Advice on Tactical Rifle Purchase

[PYROhafe]

I'm not being nosey, but what is your budget? There might be more rifles that are as good or better for what you have to spend. For not much more than what I listed above, I have seen some DD rifles.[/QUOTE]


trying to stay around the 7-800 mark, but 9 is the ABSOLUTE max, and it would have to pretty hopped up, or come with a bunch of goodies for me to be willing to spend the ENTIRE budge of 900.

[itsthelaw]

Hey, Y'all...

I got a DD M4 V1. I was looking for a mid length system, but found this one for $1000. It is lightly used and has some extra gear with it, including a great rifle case with rollers. I could not pass it up. I have been traveling for 3 weeks, so I have not even shot it yet. From everything that I read and heard, DD is a great gun. I am very happy with the purchase! Thanks for asking.

[les strat]

[QUOTE=PYROhafe;179274]

trying to stay around the 7-800 mark, but 9 is the ABSOLUTE max, and it would have to pretty hopped up, or come with a bunch of goodies for me to be willing to spend the ENTIRE budge of 900.[/QUOTE]

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...23+16+RAIL+30R
Best bang for your buck is the flta top Windham IMO. You'd still have some $ to go towards an Eotech 512 or Aimpoint Pro with a little extra. That or some Troy or Magpul flip up sights. The Magpuls are polymer and drop tested. That's what I am running lower 1/3 cowitenss through my Eotech. Tough as nails.

Keep us posted!

[PYROhafe]

Best bang for your buck is the flta top Windham IMO. You'd still have some $ to go towards an Eotech 512 or Aimpoint Pro with a little extra. That or some Troy or Magpul flip up sights. The Magpuls are polymer and drop tested. That's what I am running lower 1/3 cowitenss through my Eotech. Tough as nails.

Keep us posted!

That last part (about the optics) doesnt make a bit of sense to me yet. (im a TOTAL ar noob) Does the windham have a 1:9 twist? I read that the 1:9 works well with the cheap ammo and is good for average shooter who isnt gonna go for super long range, or run the real heavy ammo so that seems like it would be best for me. Other than that, the windham looks like it might be my choice.... Gonna do some more shoppin around at the local shops before I do the online thing again though... at least TRY to spend locally

[les strat]

The Windham I am talking about did not come with sights or optics. There are many to choose from, but you can buy flip-up sights made by various companies that fold down out of your way when using an optic. If your AR does not have sights or optics, you have to tack on some sort of sights or optic to your price tag.

These are Troy folding sights and are pretty pricey but great sights. The polymer Magpul folding sights (called "MBUS") are tough as nails and about half the cost of the Troys.


Co-witness is when you can view your sights through your optics to verify or use if the optic fails. Some Eotechs and other optics have full co-witness where your iron sights line up and are centered (if you needed to) in the center of the optic. Some people put their Eotech on a riser where they get a cowitness of their sights in the lower 1/3 of the optic screen to keep the sight picture uncluttered. I hope that made sense, lol.

Co-witness


Lower 1/3 co-witness


1/9 twist is good for shooting lighter loads but will not stabilize heavier gr bullets. 1/7 is "mil-spec", but most of us shoot 55 gr anyway. Just remember, if the barrel is labeled for 5.56, it will shoot .223 fine. You should not shoot 5.56 ammo through a barrel labeled .223

[PYROhafe]

Les, thanks for all the help! So 1/7 will still shoot the light stuff as well? (As in cheap bulk buy stuff?) Any recommendations on a decent noob sight set up is appreciated too. I thought about goin just basic iron or a low line red dot to start?

[les strat]

If it were me (and I was in your shopping shoes not too long ago), I'd buy a flat top with a fixed front sight and add a folding rear sight (Troy, Magpul, etc). Most here will tell you to not waste your money on a cheap red dot sight. Shoot with your irons for now and save that $100 to go towards that Eotech, Aimpoint, Trijicon, etc.

[skychief12]

What I have not heard anyone point out (maybe I missed it) is that most manufactures stick to "mil spec" parts and are therefore interchangeable making price differences something to question. Sometimes the only difference is the name.

The AR is an extremely flexible platform. By pushing out 2 pins on the lower receiver, you can change to several different caliber uppers with their matching magazine. Personally I have 223/5.56, .22, 6.8, & .410 (shotgun) complete uppers for one lower. There are others caliber out there. The .308, and I think .450 SOCOM will require a different lower however.

BTW, only the stripped lower receiver part requires the filling out of Fed forms. There is no such requirement for the purchase of the upper or other parts.

[les strat]

What I have not heard anyone point out (maybe I missed it) is that most manufactures stick to "mil spec" parts and are therefore interchangeable making price differences something to question. Sometimes the only difference is the name.

Some do not use "milspec" metals for the barrels and other parts, may use commercial size tubes, etc. In the grand scheme of things, to most of us, it won't matter for range use, but for those wanting as close as possible to what is issued in the military, some are in a different tier. You can't say a DPMC is on par with a Noveske or Colt. These charts help point out some differences in popular AR brands.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?...=5&output=html

http://4-riders.com/pics/AR/080527-A...ison-Chart.jpg

[jeepster09]

You will also want to look at barell's. Some are chrome lined [better] some are not. I bought the Smith & Wesson because it came with chrome lined barell and DPMS does not. Like I said earlier, you get what you pay for. The better made the more it will cost. Some "cheap" models even have plastic receivers....do your homework.


http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/w...layErrorView_Y

[Scoundrel]

looks like the s&w mp sport might be a decent option for the money? Whats the cons to not getting a forward assist or dust shield?

I went with the M&P 15 Sport and I love it. Here is a good review of it:
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/201...on-mp15-sport/

With the money I saved by purchasing the sport model instead of the one my LGS recommended, I bought some Magpul magazines, a nice Magpul handguard, a spring-loaded foregrip/bipod, an entry level scope, a rubber butt pad, and some ammo. And I had some change left over.



This model has a Melonite coating in the barrel instead of chrome. Some detractors might say "but the barrel is not chrome lined and that's what the military uses so it must be the best".
S&W says they put around 170,000 rounds of various types of ammo through two of their test rifles and the melonite coating is holding up fine.
I say the melonite coating is new technology and the military is slow to embrace change - and if S&W says it's good enough, that works for me.



The absence of a dust cover means that if you carry your AR-15 into a sandstorm, if might get clogged up. The reviewers in the above article intentionally tossed some handfuls of sand in there and the rifle still ran OK (if a little gritty).

The absence of the dust cover also means you'll spend a little less time cleaning your rifle. There won't be any springs, hinges or pins to clean the grit out of. Oh, and the absence of the dust cover means you don't get to fiddle around with a spring loaded door in order to figure out what's going on in the chamber when something doesn't cycle properly. Unfortunately, you'll just be able to look in there through the opening. Where's the fun in that?



The absence of the forward assist means that it's harder for you to jam a malformed round into your chamber so hard that it's hopelessly stuck and you're going to have to fire it and then attempt to pound the casing out from the front with a cleaning rod, hoping you won't do much damage to the barrel/chamber in the process.

The forward assist is NOT meant for jamming stuck rounds into the chamber. Its original purpose, as I understand it, is to quietly ease a round into the chamber with no little or noise - for stealth. It can also be used for GENTLY pushing on a round that does fully go into battery. Idiots who watch too much TV use it for jamming a stuck round into the chamber forcefully.
Even though the Sport model does not have a forward assist, it does still have the scalloped cutouts in the bolt, so you can reach in there with your finger or something and push lightly on it. You wouldn't want to use much force anyway, and the grip afforded by the scalloped cutouts is enough. Says the reviewer: "Even with dirty rifle with a gritty action, I could easily seat rounds after a manually-induced malfunction."


If you want a very rugged rifle that you can wear while you go swimming in a swamp, toss it into a mud pit, stomp on it, and piss on it, and then expect it to work, buy an AK. But if you want a sweet rifle that is deadly accurate, works great with the proper maintenance, and looks very handsome, buy an AR. Ammo and parts are readily available for both.

[les strat]

If you want a very rugged rifle that you can wear while you go swimming in a swamp, toss it into a mud pit, stomp on it, and piss on it, and then expect it to work, buy an AK. But if you want a sweet rifle that is deadly accurate, works great with the proper maintenance, and looks very handsome, buy an AR. Ammo and parts are readily available for both.

Or buy both!

Nice rifle!

[PYROhafe]

ahhhhhhh!!!! so confused!!!
Thanks for all the help guys, but this seems to be one of those searchers where the more research I do, the more confused I become, and the more options I find that fit the bill for me.... guess ill just keep shopping and be patient and see what the right deal brings me. Ill keep everyone posted on what happens and when.

[7shot]

ahhhhhhh!!!! so confused!!!
Thanks for all the help guys, but this seems to be one of those searchers where the more research I do, the more confused I become, and the more options I find that fit the bill for me.... guess ill just keep shopping and be patient and see what the right deal brings me. Ill keep everyone posted on what happens and when.

The way I looked at it when I was looking was: questin 1. how often am I really going to shoot it and 2, why do I want one? My answers were 1. 3-4 times a month max and 2. Because I don't have one and it would be fun for my son and I to spend quality time together. He likes to shoot too, he has a Walter 22. So I was thinking in the $800-$900, definitely in the low to mid range. So what I got was a good brand (Bushmaster) and an entry level AR. I don't live out in the woods where you might actually have a better use for a rifle so I couldn't justify spending $1000-$1500 or more on something I just wasn't going to use that much. Anyway that's my way of thinking...

[kahrseye]

I bought my AR about a month ago after much debate over which brand to purchase and decided upon a Rock River Arms. A couple of buddies of mine are Police officers and recommended RRA. I've only had it out once and was very impressed with it's accuracy. Since then I've added an Eotech XPS 2 and a 5X magnifer. Can't wait to get back to the range and sight it in.