AR15

[StevenB]

In the past I have been a pure semi-auto pistol guy, but have recently gotten intereted in the AR15. However, I'm having trouble distinguising between all the different brands. I'm considering DPMS (lite 16), Rock River, and Bushmaster= all 223. Just looking for some friendly advise on where to start, and any opinions on brands. I keep hearing they're all about the same with the exeption of Colt of course.

[ELB]

This is not the be-all end-all thread, but it is a very good place to start if you are looking for a self-defense oriented (i.e. combat oriented vs target shooting) AR-15:

So you want to buy an AR-15, huh?

Good luck.

[A-R]

So you want to buy an AR-15, huh?

That link is a very good starting point. I recently bought my very first AR-15, so I'm no expert but have been where you are recently. Paid too much because of the "Obama rush" but I'm still satisfied with the gun. Don't fool yourself into thinking "I just want a stock gun; I'm not going to customize it" ... AR-15s are one of the most readily self-customizable guns ever made - it's like a Lego set for guys AR-15 accessories. It's not a question of IF you will customize your AR-15, only of how much.

Because of this, many will tell you to buy all the parts you think you'll want and assemble an AR yourself. Unless you're really good with assembling things, I'd recommend buying a pre-assembled ready-to-go AR. This way you can get an idea of how the stock parts all work and then decide what parts you want to change. For me, I have no desire for any of the "tacti-cool" 4-rail picatinny forearms, and the standard 6-point collapsible stock works for me. But I've found I do want a better trigger, probably an EOTech site, and have already added a tactical light, an Ergo grip, a Harris bipod and some small picatinny attachment points around the front site base.

The one important suggestion would be to get a flat-top upper or removable carry handle (A3 configuration). This will allow you to more easily add optics.

Also, try to determine before you buy what size/type of barrel you want. Standard 16-inch M4-type? 20-inch M16 type? a match-grade varmint-type barrel? heavy or light barrel in any size? If you're strictly target shooting (especially at longer ranges) and hunting with the gun, then go for a 20-plus inch barrel and possibly a match-grade. For any type of home defense use, a lightweight 16-inch works better and still gives good accuracy - 1 MOA at 100 yards is possible if you're a good shot.

As far as brands, I continually hear good things about Bushmaster (which I bought), Rock River, Armalite, CMMG, S&W M&P series, Sig, and of course Colt (if you want to spend premium money). DPMS seems to have a hit-n-miss reputation - some love 'em, some not so much. Olympic, High Standard and some others seem to have lesser reputations (though I have no personal experience with anything other than my Bushie and a friend's Colt).

[The Annoyed Man]

In the past I have been a pure semi-auto pistol guy, but have recently gotten intereted in the AR15. However, I'm having trouble distinguising between all the different brands. I'm considering DPMS (lite 16), Rock River, and Bushmaster= all 223. Just looking for some friendly advise on where to start, and any opinions on brands. I keep hearing they're all about the same with the exeption of Colt of course.

While they mostly have parts interchangeability, all ARs are most certainly not the same. We have two AR carbines we built on DPMS lowers and parts kits with uppers from ER Shaw and Model One respectively. We have a Bushmaster AR varmint rifle. And, we have a Rock River Arms AR varmint rifel. The two home built carbines are great. The Bushmaster is well made, and the mating of upper to lower receiver halves is tighter than the home-builts, and it has a really nice two stage match trigger with a one pound letoff. The RRA is the nicest of all of our ARs. The build quality is simply superb, and the mating of upper to lower receiver halves is the tightest of all 4 of our ARS. It also has a two stage match trigger which is only marginally heavier than the Bushmaster's, but still very light.

All 4 rifles will shoot either 5.56 NATO or .223 ammo, but the two home-builts and the Bushmaster are chambered in 5.56 (which permits use of .223), while the RRA is Wylde chambered - a chambering that is actually between SAAMI specs for 5.56mm and .223 caliber.

The two carbines and the Bushmaster all have 1:9 barrels, while the RRA has a 1:8 barrel. The RRA has a 24" stainless Wilson air gauged bull barrel. It will shoot the eyelashes off of a flea. The Bushmaster has a 24" heavy fluted barrel, which is 1" diameter under the handguards. Both of these rifles will shoot well under MOA, with the RRA able to put 5 rounds into one ragged hole at 100 yards. One of the carbines has a light 16.5" M4 profile, while the other has a 16.5" HBAR. All four are flat top receivers, but not all ARs are flat tops, and this will affect your sighting options.

All of this is to say that, while ARs "all about the same," that's not really true. One thing IS true, and that is that, when you get yours, you're going to enjoy the heck out of it — because the one thing they all have in common is that they are FUN!

[flintknapper]

TAM you are a "quick study", you have learned your AR's well in a short amount of time.

[Dan20703]

[Hos]

I bought a flat top S&W M&P AR15 (optics ready) and it's one sweet shot. As that great pic above shows, the bigger questions will be how to modify it to your liking and for your purposes. I suggest going online and getting a bunch of magazines mailed to you and learn all the different options and read what others have done for that'll get you in the right direction. I also suggest getting a Ciener .22 conversion kit so you can shoot a lot and get to know the gun and not pay .40 cents per bang. Have fun and report back with what you got!

[shooter4]

Colt is the "gold standard" for production AR rifles. Their are differences in AR's. Commericial AR's and Military rifles. Cheap parts and quality "mil spec" parts. I would stick with a quality AR that you are sure uses mil spec parts. Colt is still the first choice in my mind. Stag, Bushmaster, RRA, S&W, Armalite are all good choices. Custom makers like Noveske, LMT, Sabre Defense, LaRue and others are going to offer premium battle rifles. You have to decide what you want it for. If its for a weekend of fun shooting any commerical AR will work fine. If you want to take it our for training weekend and shoot 1000 rounds and consider it your "go to" defense weapon you might want a better gun. All the guns mentioned here are good guns. Below is a chart that may help with your choice.........

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key= ... EhjFwPrgTA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[The Annoyed Man]

TAM you are a "quick study", you have learned your AR's well in a short amount of time.

Thanks, flint. In fact, I learned something new just today about feed ramps. Apparently, they aren't all the same either. Who knew?

Apparently, one of our ARs has M4 type ramps, and two have standard ramps. All four appear to be properly machined and installed (the receiver is properly relieved with the M4 ramps). BTW, what do you use to remove accumulated copper from your feed ramps?

[mrvmax]

Here is one link, they are fond of carbines, but there is a lot of good info. I wish I would have read this before bying my AR. Browse their forums, there are some knowledgeable people who have teh credentials to back up their knowledge.

http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=7355" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Purplehood]

In the past I have been a pure semi-auto pistol guy, but have recently gotten intereted in the AR15. However, I'm having trouble distinguising between all the different brands. I'm considering DPMS (lite 16), Rock River, and Bushmaster= all 223. Just looking for some friendly advise on where to start, and any opinions on brands. I keep hearing they're all about the same with the exeption of Colt of course.

While they mostly have parts interchangeability, all ARs are most certainly not the same. We have two AR carbines we built on DPMS lowers and parts kits with uppers from ER Shaw and Model One respectively. We have a Bushmaster AR varmint rifle. And, we have a Rock River Arms AR varmint rifel. The two home built carbines are great. The Bushmaster is well made, and the mating of upper to lower receiver halves is tighter than the home-builts, and it has a really nice two stage match trigger with a one pound letoff. The RRA is the nicest of all of our ARs. The build quality is simply superb, and the mating of upper to lower receiver halves is the tightest of all 4 of our ARS. It also has a two stage match trigger which is only marginally heavier than the Bushmaster's, but still very light.

All 4 rifles will shoot either 5.56 NATO or .223 ammo, but the two home-builts and the Bushmaster are chambered in 5.56 (which permits use of .223), while the RRA is Wylde chambered - a chambering that is actually between SAAMI specs for 5.56mm and .223 caliber.
The two carbines and the Bushmaster all have 1:9 barrels, while the RRA has a 1:8 barrel. The RRA has a 24" stainless Wilson air gauged bull barrel. It will shoot the eyelashes off of a flea. The Bushmaster has a 24" heavy fluted barrel, which is 1" diameter under the handguards. Both of these rifles will shoot well under MOA, with the RRA able to put 5 rounds into one ragged hole at 100 yards. One of the carbines has a light 16.5" M4 profile, while the other has a 16.5" HBAR. All four are flat top receivers, but not all ARs are flat tops, and this will affect your sighting options.

All of this is to say that, while ARs "all about the same," that's not really true. One thing IS true, and that is that, when you get yours, you're going to enjoy the heck out of it — because the one thing they all have in common is that they are FUN!

Oh Darn! How do I tell if my Bushmaster is chambered for 5.56mm or just .223? Will it say it on the weapon? Is that even a question that I should be asking in the first place?

Now I can't wait to get home and look.

[Excaliber]

Oh Darn! How do I tell if my Bushmaster is chambered for 5.56mm or just .223? Will it say it on the weapon? Is that even a question that I should be asking in the first place?

Now I can't wait to get home and look.

The chambering will be marked on the barrel.

[Salty1]

This is a great write up that was posted on another forum, basically it is everything you wanted to know about an AR. I use it for reference and research often...

http://forums.officer.com/showthread.php?t=81462" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[joe817]

This is a great write up that was posted on another forum, basically it is everything you wanted to know about an AR. I use it for reference and research often...

http://forums.officer.com/showthread.php?t=81462" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You can say that again Salty! That's the most comprehensive article I've ever seen on an AR. I'm not into those, but if I ever do catch the fever, I'm coming back to that and do some serious studying. Thanks for posting!

[Street2Peschel]

Make sure that you don't want to build your own AR before purchasing one. I bought a Bushmaster a couple of months ago and decided I wanted to build my own AR. The gun remains unfired (which is killing me) as I try to sell it to get the money to build my own. I just thought I would throw that in there to make your decision that much harder.