Must have AR options?

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Oh geez, not another AR related thread!!!! :what: Sorry folks, but while doing my own AR research, I've had a question come to mind. If I do go the AR route, most likely I'll build from a kit. The kits have several options available, among them a chrome lined barrel and chamber, chromed bolt carrier and bolt, fancy-schmancy charging handle, match grade triggers, etc. My shooting will be rather infrequent with an AR, maybe once a month and 100 rounds or so at a time. Would I be missing out on anything if I omitted those options? My intended use would be as a low budget AR plinker, not interested in hunting with it or 1000 yard bullseyes. That's what my Remmy 30-06 or my Enfield No.4 are for. :D
 
For me a chromed chamber and bore is a must. It'll last longer from wear and from rust. Also it's easier to clean.

I'd omit chroming or other fancy coating on the bolt or bolt carrier. The stock trigger is usually just fine. I'd also not waste money on fancy charging handles or most other doo-dads.

I'd put the saved money into good magazines and ammo. I like the new PMAGS or CProducts stainless steel mags (if you don't like plastic) and I've had great luck with Privi Partisan's line of ammo.

Get out and shoot some local matches, even better if they are 'shoot and move' type. You'll get a chance to see what works and what doesn't.

BSW
 
Get a good barrel.
Do you want a heavy gun or light gun? Other options to look into would a heavy barrel or perhaps a stainless steel. If not, get the chrome lined one. It just depends on what kind of shooting you expect to do; hunting, plinking, or long distance. If you just want to plink, the chrome lined one will be fine. I aint going to push you in any one direction.

Anyway, keep it in mind that you can always upgrade and swap out parts later. There are millions of AR parts out there so you can always upgrade.
So yeah, start out cheap and upgrade later when your demands change.

AND, what the man said, chromed parts will help you clean and will eliminate a lot of jamming. Thats the lesson from the Vietnam war.
 
Keep in mind that New York is a "ban" state, so you can only have one of the following:

  • A folding or telescoping stock
  • A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon
  • A bayonet mount
  • A flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor
  • A grenade launcher
 
To improve accuracy:
  • Buy good optics.
  • Get a match trigger.
  • Install a free float rail or hand guard tube.
  • Practice, practice, practice.
 
Everything I was gonna say was already said by "briansmithwins".:D

But to the OP...........100 rounds per session???? That's kinda low with 30 round mags. Stick with 10 rounders to make it last longer:D.
 
"My shooting will be rather infrequent with an AR, maybe once a month and 100 rounds or so at a time. Would I be missing out on anything if I omitted those options? My intended use would be as a low budget AR plinker, not interested in hunting with it or 1000 yard bullseyes."

thats what we all say. in the begginging. beware of BRD. it will consume you.

i would start off with the chrome lined barrel for sure. it will make life a lot more easyier in the long run. also, if you plan on mouting optics, the fancy-schmancy charging handle does come in handy. not really a nessesity though. i would opt for an a3 flat-top setup with a carry handle, so as you can mount optics straight to the upper in the future. get a regular bolt/carrier group, and a match trigger. a free float tube is also nice, but again, not anessesity.

it would also really help us if you let us know what you are willing, or looking to spend on this rifle. if you spend a little now, you will be happy that you did. the great thing though with the AR, is that if you can only afford a plinker right now, you can easily purchase items as you go, and build up you rifle as you want. its really fun, and makes it exciting to watch your rifle become your own, and to see how you keep getting better and better at shooting it.

hope this helps, brian
 
Thanks everyone. As wdlsguy mentioned, I am in NY, a wonderful ban state. So I'll be limited to 10 round mags. I guess I questioned the chrome lining because my other arms are not. I clean them throughly after each range session and my shooting is infrequent enough that I didn't believe it would be an issue. But I am interested in durability and ease of use and would much rather spend my time shooting and less time clearing jams and having feed and ejection problems. Sounds like a better barrel is for me.

Thanks again!
 
I suggest getting the JP trigger spring kit. It's $10 dollars and is supposed to cut the trigger pull in half (9lbs to 4.5lbs). I ordered 2 sets from CMMG (free shipping with the mags I ordered) and will test them once the next kit comes in. Also, buddy of mine bought the JP trigger kit and the pull is superb. If you pulled a standard trigger then the JP, you would think twice about sticking with stock.

I've heard that a chromed bolt is an answer in search of a problem. AFAIK, there is no precise way to chrome line a barrel, making the thickness in the barrel inconsistent. Accuracy, in theory, should be less, but the average joe with a stock trigger probably wouldn't notice a difference.

"Fancy Schmancy" charging handles are not necessary, but they make a HUGE difference if you have a flat top with a scope that hangs off the back.
 
4Low

You're not limited to 10 rounds. You can have any size mag you want in NY, as long as the mags are pre-ban. Pre-ban 30's are pretty easy to come by for AR's. Hell, you can have 100 round drum in NY, if it's pre-ban.

I'm in NY too, and have all sorts of pre-ban 30 round mags for my AR and AK's.

This is all assuming that you're not in NYC, they have a totally different set of laws than the rest of the state.
 
Chrome-lined or stainless steel barrel.

If building, use an ErgoGrip instead of the A2 grip, they're much nicer IMHO.

Stock triggers are not good. Match 2-stage triggers are worth it, in my view. Add a fair bit of cost though. You can start with a stock trigger and later upgrade if you want.

If you're not trying to look like a mil-issue weapon or meet CMP requirements, the aluminum free float tubes are nice.
 
match trigger break more often in hard use guns. stick to a good single stage on a fighting or serious work gun.
 
You're not limited to 10 rounds. You can have any size mag you want in NY, as long as the mags are pre-ban.
Click to expand...

Good catch 22_Shooter! I forgot about the pre-ban stuff. Ok so maybe 100 rounds each session might be on the low side. :D

Last time I was at the range, a guy had an M4 variant and after every 10 or 15 rounds he was spraying stuff all in and around it. Looked like a hassle to me. I know ARs like to run wet but does the thing need to be sprayed all the time? Me thinks this fellow was stingy with his cleaning sessions.
 
Chromed bores are good. Slip a D-Fender grommet into the extractor for good grip. It addresses failures to extract which carbines tend to do eventually.

I differ as to the trigger. IMHO the creepy, heavy stock triggers usually found really limit your ability to shoot well. I put a Jard non-adjustable match trigger into my M4gery which was a great help. It's actually adjustable by changing the spring, but there is nothing otherwise to come out of adjustment. Pretty foolproof in my experience. Not sure if I qualify as "hard-use" but I expect 100% reliability and after 2K+ rounds it continues to work just fine.

Nada mas.
 
try that trigger after a hard run 3 day class of 2k round down range.

most single stage are heavy but very doable in accuracy i use them on fighting guns not spot shooting
 
There is no need to spray CLP, lube or anything else in a M4orgery after every 10-15 rounds. They should run at least 500 rounds between cleaning, if you want to go that far. (1000 rds is not unreasonable to expect either.)

I typically strip and clean my AR after every 1-2 range sessions, which are typically less than 100rds each, but that's because I like keeping it clean, not because it's necessary.
 
No way, on the need to spray CLP or lube into the receiver every 10-15 shots. The first time out with my Stag, I cleaned/lubed it before hand, ran 200 rounds through it, then cleaned/lubed it when I got home.
 
Last time I was at the range, a guy had an M4 variant and after every 10 or 15 rounds he was spraying stuff all in and around it. Looked like a hassle to me. I know ARs like to run wet but does the thing need to be sprayed all the time?
Click to expand...

Some people feel it is necessary to "break-in" a new barrel to get maximum accuracy by cleaning it after every few rounds when brand new. I do not follow this practice because I have yet to shoot well enough to notice the difference myself.

My guess is this guy had decided to break in his AR barrel; because no other explanation makes sense. They will certainly run a long while (450 rounds in a few hours is the earliest I have ever seen the lube dry up during a nice scorching Texas summer) with a normal application of lube.

On another note, even if you do find some value in breaking-in your AR barrel, you do not do this for chrome-lined barrels as the new chrome lining needs a few hundred rounds with no cleaning in between to burnish the chrome.
 
I don't think there are ANY must haves.

1. Good optics? Fine. If not, the carry handle sight is great.

2. I personally like an oversized or "tac" latch - this is due to a LOOOOOW mounted scope - wouldn't really need it though with a higher scope.

3. I like a good grip like the ERGO brand grip. This is as close as a "must-have" as there is on an AR.

4. Good trigger kit or trigger job? Sure, if you want a precision rifle. If you want a battle/fighting rifle, a light trigger is anti-thetical to that idea. But I'd say a better trigger is the 3rd closest thing to a "must-have".

5. Chrome chamber and bore: There's very little downside unless you want a true "match" rifle, so this is one of those "why-nots" and I'd guess the 2nd closest thing to a must-have as you can get.

All the rest of the hundreds of options - just on an "as-needed" basis. There are trade-offs involved, which must be weighed depending on the intended USE of the rifle.
 
I myself think the chrome barrel is worth the few extra bucks.
You pretty much end up buying the standard trigger when you buy the lower parts kit (does RR have a lower parts kit with a RRNM trigger?)so you might as well start with that-it only takes 3 minutes to change out a trigger so it is no big deal if you decide to upgrade later.
Unless you intend on strapping into a competition sling and shooting matches the free float tube is not needed.
Use the standard bolt,carrier,chargeing handle
Avoid the heavy barrels unless you are building a match gun or a varmint rig.
Flatop !
 
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