftermarket and a lot of options and knowledge base easily available. There's a reason they call it the black rifle disease - it is highly contagious and can completely incapacitate you!

You can also buy as you go as your budget allows.
Start with the stripped lower - $140 for a Mega Gator is a great deal that can be had on the forum here through oregonpawn1.

Next is the LPK - here you have to decide what trigger you want. If you just want a standard LPK that should run about $60-$80 depending on brand.

You could customize the pistol grip too - just buy the one you want - e.g. Magpul MIAD.

Stock and buffer/recoil spring would come next - again a lot of options. Depending on the type of rifle you are building (SPR, M4Gery etc._ you could spend a lot on the stock.
E.g. the Magpul PRS is about $250

The upper, barrel, handguards and optics will probably be the more expensive items in our build.

You could put together your own or buy a complete upper.

 

[finch6013]

get the AR, you won't regret having the best when/if you ever 'really' need it

agreed. Some here will say that the AR is not reliable and is not that great of a gun. But if it had so many problems then why would it be one of the most popular guns in the world second to the AK. and thats just because the AK is a whole other market. There is a reason so many of us love the AR platform

 

[OreGunSun]

I'll toss my .02 cent in the ring -

While an AR may reach to 600M or yards it's not going to stop much at the distance. ( it is still only a little bit bigger than a .22LR and only a little bit heavier -

The Ak74 ( Expensive gun - cheap ammo) - little of it is manufactured by any American companies - I am unaware of any brass or reloading equipment for it. So it could become obsolete in a heartbeat ( great if you have a ton of Ammo)

SKS is great rifle when you get all cosmo out - some of them are great tack drivers. You get a milled receiver it is a Semi-auto just like most of the other "assault rifles" unless you pick up the NFA Tax stamp and go Full Auto - but then the problem is Ammo and how to afford to fire full auto. A bando with 24 stripper clips ( is a lot easier to haul around than six 40 Round or eight 30-round mags ( and I would rather leave strippers behind or lug them than empty mags.

While their is something to be said for a "black Assault rifle" -Nowadays I would much rather be low key and draw the least attention. A bone stock mil-surp SKS is not going to garner a "911 call" some guy with a Machine gun call, maybe a guy with a gun.

When the lead flies the two second tactical mag change on an AR becomes a fumbling 10-12 second event.

It looks like your way out far from the burbs'

Nato 7.62x51 variant maybe more up your alley - PTR91 - FAL's, HK Clones, Even AR-10/ AR based .308/7.62x51 upper/lower.

Don't see a whole lot of use for one in the burbs.

I do like the AK's because they have such a wide tolerance ( which you pay for in Accuracy) but most battles in the past 50 years have been at ranges under 150M. I know that I can grab an AK out of Mud or Sand and I am quite confident that it will go bang when I pull the trigger.

Unless you get one of the new piston driven AR's - ( Their was a reason that the ARMY teaches SPORTS ( Slap, pull, observe, release, tap, squeeze). I am not Anti-AR. I do like the 3 round burst - on the FA.

Back to the 30-06AP Black tips and SS109 -

Most .30 caliber rifles can shoot both. You just use a Sabot in most 7.62 and push 4,200 FPS in the ,30-06, .308 and 7.62x54R.

But they have pistol rounds that will punch holes in Armor just like the rifles. ( Level IV )

The SKS vs AK's,

If I am in a squad give me an AK, if I am solo give me a SKS.

( I can load strippers almost as fast as mag changes - I said almost - but if your burning thru mags that quick your in trouble if you do have access to ammo near you. Granted a 75 or 100 rd Drum on an AK is nice but it rattles like a cookie can full of marbles. ( Plus you can buy 12 - 40 round mags for the price of one drum now a days).

Yet I can grab to Bandoliers full of loaded stripper clips and an SKS, and Hump 480 rounds. ( That is 12 forty round mags )

Ever try to shoot prone position with a 40 Round mag or a 30 round aftermarket mag on an SKS.

Just my observations mixed with life and experience.

 

[jason97496]

This is great, keep it coming

 

[eldbillbo]

i have to say ar15 not that its the best but its American Damn it ! Like Ford and Chevy (well kind of)

Really there are more reliable guns like the AK in the sense they don't require as much cleaning

there are sexier guns like the MP5 /HK94 you can feel like a Rock star with one them

then there are the battle rifles .308 M1a m14 G3 Fal ect all A Hoot to shoot if you have the loot prepare to take out a second mortgage oh and heavy but double as a club

one of the best so called assult rifles i have ever owned is a Daewoo DR 200 designed for the Korean ROK army with the reliability of a AK the neat little luxury items of a Ar15 the sights of a HK some of the features of a FAL however loose a part and your screwed as they stopped importing them i have heard several stories of these going as high as 3000 rds without cleaning a truly great rifle wish i still had one.

and if you put a folding stock on a ruger 10/22 wohla a assult rifle easily carry a couple thousand rds on your body hunt small game and ect.

but anyway back to ar15s sure they poop where they eat (you can fix that by installing a piston system) lots of gadgets for then for hrs of tinker toy erector set fun shoot most guys have the flip up back up sights along with the red dot sight followed buy the magnifier sight along with push button lazer sight HOW MANY SIGHTS DO YOU NEED ON A AR15 not to mention the grip and the blinding light all on the free floated raid system and the grip that changes to different weather conditions and also houses the spare batteries which are needed for all the gizmos and stock which also holds more batteries and the quick detachable sling thingy and don't forget a cup holder ( i working on one of those gonna patent the first tactical cup holder ) but lots of parts lots of mags hey and if the Zombies invade the Guberment might actully pass out some ammo which will be 5.56 (.223) to help defend US. however the .223 is not very effective against the zombies 12ga works the best on them . but ars can be sexy and you can feel like a rock star at least in front of a mirror with a tactical sling which allows you to do kung fu kicks also they are very simple to take apart and put together again which is good when you tweekin on 90 wt coffee you get to use CLP with pride and take pride in owning a built with pride In the USA the taken apart and put back together again in your garge bonafied assult rifle

but i must say i agree the AK is you best all weather condition rifle in the event you get stuck in a harsh environment its gonna require the least amount of mantience compared to most rifles you can't tweek on it like a with a ar and no matter how many tacticool items you put on it its gonna still look like something built in a 3rd world country

 

[B_rice]

i got an sks if your interested

 

[jason97496]

It sounds like I will have to start looking very closely at ARs.

Without buying garbage, what is the least expensive route to get a good start. I keep hearing about these guns being like legos, erector sets, etc. I do not have money to waste, so I would like to know exactly what you folks would recommend.

What should I buy and where should I buy it?

Jason

 

[eldbillbo]

I sounds like I will have to start looking very closely at ARs.

Without buying garbage, what is the least expensive route to get a good start. I keep hearing about these guns being like legos, erector sets, etc. I do not have money to waste, so I would like to know exactly what you folks would recommend.

What should I buy and where should I buy it?

Jason

Well you just opened another can of worms some of us are coltaholics and will swear colt are the best but now there are a lot of new kids on the block putting out some darn good stuff like Novenski made here in ORYGUN there are some many to choose from but start basic as you see lots of options and you can always add to it later fist thing do you want tactical or tack driver
start there and add to it for example start if you want tactical start with the basic carbine decide light weight (barrel heats up faster but cools faster) or Hbar ( Barrel heats up slower takes longer to cool a little more accurate because of that) oh and as for M4 barrels the 203 cut looks sexy but serves no real purpose for civies except if you get one with M4 extension ramps which aid in feeding but were primarily designed for auto fire , then decide standard handgaurds or floated rail system floated rail system may help some in accuarcy as well try to get name brand a possibly a complete rifle even though fun to build and a lot of guys recommend it if you just want a good rifle and be done with it do it that way.

as far as what and where if you buy a brand new rifle most come with factory warrentees which is good. if you buy used get some history on it sometimes used is good if you know it to be a good working rifle chances are it will always be a good working rifle always avoid laqure coated wolf ammo polymer is ok the the laquer stuff will raise **** with extraction

 

[mgavatar]

After a long interval, got into shooting rifles recently. I bought 2 AR 15s and assembled 2, which included a Noveske. I had bought an Arsenal AK 93 before this and a SAM7 AK underfolder. I took these all out to the range for my shoot, and also had a RFI Ishapore/Enfield 308.
The AK was not that fun . Arsenal are supposed to be the best....but didn't feel so good in my hands, my ARs were much better, especially the noveske (love it)....but no where close to an old enfield/ishapore bolt action!
For an assault rifle, go for an AR as your first one.

 

[eldbillbo]

thats right some of the aks reliability is a myth i have seen them with feed and jam problems nothing consistant though just the occasional hick up

 

[ZeroRing]

 

[Spray-n-pray]

Boy, is that ever the truth! Hey, that looks like my setup! (yeah right)

 

[fromotoc]

Alot of AR nominations in this thread. Whether its and AR, an AK, a FAL, G3/PTR/CETME or SKS, they are all going to be decent guns. As far as ammo is concerned, at this point in time, .308/7.62X51 is about the same price as 5.56 (.50/round). Honestly, I've had numerous AR's from Oly Arms to Colt and they all worked for me. If you;re gonna get an AR, look for DPMS, Bushmaster, Stag, CMMG, etc... They will all work for you. I like the G3/CETME setup as the mags are incredibly cheap (HK mags for $2.50 a piece), work well, accurate and they have range capability. An AK74 is a nice idea, you can find them for $550 if you look, and ammo is $199/1K. If you get an AK74, stock up on ammo. An AK is fine, the cheap ones aren't the most refined weapons but they work and are plenty accurate. The nicer ones (like Arsenal) are much nicer finish-wise, and better craftsmanship. If I were you, I would save for a Springfield SOCOM (in the $1600 range for the gun), but thats just me.

As far as best bang for your buck, the AK74 will offer that. You can get the gun for $550, 1K ammo for $199, but mags are expensive. Also, all the cheap ammo is foreign made, something to majorly consider when looking for a long-term gun in a foreign caliber. An AR setup will run in the $1200-$1400 range, that's $750 for the gun (you gotta look to get this price), $200 for mags (13 pmags or 20 c-products mags) and 1K of ammo (wolf will be cheaper, but non-reloadable). You can get a CETME or HK G3 clone setup for the same price as an AR, gun is around $700, you can get 40 mags for under $100, and a case of ammo will run from $400 on up. A FAL setup will be more, but AIM has a FAL DSA for $1099 (a topshelf FAL for a great price), although the mags are more expensive than the G3 ones. For an AK47 setup, in this climate, it would probably be a couple hundred dollars less for the setup if you get a WASR, so I don't think when AK's are going for $5-600 this should even be considered. An M1A setup would be the most expensive option (in the 1800 plus range).

The best longterm battle rifle is probably the AR, as there will eventually be surplus 5.56 ammo on the market, and it will probably be very cheap. You can't go wrong with an AR, FAL, or G3. You can go wrong with an AK variant for a longterm rifle, as the cheap ammo is imported mostly from russia, and if things were to heat up with the US and Russia, your ammo choices are to pay $1/round for winchester stuff. Alot of this depends on if you reload or not, too.

Or you could get a converted Saiga 12 with a bunch of mags and be completely tacti-cool.

 

[RallySoob]

I'll toss my .02 cent in the ring -

While an AR may reach to 600M or yards it's not going to stop much at the distance. ( it is still only a little bit bigger than a .22LR and only a little bit heavier -

I definately would not want to be shot by .223, even at 600yds. And would probably changed directions if I had been


More people knock the .223 round than the AR15 platform. If it's .223 you don't like you can pretty much get any other caliber you could want.