Who here owns an AR?

[Guest David Nash]

Mine is self built on a DPMS stripped lower, DPMS A2 upper, I used one of those new fancy buttstocks that hold a spare magazine inside it.

[Guest Archimedes]

Is there anyone who can steer us AR nubs in the right direction?

~Archi

P. S. -- I've been doing some reading on AR15.com. What other resources are there?

No one has any suggestions for Archi?

~Archi

[Guest David Nash]

It depends on what he is looking for, plinking, collecting, showing off...

I built mine from the how-to guide printed off AR-15.com and it was pretty easy. it also saves youy about 100 bucks.

I owned a bushmaster before, but in my opinion, unless you are going to shoot 3-gun, or are going to use it for real (police) then almost anything will do as long as it's mil-spec.

[Guest Archimedes]

It depends on what he is looking for, plinking, collecting, showing off...

Can't it be all of the above?

Um, well, I wanted it to be like an M-16 for my father who was in Vietnam.

I plan on plinking with it, but it would also be there for home defense.

I'm all for building it as I'm very good at things like that, but Yeager says no way and I was kinda hoping he'd chime in here sometime.

~Archi

[Marswolf]

If you are fairly good at putting things together, I don't see any reason you can't build it yourself. Have to watch stuff like headspacing, but with a little research most people can build one.

[Guest David Nash]

Yeager has a good point on not building it yourself for relability factors, and if you are doing the type of stuff he does I would agree, but...

your life's not on the line plinking at the chirt pit. besides, Somebody had to have built the thing, and its good training to know exactly how your gun works, I know I understand the thing a lot better after I built one.

As for home defense, an AR might not be the best choice. The round is liable to overpenetrate and pass through a wall or two. besides, it looks aggressive, which is great in the fight, but it might play bad to a jury, a nice remington pump that you can say is you hunting gun might be a better home defense choice.

Lastly, there is no reason why you cannot buy an AR that is good for both plinking and more serious uses, I was just saying that the better the rifle the higher its cost. I do not see a reason why a plinker should cost 2 grand when identical looking rifle could be had for $700.00, your intended use would play a factor in manufacturer.

From what it sounds like, a bushmaster would be a good choice for you. My first AR was a Bushmaster, and I really liked it (I sold it for money to go to my first instructor course).

Hope this helps.

[TGO David]

As for home defense, an AR might not be the best choice. The round is liable to overpenetrate and pass through a wall or two. besides, it looks aggressive, which is great in the fight, but it might play bad to a jury, a nice remington pump that you can say is you hunting gun might be a better home defense choice.

The only way I'd likely use my AR for home defense is "when the zombies come" And I agree completely with the idea of a shotgun for home defense, though I am sure there are some juries that wouldn't like the look of my bone stock Remington 870 HD either.

[shaftbass]

Actually with frangible ammo, a 55 grain .223 round is less likely to penetrate normal house walls than an average 9mm round which weighs twice as much, or a .45 acp that weighs 4x as much. The frangible rounds are meant to fall apart. Now that's not saying your Wolf .223 FMJ ammo is going to.. it will punch right through your house and go into your neighbor's house (probably not if you or he has a brick house, though). Be wise as to your ammo choice.. an AR is a great home defense weapon, as long as you get the training to know how to use it in close quarters.

I agree about the legal aspect, though. I'm sure an aggressive liberal DA could try to sway a jury based on the looks of the gun.

[Marswolf]

I have to agree that I wouldn't choose an AR for home defense.

After a few years of thought and some practice with the idea, I'm really not big on using shotguns for that purpose either. I have a nice Mossberg 500A that is set up for that, but the stock and barrel gets regularly changed to a more friendly hunting mode. I find that something more maneuverable than a shotgun suits me better, but it's a personal choice. I like pistols and hand-held tac lights, but I wouldn't ridicule someone who prefers a shotgun in a more open space.

One thing I do like about a shotgun is that racking sound. That will frighten away a lot of amateur burglars. But so would a tape recording of that sound.

I know the guy who makes the AA12 fully automatic shotgun. Now that would be a protection weapon.

As far as building an AR, check out AR15.com. They have a whole forum on home building. This isn't rocket science, just a fairly simple assembly project with room for some nice tweaking to suit your preferences.

[shaftbass]

The reason I'm not using an AR for defense is because:

a) I don't have one yet

2) When I get it, it will be a while before I have accessories that would make it a good defense weapon (light in particular)

R) It would be a weapon I'd have to take out of the safe when I get home, and put away every morning before work. I can keep my handgun out at all times, and when I'm not home, it's not home either, so there's no loaded gun laying around around for a burglar to steal.

Back to .223 overpenetration, here is some interesting reading on the topic along with some ballistics:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=146306

[Guest merrkat]

Buy a factory buit AR the first time. And get some real training with it. If I was going to do it all over again for the first time I would buy a Sully rifle. They build a really nice weapon. Sounds like you are wanting more like a Colt SP-1. They are fun to play and they work but i would prefer a flattop for the mounting of optics and a shorter barrel.

I want every gun I own to be "real" use ready. Everything should be ready to defend myself and my family at all time. I have put over a thousand rounds in one day of training through my rifle. If your wont do that then you have a problem. Plinking is fun but so is rolling in the mud and shooting targets on the moving.

Just buy a factory gun the first time and be done with it. Is a hundred bucks really worth your life if you ever need the thing. I had 4k through a Colt M4 one time without ever cleaning it so they do work if they are built right.

[Guest Archimedes]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

I do have a Remington 12Ga. semi-auto nearby, but I'm a gun lover....that's why I'm here.

I just said it would be there if needed. Like Reef said, everything should be ready to defend my property, life, and loved ones.

Anyone else have any thoughts? This is good stuff.

~Archi

[shaftbass]

Like Reef said, everything should be ready to defend my property, life, and loved ones.

Merrkat said that

[Guest Archimedes]

Um, yeah, like Merrkat said.

~Archi

[Guest Shay VanVlymen]

I own a couple of AR's.

I'll agree with the guys who have said you should buy a factory-built gun for your first rifle. Numbers 2 though 37 can be homebuilt frankenguns but your first rifle needs to work and if it doesn't you need to have a company to ship it back to to get it working properly.

RRA, SLR15, Bushmaster, Cav Arms and Colt all make good guns.

I will not let liability dictate my choice of home defense guns. As long as it is legal, I'm going to pick the best gun for the fight. I tend to worry more about not getting killed than legal issues. I'm certainly not saying legal issues aren't important but they are secondary to the fight. Jail would suck but not as much as the morgue.

[James Yeager]

Frangible ammo is only frangible when it hits STEEL or something as hard.

[LA_357SIG]

6.8x43mm Bushmaster XM15.

[Guest RN MEDIC]

I had the big heavy full length/size heavy match barrel model till all this surgery. Now I've got a small carbine type with retractible stock that I can handle. I'd only use mine for close quarters anyway as my long range vision isn't good enough for using this rifle at great distances anyway.

RN

[Guest Rogueplayer]

OK, my next purchase is going to be an AR.

I'm the kinda guy that is all about research when I'm looking to buy almost anything.

What do I need to look for?

What do I need to stay away from?

I want a rifle that is as close to an M16 as possible, I suppose...Unless there is a good reason why I should not want this.

I would like to have full-auto eventually(I think that's legal in TN with the $200 tax), but I'm not that concerned with it now.

Is there anyone who can steer us AR nubs in the right direction?

~Archi

P. S. -- I've been doing some reading on AR15.com. What other resources are there?

For a new AR owner, the best route is to by a complete rifle, or purchase a complete upper from the web and go through an FFL for a complete lower. Push two (2) pins together to mate the upper and lower, you are good to go.

A complete upper from G&R Tactical, Bravo Co or Rainier Arms are solid dealers with folks that know ARs. G&R would be my choice. Have purchased from him on a recent LMT SBR build and he had what I needed and shipped fast at a great price. Hope that helps. A pic attached of some ARs.

Also, a registered full auto lower or complete rifle will cost you 12k and higher.

http://www.gandrtactical.com/

http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/

http://www.rainierarms.com/

[Guest DEIMOS]

Bushmaster XM15 E2S

[Guest ETS_Inc]

Do I get to count the three post-sample M-16's I own?

[BimmerFreak]

Do I get to count the three post-sample M-16's I own?

Hey Frank....any word on the Form 3 for my Wilson Combat machinegun?

[Guest ETS_Inc]

Hey Frank....any word on the Form 3 for my Wilson Combat machinegun?

It got mailed to BATFE about two weeks ago.

[fury2neon]

I have a 20" DPMS. The 223 is alot easier on the shoulder than the 308 and 8mm stuff I have been shooting.

[BimmerFreak]

I have a 20" DPMS. The 223 is alot easier on the shoulder than the 308 and 8mm stuff I have been shooting.

Wes, your rifle is a 16" gun....I know since I sold it to you