AR Sponsor
Posted: 3/21/2010 6:16:33 AM EDT
|
wow.
this forum was recommended to me from another member at 1911forum. I am a gun enthusiast but have yet to venture into the AR world. This forum is amazing, but overwhelming. Where do I start to educate myself on AR's? I want to make a purchase after I have sufficiently researched, and love the idea of customizing a weapon to my personal specifications. thanks guys |
| Troubleshooting, Build It Yourself, Maintenance & Cleaning, Ammo, and Magazine Forums as well as the one you are in right now would ALL be an excellent start with plenty of good info. These forums have good "sticky" threads that are listed first and are there becuase of their reference based content. |
| Keep in mind, there are many "biasis" in ARFCOM. Decide what you are looking for. Barrel length, profile, what the use for the weapon will be-personal defense, work, range, long range or CQC. The adage "pay once cry once" should be written in gold. Go with quality parts if you are building your own. Stick with manufacturers with a "quality" reputation, not the flavor of the month. Decide what your budget is. Don't skimp on the BCG or barrel just so you can get a tacticool rail. |
| I was in your boots a few months ago........yes, it can be a bit overwhelming for someone completely new to AR's or rifles in general. I've spent many many hours reading on this forum and other sites educating myself. Take your time.....read read read. Look at all the available videos out there, learn the terms and definitions, shooting techniques, cleaning/maintenance/field stripping, different options.......it takes time but after time I actually feel comfortable and confident discussing AR's with some of my buddies. Most of it learned right here. Now I need to get my new Colt 6920 which arrived last week to the range and continue my learning process!!! |
|
Go to build it yourself forum and read the assembly threads. They will give you a great foundation on knowing how the rifles are built and what various terms mean, such as free float tube, bolt carrier group, buffer, LPK, etc...
As the other poster said, buy once, cry once. Buy quality and don't look back. Bolts, Bolt Carriers, LPK's and Barrels are parts you should never skimp on. There is a bit of an "equipment race" in here. I think if there were no arfcom we would all be shooting budget AR's from our local gun shops, but... Finally, try to do a bit of reading before you start buying. I personally started out buying DPMS and Model One stuff while scoffing at the "brand snobbery" in arfcom. Many hundreds or thousands of dollars later I realized there was a reason for said snobbery. |
| I suggest starting with a Factory gun. Add some stuff and then shoot a lot. After that make a list for your next gun be it factory or build. You can then change and modify to your needs as you go. This will generally keep you from making any rush purchases or decisions you may regret and you will be getting input from your experience from your time with your factory gun. |
|
If you want to really get into it, I would suggest first reading "The Black Rifle" volumes I and II. This is a good way to understand where we've been, and where things are today. The are long and at times boring reads, but sometimes it's good to know where you've been to decide where to go next!
Welcome! |
|
I would buy something simple, from a reputable manufacturer first, and shoot it enough to form some of you own opinions.
After much experimentation and realistic reflection on my non-body armor wearing civilain needs, and after spending years and way too much money trying out "operator" stuff, I find I generally favor a gov profile 20" A2 with nothing more than a good trigger job and a cheap issue nylon sling. Just like with the automotive market, most of the aftermarket stuff is not up to OEM snuff IMO. |
|
Quoted:
I suggest starting with a Factory gun. Add some stuff and then shoot a lot. After that make a list for your next gun be it factory or build. You can then change and modify to your needs as you go. This will generally keep you from making any rush purchases or decisions you may regret and you will be getting input from your experience from your time with your factory gun. I've later regretted almost every rushed purchase I've made on AR-related gear. |
|
No manufacturer can guarantee 100% that any one rifle will work 100% out of the box. With that said, apply a grain of salt to the "horror stories" about Colt products. The vast majority do fine and the Colts (and FNs which you can't purchase) are designed and built to contracts that expect function for 10s of thousands of rounds. That's nice to know as a long-term purchase.
I've got Colt, Noveske, S&W, Baer, RRA, Bushmaster, Stag and Wilson Combat. I've been consistently impressed with the durability and reliability of the first two brands. So pick a good brand, basic rifle with flat-top receiver, then add only after you shoot it enough to appreciate any upgrades, if any. C97 |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
I suggest starting with a Factory gun. Add some stuff and then shoot a lot. After that make a list for your next gun be it factory or build. You can then change and modify to your needs as you go. This will generally keep you from making any rush purchases or decisions you may regret and you will be getting input from your experience from your time with your factory gun. I've later regretted almost every rushed purchase I've made on AR-related gear. This was my biggest mistake when I was new into the AR world. There was not half the shit available then as there is now. |
|
Quoted:
Keep in mind, there are many "biasis" in ARFCOM. Decide what you are looking for. Barrel length, profile, what the use for the weapon will be-personal defense, work, range, long range or CQC. The adage "pay once cry once" should be written in gold. Go with quality parts if you are building your own. Stick with manufacturers with a "quality" reputation, not the flavor of the month. Decide what your budget is. Don't skimp on the BCG or barrel just so you can get a tacticool rail. All true. I hung out here for a long time, and did a lot of research before I bought my Bushmaster. I've never regretted that. And now and then I'll add upgrades to the rifle, also based on what I've learned here. But bear in mind that those of us here on this board have very diverse ideas about what's necessary and what isn't; which brands are best and which are crap; what accessories/upgrades are useful and why, etc. The opinions you see here (including mine) should be taken as guides and suggestions, not Divine Law. Take what you can from AR15.com, and add a healthy dose of your own intelligence and your own personal wants and needs. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Keep in mind, there are many "biasis" in ARFCOM. Decide what you are looking for. Barrel length, profile, what the use for the weapon will be-personal defense, work, range, long range or CQC. The adage "pay once cry once" should be written in gold. Go with quality parts if you are building your own. Stick with manufacturers with a "quality" reputation, not the flavor of the month. Decide what your budget is. Don't skimp on the BCG or barrel just so you can get a tacticool rail. All true. I hung out here for a long time, and did a lot of research before I bought my Bushmaster. I've never regretted that. And now and then I'll add upgrades to the rifle, also based on what I've learned here. But bear in mind that those of us here on this board have very diverse ideas about what's necessary and what isn't; which brands are best and which are crap; what accessories/upgrades are useful and why, etc. The opinions you see here (including mine) should be taken as guides and suggestions, not Divine Law. Take what you can from AR15.com, and add a healthy dose of your own intelligence and your own personal wants and needs. Oh now you went and done it. The hive is always right! he he he |
|
This article is a good starting point if you are new to ARs.
Just lurk. For as long as possible. That's what I did and I feel pretty damn knowledgable  (compared to before arfcom at least) The knowledge and information available on this site is seriously amazing.
|
|
What do you want the gun to do?
No single gun can do everything. Do you want a "platform" that you can hang all sorts of shit from, but never actually shoot it, except maybe once? Do you want a light, handy carbine, without any extras? Do you want a "varmint" rifle? Do you want a "representative" specimen of a military rifle of a particular era? Do you want something you can ride hard, and put away wet? Once you decide what you want the gun to do, the choices are much less "overwhelming." |
|
I'm not going to say what kind of rifle I own except it is an AR15. I bought it a month ago. Before doing so I toiled and read, and read and toiled. I compared and deliberated, and second guessed for weeks. You know what? I enjoyed every second of it. Learning what makes your rifle different from the next is part of the fun.
I carried a Colt for years in the military. It wasn't the most reliable, but in its defense, I was no doubt about the thirtieth Joe to carry it through the muck. This forum can be useful for some issues, but as far as which brand is the best, here you will find guys paying three times as much for nearly the same thing trying to justify the money they spent with fancy words and charts. Then you have guys that bought the cheapest thing they could find try to figure out how to make their weapons as "Mil-Spec" as possible. As I said, I have only owned my rifle for about a month. In that time I have used 600 rounds dedicated to trying to force a malfunction out of my weapon. When I own something I usually like to put it through its paces. So far not so much as a hiccup. I say all that to say this. Enjoy the weeks you spend learning about what makes a good rifle, and what features you truly don't need. There are a lot of articles written by objective people that aren't just defending the brand they have and dismissing all others. If you see something here you haven't heard of "google It." To be fair, Since I got my rifle I have become a member of this site, and learn something every time I log on. Happy shopping |
|
Before you buy, determine exactly what use(s) you're gonna have for the rifle. Self/home defense, target, hunting, etc.
If you're gonna use it for hunting and target shooting only you might handle a longer barrel and gain a little ballistically. If you gonna use for self defense you might be better served with carbine length and maybe a rail to hang a light on. It's better (and a damn sight cheaper) to buy gear suitable for your purposes when you buy the first time rather than replacing parts you've already paid for. |
|
I am in Canada, so I can only use it at the gun range and in case of SHTF scenario. So no hunting.
I want a carbine style weapon, with a 10-16" barrel. (In Canada we can have sub 16" barrels) I want rails for a light, a holographic dot, and a front vert grip. Perhaps bipod. Other then that, I want it to not malfunction every clip, and I do not want it to rust out on me, or otherwise wear out too fast. I am not picky, and like so many, I do want a tacticool look LOL |
|
Quoted:
by "start", I mean which is the must read thread or book. which is the must see video. the bibles of the sport... Start with the IMPORTANT THREADS link tacked at the top of this forum. In there is a 'FAQ' thread that gets you up to speed on the basic terms and some of the concepts (mil spec receiver extension vs commercial, M4 feed ramps etc). After that the 'Which parts break in a Carbine Course' is a good one if your interest is in tactical shooting. Then I'd head to the home page (www.AR15.com) and in the lower left is the downloads area. Download the -10 (M16/M4 Operator's Manual) and read it, it covers the basics of rifle operation and cleaning. Then download the -23&P (Unit and Direct Support Maintenance Manual) Chapters 2 & 3 in particular cover troubleshooting and maintenance complete with diagrams. |
|
I have to Agree with all of the Above, this website will provide more knowledge than any one book will, I recieved a AR-15 builders manual for christmas from my fiance, and dont tell her but i haven't even really used it, i looked through it and it had plenty of good info but all in all you can have the same procedures explained in 10 different ways which you can't just read from a book. Take a look around the site before you buy, understand the tools, and make your decision based on the info you find here on whether you want to build or buy a complete set up.
Welcome! 
|
AR Sponsor