About to buy my first AR-15

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BEELZEBOB

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I am very excited.

I was set on a RRA Tactical Operator 2. But they are hard to find w/o being built By RRA w/ a 6 monthish wait.

So I kept looking.

I looked at Rock Rivers, Colts, Bushmasters, Spikes, the .223 sig, and many others that were pushed on me my by local FFL Dealers.

Luckly I live in Colorado.:neener:

I recently had the privialedge of working with the owner of R.A.R. Guns here in Castle Rock Colorado

All of his stuff is millspec and machined to better specs than the RRA I was looking at.


he helped me find better quality and pair it w/ my budget.

I am having him build me one of these
http://www.rarguns.com/M413FF.html
photo0818.jpg



Mine is going to be a little different. It will have a RRA 2 stage trigger, and a green mountain barrell.

Oh, and an ejection hatch that says "Dont Run":D

I am excited because the parts are built to higher standars and tighter specs than the RRA.

AND the chromed barrel is machined before and after chroming, which he attributes to 3/4MOA groupings or better @ 100yards, VS the RRA 1MOA

But I know close to nothing. LOL only a month or so of research.

#1, question I bring to you Gurus is Ammo. I have an aversion to cheap stuff.

But the ammo I likes is $1.50-$2.00 a round. So yea, is there a bargain to be had w/o sacrificing quality? (opinions are fine and welcome)

#2, optics. a 5.56/.223 Aimpoint or EOtech is insanley cool. But, is there a decent red dot sight for <$150 that will keep me appeased while I budget for the top of the line stuff?
A scope?

#3 Magazines, I have seen a lot for <$20 for a 30rd mag, but dont know what to look out for? good vs bad? nothing less than $30.


thank any and all who take the time to help me. And I am receiving this rifle as a bonus from work. SO God bless, my Job, State and Country right!

wouldnt happen in Cali.:D
 
Magpul Pmags are arguably the best magazines out there, and they run about $14 for Pmag, $17 for windowed Pmags. $30 for a magazine is too much to spend.
 
Looks neat. How it works well for you. If you can make the drive the Tactical Rifle Match is in Pueblo West on the last Sunday on the month. Contact Justin or Hoser for full details. I have learned more about my shooting skills and my rifle from shooting these matches.

Mags:
Pmags or USGI if you can find them at a decent price.

Ammo:
I load my own. It may not save me tons of money but I can control every aspect of the load to make sure it is top notch. If reloading is not an option there is a a fair amount of decent surplus floating around out there.
 
+1 for strikefire by vortex. I just put the red/green combo on my AR. came with a highrise mount for cowitnessing with BIS and a 2x magnifier for $150 from optics planet.
 
It's funny, I jumped through many hoops, researched, worried my ass off that I bought the right gun. It was a colt and i love it. However, since then I buy 500 kits, enjoy putting them together, with the addition of the receiver, and any other mods I want to do, and they shoot great. Not taking them to camp perry or anything, but good shooters. I quit worrying about how tight my mil spec was a long time ago. I can hit center of mass a 200 yards with anything I have. But it makes me happy to read about your first one. Good for you!!!! Have fun.
 
Ammo:

Fed XM855
5.56_xm855.jpg

Black Hills Blue Box 69gr SMK
5.56_BH69SMKa.jpg

Handloads with 50gr Barnes 'Varmit Grenades'
5.56_0105a.jpg
All from an 1:7 16in barrel @ 100 yards, prone.

Outside of hand loads, the Black hills 69grSMK is about the best value/quality answer. For plinking, the XM855 are good
(on sale now here: http://www.targetsportsusa.com/p-30...een-tip-fmj-on-stripper-clips-wammmo-can.aspx )

a note on bullet weight- IT DOESN'T MATTER- Bullet LENGTH is what you want to watch. so even though the 50gr barnes is the lightest round, it is long becuase it is all copper, so the 1:7 or 1:8 barrels will stabilise it just fine.
 
Thank you all so much!!

I am even more excited now. I cannot wait to start dropping targets from 100+ yards!

The sight you have suggested is exactly what i am looking for. Something that I can buy w/o sacrificing 90% of a paycheck!

that will do me fine until I have budgeted the $500-600 for an aimpoint.

And I feel soo cool now, my .22LR, 9mm and .45 rounds dont come in ammo cans!!!
 
look on Illinois high power website http://illinoishighpower.org for some intersting ammo suggestions. Chamber means a lot when you look at AR's. Is it SAAMI .223, 5.56mm NATO, .223 Wylde? What is the twist rate? Congrats on your purchase but I must warn you that getting your first AR is like starting smoking...except more expensive.
 
Hey, its why I ask right?

LOL so Vortex it is then.

what sucks about the bushnell?

And another amo question. What is, hands down, the meanest, most awe inspiring most powerful, last thing in the world you would want to be shot with 5.56 round?

I want a good home defense/ only bob can shoot these rounds.
 
There are better quality scopes for not that much more money is the biggest issue with Bushnell.

I run a Nikon M223 1-4 scope on my AR. Decent scope that can be found for less than $300.
http://www.opticsplanet.net/nikon-1-4x20-matte-point-blank-riflescope.html
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduc...3&utm_source=nikonm223scope&utm_medium=optics
I have the point blank reticle and it works but I'd like to have the BDC 600. Ranging is a bit tough with the Point Blank reticle.
OHHHHH and Midway is throwing in a free mount if you order a M223 but the end of the month.

I do not want to get hit with any bullet. But for defense you want something that is going to expand rapidly and make a nasty wound channel. Hollow point, soft tip or the like.
 
Awesome.

thank you guys for all the help! I am so freggin stoaked!

As far as cleaning and maintainence, being that its not an AK47, and will have to keep it clean....

Is there a thread or a link to the most vital things and preventative care ?

a kinda newbs guide/checklist so i dont mess anything up?

Also what tools will i need? i saw some sort of shell/round extractor and basic tools.

what do i need in my tool box?
 
and will have to keep it clean....
Click to expand...
Blah. I have near 500 rounds through mine and I do not plan on cleaning it till the season is over. By then I should have near 1500 rounds through it. Keeping it properly lubed is far more important than being able to eat out of the action. I did wipe off the bolt but that is because it had a ton of oily sand on it. But I have not cleaned the whole rifle yet.
 
My AR tools consist of a Basic SOG multitool and a RAT 3 knife.

ARs really don't need to be kept clean. They do like to be run wet however.

Maintenance on my ARs consists of spraying the action with CLP.
If I am bored or have been shooting with a can than I will take the bolt out and use some gunscrubber first.

So far this year I have attended 4 Carbine Classes using the same carbine. It has never been cleaned and has not had any malfunction that was not intentionally induced.
 
LOL so am I a nut for cleaning my glock .40 and p-22 everytime i shoot?

CLP all the way!!! i love that stuff!! I use it on all my guns, and many other things that need a lubing.

I will have to get some more then.


Another couple questions, whats an AR noise reducer? i have seen a few of these little rubber things that reduce "noise"?

Do i want/need one?

AND w/ the bullets,

Some are just loose, but the ones that come in the old ww2 style brass clip things, do i remove the bullets from that thing to load them, or is that relative to the magazine i am using?
 
Please take not offense to this but I get the feeling you are pretty new to shooting. I will gladly answer your questions but it would be a good idea to find some experienced people locally to really go over everything with you as well.

I am not sure what you mean by Noise reducer. I think of a suppressor when I hear that but they are not rubber to be sure.

As for the ammo. You can get it on Stripper clips. This is a fast and easy way to load the magazine. There is a guide that goes on the back of the magazine, you push the stripper clip into here and then push down on the rounds with your thumb. I have about 4K of M855 and SS109 stored this way. But for my normal training ammo it is just kept loose and I use a LULA mag loader to facilitate loading the magazines.
 
No offence take at all sir.

I am famililiar w/ handguns and hunting rifles....

I am pretty new to the AR-15. Being that i grew up in the liberal epicenter of the west my overall experience is limited.


I will deffinatley be taking some classes, and spending about 2 hours with the guy who is building my rifle.

I just research, find something i dont know about, and ask you guys.


Im just lucky enough that you all respond.
 
And we don't mind answering. But no amount of internet knowledge will replace first hand instruction. Once you get the rifle I would not bother with anything else till you have some serious trigger time. Take a couple remedial courses on the AR platform and you will be leaps and bounds ahead of where you are and most other people as well.
 
I'd say go with an aimpoint or second option an eotech. If the cost is an issue you'd be better served with a used one than a new vortex. Ecspecially an aimpoint as they are indestructible.
 
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