Hedging the election

[Lambda Force]

Hm. I wonder if there are any really good deals out there right now on complete uppers....

Have you checked the Halloween sales at Primary Arms?

[parabelum]

Thanks to this thread I picked this up today, it was too nice to pass up. I shouldn't have clicked on this thread ...

I didn't have black flip up sights so I stuck my diamondhead FDE on (if anyone wants to trade sights in DFW let me know ).

Nice. Just make sure you don't shoulder that buffer tube blade or you'll have to file an NFA application. You may already know this, but this was news to me, today.

https://www.atf.gov/file/11816/download

Any person who intends to use a handgun stabilizing brace as a shoulder stock on a pistol (having a rifled barrel under 16 inches in length or a smooth bore firearm with a barrel under 18 inches in length) must first file an ATF Form 1 and pay the applicable tax because the resulting firearm will be subject to all provisions of the NFA.

Yea, the interesting thing is that ATF wrote the letter linked below not that terribly long ago.

https://html2-f.scribdassets.com/4dcxwx ... b4b2e7.jpg


What a circus.

[Skiprr]

Hm. I wonder if there are any really good deals out there right now on complete uppers....

Have you checked the Halloween sales at Primary Arms?

Yep. That's where I got the Black Rain lower.

[philip964]

Good deal on 10-pack of magazines: $104.99
http://www.brownells.com/magazines/rifl ... =100006987

Ok bought this today. Thank you for the link.
Right now these will sit next to my 50 round magazines for the FN PS 90.

**Update** all this was stolen when my house was robbed.

[philip964]

So 5.56 is the cartridge for an AR also called an M4. Radical Firearms is ok but Ruger is better. I assume the Radical Firearm model is less accurate? or is it more prone to jam? Or are we talking name brand vs. just as good off brand?

If I buy Ruger will it be inter changeable with other parts that are "Milspec" ? Milspec means its inter changeable.

I need to buy two as they must break a lot?

I need flip up iron sights.

I thought I could buy optics later as I figured they could not outlaw optics. (probably I'm underestimating Hil)

Buy 30 round magazines as many as I can find and afford. Magpull?

Colt brand is very nice. but it is for collectors not really for shooting? Its like having a 20 year old Ferrari with 5000 miles. However I assume like a Ferrari it has a better resale value.

I really do not want another hobby. I tend to feel AR owners are real into it, since they are always tricking them out, talking about uppers and lowers. I can just have one and shoot it occasionally, it does not have to become a hobby?

Any thing I have missed?

I've also thought Ruger Ranch Rifle, an old, is it M1carbine, FN PS90, but with the ammo shortage staying with an AR, seems more prudent.

I've never hunted. But I all ways like larger. What is the next size cartridge for a rifle that works for hunting and works with a carbine that is available at stores? And what rifle would that be?

So for your case, the M4 is basically the same thing as an AR. You probably wouldn't care about the differences from what I understand.

5.56/.223 is the standard cartridge for the AR platform. The platform may also be chambered in an infinite number of other cartridges. It is advised to either purchase a 5.56 or .223 WYLDE chambered rifle, as chamber pressures of the 5.56 cartridge are slightly higher than the standard .223 cartridge making it potentially harmful for your .223 chamber to fire a 5.56 cartridge.

AKA 5.56 chamber =.223 or 5.56 ammunition
.223 chamber = preferably only .223 ammunition
.223 WYLDE chamber = .223 or 5.56 with a very slight potential improvement in accuracy.

Radical Firearms is fairly new to the game, and have hit or miss reviews. I have absolutely no hands on experience with their parts or rifles, however given their reasonable price point I would take a gamble on them. Prone to jam? That is very subjective to each rifle. There are several things that will cause an AR to jam (much like any firearm) whether it be the magazine, dirty bolt carrier, dirty chamber, faulty ammunition, buffer spring/buffer weight issues, dirty buffer, gas tube issues, etc. along with any combination of those issues. However do not let this scare you, as generally the modern AR platform is a very reliable platform, mind you, that you take some type of responsibility for taking care of the rifle (also as with any gun). Generally speaking- your DPMS Oracles, M&P's and Other Low-Mid grade rifles will be generally reliable, and provide "minute of man" accuracy. These rifles will not put bullets on top of each other, but are plenty suitable for plinking etc. You mentioned the Ruger, and that would absolutely be an excellent choice. I would place it above the aforementioned rifles but not quite top tier. Most are very reliable, as well as decently accurate (definitely a step above the M&P/DPMS Oracle).

For the most part AR parts are totally universal (aside from caliber differences obviously). Mil Spec means that it meets or exceeds the military standard and dimension requirements. Do not confuse mil-spec with top tier, because they are definitely not one in the same.

They absolutely do not "break alot" and are typically very nice firearms. But what fun is only having one?? If you feel the need for more than one, but don't feel like forking out the cash for two+ rifles, invest in a couple of stripped lowers. This is the part that is serialized and therefore is going to be the first target of an AWB. In the government's eyes a stripped lower is a complete rifle.

Flip up iron sights are not required, but I would say iron sights are a pretty essential investment. I would compare iron sights it to riding a motorcycle with ONLY electric start. You may never need that kick start, but you'll sure be thankful that one day that you do. Optics definitely come second to irons.

Magazines, magazines, magazines... you can never have too many, and you can never have too much ammunition. The P-Mags by magpul are great magazines with anti tilt followers. The internals of the P-Mags can also be found in a number of steel mags. I'm a little old school (I carry a 1911 for reference) and I prefer the steel magazines with magpul followers/springs. Don't get me wrong, I do have several of the P-Mags and they are very nice/reliable. (there are steel magazines with magpul followers to be had for 7.99-8.99 a piece...aka 79.99-89.99 for 10, just have to do some browsing)

So Colt, Colt is a great brand. I wouldn't place them in the top tier category, but they are a very high quality manufacturer. Tons of law enforcement and military use their rifles every single day, and put their lives on these rifles. Definitely something you should not be afraid to shoot, nor is it a collectors item, unless you find a "collectors" colt ;).

An AR can be just about anything you want it to be, whether you want it to be the "tacticool zombie apocolypse rifle", a 1/2 minute of angle custom build, a basic home defense rifle, or plinker. It's totally up to you how you want to go about it, but fair warning the AR bug is very contagious, and proliferates at a very rapid rate.

The ruger ranch rifles are fine, just basically a .223 version of the m14 (basically). It's hard to get great accuracy out of them, and they are exponentially less customizable to a specific user, but they do make great truck/farm rifles (notice the title). The m1 carbine fires a .30 caliber bullet but in a smaller casing. Used heavily in WW2, Korea, and some of Vietnam. Some would say it is a little underpowered, but it served our G.I.'s fine in my opinion. The M1 carbine is definitely more of a collector item at this point. They are very cool don't get me wrong.

As far as hunting goes, Whitetail and smaller game can absolutely be ethically killed with the .223 caliber rifle, but above that requires a little more skill. If you are looking for a larger caliber in the AR platform the AR10 style is based on the 7.62, but is generally going to be marginally more expensive. They are basically the same as the AR15 just expanded in size, to accomodate a larger round.

If I wanted something inexpensive but good quality, I'd look hard at the Aero Precision 16" mid-length rifle for $559 - you just choose the furniture you want:

http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/re ... +PRECISION

Me, I'm looking into ammo - I'm pretty much set (almost) for magazines and AR-15 lowers/LPKs.

I agree with Andy here. Aero is a great brand, and the only thing missing to make this a functioning rifle is a handguard. This can be had from Aero for a very reasonable price- http://aeroprecisionusa.com/ar15-quantu ... uards.html

This is their quantum free float keymod handguard. I have one of these myself and I can testify to the quality. These are top notch, and will absolutely exceed your needs. The key-mod system provides a clean, easy, and fast available area to mount anything you could ever want on the front end of your rifle. It is there when you need it (lock in a key-mod attachment), and gone when you don't. Key mod system is probably the second most popular way to attach accessories second to the basic picatinney rails (key-mod picatinney rails are available and are strongly advised for accessories).

The combination of this rifle and handguard will give you all of the accuracy you would need, as well as reliability all under $650; with a confident brand name on the side if that matters to you.

Good Luck!

Thank you all for spending your time writing all this great info. I went to the browells site about the Aero Ar15.
What do I do about the FFL thing. Sorry to be such a Newby about all this.

[Soccerdad1995]

Where are you located? There is a good chance that one of the forum members here can recommend a good FFL to use.

[jb2012]

Thank you all for spending your time writing all this great info. I went to the browells site about the Aero Ar15.
What do I do about the FFL thing. Sorry to be such a Newby about all this.

No problem! All you need to do is have a local FFL email/fax/snail mail a copy of their FFL to brownell's and they will ship the rifle to that store/FFL. You will then go into the FFL/store to complete a 4473/bg check before they transfer the rifle to you. It sounds much more difficult than it really is. Plus I would bet that brownell's has more than likely already done business with any FFL you will choose and they already have a copy of that business's FFL on file.

[parabelum]

Thanks to this thread I picked this up today, it was too nice to pass up. I shouldn't have clicked on this thread ...

A lot of Topics around here have a way of doing that. Somehow, it also seems that anytime I get into a conversation with Andy, I end up buying stuff. With zero intention of another build, I figured the stripped Black Rain lower would feel awfully incomplete just sitting in the safe, so I bought an Aero Precision lower parts kit, a Spike's heavy buffer, spring, and tube, and a Magpul stock.

Tsk - a complete lack of discipline. I'm in such great company

Yea, thanks.

Just picked up another one I put together, Lord Arms complete lower with Aero precision enhanced upper, Olympic Arms 5.56 match bull barrel, magpul furniture, YHM sights, BCM gunfighter charging handle blah blah blah dadgummit.

[parabelum]

By the way, just want to mention Lord Arms briefly. I've never even heard of them and I came across their multi cal lower, all aluminum. Once I put it all together I've shot two mags (I know...not a big test), and their lower is tip top match with Aero upper. Feeds great, it's accurate etc. Finish is bit thick but aside from that, I'd recommend them.

Ok, nothing else for me...until Christmas

[philip964]

Thank you all for spending your time writing all this great info. I went to the browells site about the Aero Ar15.
What do I do about the FFL thing. Sorry to be such a Newby about all this.

No problem! All you need to do is have a local FFL email/fax/snail mail a copy of their FFL to brownell's and they will ship the rifle to that store/FFL. You will then go into the FFL/store to complete a 4473/bg check before they transfer the rifle to you. It sounds much more difficult than it really is. Plus I would bet that brownell's has more than likely already done business with any FFL you will choose and they already have a copy of that business's FFL on file.

I'm in Houston. Do I find the FFL first? Or buy the rifle first, then go shopping for the FFL?

[Pawpaw]

Thank you all for spending your time writing all this great info. I went to the browells site about the Aero Ar15.
What do I do about the FFL thing. Sorry to be such a Newby about all this.

No problem! All you need to do is have a local FFL email/fax/snail mail a copy of their FFL to brownell's and they will ship the rifle to that store/FFL. You will then go into the FFL/store to complete a 4473/bg check before they transfer the rifle to you. It sounds much more difficult than it really is. Plus I would bet that brownell's has more than likely already done business with any FFL you will choose and they already have a copy of that business's FFL on file.

I'm in Houston. Do I find the FFL first? Or buy the rifle first, then go shopping for the FFL?

Here are Brownell's instructions. If you need more specific information, it would be a good idea to call them.

http://www.brownells.com/helpcenter/FFL ... .htm?id=52

[Soccerdad1995]

Thank you all for spending your time writing all this great info. I went to the browells site about the Aero Ar15.
What do I do about the FFL thing. Sorry to be such a Newby about all this.

No problem! All you need to do is have a local FFL email/fax/snail mail a copy of their FFL to brownell's and they will ship the rifle to that store/FFL. You will then go into the FFL/store to complete a 4473/bg check before they transfer the rifle to you. It sounds much more difficult than it really is. Plus I would bet that brownell's has more than likely already done business with any FFL you will choose and they already have a copy of that business's FFL on file.

I'm in Houston. Do I find the FFL first? Or buy the rifle first, then go shopping for the FFL?

What part of Houston? There are FFL's all over town.

I live in Katy, and do most of my FFL transfers at Cane Island Outfitters. Great people there. We also have an FFL sub-forum on this site (in the marketplace, I believe). A quick perusal should help you locate a decent FFL close to you. The FFL fee should be around $25.

Just be careful. There are some low cost FFL's that do not have a storefront. I used one guy, and it went great. Then next time, I had a gun shipped to him, then found out that he was going to be out of town for a month. Even then, I could have avoided the issue if I had called him first.