Black Rifles for idiots (like me)

I think you are on the right track so far. You recognized the superior ergonomics of the AR, and you selected a high quality example (Colt 6920 is what you meant in the original post, right?).

I did A LOT of research and reading and bought parts to assemble my rifle over two years and have been shooting it in its current configuration for about a year.

It is my opinion that you can not go wrong with something from Colt or Bravo Company Mfg. BCM gets the nod because they are cheaper and just as good quality as colt.

http://www.bravocompanyusa.com

You said you don't need all the latest gimmicks and whiz-bang stuff and that is the best attitude to have when getting into the AR world. Too many people buy crappy stuff that doesn't well or they don't need just because it looks cool and everyone else has it.

Just buy your rifle and shoot it. Then put an optic on it if you want one and go from there. I spend a lot of time adding stuff and taking stuff off my rifle to see what I liked and what worked for me. I finally feel like I have it down to where everything on it has a valid purpose and there is no excess. This is pretty much the perfect M4 style set up for me:

Sorry for the water and mud, but those are the most recent pictures of my rifle from a 3-gun match.

I have been shooting this rifle in one configuration or another for about two years and I have only had one malfunction and it was caused by a popped primer from reloads.

You said you don't need all the latest gimmicks and whiz-bang stuff and that is the best attitude to have when getting into the AR world. Too many people buy crappy stuff that doesn't well or they don't need just because it looks cool and everyone else has it.

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@ nalioth

I understood the context you were replying to, but I was simply adding more info and my point was that the optics and sights are still affected by the accuracy issues and distance of the AK. All I was really doing was springboarding from your comments about the AK so I could give more info.

Not trying to pick a fight or start an argument (both sides of the argument have valid points), just trying to provide more info for the OP, and nutnfancy has a good rundown of the AK vs AR and the strengths and weaknesses of both.

I'd say buy a stripped lower and build the rifle yourself, exactly the way you want it. If you want to bolt tacticool gear onto it, go for it. If not, you can keep your rifle streamlined.

As far as brand names go, I'm of the mindset that so long as it's milspec, it doesn't matter whose name is on it.

I've sold or given away many guns in my time. Including a Ruger Mini-14. I've shot the M-16 for 21 years in the military. I like it. But it ain't all that. The AR-15 definitely has it's issues. But I really like the .223 caliber. I like that the ammo and magazines don't weigh a ton. I like that I can varmint shoot with it. But I also like the dependability of the AK format. I've had and sold all my AK variations. Not the biggest fan of the 7.62x39, although I won't dog it. It's a good round. Just not my cup of cappuccino. But then I thought; why can't I have the best of both worlds. An AK format in .223/5.56. I mainly looked at the golani (Galil). But I wasn't too impressed with the feel of them; or the overpriced sticker. But I was impressed with the Saiga. It gave me; in my opinion; the best of both worlds. The more reliable and dependable weapon, with a caliber that is more practical for my uses. And I use BOTH iron sights as well as reflex optics.

I wasn't looking for a sniper rifle to hit paper targets at 300 yards away. That is definitely a hobby that some people like to get into. That's cool. Just not for me. So does it matter to me if my Saiga (AK-102) shoots 4" groups at 100 yards off-hand; while an AR-15 can shot 2" groups at 200 yards. No; that doesn't bother me in the least. I didn't want to buy a "Target" gun. Do I feel that the saiga will do what it's designed to do, inside of 100 yards (Which is where the "Real World" is)? Most definitely. The Saiga will do me just fine. With or without iron sights or optics.

I just think, being the OP is asking about "Black Rifles", that they don't get bad information and think that the AR platform is the only "Real" choice out there. Let's see.... Saiga: $400. 10 minutes of alterations to make it the way I want; $100. Total price: $500. AR-15: $950-$1000 (Unless you buy the cheapest Olympic Arms available, and that's $650-$700). Probably $100 to make it the way you want it; but I'll pretend that the AR is perfect out of the box. I personally like having the extra $400-$500 that I can spend on "Recurring Costs" and accessory items that both rifles require. Ammo, Beer, Magazines, Beer, targets, Beer, scopes, beer, case, beer, sling, beer, cleaning supplies, beer, etc...