Can't decide! AR owners help me out.

[longhorngunman]

I've decided to get an AR. I know I want an M4 type set up. Aimsurplus has their A2 M4gery's for $750 right now. I'm think that in the long run I'm gonna want one that has a removable carry handle so I can mount optics. I can get a RRA entry tactical upper/w chrome lined bore, removable carry handle, and mate it with a Stag Arms M4 lower for around $735 total. I've heard good things about RRA and they have a lifetime warranty. Also heard from others on this forum that for builds the Stag lowers are very good. I can get a Stag lower or RRA lower with National match trigger for $85 extra. Is the trigger worth it? This rifle will be for home defense, plinking, and hog hunting. Possibly used with a .50bmg upper later on. Should I buy the halves or just get the Bushy and be done with it. Expert AR advice will be appreciated.

 

[longhorngunman]

Sorry I meant Aim has the Bushmaster M4's.

 

[spacemanspiff]

i'd save another $400 and get an actual M4.

pm me if you want to know who to contact.

 

[Eightball]

If you wanna save some cash, lemme be the first person to recommend building the thing. maybe you'll save, maybe you wont, depends on what parts you choose. Good luck.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

How much money you spend is more along the lines of how patient you are. You can build it for cheaper and learn how the rifle works inside-out. There are also very well done illustrated DIY build guides on ARFcom.

You can pay a little more for a complete-to-fire rifle and be done with it, plus get a factory warranty out of it if you think it's necessary. I have a Bushmaster and I have no qualms. Olympic Arms, Stag, RRA are also held in high regard and can be had for a bit less. I would have no problems buying one. You can also purchase a Colt but they cost about $400 more than a Bushmaster for the name and give you different sized pins in the lower receiver. I'm not sure if that comes into play if you want to upgrade triggers or lower receiver internals since most all AR companies use the same pin size save Colt. The money saved can be put towards optics or ammunition. I won't delve into the "Colt vs clones" discussion here.

If you want a removable carry handle, you want the A3 variant. The A2's have the fixed carrying handles. The necessity of a match trigger depends on how satisfied you are with the stock trigger.

Make sure you are purchasing the pre-ban or no-ban rifles. Some stores might still carry post-ban or CA-only AR15s which feature fixed muzzle devices, no collapsing stocks...in general lacking the "assault weapon" accessories. No sense in getting stuck with a post-ban rifle.

 

[Gary G23]

Stag makes very good products.
If I were to get a RRA upper I would MAKE SURE that it was chrome lined. Very few are.
For home defense the standard single stage trigger is the way to go. The gun will shoot way faster than with the two stage. Stag and RRA both make good fire control components. Stay away from the cast junk.

 

[dmftoy1]

I've built 2 AR's on the Stag lower's and been very satisified. (put RRA uppers on both of them). The last one I built I put in a RRA two-stage NM trigger. I'm STRONGLY considering putting one in my Bushy M4gery now because I shoot so much better with it but I haven't convinced myself whether it's worth it or not. (I want that one to remain ultra reliable, the one I built with the NM trigger is setup for target shooting (CMP) and I'm not going to be putting as many rounds through it as I do the Bushy)

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[longhorngunman]

I just want the halves at the moment. I don't have the blocks or wrenches to build the assemblies. The barrels on the RRA are chrome-lined. Anybody have an RRA with the regular trigger? What is the weight on the regular trigger vs National Match?

 

[dmftoy1]

You don't need much to build a lower other than a couple of roll pin punches. ($3-4 from Brownells).

I had a RRA standard trigger on both of the lower's I built (before replacing it in one). There was quite a bit of variation between them. Neither was terrible, but I did find that it was pretty hard for me to shoot really tight groups with it unless I was on a rest. (bear in mind that I'm a terrible rifle shooter though! )

The best advice I could give you would be to try both and pick the one you like.

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[TheDutchman]

Longhorngunman I purchased a RRA Entry Tactical(M4 variant) with a chrome line barrel. I too thought of piecing a AR together but decided not against it, instead a have a complete rifle with full factory warranty and already assembled with $225 worth of extra options.
Last time I checked CMT made the lowers for Colt, RRA, and Stag. I would say the RRA has the better fit and finish of the three with Colt having the higher resale value and Stag being the best value. http://www.continentalmachinetool.com/firearms.html

 

[Onslaught]

Here are some things to consider:

RRA probably NOT chrome lined
RRA probably HBAR under handguards (even though it has the M4 cutout)

I have one Bushmaster and one RRA. I like both equally. Both are chrome lined, but it cost me another $50 to have the RRA barrel profiled. RRA HBAR is FULL HBAR (.920) all the way to the FSB, while Bushmaster HBAR tapers to .850 before getting to the FSB. ALL Bushmaster M4 barrels will be skinny under the HG, so they'll be MUCH lighter.

BUT, I'd also prefer a flat-top to the point that I will NEVER own another A1 or A2, so I say check the RRA closely, and if it has a true M4 barrel, and it's chrome lined, get it. If not, WAIT for option 3... (Bushmaster with flat-top).

PS - I have built my own uppers for a while, (have all the tools) but just did my first lower. The lower receiver is WAAAAY easier to do than the upper, and requires NO special tools, although the roll pin starter set from ADCO was the best investment of all!

 

[Commissar Gribb]

bushmaster and RRA are both great companies and make great products.

Don't overlook them just because they don't have a markup and a prancing pony.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

I installed some aftermarket stuff on my Bushmaster that required some work. A vice block would be nice but a few shop rags, a machinists vice, and gentle clamping pressure will do the trick. The only AR-specific tools I can think of that are required is an AR-multiwrench (since it has a carbine stock wrench and barrel wrench don't have equivalents in the general tool world) and a set of pin punches for drifting or setting pins and rolled pins. One should be able to get both for ~$40 depending on the brand. Both will be very useful in the future if you decide to tinker with your AR and add/change stuff or take something off.

A torque wrench would be useful for installing barrels and other torque-specific parts. There should be a cutout on the multiwrench for attaching a torque wrench. Snap-ring pliers are nice too if you have those otherwise you can use needlenose pliers.

 

[longhorngunman]

Well went ahead and ordered an RRA entry tactical upper and RRA M4 lower from Eaglefirearms. The salesman gave me a pretty good deal and cut me a deal on shipping and extra magazines. Can't wait to get it together and try her out on some misbehavin' soda cans. Thanks for all the advice and input, I appreciated it.

 

[El Rojo]

Do you use the cheap soda cans with soda still in it? That is what I recommend. You can get a flat of that stuff for like $2.50 and it is ever so fun to shoot. I consider them cheap targets and then you can take them to the recycling place afterwards. Have fun with an AR. I have to settle for my FAB-10.

 

[longhorngunman]

Well let's see, I like my beer cheap, my ammo cheap, my food cheap, and my women cheap (and just a little slutty ). So yeah I like my plinking soda's cheap too. Heck what else is Wally-World soda good for. Don't tell me anyone actually drinks that stuff .