Armalite, H&k, Sig, or Bushmaster? Assult rifle questions For .223 Caliber

[splhurts]

I am wanting a great all around rifle, and found a new love! I have discovered how shooting relieves alot of stress, and now I have a use for my five acres of un-farmable land! A gunrange!!!! Ok, here is what I am going to be doing: Target shooting, coyote hunting, prairedog killing, and screwing around. I have chosen the .223 round for a couple of reasons. Cost, and availability are the main reasons, but other than that, its offered in alot of rifles, mainly tactical/assult style. If I go with the Armalite, or bushmaster it will be the 16" barrel ar style, if in the sig the new 556, & if I can find one the hk416......... What are your thoughts on an all around rifle for home defense and playing with????? Please stick to these choices as they are all locally available (except the hk416....do you know how to get one???), what do you think I should get and why?????

[SoCalShooter]

I like the AR just fine, but honestly any weapon that needs a forward assist...makes me a little worried. I would go with the sig if I had the money and lived in the right state.

[10-Ring]

1st off, I didn't think the HK 416 was commercially availble and having not even seen one of the Sigs, I'd go Bushy...I really like their Dissipator

[CanonNinja]

How bout mix 3 of them in there... A gas-piston POF upper... kinda like the Sig and HK, and useable on a bushmaster lower.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I like the midlength Armalites myself (though I own Bushmasters). I like the midlength gas on the Armalite better and Armalite does some remarkable chrome-lined barrels. I've seen stock M15s that are capable of 1MOA five-round groups at 100yds using Hornady 75gr.

[rbernie]

My Armalite midlength 16" carbine is superb, and is my primary rifle for HD.

If you get an AR (and I would, simply for the modularity and aftermarket support that it currently enjoys) and you have to have a 16" barrel, get a midlength gas system.

[ordonnanzgewehr]

Since I'm a Swiss nut I'd have to vote Sig 556.
Sure would like to play with one of those.

[splhurts]

The wife will also be shooting with me......... ....... What is the least recoiling of these choices?

[CanonNinja]

if your wife can't take .223 recoil, you need to upgrade

[MatthewVanitas]

Actual "pushing back against you" physical recoil is pretty minimal with any .223 rifle of reasonable weight. Two of the things you list aren't even widely available yet, and two are just different brands of the exact same thing.

If you want a .223 rifle, any reputable brand or AR-15 will suit you great.

An AR with a Mid-length or Rifle-length gas system will have less recoil than the CAR-length.

If you're concerned about your wife and recoil:

a) A lot of "perceived recoil" is more from the noise than the actual push. Put good earplugs AND good earmuffs on her, and the noise will seem like nothing.

b) Have her shoot a ton of .22LR. A Marlin 60 is a great choice, costs $110 new in Texas, used ones as cheap as $50.

c) Once she gets bored of the .22LR, invite her to try your AR-15. Problem solved. There is no reason that a healthy woman (or a reasonably sturdy 10yr old) can't cope with the recoil of an AR-15, so long as they don't go in all skittish and apprehensive. All the "recoil" problems are in the shooter's mind.

-MV

[Hanzo581]

Sig 556

Apparently they just came out with a civi version, I learned something new

at $1299 on impactguns.com

[Zen21Tao]

My advice is to build your own AR. It VERY easy. You just get a lower receiver (Stag, Mega, DPMS, Rock River, etc.) toss in a parts kit and throw on a stock to complete the lower half. Then buy a decent upper half like a Stag or Rock River. This can be done for well under what you would pay for the Sig, Bushy, or Armalite.

[aguyindallas]

Dont mean to be a piss ant about this, but I hate when we use the word "assault rifle".

Its the whole "mag vs. clip" thing...

Proper terms go a LONG way for our fight.

[AK103K]

I also like the Armalite mid length carbines. Colts too. Bushys are OK, but mines not the most accurate.

Now if you had included the SIG 550's in the list, that would be my pick. The 556 looks interesting, but I just cant stand the stupid AR looking sliding stock on it.

[MechAg94]

Get your wife to try a Garand. Then let her shoot the .223. What recoil?

[splhurts]

Sorry,........... I think. The words "Assault rifle" are a bad term now? I'm from a rural area, so your going to have to explain this one to the dumb hick. LOL!!!!!! ( i like poking fun at myself ) Why is the term "assault" a bad thing.......Clinton didnt get elected again did he?? If you came on my property with bad intentions, what do you think I would do to you? Hmmmm.......My 3 kids or this stranger........????? Assault is what I'm thinking ...... Not to start a fight or anything, I just dont understand the close minded, never shot a gun in my life, or for that matter even hunted mindset. I do appreciate all of the great feedback, and I am sorry if I have offended anyone with the wrong terms. The intention was to get input, Thanks for that!! One last question....What is the right term?

[sinistr]

hks are nice,but not worth the cost as "a shooter".the sig 556 configuration that they are trying to introduce is very dissapointing when compared to the 55x series.your best bet is to get ar carbine with a midlength handgaurd, until all the bugs get worked out of the piston driven uppers.good luck.

[aguyindallas]

Well, the problem that I see with that term is that the media has blown it out of proportion. Lets not forget the "assault weapons ban", which meant many of the guns we like to tinker with became evil. Depending on where you lived, the AK47, AR15 etc...became forbidden fruit.

I try not to use terms that the media has sensationalized. Rather I try to refer to them as to what they are:

High Capacity Clip = Standard Capacity Magazine
Assult Weapon/Rifle = Tactical Rifle

etc.....

I know I am being anal by some standards.

[splhurts]

I love it, I will start using the "Tactical" term. Thank you for not being offended, I had a loss of terms when originally asking the question!!

[aguyindallas]

There is no reason for anyone to be offended. Also, I am certainly not saying that you need to adjust your terms, but rather understand how "those" terms portray gun enthusiasts as a whole.

Basically, the anti crowd and the media provide enough fuel for the fire and I like to find creative ways to think one step ahead of them.

Back to the topic at hand....get yourself an AR of some sort until Sig comes to the plate with something battle proven....

[splhurts]

Are there any specific models in the bushmaster or armalite that I should look for if I go this way?

[LkWinnipesaukee]

I usually call them 'baby-killing terrorist rifles'

[AK103K]

I have an Armalite M15A4(C), which is Armalite's mid length flattop carbine. It has a 16" barrel with the proportional handguards. I ditched the sliding stock in favor of a M16A1 standard stock. It has an Aimpoint M2 on a GG&G cantilever mount and GG&G BUIS.

I've had zero problems with it. Its reliable and accurate. It has the typical AR trigger, which arent the greatest, but plenty shootable. I also have a M15A4(T), which is a free floated precision rifle that is very accurate and has a very nice trigger. To bad all the AR's dont come with that trigger.

My M15A4(C) looks like this:




I also have a Bushmaster Dissapator. Its a 16" barreled rifle with the standard full length handguards. The Bushmaster really doesnt compare to the Armalite's, or at least the one I have doesnt. Mine is not very accurate, or I should say, compared to my other AR's, it isnt.

[EdLaver]

Hmmmm....those are great choices you have there, but I would also do some research on DPMS rifles too. I own one and I it much more accurate than a friends bushmaster at 50+ yards. He blamed his optics so we used iron sights and it was still more accurate. Out of the choices you have I voted for Armalite, I had an upper and it was nice.

[SuperiorMarksman_18]

Does H&K still sell 416 uppers?