AR15 A2/A3

An A2 is my next build.

Like this?

took mine out a few weeks ago. only one other person on the range, and he gave it quite a bit of praise. I think he had never seen one before (M16A2 with the handle). I used to shoot it very well, but couldn't seem to that day. Stock is just too long. Pretty though.

I built an A1 clone with the carry handle.

Kinda...
I like it’s strengths and dislike it’s weaknesses.

Strengths-

muzzle device can direct flash/blast to help keep you close to target.

Fixed sights are harder to mess up and easier to return to zero.

“Handle” can be used as a handle if you are trekking through rough country in an emergency situation.

Weaknesses-

It’s kinda big for the things I would consider using it for

It’s too weak of a cartridge for the things I would want to use it for

It’s too big to be an emergency gun.

So what did I do? 8” AR pistol with A2 upper reciever, A2 style front sight tower, birdcage muzzle device. Now it’s small, light, reliable, easy to pack, and the sights are pretty reliable even if dropped hard. It’s strong enough, and accurate enough for small and medium game to eat. Only thing it won’t do is fix busted truck to get me out of the jam.

entropy said:

An A2 is my next build.

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Me too!

I think they're fine, my son insists that mine's "old school". But, I like it...




Jeff B.

One of my favorite AR's is the A2... An A2 was the first AR I ever shot... I also like the look and feel of the triangle hand guards on the A1.......

Of course, from a performance perspective, I like being able to easily mount an optic on a flat top receiver but for me the carry handle A2s and A1s will always be the quintessential ARs.......

How about a carbine* with optic that aspires to be a rifle?

View attachment 790935

* 16" medium profile barrel, mid-length gas, and A1 buttstock w/ A2 buttplate.

Just a guess, but I'm wondering if OP was thinking more of something like this:

I certainly don't miss them from a user standpoint, but I do wish I had kept my old SP1.

Yes, I seem to have lost interest in most firearms developments post the 1980's or 90's. To me, the apex of AR development was the A2. I like the full-length (20") barrel and fixed stock. However, I prefer the shorter A1 type stock to the A2 stock. The only short-barrel, telescoping stock AR I own is my XM177 clone, but that's a registered machine gun so I suppose it doesn't count.

Mine one and only AR is an A2 style.

JO JO said:

nice to see I am not alone in liking the old school AR , I have carbine type but my favorite grab and go to the range AR is my A2 by far , simple , accurate , and just plain cool factor



View attachment 790994

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If I build another, thats my route, old school simple....

I recently also caught the A2 bug... and it unexpectedly turned into quite the education on the current state of the firearms industry. I found that it is much easier to find A1 parts than A2 parts.. but only online. In person, the word A2 seems to be quite the mystery. I failed at multiple gun shows to find an A2 upper. I even had to describe what an A2 upper is to several people working at places that specialized in AR parts. I resorted once to pointing the the A2 on the banner above their table to demonstrate what one was.

In the end, there was victory though, and I got to build my A2:



Thanks to an old cast off Ban-Era DPMS carbine upper with an unthreaded barrel on it that no one wanted.



*EDIT* I no spell good

The first (only) one that I bought is a Bushmaster XM15E2s, a fixed-stock A3 with 20"HB and target crown.

The first one that I built is a fixed-stock A2 with 20"PB, triangular forearm and a vintage 3-prong flash hider.

I enjoy the 2nd one a bit more.

I walked through hell with an A2 in my hands.


Right now I only have a carbine with an A2 upper.


This one is pretty much just am A3


This one was going to be a classic A3 but my son decided to build it with updated furniture. I may pick up an A2 upper to build a copy of the A2 that I carried.

Just so we are all on the same page, to me--

A2 = Classic stock; carry handle; 20" HBAR barrel with semi-birdcage flash suppressor (solid at 6 o'clock).
and
A3 = Classic stock; flat-top upper (w/ or w/o clamp-on carry handle); 20" HBAR with a "modern" flash suppressor
and
A4 = adjustable or fixed stock; flat-top; 18" barrel in any contour, with any flash suppressor.

Agree/disagree?

Two of my AR platforms are A2 variants.....both get shot a lot.

A4s still have a 20" barrel, but they have a quad rail instead of the original hand guards.

And the difference between an A3 and an A4 is the selector switch. A3 is FA while the A 4 is 3 round burst (for mil issues rifles).

I built an A2 to go with my 1911 so I could have what I carried in the Army. The other weapons I carried are to cost prohibitive to own (M3A1and M60)

12Bravo20 said:

And the difference between an A3 and an A4 is the selector switch. A3 is FA while the A 4 is 3 round burst (for mil issues rifles).

I built an A2 to go with my 1911 so I could have what I carried in the Army. The other weapons I carried are to cost prohibitive to own (M3A1and M60)

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82nd, 101st, or 7th?