Finally decided to buy an AR.

357smallbore said:

I bought a S&W M&P15 Sport II.

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Nice! Welcome to the club! I hope you like your new AR a lot and try to wear it out!

I have both Magpul PMAGS and aluminum USGI. I prefer the PMAGS but others prefer aluminum. I haven't used Lancers but those who do swear by them.


I have had excellent results with PMAGS and the price is right so that is what I have stuck with. But I didn't discard my aluminum mags either.
Keep that AR lubed properly and it will give you many thousands of rounds of good service.

CherryBalmz gun grease (black rifle balm) is far and away my favorite lubricant and I have tried them all.

Skeptic13 said:

Welcome to the AR club. Just be aware that you can't have just one. Just saying.

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I used to hate when people said that; my M&P Sport did me fine for 4 years. Then I decided this past spring to build one, just to say I did. Finished it around July, and started another build the next week. Now I'm trying to tell myself I don't need to go out and buy 4-5 lowers "just in case".

<*(((>< said:

Lancers are very nice just wish they were cheaper

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Gun Mag Warehouse has the 20 round 5.56 Lancer mags for $13.99. Not much more than Magpul. But, the 308 Lancer 20 round mags are $35!!!! Magpul mags feed my AR10 at $18 each.

I drank the Kool aid back in 2012 and have been happy with mine since. I have pieced together several mags from various sources. Any time yu are at a yard sale poke through the boxes, old aluminum GI mags are everywhere for a couple bucks each. This summer I found a box with 10 or so AR mags and 4 1911 mags, got them all for a few bucks. Disassemble, clean, shoot krylon paint color of your choice and then lube the followers with silicone. Make sure they drop clean from the rifle when empty. Now I am thinking I don't have nearly enough ammo, but I have components to load quite a few just waiting to go. ARs eat ammo like a starving wolf eats baby ducks, even if you never do mag dumps. And they are just fun to shoot. Dang now I want another one.

Well I don't want to get into trouble like I did at Legal, but these weapons could be banned by congress in a few years only to see a challenge in the Supreme Court which could overturn a ban for violating the Second Amendment.

If it was cached on public land it would no longer be in a person's possession. Then if the SC overturned the ban.

There,... did I say it without recommending something illegal?

357smallbore said:

I took the leap. I bought a S&W M&P15 Sport II. Been owning guns and shooting them since 1980. With all the turmoil, rumors and fear being spread in this country. I bought my 1st "black gun"
I also bought 5 Magpul gen 2's to go with it. I am going to buy 5 more. Been thinking about the aluminum ones. Are the aluminum mags just as good?
Also bought 2k of ammo. What is a realistic amount of 5.56 to keep on hand for reserve? And are 11 mags a solid amount to have. Dont plan to shoot more than 1000 rounds a year out of it.

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I bought a Colt 6920 back in 2012 because I was afraid they would be banned under Obama. 2k of ammo is nice to have in reserve. I generally replace it as I use it. The only time you can ever have to much ammo is when your home is on fire. Buy mags when they're on sale.

...or if you're swimming.

Congrats on the AR.

Now you need to build a 2nd one.
https://palmettostatearmory.com/daily-deals-new.html

357smallbore said:

What is a realistic amount of 5.56 to keep on hand for reserve?

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Necessity is the mother of invention.

For what use will you keep this reserve? If you only shoot a couple hundred rounds per year, then 2,000 rounds will last you a decade. Do you need or want a decade’s worth of ammunition on hand? If you shoot a couple hundred per month, 2,000 won’t make it through next summer, so you might want more. I don’t tend to entertain ideas of stockpiling in case of legal prohibitions or SHTF civil unrest - as the broad conditions of such are immeasurably varied, such no stockpile could ever be sufficient, nor a sufficient stockpile ever cost-justified by the extremely low statistical likelihood of any given circumstance.

Also, logically, it rarely makes sense to hold on hand more ammunition than the life of the firearm which will eat it. And naturally, reloading, with an opportunity to apply one powder and primer size over multiple cartridges can really reduce your inventory cost. Brass lasts a long time, so your only 1:1 inventory is the bullet.

Alternatively, I will say this: ammunition never gets cheaper. Dollar cost averaging your ammunition supply on hand is a means of investing in shooting futures. So if you have the opportunity to buy slightly more ammunition than you burn each paycheck, you’ll end up paid ahead in the long run at a very advantaged rate. I may or may not have started DCA’ing my inventory ~15 years ago...

There's no such thing as too much ammo, just too much ammo to carry - or to put on that weak spot on the floor... .
Actually, I don't buy much .223. I have access to two ranges where various police departments and the Border Patrol train and practice. All of the once-fired brass that a person can stand.
I buy 55 gr and 62 gr bullets in bulk.
Whenever I need some quiet time I just retreat to the reloading closet and do some zen reloading.

357smallbore said:

What is a realistic amount of 5.56 to keep on hand for reserve? And are 11 mags a solid amount to have.

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Congratulations on your purchase, but be aware that this is where your purchasing begins, not ends. You may have lived a life of satisfaction and contentment before your AR purchase, however that will end if you take to heart everything written in digital ink.

And so the election fear begins. "Never enough mags. Never enough ammo. Better stock up. Some politician will take them away!"

I would just encourage you to have a realistic accounting of how much you shoot (or plan to shoot) and purchase accordingly. There was scarcity 2008-2016, with people paying silly money for in demand items, like 223/5.56, mags, etc. It is true that right now items like ammo are at 12 year lows. We have no idea what kind of accuracy you're used to, but bulk ammo shoots like it sounds. I would rather shoot 50 rounds of Vmax or NBT 223 ammo than 250 rounds of 55gr FMJBT.

There is also the "never enough accessories" part to it as well. Grip upgrade, trigger upgrade, handguard upgrade, stock upgrade, sling, optic, QD everything. Before you know it, you have three times the purchase price in the rifle! Then, after you get it equipped, you get the idea of building/modding/upgrading another.

I would encourage you to evaluate your needs, use good judgment, avoid the latest fad, and enjoy your purchase!

Part of what drives the need for ARs in my household is desire to shoot them and that comes from their adaptability. So while magazine and ammo stockpiling may sound sensible it makes sense to have a comfortable rifle with which to use those consumables.

Last month I picked up a few more stocks at 20% off, a new grip, and a couple of the aforementioned “oops” kits at $6.99 The kits’ real value to me is in not having to purchase a full LPK with controls that end up in a spare parts box as I swap in ergo friendly ones.

Do I enjoy swapping parts? No. Do I prefer my rifle as compared to its OEM configuration? Yes. You may not yet know what you’ll like or dislike about your AR yet but there is joy in finding out.

I bit the same bullet this year and bought my first AR. I went all in with a custom build. Joining this group is a real eye-opener. Learned that I'm way behind. I have two 10-round mags and one 30-rounder. And only about 1500 rounds of .223. But, having built this to be my coyote rifle and with no interest in competition shooting, I don't feel the need for an apocalypse stash. Hope I don't live to regret it. This rifle is way-fun to shoot, so I might be burning up more than I think.

It is only too much ammunition, too many magazines, too many guns until the next panic. Then you will see the “hoarder” word used on THR at those of us that are stocking up.

For me personally the term “adult legos” when describing my AR builds is appropriate. I am getting ready to order different stock and hand grip for AR #1 as I want to use the ones that are on it now on AR build #4. Last weekend I installed a J P 4# trigger and hammer spring kit in AR #2.

nice! They are fun, they are inexpensive to shoot, they are accurate, and easy to put a accessory on. While I like iron sight shooting, I winded up getting a M&P sporter II that my friend backed out on. I put a Vortex Spitfire on it, really nice optic for the money, illuminated with three intensity choice of red and three of green, it has been as accurate as any other AR I shot. I have mine sighted in with Winchester 55 gr 5.56mm
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Congrats on the new Ar.
I too have purchased my first: bushmaster xm15

lionking said:

nice! They are fun, they are inexpensive to shoot, they are accurate, and easy to put a accessory on. While I like iron sight shooting, I winded up getting a M&P sporter II that my friend backed out on. I put a Vortex Spitfire on it, really nice optic for the money, illuminated with three intensity choice of red and three of green, it has been as accurate as any other AR I shot. I have mine sighted in with Winchester 55 gr 5.56mm
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Just bought the exact same S&W myself!

It's getting a BCM pistol grip and larger charging handle very soon.

Congrats OP, I too have just taken the plunge into the world of AR. Now I need to figure out how to get the most out of it but still be frugal.

303 hunter said:

Gun Mag Warehouse has the 20 round 5.56 Lancer mags for $13.99. Not much more than Magpul. But, the 308 Lancer 20 round mags are $35!!!! Magpul mags feed my AR10 at $18 each.

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Primary Arms has blemished 20 round Lancer 20 round mags for $9.99. Get them while you can; I did!!!!

Got some

Starting out I purchased a few more Pmags for my MRP then added D&H mags into the line up. Just wanted to try a few aluminum mags at first so I went this route with PSA.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/d-h...0-rounds-of-federal-55gr-xm193-5-56-nato.html

I didn't notice any difference in loading, feeding and ejecting between Magpul and D&H mags. Rifle didn't seem to care either.

If you live where they are still legal it is the time now to get one or MANY lol

They are so inexpensive for what you get even straight out of the box, which one of the most accurate rifle designs ever that is easy to accessorize and inexpensive to shoot. Either build your own or buy a complete, and with black Friday there are deals to be had like PSA and other places. Even without black Friday still just a great rifle type to have.

Couldn't help myself, just clicked to buy this, PSA AR-10 , so now I will also have a lower to get a 6.5 Creedmoor or .243 upper to attach to it later on.

lionking said:

If you live where they are still legal it is the time now to get one or MANY lol

They are so inexpensive for what you get even straight out of the box, which one of the most accurate rifle designs ever that is easy to accessorize and inexpensive to shoot. Either build your own or buy a complete, and with black Friday there are deals to be had like PSA and other places. Even without black Friday still just a great rifle type to have.

Couldn't help myself, just clicked to buy this, PSA AR-10 , so now I will also have a lower to get a 6.5 Creedmoor or .243 upper to attach to it later on.
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That is filthy cheap for an AR-10.