Which Assault Rifle?

[OreGunSun]

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.

I guess that if one is considering an AR - ( I owned an Armalite AR-15 20" A2 configuration - I have no personal experience with a piston driven AR.)

That being said that while an AR can be accurate out to 600 yards - it is under near normal conditions - (The Springfield SOCOM will do it under most real life situations).

The .55Gr .224 is easily effected by wind at the distance because of the lightweight of the bullet.

Yet what is often overlooked in the AR - is that the 600 yard shots are made with a Matchgrade setup with a 20" bull barrel.

Yet what is popular right now is the 16" Carbine barrels.
- Which right of the top you can cut 20-25% Velocity and Energy off the bullet. The popular 10" AR Pistol's - you can lose up to 65% of the Energy in the 5.56 round.

The Keyhole's or Tumble effect of the bullet ; the M193 .55 Gr ball which is designed to tumble in the wound channel to create greater damage - is dependent upon velocity - otherwise it will just punch a nice .25-.30 through and through if it doesn't contact bone.

 

[unionguy]

I highly recommend reading Boston T. Party's "Gun Bible" before deciding. He reviews all the major systems out there and does pros/cons. It depends on what you want it for. Example: a plinker vs. HD vs. SHTF vs. urban/rural. His research is very good. I wish I'd read it before I started buying military pattern rifles.

(I ended up going the FAL route b/c of my desire for a solid, reliable, all-around type rifle)

 

[OreGunSun]

I highly recommend reading Boston T. Party's "Gun Bible" before deciding. He reviews all the major systems out there and does pros/cons. It depends on what you want it for. Example: a plinker vs. HD vs. SHTF vs. urban/rural. His research is very good. I wish I'd read it before I started buying military pattern rifles.

(I ended up going the FAL route b/c of my desire for a solid, reliable, all-around type rifle)

Great Book +2 on the recommend

He does like the 74 over 47 as his review in chapter 17. Plinking at a boulder at 865 Yards with Iron sights.

One thing I forget that was a negative for me on the AK74 (referring back to the BGB just now) not only are reload components almost non-existent -is the problem in that the ejection port damages spent cartridges like the MBR in 7.62x54R ( Romaks, Dragonovs )

 

[fromotoc]

Great Book +2 on the recommend

He does like the 74 over 47 as his review in chapter 17. Plinking at a boulder at 865 Yards with Iron sights.

One thing I forget that was a negative for me on the AK74 (referring back to the BGB just now) not only are reload components almost non-existent -is the problem in that the ejection port damages spent cartridges like the MBR in 7.62x54R ( Romaks, Dragonovs )

The cheap steel cased 7.62X39mm isn't reloadable because of it's primer, too.

 

[OreGunSun]

The cheap steel cased 7.62X39mm isn't reloadable because of it's primer, too.

The cheap Mil-surp 95% is not reloadable even the Yugo brass case (mil-surp ) is berdan primed. I have not seen berdan primers for sale in the US since 2007 - used to be able to get them out of SA or AU for the NATO 7.62x51 with berdan primers (used in a lot of the .308 battle packs).

I digress, Brass and reloading equip is readily available for the 7.62x39 - US Manufactures ammo as well Remington, Winchester off the top of my head in FMJ, SP and HP, - American Eagle - FMJ brass - as well as Bellier & Selliot, etc.

I have some IMI brass ( which I have heard is either Norma or Laupa brass - they have annealed necks to boot.

The AK can fire .30 Caliber bullets from 90Gr to 155 GR (Wolf black box Soft points are 154gr).

 

[bradley]

Take my opinion for what it is worth. I am sure that there are alot of people here that have more knowledge than I, however I do feel that I am very knowledgeable. My family owns a VERY reputable gun shop here in oregon. I am not here to plug them but I have involved with firearms since before I could ride a bike and my children have all received firearms for there first birthdays.
I personally would recommend a AR. I personally own a couple AR-15s, a couple AKs(one of which I built from a parts kit) and a SKS. Though the SKS and the AKs are the cheapest they are getting harder to find reasonable priced ammo for. You also have to think about the cartridge design. 30 cal. is a large diameter bullet however you can carry about half as much ammo. I am not going to knock the AK very much though they are very crude and sloppy they work very very well even when they are full of sand and mudd. My ARs wont do that. The AR is MUCH more accurate. With a little skill you can kill anything on the west coast with it. My personal collection is rapidly becoming all US military calibers(9mm, 45acp, 30-06, 308, and 5.56) I figure if all **** breaks loose these cartridges will probably be the ones that will be available. To sum it all up, If I had to flee right now and take only one gun it would be a AR. Hope this helps you a little.

 

[jason97496]

It does, thank you.

As a side note, I do not know forum policy, but I like "plugs". I prefer to shop at places owned by level headed folks.

 

[Steve the Nailer]

If you want quality and a friendly place to buy, go to Philomath an a Next Generation Arms AR. While not cheap they are very well made and operate as advertised. I currently have 2 of them and I haven't shot my Bushmaster for months. For low maintenance you can't beat a Next Generation Arms AR, the ceramic coating is a dream to clean. You use Windex rather than a solvent, it's great.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Oh yeah, all the folks at the Philomath Gun Shop are easy to talk to and know what they are talking about.

 

[cyclesarge]

Another vote for AR.
I had an AK but always wanted an AR.
Just about everything anyone on here said against the AR made me think to myself "Oh Yeah, what about __________". Not enough stopping power? Oh yeah, what about the .308 AR10 variants? Still not enough? Try out a BMG .50 upper. Ammo is too much for plinking? Try a 5.45 x 39 upper. Still not cheap enough? How about a .22lr conversion (with a magazine) for under $200? Can't get much cheaper than .22lr. Currently, I am working at putting together a 9mm SBR AR (cheaper ammo than .223 and I can shoot it in the pistol pits at my range), I'll be able to switch it out to .223 OR .22lr in less than 5 minutes. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.

That being said, I'll probably get an AK after I get my AR finished.:winkkiss:

 

[MarkAd]

NOVA!! HA.
And go for the 308 if you want a real muscle round that is still fun to shoot

 

[Trlsmn]

I am a big fan of many platforms but for a first rifle I would go AR15 because of parts availability and ease of servicing the rifle!

Now as a favorite to go shooting I lean toward the AK74 since I can shoot it for .13 cents a round compared to .40 cents a round for the AR15

 

[torpedoman]

QUIT USING THAT TERM. it is the favorite anti slogan and makes you look bad. Do you intend to file the paperwork and pay the bribe to atf to own a select fire weapon if not you are not going to buy an ASSAULT WEAPON.

 

[Randini]

If you really like to clean a weapon every 100 shots or so get an AR jamamatic, or you can get an AK47 something you could fall in the mud with the hogs and still get up and shoot.

 

[cyclesarge]

If you really like to clean a weapon every 100 shots or so get an AR jamamatic, or you can get an AK47 something you could fall in the mud with the hogs and still get up and shoot.

GROSS!!! Why would you want to do that?


I guess another way to put it would be "If you are prone to falling into HOG MUD, by all means you better buy an AK, if you like a more accurate and flexible weapon that you have to clean eventually buy the AR."

 

[whatzhizname]

AR....

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

That just begs for a poster... I had to take a minute and make one up!

 

[FrontierFritz]

Considering all the factors I have two suggestions.
Mimi-14 in .223. I think this will be a "safe" investment.
SKS in original configuration with fixed 10 round magazine is another "safe" choice. Be sure to have plenty of stripper clips. The Simonov can be reloaded very quickly!
But I think .223 will be a more available ammo than 7.62 Warsaw.

 

[bshnt2015]

Try an AR based weapon system, plenty of mags and part out there. Ammo 223/556 is available again. The AR platform is easy to use and the manual of arms is easy. Maintenance is simple and durability is good. The AR platform can utilize scopes and RDS.
Lastly, with new rds being developed for the AR platform such as 6.8 and 6.5 there is the ability to increase lethality which allows the AR plaform to be used as a hunting rifle.
The US military has been using this for 40+ yrs. I think it's proven itself. I use one at work. Good luck.

 

[Trlsmn]

If you really like to clean a weapon every 100 shots or so get an AR jamamatic, or you can get an AK47 something you could fall in the mud with the hogs and still get up and shoot.

I have 5 AR15's and an AR10 and I have never had an AR15 jamb on me!

 

[darkminstrel]

My vote is for a Mosin. Besides, the one you buy has probably killed Germans, Finns, Russians, Poles, and more Germans! Talk about assault...

 

[bshnt2015]

If you want a non-military looking rifle, consider a lever action rifle such as a Marlin 1895 guide in 45/70 caliber, plenty of power and ability to provide defense when the SHTF.