ar15 capturing my interest. Now what?

[gigag04]

I've recently been getting a wild hair to get into the ar addiction.

Rock river arms seems to have some nice setups, but since I love to customize and tweak things I've been thinking about building one up.

Is building one up with my own custom parts cheaper and funner or is it a headache until I figure it out?

Anyway have an ar near that bryan/college station area that i could meet up with and check out?

thanks,

-nick


PS - I've been on http://www.ar15.com forums and its too much for me, I can't speak the language yet. I know the parts themselves, but all the different mfgrs - I'm not that fluent yet so personalized answers are easier

[dolanp]

I don't think they are that hard to put together. You could save a little cash buying a Stag Arms lower for example, and get a Del-Ton complete upper and parts kit. Or the RRA complete rifles are also nicely priced.

[stevie_d_64]

I've recently been getting a wild hair to get into the ar addiction.

Rock river arms seems to have some nice setups, but since I love to customize and tweak things I've been thinking about building one up.

Is building one up with my own custom parts cheaper and funner or is it a headache until I figure it out?

Anyway have an ar near that bryan/college station area that i could meet up with and check out?

thanks,

-nick


PS - I've been on http://www.ar15.com forums and its too much for me, I can't speak the language yet. I know the parts themselves, but all the different mfgrs - I'm not that fluent yet so personalized answers are easier

Yes, building one up from parts is a bit cheaper...You'll gain a better knowledge of the mechanisms within the firearm...A better appreciation for it...

But if you can't wait, there are deals out there to be had...

I will not tell you which direction to go as far as a maker of a complete package...Rock River, Olympic, Bushmaster, Colt are the big manufacturers of the M-4 "AR" type rifles...

I wanted a compact "carbine" style weapon with a heavy-duty barrel and the "A3" option to interchange the "iron sight handle" with a "CQB" type optics package...I got it tricked out with an EOTec 511 holographic sight...Works like a champ...

I still have some thing I want to do now that the AWB is gone the way of the DoDo bird...Collapsable buttstock, tactical pistol grip...Some minor things that are easy to do, then I'll be content with it...

Till I get the urge again to risk divorce, by wanting to get another rifle...

A trip from College Station to Houston is not too bad, if you want to try one out that is configured this way...Gives me an excuse to get out and shoot...

Mr. Charles Cotton might even sneek us into PSC to go do this...hint, hint...

BTW, mines a Bushmaster A3 "Shorty"...circa 2000...

[dws1117]

I love shooting my Bushmaster.

I too was contemplating building my own when a buddy of mine wanted to sell his to finance the purchase of a class 3 Uzi. He gave me a sweet deal.

Now that I have been shooting and cleaning the AR for a few months I believe that it wouldn't be very difficult to build up a stripped lower. It is a very versitile platform. Just think with just one lower you can purchase a few uppers and have several different rifles.

If you can wade through the fecal matter on ar15.com there are some very knowlegable people that post there. They also have several tutorials pertaining to building up a lower.

You can build one up slightly cheaper than buying a complete rifle, especially if your are looking ar RRA or Bushmaster. Just look around there are good deals to be had.

I am in Spring/The Woodlands, if you don't mind the short drive I wouldn't mind letting you look over my AR. Heck iffin yer nice I might even let ya shoot it. But, I am embarassed to admit that I am very low on AR ammo. Not counting the 2 loaded magazines, I only have about 100 rounds in stock.

The good news is that .223/5.56 is cheap, cheap, cheap. My rifle and I are not ammo snobs. We'll even shoot Wolf for about $2 a box.

Sorry about the long winded post, I think steve is rubbing off.

[gigag04]

Sounds excellent. We can maybe arrange something in a few weeks after I get a check for a job we are about to finish.

I got this wild hair from some touchy-feely on the Rock River Government model, the DEA clone --> EOTech hologram, quadrail, houge grips, surefire tac-light.

It was great, but for $2200 I could probably build one up myself.


When complete, I would want:

-carbine length
-ergonomic grip
-quad rail
-weight < 6lbs
-red dot or hologram optics
-tactical light of some sort
-collapsable stock (6 position)

I like the A4 version of the RRA because it doesn't have the handle built into the upper reciever, you can add one as a bolt on for the "true" m-16 look, but I can do that later...I need some manly dot sights on that upper!



These are just my wild ideas as of now. What would be a good budget for a build like the one I speced out?

I don't mind going used, as the Equip Exchange on ar15.com seems to have lots of stuff for sale.


Thanks for the quick replies!

-nick

[anygunanywhere]

You had to go and start up an "I want an AR" thread didn't you.

I barely made it through the 1911 thread posted yesterday without the urge to go out and buy me another one, which will happen one of these days.

The AR is in my near future as well. The sweet missus chastised me the other day about the diminishing number of spaces for long guns in my safe. Actually it is not as bad as it could be. Still plenty of room for the AR, and a few of the Ruger mini 14's I want.

I will watch this thread closely, as I value where this is going. I was leaning towards a Bushmaster, but if I can save some ch'ching on the rifle, some of the bells and whistles I want are a bigger reality.

[dws1117]

Steve:

What part of Houston are you in? Maybe we could work it out where we could all hook up the out aggie friend would have a couple of different options to try out.

My AR is a former post ban with standard buttstock, standard A2 sights and carry handle, and A2 flash hider.

Carter's Country may be an option since it would be a bit closer for gigag04.

[gigag04]

I can go down to wherever. It's summer and I'm only working mornings. Lately i either go home and sleep, or do stuff for my business that I'm starting up.


Very open schedule and I would love to meet and learn from the voices of experience!

-nick

[stevie_d_64]

Stevie_D's nearest cross street would be Beltway 8 and I-45 south (Gulf Freeway)...Thats on the far S.E. side of Houston...

I figure Charles might be nice enought to allow us to get into PSC (nearest decent gun range) and loose a few downrange...hint hint #2...(I think he's ignoring us...hehe)

BTW, you'd be spending, minus optics and other fancy shmancey stuff, about $1200...The EOTech cost me about $300 (heck, I forgot exactly)...

[gigag04]

wow $1200 for upper and lower built?

A stock Car A4 from RRA is $800.

If I were to build I would buy only exactly what I wanted like no handguards, just a quad rail. No handle on the upper (flattop) just a rail.

What does the $1200 account for?

-nick

[Charles L. Cotton]

I figure Charles might be nice enought to allow us to get into PSC (nearest decent gun range) and loose a few downrange...hint hint #2...(I think he's ignoring us...hehe)

I wouldn't do that! I've been working on the Texas State IDPA Championship since Thursday. We set up most of the scenarios then, finished them today and the match staff shot today. The bulk of the match is tomorrow.

When you do folks want to shoot at PSC? I can bring you in as my guests.

Chas.

[stevie_d_64]

What does the $1200 account for?

-nick

Mostly the name...A heavy (non-fluted) chrome-moly barrel, milled assemblies, not a cleaned-up "molded" lower assembly...

Pretty much the rest of the big name suppliers offer the same kind of craftmanship...

I've put about 3 cases through it...Kinda a light load if you ask me...Just haven't had much time to play with it...

I've been hard pressed to have a single failure to fire, or other cyclic failure...Not one feed problem (out of battery) at all...

It may be a dealer markup as well...But I think you get some reliability with the $400 you pay for, for something right out of the box...

My biggest thing with it is that I know it'll be there when I need it...And it'll have the performance I am familiar with, that makes it worth it...

The next rifle I do get will be a durable, accurate, long range, at at least .308 or better...Something I'm not going to be worried about getting a scratch on...

Bushmaster is pushing some .308's that are peaking my interest...

But that reality is a way off...

[stevie_d_64]

I figure Charles might be nice enought to allow us to get into PSC (nearest decent gun range) and loose a few downrange...hint hint #2...(I think he's ignoring us...hehe)

I wouldn't do that! I've been working on the Texas State IDPA Championship since Thursday. We set up most of the scenarios then, finished them today and the match staff shot today. The bulk of the match is tomorrow.

When you do folks want to shoot at PSC? I can bring you in as my guests.

Chas.

Oh, I know for a fact you've been busier than a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest over there...

Wish I couldv'e helped...Work has got me tied up...

I'll be coming to the next IDPA match in July...mmmmm toasty! hehehe

[Chris]

i wanted one really bad once. got an FAL and ARs aren't so cool anymore. i carry a bushmaster M4 at work. they're not bad. we had two that had to go back because they wouldn't stop jamming. that's not to say they're all bad though. if i was going to get one, i'd get the 20" full-size model. i'd still rather carry my FAL on duty than an AR.

[BobCat]

Might not work out this way, but it happens to a lot of people who buy an AR-15 - they get interested in Highpower and wind up with an AR set up for the match, and spend at least one Saturday morning a month shooting the across-the-course match - standing, seated, and prone.

All you need to start is an AR-15 that "looks" like a service rifle (none of the stylish, expensive add-ons), and an old piece of carpet for a mat. And 88 rounds of ammo. The free-float tube, shooting coat, spotting scope/stand, and the rest of the gear come later, after you are hooked.

If you come down by Houston next Saturday (early!) or any second Satruday of the month, you can come to the match with me, share equipment, borrow my other rifle, and I will give you the ammo to shoot. Let me know.

There is a Highpower match in the College Station area too... I think the club is Brazos Valley Rifles or a similar name; too lazy to look it up on the web but you will find it if you are interested.

Regards,
Andrew