Any tips? My co-worker insists that I go with a wood stock for durability.Have not decided yet. I shot a friends AR-15 over 8 years ago one time. I know very little. Thinking about just going to the gun shop and picking up something cheap because they seem so affordable these days, but I don't want to make mistakes and I want to ask the right question.
So here are the points I want to ask about -Lower polymer vs metal -Barrel - length, twist rate, ect... -Hand Guard - plastic vs rail -Bolt Carrier - cheap vs quality -Gas vs piston
I don't recommend anything nuts like a boyds stock because they are kinda expensive; your co-worker sounds like a fudd-lite.
Ryder Parker
He's an AK guy. He knows his stuff. He wants something rough for when shit hits the fan.
Aaron Thomas
Use as much wood as physically possible. Wood is both lighter and stronger than any commercially available polymer, basically natures carbon fiber. Wood also allows you to get past the majority of assault weapons bans because it has never been used on an assault weapon. Paint your lower brown wood pattern too, get some paint from home depot. As a bonus, wood will increase your liberal camoflauge, allowing you to more easily open carry.
Colton Gonzalez
>Lower Just get a regular aluminum lower. Polymer lowers aren't developed to the point of being satisfactory yet.
>barrel Your choice here should reflect the ammo you intend to use. If you plan on shooting regular/cheap ammo just go for a 1:9. Even 1:7 and 1:8 won't be a whole lot different unless you're trying to squeeze sub MOA.
>hand guard MLOK is kind of the standard nowadays. If you plan on getting a light, foregrip, etc, go with MLOK. If you want simplicity, and you want something light weight, go with polymer.
>bolt carrier You don't need to spend a lot. Just get something that has favorable reviews. Avoid the cheapest, avoid the most expensive.
>gas vs piston Just go with direct impingement. It works fine.
Jose Evans
Hi, recently built a rifle. Spent $550 on it, all in all. Free-float barrel and all. Runs cheap Tula without a flaw, never had a single problem with it. I'd recommend building. Invest in a reputable heavy buffer system, the lower you can skimp on (I went with the Anderson Poverty-Pony), make sure you have a name-brand bolt carrier group. Furniture is entirely down to preference, I have a chinkshit stock that's plenty durable. I recommend a metal lower that's mil-spec at least, an M16-profile bolt, DI system is what I run and it's gone up to 500 filthy russian rounds without cleaning(still no problems then), handguard is a personal preference but magpul is fine if you're on a budget. Basically, invest in the buffer and bcg if nothing else, and you ought to be fine.
If you really want wood, go to boyds, get all the wood parts, then build a rifle around it. Get a nice 18-20" rifle gas barrel with a front sight base (For the aesthetic mostly) and a carry handle. For my build I used a $70 Brownells BCG that has worked fine for 3500 rounds, aside from an optional gas ring replacement ($3 per 3 gas rings). Get an aluminum lower. They also sell wood handguards. Anything from 1:9-1:7 twist is fine for an AR. A2 flash suppressor USGI metal mags at $7 a pop Done
Landon Martinez
Build one. Buy parts and tools on holiday sales. Stick with mil-spec or better. Get a tool box for your tools. Take your upper vise block to Home Depot, get a clamp-on vise that fits the block. These vises aren't ideal, but they do work, are cheap, and are portable. Make sure your toolbox is big enough to fit the vise. There is no reason to buy a pre-assembled AR. You will need the tools later and the knowledge gained during the process is 75% of the fun. Read AR15.com for info. Everything you need can be found there. Get the lightest barrel you can unless you need it heavier for reasons. Buy good mags. Don't dismiss the fixed front sight base; it's not fashionable these days, but it's a nice part of the AR that you shouldn't get rid of unless you need to.
Ethan Morris
>A2 flash suppressor
Yes. Cheap, short, and they work just fine.
Liam Barnes
OP here, thanks a lot of your input. Gun shop locally I'm looking into has a lot of anderson kits. Probably go down there and ask questions before walking out with a full assembly.
Jaxson Reed
>asking questions at a gun shop
LOL. Good luck, OP. Godspeed.
Mason Hill
>inb4 tripfags shit this thread up What do you want your rifle to do, OP? What's your budget?
Brandon Robinson
This
Asher Davis
Not to steal OP’s thread, but if pic related had a longer barrel, would it be practical? If no, please explain. Also, what handguard is this?
It would just be an ar with a shitty stock, handguard is made by CQR
Xavier Nelson
If it was longer it would just have a few more inches of gay.
Adrian Hughes
Wood furniture can be nice, but it'll weigh and cost more. It's not like plastic can't be tough.
>Lower polymer vs metal Aluminum all the way. Plastic lower receivers are all complete trash, they always crack around the rear somewhere after a few hundred rounds, the ONLY exception to this is the GWACS CAV15 lower, which is molded as a stock, lower receiver, and pistolgrip in one unit, it's strong, in some ways arguably stronger than an aluminum lower.
It's a good lower for if you want to do a lightweight build, but you're stuck with the the A2 style grip and stock, which you may or may not like, and depending on how you build your rifle, it may end up front heavy due to how light the rear will be in comparison.
>Thinking about just going to the gun shop and picking up something cheap because they seem so affordable these days That can work, stuff like the Smith & Wesson M&P15, and the Ruger AR556, they're perfectly good rifles in like the $400 range. They're not exquisite, but they work fine and do what a rifle has to do.
>Hand Guard - plastic vs rail You can go for either. I don't bolt on a bunch of shit on mine, so I just go with a MagPul MOE handguard, because it's comfortable and doesn't add much weight.
Metal fore-ends generally set up easy for free-floating though, which is desirable for precision. Quadrails still work, but you can do better, an MLok fore-end (or a monolithic upper with an Mlok fore-end) will weigh less and give you the same benefits.
>Bolt Carrier - cheap vs quality Go for quality on this one. Doesn't have to be the most expensive, but it's one of the most important parts.
>Gas vs piston Piston setups are really not worth the bother, classic Stoner is cheaper, lighter, and better for precision.
Well he doesn't own an AR15. He just buys AK47s man. Cut him some slack. That's why I'm asking yall experts.
Asher Carter
I'm in Texas. The shop is older than me.
Carter Cox
If you want durability, you want a polymer stock. Wood is far more susceptible to the elements than polymer is and will degrade faster over time unless well taken care of.
As to the rest of your questions:
>Aluminum >16-20 inch nitrided or chrome lined with 1:7 or 1:8 twist (Cold hammer forged or not, doesn't matter) >polymer with rail sections added as needed >Quality BCG (Toolcraft/BCM/DD/whoever as long as it is milspec) >DI
t. built 8 ARs from pistols to full sized rifles, both DI and piston, and never had one fuck up.
William Price
He doesnt know shit. Wood is not more durable. Wood rots. Polymer does too but it would take a fucking 100 years. Modern polymers are also far more robust then they were 20-30 years ago. Your coworker is talking completely out his ass.
Mason Smith
Just buy a Smith and Wesson M&P15 and a stripped lower and call it a day. Enjoy your entry level ar and once you've gotten an idea of what you prefer overall you can make a fancy build using your lower.
Jace Harris
That alone is enough to show he likely doesn't know much in general. Him telling you to get a wood stock for your first AR is ignorant in general. He doesn't know anything so just keep that in mind when he tells you stuff
Michael Parker
Gun stores often have retards at the counter surprisingly who spout fudd lore and general gun nonsense. It's weird but is not unusual
Chase Mitchell
I agree with this user. Step into the world with a built rifle, have fun taking it apart and learning. Then move up and build one later with knowledge of what you want from an AR
Nathan Mitchell
I hear ya. Don't wory anons, not going to buy one today. Just take a look before they close. I also want to look at the Tikka T3 rifles as they are a licensed distributor.
Depends on how severe the SHTF scenario is. If the world will go back to normal within weeks to a couple of months, then either AR or AK. Both are great weapons that only really effect you depending on how much training you have had with them. If SHTF is indefinite, and society has collapsed, then AK. The legend of the AK is not in its reliability, both ARs and AKs are very reliable weapons. The real “mystic” to the AK is in its longevity. You could run an AK for years hard, never cleaning it or living any parts, and it will not, give any ounce of a fuck. The barrel will probably wear out before you start having real issues with an AK.
>wood stock for durability lol no you go with a wood stock because they look really fucking nice durability is a given if you're not buying specialty hipster parts
Andrew Hughes
learn to carve
Ryan Reyes
Backwards. Buy tools and parts on sale, build rifle. Pre-built rifles are always an unknown. With a $1000 budget one could buy the tools and parts to build a sweet utilitarian rifle with high quality parts throughout.
Lucas Reed
Thanks for this useless post user.
Dominic Reed
OP here. Love this aesthetic.
Wyatt Cooper
He doesn't even know what he wants in a rifle. Add on to how standard the level of quality is on most generic ars from known companies and you know what you're getting... telling an absolute newb to waste time and money on tools to build a rifle he hasn't shot in nearly a decade is fucking retarded
Thomas Brooks
Only replying to an equally useless post user. Thanks for stepping in and being the judge of quality for posts in this thread though, always great to have someone like that to contribute so much to the discussion.
Joseph Wright
You talk too much with irrelevant faggotry.
Ethan Martin
Bcm entry level M4 mod 0 for around 1k
James Howard
OP buy an Aero mid length AR for ~$630, get a good rear sight for it like Troy or even an Aero A2 style rear sight. Then put a couple thousand rounds through it. THEN you should know what you like or don't like and can build from there. If you try to build one right off the bat or even buy one then try replacing parts as you go you'll just end up spending more in the long run.
Those grips aren't nearly as well made as they look, they're actually remarkably cheap and chintzy, you wouldn't believe they were actually Germany.
Owen Nguyen
Ak is literal meh for shtf, nigga get comfortable with a light semi or bolt and go from there, seeking out a goal proposed by others is a losing proposition.
Go win instead.
Thomas Barnes
I have a glock 40, my 22s that I learned how to shoot on when I was a young boy, and a Winchester 30-30 lever action I hunted with. Just trying to get back into the swing of things and upgrade my arsenal.
Luke Jackson
And you have posted twice already with neither having any statements or facts to back up statements that relate to what has been discussed in this thread. Okay, stay mad.
Benjamin Davis
Second user here. Nobody asked and everybody already knew that. Just because you're finally 18 doesn't mean anybody cares what you have to say onii chan
Jack Diaz
>Attacking ones character instead of attacking ones stance on a subject >attempting to attack ones character on a Mongolian steppe riding image forum where everyone who posts is anonymous top zoz for my cause fren
>user responds to another anons post >other anons begin shitposting about it >user calls out shitposters for being faggots >hahahaha I win I win fucking faggot, got you faggot I win I win
The post he responded to said nothing about AKs in shtf or anything about fucking AKs at all I doubt he's helped op with his AR even
Jordan Collins
Government profile barrel. It's shit. A heavy load of shit. A Daniel Defense A1.5 rear sight would make it better, but still, the gov barrel is a dealbreaker.
This garbage gun is a perfect example of why you build instead of buy complete
Mason Parker
Was responding to this.
Cameron Moore
The reason why milspec barrels are thicc bois is because infantry are expected to get into fights where they're gonna be blasting off rounds non stop. That shit will heat up quick if you don't have a heavy barrel. Not saying one is better than the other, just depends what you are going to be using the AR for.
Juan Hernandez
Unless you are shooting prairie dogs or targets from a bench or full auto, a lighter barrel is a good thing. There is no need for the forward weight of a gov profile barrel. I've got a couple homebuilt ARs that are similar. One has a 16 mid LW FN barrel ($1500 gun) and the other has a 16 mid ultra lightweight (pencil) FN barrel ($750 gun). The difference is huge and I'll take the $750 pencil barrel gun any day of the week.
Jeremiah Hughes
I'll just say, it doesn't take much to heat up a barrel. And with an excessively hot barrel, that accuracy is gonna loosen up down range. Again, it all depends on what you intend to use the rifle for. If we are talking home defense, hunting, seal team uno DAM raid, pencil barrels are fine, and are worth the reduction in weight. If you are intending to use the rifle for more survival, SHTF, militia shit, as memey as that sounds. You can expect to have a lot more rounds go through that barrel pretty quickly. It all depends in what OP wants out of his gun.
Juan Bennett
Are the groups going to open up more than Minute-of-Man? I would argue that survival, SHTF scenarios would be better served with better handling and lighter weight. Life is not a zombie movie.
Cameron Wright
It can take a 1-2 MOA gat to a 3-4 MOA scatter gat. >Life is not a zombie movie. No shit, talking about SHTF in a practical sense is hard because of how varied SHTF can be. To give you an example, here would be something that I would say, would favor heavier barrels. >Be apart of a large community/city-state post-SHTF >Be cooperating with other communities and city-states >Make trade deal with one, shipments and caravans start going back and forth on the regular between them >Increase in traffic attracts the attention of bandits, some fucking stupid, some former military and know what they are doing >caravans start getting raided, raids originate from the woods >Be apart of recce team to find the bandits camp/patrol base and get rid of them >recce patrol turns into combat patrol as your team starts running into sizable groups of bandits >Get into protracted gunfight >Multiple mags have been spent >Still some badguys across two treelines >200-300 meters away, take shot, miss, miss, miss, miss
As autistic as this story was, it does show the advantages of having a heavier barrel, and in my opinion. If you are looking to save weight on a gun, the barrel isn't the best place to start.
Then maybe you need a HBAR or something thick under the guards. Gov profile is stupid in a 16"+ combat rifle IMO. My own experience proves it for me, other people might feel different. The problem is that affordable complete guns tend to have gov profile barrels which are fucking retarded.
>barrel is a deal breaker >only real downside is slightly heavier >first AR we're hitting ARG tier snobbery
Andrew Davis
good read
Ayden Lee
Eh, I don't ARG. But yes, a gov profile barrel is a dealbreaker. It's a solution in search of a problem, and a few ounces of weight at the end of the barrel makes a big difference in how the rifle feels and handles. One solution to this is to build a rifle with the parts you want, which can usually be done near the same price as a complete rifle, plus the cost of the tools. You'll need the tools later anyway to service the weapon. The only things you are missing by buying a complete rifle instead of building is the joy of learning and the knowledge you would have acquired.
Aaron Adams
>The virgin hand built perfectly selected AR user >The Chad PSA A2 buyer Lotta fucking pleb tier posts in this thread
>The only things you are missing by buying a complete rifle instead of building is the joy of learning and the knowledge you would have acquired.
What you are missing by buying a complete rifle instead of building is the PARTS YOU WANT, the joy of learning and the knowledge you would have acquired.
Fixed it for me. Got a daughter and a dog on my leg while phonefagging.
Zachary Gonzalez
desu pencil barrels should become the new standard for basic bitch rifles
Camden Bennett
Can anyone recomend metal magazines as an alternative to magpul, I hear the lips expand outward if loaded for a long time
there's cover pieces to prevent that otherwise GI mags with MagPul springs and followers
Jace Sanders
>I hear the lips expand outward if loaded for a long time
That's roasties, user, not Pmags. For metal do USGI or E-lander.
Joshua Clark
>My co-worker insists that I go with a wood stock for durability. Why?
Cooper Wood
Oh fugg, the gen 3 capa dont work on the gen 2. Think I threw away the gen 2s or they didnt come with any
Isaac Phillips
Are PSA d&h mags g2g?
Thomas Carter
Yes.
Jaxon Cooper
If you had a musket, you wouldnt have to worry about a heavy barrel. Very nice. Pic related is mine. Bushmaster lower I got on sale, and a PSA upper I got from a fellow user. That bad huh?
Do you prefer the A2 stock to the A1? I've been thinking about doing an A1 build, and I think I'd like a shorter stock, but I haven't handled either yet.
Parker Diaz
A1 dimension wise is always better, but material wise, A1's were called Mattel 16's for a reason
Jose Peterson
>The legend of the AK is not in its reliability, both ARs and AKs are very reliable weapons. The real “mystic” to the AK is in its longevity. You could run an AK for years hard, never cleaning it or living any parts, and it will not, give any ounce of a fuck. The barrel will probably wear out before you start having real issues with an AK. where the fuck will you get ammo you fucking retard, "muh stockpile" if you can't carry it on your person then it won't be coming with you
yeah let me just choose a rifle that doesn't share ammo with the most popular ammo type baring .22lr in North America
if you don't have the caps then just don't leave them loaded all the time, get one of them sa-80 speedloaders for stripper clips or get one of those table ones
if you really need multiple magazines at the ready for something but can't solve the problem with the one already in the gun then you have bigger problems
Jeremiah Watson
But a modern A1 stock would be fine, right?
Lincoln Robinson
Feedlip spread on pmags isn't really a thing.
Jason Johnson
Always at least 2 mags. Malfunctions happen.
James Nelson
Level 1000 Bard
Christopher Cook
>if you don't have the caps then just don't leave them loaded all the time, get one of them sa-80 speedloaders for stripper clips or get one of those table ones fuddlore >if you really need multiple magazines at the ready for something but can't solve the problem with the one already in the gun then you have bigger problems even more fuddlore, Christ this is basically faceberg tier
7.62x39mm isn't that hard to find in North America, it's available in large bulks for cheap.
Not that you shouldn't just stockpile your own ammo anyway.
It's not for everyone, but it's (currently) the only plastic lower which has any real value at all, and it's because it holds up as well as an aluminum one.
Where can I get one of those keychains, I love abstract shapes
Sebastian Ramirez
It's a complete A1 upper slapped on a complete commercial lower. Something like $450 in total, so not a bad deal I think they guy just put that together in the early 2000's when you could buy complete surplus A1 uppers for cheap, and he figured a lightweight lower would be a good fit for the lightweight upper.
If it's any consolation, you could just take that upper off and put it on something more historically appropriate, and given how 'retro' ARs has become fashionable in recent years, that's fairly likely to have happened to the thing by now.
if you go for polymer get a one piece stock and lower. if you want a pistol or metal go for steel
16" government standard should be fine.
I find that the short gas system works better for sub-rounds and full length has problems with Remington .223 when cold.
no major issue for hand guards, only ones i can think of is leaving it in the sun on a hot day may heat up a metal guard
BCG quality only, never skimp. make certain your supplier does NOT batch test, they need to check each BCG for imperfections, I think its an ultrasound test or something.
gas v piston, no major points always used direct impingement, piston guys say DI feels smother.
