Well got my first AR

[JBrady555]

Hey everyone, I finally bit the bullet and got my starter AR. I got a good deal on a NIB complete new frontier polymer lower at the local pawn shop. Then I bought a 389.00 DPMS Oracle A3 flattop upper from midwayusa. I also picked up a Magpul magazine. I got less than 500.00 in a new AR shipping and all. How well is this cheapo gun gonna serve me? Is there anything I should look at upgrading right off the bat? Upper will be here tomorrow, I can't wait to put it together and shoot it.

 

[fatcat4620]

It should do fine. The only upgrade you need is a few cases of .223.

 

[JBrady555]

yea speaking of ammo, I priced walmart and they are outrageous. 5.56 is 11.00 per 20 rounds. .223 is 35.00 for 100. Where can i get cheaper ammo?

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

buy in bulk online

like the 420 rd ammo cans of federal and such

 

[TonyAngel]

If you look around, you should be able to find steel cased ammo for under $5 per 20. Brass cased for between $7 and $8 per 20, sometimes better in bulk.

If you decide to try steel cased, don't buy in bulk until you confirm that it will run in your rifle. Some rifles don't like steel cased ammo.

 

[primalmu]

Wolf/TulAmmo can be had for around $5-6/20 rounds. It won't be the most accurate round but should be good for plinking and getting the gun broken in.

 

[miniMacGuru]

Checking online at some my preferred websites, I'm seeing Aguila (brass-cased) starting around $315/1000rds and Wolf (steel-cased) ammo starting around $219/1000rds. I'm thinking that prices will be rising even more during election season.

 

[Girodin]

How well is this cheapo gun gonna serve me?

That may depend on how you plan to use. There is a world of difference between shooting 50-100 rounds over a couple hours at the range and putting a suppressor on a gun, getting down in the dirt,and shooting a case of ammo in two days.

I shoot more steel case through my AR than anything. I've never had an issue. I wouldn't buy steel case in bulk for a DPMS without first trying it though. From what I have seen they are one of the makes of AR that don't seem to do real well with steel case. There is only one way to know with your rifle though.

As to changes, I would shoot it a fair amount and get an idea of what works for you and what you wish was different. I know that with various guns I own getting out and shooting them is the best way to determine what upgrades are actual upgrades and what is just an addition.

Furthermore, what is a useful upgrade to the rifle probably depends on how you intend to use it.

 

[Tex4426]

If it was my personal weapon...some sort of red dot or scope...but ammo first..walmart is the cheapest place by far in my area but u can find good deals online..i personally reload mine..i reload top of the line stuff for less than a box of cheap stuff that is only good for about 4 moa...not saying it all shoots like that out of every gun..i mostly use sierras and get downwards of 3/4 of an inch or less..but i shoot for as much accuracy as possible and not just to plink

 

[henschman]

Cool, that ought to be a nice light weight rig... pencil barrel upper with polymer lower.

As for add-ons, since the Oracle doesn't come with any sights, you will need to get either some iron sights or an optic (or both). What optic setup you want depends on what you will be doing with the rifle.

In keeping with the light weight trend of your build, I would be cool to go with some sort of micro red dot. Obviously you're not going for a high dollar rig, so I won't recommend Aimpoint or EOTECH... you might look at the Bushnell TRS-25, the Primary Arms Micro Dot, or Vortex SPARC.

 

[TonyAngel]

Yeah, be sure to let us know how that polymer lower holds up. I've been toying with the idea of building one, but have been unsure about the longevity of such a lower.

 

[meanmrmustard]

It's going to do fine. I thought, long ago, big bills and fancy crap made the rifle. It doesn't.

The guy shooting it is the weapon.

 

[mf-dif]

yea speaking of ammo, I priced walmart and they are outrageous. 5.56 is 11.00 per 20 rounds. .223 is 35.00 for 100. Where can i get cheaper ammo?

It's $33 by me for .223 100 brass. That's actually not a bad price for brass ammo. Wolf and Tula can be a cheaper for the steel cased stuff. And Walmart does sell Tula for like $5 a box of 20, but it's usually sold out by me. Buying online is only cheaper if you buy the 500-1000rd packs. Buying .223 individual packs the shipping kills the deal.

I've go no problems running steel, but careful on some of the Wolf stuff if you run your gun at indoor ranges. They have steel cores, and a lot of places around me won't let me wreck their walls with that stuff.

If you're shooting outside at your own place who cares, buy up Wolf.

 

[henschman]

It's pretty amazing that you can put one of these together for under $500 nowadays. I remember the days when you couldn't hardly get into an AR for less than $900. Good job JBrady... remember to post up some pics when you get her all put together.