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Wanderling
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OK, help AR15 noob / potential buyer :)
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Wanderling
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Hey, it's a buck less than what I paid ! Now I feel robbed... just kidding.
I got mine from this store for $499:
https://smga.com/p-103282-smith-and-wesson-10202-mp15-sptii-556nato-16-30rd-blk.aspx
They were quick to ship, and good communication / customer service ... if you managed to get someone on the phone (I understand they are busy during the day). I didn't try to contact them via email, though. They sent me a wrong tracking number initially but fixed it right away when I called. I'll be definitely keeping them on my short list for future purcases.
NWcityguy2
Member
That's a good deal. I'm a big PSA fan because of their value and price point, but their complete rifles are not a good deal when compared to others on the market. Combining a completed upper and lower is a different story though. Have fun shooting.
You bought a good, budget, reliable starter AR15. If you never get black rifle disease, that gun will serve you fine for the rest of your life. Should you get the disease, I would recommend a mid-length gas rifle, probably with a free float rail, for your next gun. If you plan on using it for home defense, then it needs a flashlight mounted. I can recommend the Elzetta ZFH1500 mount, if on a budget. The Impact Weapons Components flashlight mounts are a bit more ergonomic, and a bit more pricey, but I can recommend 100% as well.
1)For mags, the best GI aluminum mags are made by NHMTG/Okay. They discontinued the NHMTG name and are now sold as Okay brand. The fit and finish is better than any other GI mag on the market. D&H mags are serviceable and reliable, but they have sharper edges and are not as nicely made. Brownell's mags are nice as well. Make sure they have Magpul anti tilt followers (if 30 rd or curved 20 rd mags). If its a straight 20 rd GI mag, then you cannot install Magpul anti tilt followers as the follower is designed to tilt on the 20 rd straight mag. That being said, the 20 rd straight GI mags are excellent and super reliable. One of my favorite mags.
Magpul should be considered top tier mags. They fixed a lot of the short comings with the GI mags, including modifying the feed angle to be more reliable than GI/other mags. The 2nd gen MOE and 3rd gen mags will work 100%. If I was new to the game like you, i would just buy Gen M3 PMAGS. They are affordable, durable, and reliable as an anvil.
Lancer mags are durable and reliable, with a small problem. If you pull the charging handle back slowly while loading, they will jam up. GI mags and Magpul mags dont have this problem. Lancer followers are also much more likely to get sticky in the magazine if sand or dust is introduced.
Basically, as far as mags go, just get Magpul mags, and a few Okay mags so that you can have some good quality GI aluminum mags.
2) There is no special procedure needed to put the gun on safe. All you have to do is make sure the hammer is cocked. Rack the charging handle (to cock the hammer) and flip it to safe. Done.
2a) The gun has a floating firing pin. It strikes the primer of the round every time a round is chambered. It will even leave a very small dent in the primer. Don't chamber the same round more than twice.
3) The plastic parts are durable. The plastic rear sight by Magpul has been tested to be MORE durable in drops than most of the aluminum backup sights on the market. Its cheap, but it works, and its durable.
4) You'll never every use the forward assist. I've put north of 50K rounds of .223 down range and I can never remember an instance where I used the forward assist. If the round wont go in, eject it, and start over. The Army insisted it be put on. The Airforce didn't want it. Eugene Stoner, the designer of the gun, hated the forward assist and thought it was unnecessary. The Army won that argument.
5) The guns are not delicate. Contrary to popular belief, they will run pretty well when dirty as long as they are well lubricated. Its better to over lubricate these guns than under lubricate. It will throw any excess oil out of the action if there is too much oil. Its almost impossible to over lubricate them. These guns also prefer a heavier viscosity lubricant, over a thin lube, due to the heat of the hot gasses blowing back into the action. Oils that I have used, and can recommend for this platform, are Weaponshield, Breakfree LP (not the thinner CLP), MPro 7, Slip 2000 EWL, Lucas Extreme Duty gun oil.
6) The most important thing to clean on the AR is the chamber. Many folks just run a .22 caliber bore brush down the barrel, which cleans the barrel just fine, but completely misses the chamber. An AR15 chamber brush is an absolute necessity, in my opinion. If you buy no other cleaning accessories, make sure to get an AR15 chamber brush.
7) AR's need proper lubrication. The below pictures are the best I have seen about where to lube. These are the recommended lube points straight out of the govt manual for the gun.
1)For mags, the best GI aluminum mags are made by NHMTG/Okay. They discontinued the NHMTG name and are now sold as Okay brand. The fit and finish is better than any other GI mag on the market. D&H mags are serviceable and reliable, but they have sharper edges and are not as nicely made. Brownell's mags are nice as well. Make sure they have Magpul anti tilt followers (if 30 rd or curved 20 rd mags). If its a straight 20 rd GI mag, then you cannot install Magpul anti tilt followers as the follower is designed to tilt on the 20 rd straight mag. That being said, the 20 rd straight GI mags are excellent and super reliable. One of my favorite mags.
Magpul should be considered top tier mags. They fixed a lot of the short comings with the GI mags, including modifying the feed angle to be more reliable than GI/other mags. The 2nd gen MOE and 3rd gen mags will work 100%. If I was new to the game like you, i would just buy Gen M3 PMAGS. They are affordable, durable, and reliable as an anvil.
Lancer mags are durable and reliable, with a small problem. If you pull the charging handle back slowly while loading, they will jam up. GI mags and Magpul mags dont have this problem. Lancer followers are also much more likely to get sticky in the magazine if sand or dust is introduced.
Basically, as far as mags go, just get Magpul mags, and a few Okay mags so that you can have some good quality GI aluminum mags.
2) There is no special procedure needed to put the gun on safe. All you have to do is make sure the hammer is cocked. Rack the charging handle (to cock the hammer) and flip it to safe. Done.
2a) The gun has a floating firing pin. It strikes the primer of the round every time a round is chambered. It will even leave a very small dent in the primer. Don't chamber the same round more than twice.
3) The plastic parts are durable. The plastic rear sight by Magpul has been tested to be MORE durable in drops than most of the aluminum backup sights on the market. Its cheap, but it works, and its durable.
4) You'll never every use the forward assist. I've put north of 50K rounds of .223 down range and I can never remember an instance where I used the forward assist. If the round wont go in, eject it, and start over. The Army insisted it be put on. The Airforce didn't want it. Eugene Stoner, the designer of the gun, hated the forward assist and thought it was unnecessary. The Army won that argument.
5) The guns are not delicate. Contrary to popular belief, they will run pretty well when dirty as long as they are well lubricated. Its better to over lubricate these guns than under lubricate. It will throw any excess oil out of the action if there is too much oil. Its almost impossible to over lubricate them. These guns also prefer a heavier viscosity lubricant, over a thin lube, due to the heat of the hot gasses blowing back into the action. Oils that I have used, and can recommend for this platform, are Weaponshield, Breakfree LP (not the thinner CLP), MPro 7, Slip 2000 EWL, Lucas Extreme Duty gun oil.
6) The most important thing to clean on the AR is the chamber. Many folks just run a .22 caliber bore brush down the barrel, which cleans the barrel just fine, but completely misses the chamber. An AR15 chamber brush is an absolute necessity, in my opinion. If you buy no other cleaning accessories, make sure to get an AR15 chamber brush.
7) AR's need proper lubrication. The below pictures are the best I have seen about where to lube. These are the recommended lube points straight out of the govt manual for the gun.
Last edited:
XtremeConditions
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WHY DO I HAVE TO LIVE IN NEW YORK!?
I hope prices don't go up too much in the next few months...
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Wanderling
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You bought a good, budget, reliable starter AR15. If you never get black rifle disease, that gun will serve you fine for the rest of your life. Should you get the disease, I would recommend a mid-length gas rifle, probably with a free float rail, for your next gun. If you plan on using it for home defense, then it needs a flashlight mounted. I can recommend the Elzetta ZFH1500 mount, if on a budget. The Impact Weapons Components flashlight mounts are a bit more ergonomic, and a bit more pricey, but I can recommend 100% as well.
1)For mags, the best GI aluminum mags are made by NHMTG/Okay. They discontinued the NHMTG name and are now sold as Okay brand. The fit and finish is better than any other GI mag on the market. D&H mags are serviceable and reliable, but they have sharper edges and are not as nicely made. Brownell's mags are nice as well. Make sure they have Magpul anti tilt followers (if 30 rd or curved 20 rd mags). If its a straight 20 rd GI mag, then you cannot install Magpul anti tilt followers as the follower is designed to tilt on the 20 rd straight mag. That being said, the 20 rd straight GI mags are excellent and super reliable. One of my favorite mags.
Magpul should be considered top tier mags. They fixed a lot of the short comings with the GI mags, including modifying the feed angle to be more reliable than GI/other mags. The 2nd gen MOE and 3rd gen mags will work 100%. If I was new to the game like you, i would just buy Gen M3 PMAGS. They are affordable, durable, and reliable as an anvil.
Lancer mags are durable and reliable, with a small problem. If you pull the charging handle back slowly while loading, they will jam up. GI mags and Magpul mags dont have this problem. Lancer followers are also much more likely to get sticky in the magazine if sand or dust is introduced.
Basically, as far as mags go, just get Magpul mags, and a few Okay mags so that you can have some good quality GI aluminum mags.
2) There is no special procedure needed to put the gun on safe. All you have to do is make sure the hammer is cocked. Rack the charging handle (to cock the hammer) and flip it to safe. Done.
2a) The gun has a floating firing pin. It strikes the primer of the round every time a round is chambered. It will even leave a very small dent in the primer. Don't chamber the same round more than twice.
3) The plastic parts are durable. The plastic rear sight by Magpul has been tested to be MORE durable in drops than most of the aluminum backup sights on the market. Its cheap, but it works, and its durable.
4) You'll never every use the forward assist. I've put north of 50K rounds of .223 down range and I can never remember an instance where I used the forward assist. If the round wont go in, eject it, and start over. The Army insisted it be put on. The Airforce didn't want it. Eugene Stoner, the designer of the gun, hated the forward assist and thought it was unnecessary. The Army won that argument.
5) The guns are not delicate. Contrary to popular belief, they will run pretty well when dirty as long as they are well lubricated. Its better to over lubricate these guns than under lubricate. It will throw any excess oil out of the action if there is too much oil. Its almost impossible to over lubricate them. These guns also prefer a heavier viscosity lubricant, over a thin lube, due to the heat of the hot gasses blowing back into the action. Oils that I have used, and can recommend for this platform, are Weaponshield, Breakfree LP (not the thinner CLP), MPro 7, Slip 2000 EWL, Lucas Extreme Duty gun oil.
6) The most important thing to clean on the AR is the chamber. Many folks just run a .22 caliber bore brush down the barrel, which cleans the barrel just fine, but completely misses the chamber. An AR15 chamber brush is an absolute necessity, in my opinion. If you buy no other cleaning accessories, make sure to get an AR15 chamber brush.
7) AR's need proper lubrication. The below pictures are the best I have seen about where to lube. These are the recommended lube points straight out of the govt manual for the gun.
Thank you for an excellent and helpful post ! This should be a sticky.
<*(((><
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Bubbatime gave an awesome summary with great points, you would do well to review his post.
Where the forward assist will come in handy for civilians is if you hunt with a cold chamber, you can slowly chamber a round quietly and finish it off with the forward assist so as not to spook the game.
You got a great deal on the Sport II, it will serve you well that is until it starts multiplying in your safe.
Eugene Stoner was a brilliant mind, a lot of people talk about the coldness and lack of character AR's have, and I agree to a certain degree, however, the ingenuity of the design is awesome in my book. When someone can assemble the parts on a kitchen table with minimal tools and maintain the rifle through generations with minimal parts, there's something to be said about that.
Where the forward assist will come in handy for civilians is if you hunt with a cold chamber, you can slowly chamber a round quietly and finish it off with the forward assist so as not to spook the game.
You got a great deal on the Sport II, it will serve you well that is until it starts multiplying in your safe.
Eugene Stoner was a brilliant mind, a lot of people talk about the coldness and lack of character AR's have, and I agree to a certain degree, however, the ingenuity of the design is awesome in my book. When someone can assemble the parts on a kitchen table with minimal tools and maintain the rifle through generations with minimal parts, there's something to be said about that.
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Wanderling
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Well, I finally got a chance to shoot it !
The temps around here dropped from an unusually warm (near 70) to 29 with flurries, but I didn't want to wait until it warms up again. Of course the flip side of shooting in below freezing weather at a DNR range is that you can have a pick of almost any bench & collect your targets at your leisure since that's just you and, at best, two other crazies
I picked a 100 rd box of 55 gr Federal FMJs at the local Wally and since they had no targets left, had to re-use the pistol targets I printed on letter sized paper.
That was the problem.. I have an OK enough vision that I don't need glasses, but it's not 20/20. At 50 yards, I could barely see the small bullseye, and the peep hole made focusing on it even harder. And my hands were freezing. Nevertheless, I am very happy with the outcome.
The first one is at 50 yds from the rest (I had to use a sharpie to darken the bullseye so that I could see it better), the second is at 25 yards standing up (no rest). I think it's as good as I can ever expect. (The hits at the lower right corner in #1 were an attempt to hit the smaller target but I could barely see it).
That gun is a pleasure to shoot, but I need to figure what to do with sights. I may need slight magnification. Squinting is no fun.
The temps around here dropped from an unusually warm (near 70) to 29 with flurries, but I didn't want to wait until it warms up again. Of course the flip side of shooting in below freezing weather at a DNR range is that you can have a pick of almost any bench & collect your targets at your leisure since that's just you and, at best, two other crazies
I picked a 100 rd box of 55 gr Federal FMJs at the local Wally and since they had no targets left, had to re-use the pistol targets I printed on letter sized paper.
That was the problem.. I have an OK enough vision that I don't need glasses, but it's not 20/20. At 50 yards, I could barely see the small bullseye, and the peep hole made focusing on it even harder. And my hands were freezing. Nevertheless, I am very happy with the outcome.
The first one is at 50 yds from the rest (I had to use a sharpie to darken the bullseye so that I could see it better), the second is at 25 yards standing up (no rest). I think it's as good as I can ever expect. (The hits at the lower right corner in #1 were an attempt to hit the smaller target but I could barely see it).
That gun is a pleasure to shoot, but I need to figure what to do with sights. I may need slight magnification. Squinting is no fun.
earplug
Member
FN is known for making fine hammer forged barrels. Based on internet stories and past large company reviews i'd bet the trigger on the Palmetto is nicer.
BrocLuno
Member
On a target that size, you should be using 6 o'clock hold and then some. Most guys shooting irons at 100 yds are using Shoot-N-See or Dirty Bird with like 10"~12" bulls. Sit that orange ball on top of your front sight post so you always have a clear picture of the target. Get used to that, and your groups will shrink dramatically
Elkins45
Member
I'm in the same camp. I much prefer the 20 round mags, and the Brownell's are the best on the market. I would rather have them than the Colt mags.
I bought a couple of the 10 round PMAGs in case I ever want to hunt with my Blackout.
ColoradoShooter77
Member
I would highly recommend a heavy buffer. It will reduce muzzle jump, slow the bolt down and make for smoother operation. I just bought this one and shot my rifle with it, night and day difference:
http://www.primaryarms.com/spikes-st-t2-tungsten-heavy-buffer-4-0oz-sla00t2
It takes 2 seconds to install.
http://www.primaryarms.com/spikes-st-t2-tungsten-heavy-buffer-4-0oz-sla00t2
It takes 2 seconds to install.
ColoradoShooter77
Member
I also changed out the standard stock and handguard, with a magpul stock and handguard. It just feels and looks nicer. The magpul pistol grip is awesome too, steeper grip angle and fits the hand better.
All of this stuff can be had for $90.
All of this stuff can be had for $90.
Mosin Bubba
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BrocLuno
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What's that mean... You mean I have to put away my XL blow-up sized Barbies
ColoradoShooter77
Member
If you enjoy that clackity-clack with the carbine buffer, more power to you. After shooting with the spikes buffer, in comparison, the carbine buffer sucks.
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Wanderling
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I have no idea what I want. Yet.
So far I've shot an AR15 exactly once, 100 rounds, and I was freezing my rear end off so probably didn't concentrate on the overall experience enough.
I have shot a pistol very many times (doesn't apply), an AK (7.62mm) fairly many times, an SKS a few times, and a few hunting and sporting rifles. Out of all of this, an AK is probably the closest to the AR but it's hard to compare a 7.62mm round recoil vs a 5.56mm round recoil. An AK-74 would be a closer comparison. I held one but never got a chance to shoot it.
So, my prior experience is skewed as it makes an AR with any buffer feel like night and day by comparison.
I am also still getting used to the idea that I bought a Lego gun
So far, I only ordered a scope for it (Nikon P223 3-9x), which should be here tomorrow.
I am sure I will change a couple more things, but I want to really get a feel of what I need vs what I think I need.
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Wanderling
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Well, here it is ! Likely to keep it stock for the foreseable future.
BrocLuno
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Very nice Lego you have there
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Wanderling
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I don't know if they necessarily qualify as "quick detach" - I thought these had some kind of toggle mechanism. But yes, according to the manufacturer - and I did bother to ask - only finger tightening is required, and they are supposed to keep zero if reinstalled. I don't know how much I'd trust either statement before going to the range a few times. They were only $20 but appear pretty well made.
Thanks ! I didn't really wait it out as much as I wasn't really sure what I wanted. I shoot pistols, primarily, and at first wasn't interested in rifles, then started looking at AKs but the prices were crazy and I hate the ergonomics, then started looking at SKS but again the prices were way too high, then I gradually warmed up to the 5.56 round and by that time it was an election year so buying one didn't seem like a good idea, then when Trump won I've spent a few more months debating AK vs AR, finally made up my mind just in time for the prices to drop
I always said, procrastination pays...
BrocLuno
Member
Always, plus you learn stuff by asking in between
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