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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
It all started when I went to the range today to shoot my xd,got to talking the one of the guys behind the counter about wanting to get in to shooting rifles now. He offered to waive the rental fee for an ar(s&w M&P),after putting over a 100 rounds down the range I fell in love. Now heres my question. What brand should I go with( I have done alot of reading prior to todays visit). Rock River,Bushy,Colt(colt seems like a name thing for everyone) and many of the other comanys. What upgrades should i look for when buying? I speant alot of time at ar15.com and everyone over there seems to have the if it aint a colt then dont buy it menality. Should I build it myself or buy one built? Once again if I part one together what upgrades ie bolt and so should I add? I understand that all lowers are pretty much the same. Should I go with 223 or 308? I plan on useing this for taget no hunting and a shft if ever needed. thanks for everyones help in advance....
 
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Discussion Starter · #3 ·
look at the ar15 faq stickied on the top of the ar page. all your questions will be answered there.
 
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Discussion Starter · #6 ·
KingAirDriver said:
I say build the lower up yourself, and buy an assembled and headspaced upper. :mrgreen:
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+1
thats what i did its really not hard at all
and you save a little money and you get to figure out how your gun works and know the parts so you will know what to fix
 
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Discussion Starter · #7 ·
simply77 said:
...Colt(colt seems like a name thing for everyone) ... What upgrades should i look for when buying?
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Colt isn't just a "name thing". They do it right, with maybe the exception of using larger diameter pins for the hammer and trigger which really doesn't matter. If you buy a Colt you won't need to "upgrade" anything.

I've built my own, and 6 of them are using Colt upper assemblies. When I happen upon a Colt 6920 at a good price you can bet I'll buy it. I also have a LMT carbine which I place just slightly under the Prancing Pony.

But when it comes down to it, it is your money and your choice of what brand you decide to go with. ;) If you're happy with a plinker, fine. If you want more then you'll have to decide that for yourself. If you ask 100 people you'll get 100 different answers.

If you're just going to target shoot mainly, go with 5.56mm.

Mike
:cool:
 
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Discussion Starter · #8 ·
You said you tried a S&W MP15. Why not buy one of those? I have one and, for my money, it's the best buy out there. I've owned Colts, DPMS, etc. and all are good rifles. In my opinion, Colts are no better that the Smith & Wesson product.
 
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Discussion Starter · #9 ·
Like someone above said 100 people = 100 different opinions and while I'm no expert I'll offer my experience and opinion.I looked at RRA, Bushy and Colt before getting my Stag Arms. If I search I'll find the thread where I asked if the price difference of Colt vs RRA or Bushmaster was worth it. The consensus was No.As far as my personal use for my AR, its plinking, paper-punching and for defense against hordes of zombies. I don't intend to use it for home defense and I don't plan on entering bullseye competitions with it so with that in mind lesser was more in my case. YMMV.I like to tinker and will probably build my next AR, but I wanted to get my first one assembled so I can tinker on it. Its one thing putting something together so that you have intimate knowledge of the interworkings but I prefer having a model to follow if I'm putting something together for the first time.
 
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Discussion Starter · #10 ·
Lazarus said:
Like someone above said 100 people = 100 different opinions and while I'm no expert I'll offer my experience and opinion.I looked at RRA, Bushy and Colt before getting my Stag Arms. If I search I'll find the thread where I asked if the price difference of Colt vs RRA or Bushmaster was worth it. The consensus was No.As far as my personal use for my AR, its plinking, paper-punching and for defense against hordes of zombies. I don't intend to use it for home defense and I don't plan on entering bullseye competitions with it so with that in mind lesser was more in my case. YMMV.I like to tinker and will probably build my next AR, but I wanted to get my first one assembled so I can tinker on it. Its one thing putting something together so that you have intimate knowledge of the interworkings but I prefer having a model to follow if I'm putting something together for the first time.
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+1

If you intend to use your rifle for competition, spend some more and get the very top-of-the-line Colt. Otherwise, you're just throwing money away on details that really do not matter when it comes down to slinging lead down range. My AR-15 is intended for plinking, killing paper and, God forbid, if the SHTF defense of home and homeland. Pretty much any of the main players in the AR field will suit you just fine for that. Me, I'm very happy with Stag, quality and price. DPMS, CMMG, Rock River, the list is very long of qualified, perfectly good ARs. Find what you like at the price you want and go for it!!!
 
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Discussion Starter · #12 ·
What they don't understand is for that $200 more for the Colt than the Bushmaster is that you get better steel in the barrel, 1/7 twist, M4 feed ramps, proper sized FSB for a flat top receiver, H buffer, tested bolts, yada yada yada.........this list goes on.
 
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Discussion Starter · #13 ·
mvician said:
What they don't understand is for that $200 more for the Colt than the Bushmaster is that you get better steel in the barrel, 1/7 twist, M4 feed ramps, proper sized FSB for a flat top receiver, H buffer, tested bolts, yada yada yada.........this list goes on.
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But again it comes down to what you're using it for and how serious you are about the AR15. Personally I just wanted a nice one to add to my collection, didnt need 1:7 twist (1:9 is fine for me ;)).
 
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Discussion Starter · #14 ·
First, +1 to KingAirDriver

I built a RRA lower with an Olympic arms upper. The tinkering was a great way to understand what's going on in side, and ultimately, be able to use the rifle better. I use mine for Service rifle competition, upgrading the basic A2 model piece by piece.

I recommend you figure out what you want it for; plinking, varmints, competition, defense, ... There are plenty of options with the modular design and endless after-market accessories to match it to your needs. If you miss, you can adapt it later. Also, depending on your budget, nobody (except maybe a spouse) says you can only have one.
 
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Discussion Starter · #15 ·
What about strictly for defense? I won't compete with one, atleast at this stage, but I've got some of the same questions. What is the best weapon I can get for my money? I know you can spend a great deal of cash on great upgrades, but I just want something that is completely reliable if I ever have to use it.
 
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Discussion Starter · #16 ·
Hehehe ... He has been inflicted with the BRD ...

Range guy: Here man, try this, first taste is free!

Simply77: er ... ok (bang bang bang)

M&P ... CHOMP - yer infected now!


muah hahahahaha!
 
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Discussion Starter · #18 ·
bprohs said:
What about strictly for defense? I won't compete with one, atleast at this stage, but I've got some of the same questions. What is the best weapon I can get for my money? I know you can spend a great deal of cash on great upgrades, but I just want something that is completely reliable if I ever have to use it.
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Check this one out http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=7235

It has all the right bits if you don't want to spend a lot of money upgrading the critical parts, is listed for $825 and is recommended by a respected sponsor of m4carbine.net

For a plinker you can't go wrong with a CMMG bargain bin rifle...

Otherwise, read a LOT, pick out what you want, and build your own!
 
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Discussion Starter · #19 ·
Thanks guys for all the info. I did get a chance to read the write up that was posted from officer.com,great info. It helped alot. Im still kinda up in the air on what I want to by. I know that it wont be the m&p seeing that the gun had feeding issues atleast 5 times. Like I stated in my first post this is only going to be a plinker,or god for bid I need it for a shft situation. Im leaning on either the rock river,or cmms. I think I may tackel putting it together myself... But again thank you guys for you help and info....Hope I will be posting pics of my new build in the next coming months
 
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Discussion Starter · #20 ·
Given your stated use, the CMMG bargain bin rifles will more than fit the bill.. do that, have it inspected by someone who knows AR's and or balance it against the sticky post here. Decide from there what changes you need to make to ensure reliability. I can say from my experience with the CMMG rifle I have, it's basically a DPMS lower and parts kit and a CMMG upper. The BCG (Bolt Carrier Group) is set correctly - staked ect..) and all said and told, I'm amazed that more of this crowd doesn't have them. Easier to tune one of these and still have a significant savings than to drop the big cash on a high end rifle that you honestly just don't need.

Secondary advice.. Get good with the iron sights before you go any further in to tweeking or modifying the rifle. Get a solid BUIS, Troy, LMT or LaRue and get to where you are able to hit your target Center of Mass at 300+ meters. THEN get some training.. then get some more. THEN go all gear whore on it. At that point you will know what you need and not just what a bunch of internet strangers say you need.
 
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