Grayfox54

Ehunt: you may have missed my other thread. I ended up buying a S&W M&P 15. I've had it to the range twice and so far, so good. But I still prefer my M1As.

I get your point and I completely agree with it. I too would love to see some nice, affordable, field grade guns come on the market. The trick is gonna be to convince the big name makers to do it. And that I believe just won't happen.

A lot of handgun makers have been doing just that for several years now. Most all of them have fairly plain, reasonably priced offerings on the market. Many of which are aimed specifically at first time buyers. But no, they really ain't like they used to be. Modern manufacturing techniques, modern materials and lawyers have put an end to any hope of going back to what used to be. Sorry, but that just ain't gonna happen. While there are several very good, but economy priced bolt actions available, most have composite black stocks. Decent wood seems to be a thing of the past except on the higher end rifles. I consider a lever gun with tactical, plastic furniture to be an abomination. Unfortunately, black and tactical is where the money is these days. I'm afraid the days of shiny blue steel and fine walnut are long gone. The gun companies just can't afford to bring those back.

For the last 4-5 days I've tried to check the Memphis Armslist site and all I get is "We are currently down for maintenance. We will be back shortly." For several days before that, any ad you clicked on took you to an unrelated pop-up. I like Armslist and have gotten some good deals there. I've gotten into the habit of checking it regularly. I kinda miss it. Yes, I did clear my cookies. No change. Oh well, at least I'm saving money. Just curious if anybody else is experiencing this?

I appreciate the offer, but I'm already getting too far ahead of my self. I won't get the rifle until Tuesday. Besides, I did the research and found this scope to be highly recommended. I'm sure I'll be happy with it.

Thanks Garufa. I saw that. I can get the scope from Brownells for $179.99, with the rebate I think I'm gonna have to go for it. Now all I have to do if decide just how I want to mount it.

Dolomite : Thanks for the info. I think I'm pretty much sold on this scope and will likely end up buying one. Dave: You make a good point. I gotta admit that the carbine with the EOTech is a lot of fun. But I don't need that much magnification. The AR will be set up for close to medium range. If I need to really reach out, well that's what the M1As are for.

I actually been looking quite hard at that scope. My question is if the reticle is still visible if the battery goes dead? I not real fond of being dependent on batteries even though I do have a couple of EOTechs. I need to build my pocket money back up anyway. There's a gun show next month and every time there's this one guy who has about 10 tables of optics in all descriptions. I may just wait to see what he has.

I had one, bought it just to use up the rest of that Wolf ammo. Didn't work, had to beat the empties out. I have one of the Ulta-Mak Forwrd Optic Mounts on one of my Carbines and it works great. I've never had any heating problems with it, but then I don't empty mags as fast as I can either. Here's my Zombie Rifle in all it's glory. I'm gonna move the EOTech to the new AR just to try it out. If I decide to leave it there, I'm thinking I might put this back in the wooden stock (need to refinish it first) and put a LER scope on it. That forward rail has been too good not to keep using it.

I know. I've already gotten the "extras" blues. Mags and ammo on the way. Locally I picked up a set of flip up sights, front sling swivel and a Magpul pistol grip. I have a sling and a case that'll work. For the time being at least, I'm gonna pull the EOTech 512 off another rifle to put on it. I'm not sure if it'll stay as I'm also thinking along the lines of one of those low power (1-4X) tactical type scopes. Maybe next month when my finances recover a bit. This is getting expensive! But I knew that from the start. New rifle & new caliber always means lots of money. Well, I'm living proof that ya can't prevent getting older, but I've never grown up.

Yep, stay away from steel cased ammo. I bought a case of Wolf several years ago because it was cheap. Damned stuff broke two extractors in my carbines. Still have about half of it left and just ain't sure what to do with it. BTW: the picture in the OP is gone. Would you mind reposting it so I can see this beast?

Well, I did it. Ordered this this morning. S&W MP-15 Optics Ready M-Lok Should be here in a few days. GrabAGun had it for $539 and I just couldn't pass it up at that price. I found a couple in town, but they had the standard round handguard and were priced at $650 and up. Now I'll have to spend at least that much or more on spare mags, optics, ammo and whatever else. Thanks to everyone for your guidance and input. Just a couple of months ago I would have told anybody that I'll never own an AR-15. Good Lord! What have I done?

I'm of the opinion that just about any good defense load will get the job done. Try several and go with what shoots best in your gun.

I think I'll just wait for the gun show next month. They usually have tons of ARs. I'll just wander around and see if anything strikes my fancy.

Maybe I should just go with a mid-priced rifle and modify to suit me. What are some good brands or models to look at in about the $500-700 range? Are there any brands that I should avoid?

I think I'll stick with the 5.56. Ammo is cheap and plentiful. I did consider the Deltonics AR in Nashville, but that would be a 7 hour round trip drive. Just not that interested.

I am a competent hobbyist gunsmith. In the past I have built or repaired quite a few guns. I have no doubt that I could build an AR. The thing is, I'm just not interested in doing that. You need to understand that my sole interest in getting an AR is just so I can say I have one and piss off the antis. Oh sure, I will shoot it some and hopefully enjoy it. But most of the time it'll just sit in the safe. There's no way it would be my "go to" rifle if the SHTF scenario were to somehow happen. Although I might hand it off to someone else. This thing will be a TOY period. Therefore, I want a decent rifle, but I have no real interest in spending much time or money on it. At most, I might make a few inexpensive mods to my taste. But nothing fancy. I do realize that most of you here love the AR. You spend a great deal of time and money building your own and searching for the perfect rifle. I'm cool with that. But, that just ain't me.

I just got back from Guns & Ammo in Memphis. I know their prices aren't the best, but they do have a big selection. All I can say is . Seems like anything I'd be interested in would run at least $1000 or more. I liked the Springfield Saint Edge, but at $1200 I'll have to pass. While I am interested in an AR, I just can't see spending a lot of money on what will basically be an occasional range toy and safe queen. I may have to rethink this whole thing. I'm now leaning more toward a used rifle. If I can start with a good gun that's close to what I want, I can always modify it to suit me later. I'd also prefer not to spend a lot of money. As such I have relisted the two Savage pistols I was trying to sell as For Trade in the Firearms classifieds.

Basically, this will be set up for CQB. Probably not more than 100-150 yards max. If I buy one, I only intend to buy one. I'm not looking to start a collection here. And it will be quite an expense for me. So I want to get it right the first time. Rumor has it that there's a rush on sales right now as the 18-20 year olds are grabbing ARs while they still can and that prices are going up. I haven't been to any gun stores lately. Any truth to these rumors? Should I grab one now or wait until the panic subsides?

I'm still considering buying an AR-15, but have come to the realization that I know very little about them. I know I want a 16" barrel, I pretty sure I'll just stick with the 5.56. I know I'll probably put some kind of optic on it. I have an EOtech 512 that I could move from another rifle, but I'm also considering going with some type of low power scope for magnification. One question is that I've noticed that many of the flat top models also have the tall A2 type front sight. Does this get in the way when using optics by interfering with the field of view? The flip up front and rear sights look like a good idea, but they also look like they're sticking up there in the open just begging to be damaged. I do want good back up iron sights just in case. Opinions on those? Piston driven or not? Any real advantage to it? I've spent the last 40+ years avoiding ARs and wasn't the least bit interested in learning anything about them. Now that I'm interested, I find myself woefully uneducated. So fill me in. What should I be looking for? What works and what doesn't? If I buy one, and that still "IF", I want to set it up for close to medium range use out to maybe 150 yards. I have other rifles for long range use. What should I be looking for?

REI has always catered to the tree hugger, ultra environmentalist crowd. You know, the kind of people that like to take selfies with bears. I can't remember the last time I bought something from them. I won't miss 'em one bit.

Be careful about dealing with new companies. Some years back a friend of mine got his Class 3 license and hooked up with a new suppressor company here in Tennessee. I bought a .22 suppressor partly just to help him out and also because this new outfit was making some screaming introductory deals. Well, they didn't last. My suppressor works great, but if it ever needs service, I'm just screwed.

First understand that this would primarily be a range toy. My "go to rifle" is and always will be the Scout Squad. OTOH, the AR would be decked out as a CQB rifle, just in case. Second, I haven't absolutely committed to buying one. It could turn out like the last time I went to buy an AR. Remember the Y2K scare? At the time I didn't own a magazine fed, semi-auto centerfire rifle. I thought it would be a good idea to get one and went to a gun show with every intention of buying an AR. I was standing at the table with a rifle in hand and money in my pocket. But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead I bought a used Federal Ordnance M-14A and you see where that led. Best choice I ever made. Besides, by the time I get to the gun show, pickins may be slim. From what I've seen on other gun boards, ARs are selling fast right now. It seems the 18 to 20 year olds are buying while they still can. Can't say as I blame them either. I'll keep mulling it over and see what happens when I get to the gun show. Or maybe I'll run across a good deal on a used one before then. Ya never know what might happen.

Whisper, that just might be why I'm interested. For more than 20 years I've seen the black rifle demonized by the antis with them saying stuff like "nobody needs one of those". Actually, I don't need one. But ya know, I'm just enough of a a-hole that if somebody tells me not to do something, I'll do it anyway just for spite. Maybe I'm just finally fed up with the whole anti-AR lies and BS. Raoul: That always was the game plan. If I do get one, I'll go with the 5.56. The other calibers have their appeal, but I'd start simple with ammo that's readily available for sale OR easy to find in a SHTF situation. There's a gun show here next month and also my birthday. The Germantown show is always plumb full of ARs. It'll be a good opportunity to do some comparison shopping. I still haven't made up my mind, but just maybe I'll buy myself a birthday present.