AR Rifles

[Kragax]

Good day all, I have been looking at purchasing an AR rifle. Im limited to a five shot mag here in the People's Republic of New York State but that being said I was looking for some direction. Most of them around here and in neighboring Pa are kinda pricey ie a Bushmaster for 1175.00 in .223. I have seen these kits on line that are a lot cheaper but may be junk I don'r know. It still seems that by the time you pay your local FFL holder to get you a serialized reciever and find someone to assemble the damn thing your right back up there price wise. Does anyone have any experience with these "kit guns"? I have a few months on this but need enlightenment.

 

[slow944]

Check out DPMS Panther Arms. I picked up a NIB flattop AR for $759+tax. comes standard with hardcase, 2 30rd mags and sling and cleaning kit.

 

[Justin]

A number of people here have built AR's from kit guns with varying levels of success. Depending on your goals, you can either build a rifle and save a few bucks, or build a rifle customized exactly how you want it.

Nice sig line, btw.

 

[Chrome]

First, head over to Ar15.com and check out their "build it yourself" forum. LOTS of great info and advice for people in your situation.

For me, I spent a few months reading over there before I decided my course of action. I settled on assembling the lower receiver myself and ordering a complete upper. Once the two halves are complete, it's just a matter of putting them together.

Here's some questions for you:

Are you a DIY/handyman?
Do you own pliers, screwdrivers, or a set of punches?
Have you ever detail stripped a weapon?
Do you follow instructions well?
Do you have the patience to go slow and do things right?

I'd say if you answered yes to any two of the above questions you could build your own lower receiver with your choice of stripped lower and any quality (Stag, CMT, RRA, DPMS, Bushmaster, Etc) lower parts kit.

From there, just look online at the different uppers available. Things do decide on are barrel profile and length, gas system length, sight radius, upper receiver, hand guards, et al. Don't be intimidated by the options. Just think of it as a really cool Lego set. One of the most important parts of the upper is the bolt assembly. Typically, if you have a failure related to your upper, the bolt caused it.

The next decision is even more important. Ask your self, "what am I going to use this for and what kind of quality do I need?" This is pretty much the same as "how much do you want to spend?"

If you purchase say a Del-Ton Inc rifle upper. You can look to spend in the neighborhood of $400. You will have a very nice hobby rifle that will be great for taking out to the range and plinking around with. MANY, people love Del-Ton for their low cost and quality parts.

Lets say you move up the quality scale to a CMMG upper. You can expect it to be closer to Mil-spec and a higher quality with tighter tolerances. However, you will also see a price increase. Look to spend around $650. This would be a great compromise for price and quality. This rifle would likely make it through carbine courses with little issue if well maintained.

Another hop up the quality ladder puts us at "Tier 1" as the hardcore AR guys like to refer to them as. Brands like Colt, LMT, and Noveske. These guns tend to be practically mil-spec with Colt's being the "real deal." Look to spend $800+. These rifle will be suitable for duty work and anything else you want them to do. Many are convinced you build with 100% "Tier 1" parts or you buy them new.

Hope this gives you a little insight. I completed mine on 9/11 and have been completely satisfied with it. I used a DoubleStar lower, DPMS LPK with a RRA trigger, and a Stag M4 upper.

Later,
Chrome...

 

[yourang?]

kragax....i am pretty sure ny state has a 10 round limit on magazines,
not 5, although you can check with a local gun shop to be sure

 

[Picard]

I would build your own rifle. I built my AR from Del-Ton for a little under $700 (that includes a free-float handguard). Going the stripped lower route will save you money and will be very easy to do.



I just assembled my friends stripped lower yesterday in about half an hour. All I used is a pair of vise grips and a flathead screwdriver. Definitely an easy assembly, so don't worry too much about it.

Del-Ton assembles your upper for you, so when you get the lower together, you just snap on the upper and you have a working rifle.

 

[innerpiece]

Im also looking at getting my first AR.
heres my thread.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=393158

Im choosiing between 2 DPMS rifles.. called the gun shop, and both of them are under $700.

ip.

 

[J Star]

Hey, I live in evil NY until I can get my house sold and move just over the border to PA.

NY mag limit is 10 rounds. Bypass this by going to a gun show and picking up pre-ban 20 and 30 round mags. (*Nobody will ship even pre-bans here, so you have to pcik them up at a store or show.)

I bought a stripped Double Star lower for $108 and a DPMS lower parts kit for $54. Basically all I need is a buttstock and an upper, which will probably cost me another $500. Cheaper than buying one (a decent one) and I get exactly what I want.

If you go the build your own route, be aware that here in NY we cannot have threaded barrels unless the thing threaded on to the barrel is welded there. (Pretty sure flash hiders are right out as well, has to be a comp.) We also can't have collapsible or side folding stocks, so keep that in mind.

 

[tunnug]

I also built my AR with info from ar15.com, if you follow their directions it is very easy, I'm on my third one, one place that builds their own uppers is sherluk.com they are in ohio, I bought one of their uppers already assembled and not only are they reasonably priced they are very accurate, they use the wylde chamber so you don't have to worry about using 5.56 or .223 ammo, good luck and good shooting.

 

[22_Shooter]

I'd buy a complete lower, and then buy a complete upper. That's how I got both of my AR's.

I figure I'll actually install the LPK in my next lower, now that I'm getting more used to the platform.

But yes, JStar is right, we still have an AWB in NY, and can't have telescoping stocks, bayo-lugs, or flash hiders (perm. attached brakes are OK). If you need mags bigger than 10 rounds, they must be pre-ban. The best place, hands down, to get these, is in the Equipment Exchange on AR15.com. Tons of pre-ban mags go up for sale all the time. That's where I got all mine.

If you find an upper you like, and they don't offer it in post-ban configuration for us NYers, and other ban-states, you can still buy it. You just have to make sure it's in post-ban config. before you actually slap it on a post-ban lower, in NY. I lucked out, and got a hold of the damn-near-impossible-to-get BCM midlength upper, and when money permits, it's on it's way to Adco (great company, great rep) to get "neutered", to be legal in NY.