AR 15

   / AR 15 #12  
I would like one but the price tag on the one I want is up there!. My savage .223 will do a good job on WILLIE E. I hear colt or bushmaster guns are top notch.
 
   / AR 15 #13  
If I was to get another AR-15 I would get it in 5.56. Both .223 and 5.56 can be used in it. Mine is .223 not bad but restricting.
 
   / AR 15 #14  
The basic 'cheap junk' are the ones that just meet mil-spec and most likely have a fixed stock, carry handle/rear sight receiver and the military front sight fixed to the barrel. Pretty much just like the M16A2.

Most likely you want the 'M4' 'carbine' style which is a shorter barrel, flat-top receiver and no fixed sight on the barrel. This allows you to put whatever scope/sighting system you want including fixed or flip-up standard 'iron' sights. The shorter barrel and , if you desire, collapsible/adjustable stock together make for a much more compact weapon. An adjustable stock would make it easier to share between you and your wife assuming she needs a rifle with a shorter than 'normal' stock.

There is a dizzying array of accessories and ways to configure one of these rifles. But choosing between the M16/M4 styles is something not cheaply changed later so something to decide on early.

The next thing to be aware of is you can shoot .223 in a 5.56 barrel but not necessarily/safely the other way around. The lower might be marked '.223' or '5.56' or '.223/5.56' or 'Multi Cal' but the barrel is what determines what you can safely shoot. If this is a 'SHTF' rifle then you would want to be able to shoot 5.56 safely so I would go with that. Another option is '.223 Wylde' which is sort of a hybrid in between the tight .223 chamber and the looser 5.56 chamber and lets you shoot both with supposedly better accuracy than shooting .223 in a 5.56 chamber.

Another consideration is the twist of the barrel. Best to read up on this based on what grain bullets you think you will shoot.

You can buy a complete rifle and then change out/upgrade parts (like adding a high-end trigger) as you decide what you really want. However, buying a 'stripped lower' and adding/assembling the grip, trigger group, buffer tube, stock etc that you want/like is pretty straight forward. Then you can shop for a 'complete upper' with the bolt, barrel, forend, etc. that you want and it just pins on.

You can get uppers with out the 'forward assist' but, also being a Marine, I am used to tapping that every time I chamber a round so it would be weird to not have that.
 
   / AR 15 #16  
The basic 'cheap junk' are the ones that just meet mil-spec and most likely have a fixed stock, carry handle/rear sight receiver and the military front sight fixed to the barrel. Pretty much just like the M16A2.
Click to expand...

So you think anything that looks like the original is cheap junk? You've got some big ones to say that. They all work, they all work the same and they all perform the same.

The rifle below has a 'cheap' barely milspec receiver. All internals are 'cheap' barely milspec parts. The upper is 'real' milsurp,as is the front sight. The barrel is a 'real' Colt barrel and the plastic is all 'real' Mil surplus parts. The stock even had a rack number on it. Maybe the fact that I have some 'real' milsurp parts on it makes it so it's not 'cheap junk' ?

nes46left%20800x226.jpg

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Pretty much just like the M16A2.
Click to expand...

oh, I forgot you said that. Mine is all junk I guess.
 
   / AR 15 #17  
I put quotes around it because while I don't necessarily consider it 'junk' Eddie asked "who makes the cheap junk". Anything that is barely mil-spec is what you get in the military... it is kind of a running joke in the military "We have the finest weapons systems in the world... made by the lowest bidder." May have been true or just a joke but supposedly the plastic parts of the M16A2 were made by Mattel ;)
 
   / AR 15 #19  
Eddie, I know you are a hunter, so you likely have your accurate, long range favorites... you're looking for a dependable semi-auto home defense rifle, that would be one of the "most likely to be banned"? I bought the mini-14 when I heard the buzz about semi-auto ban a couple years ago, when I found a stainless one for a good price, and its a very simple, robust design thats been improved the past few years with a heavier barrel and retooled machinery. Do you have an idea what the maximum/minimum range is you'll be looking to use the application for? There are a lot of longer, semi-auto variants of pistol calibers that might fit your bill, that'd be compact, and less likely to overpenetrate, unless you plan on reaching out and touching something with it now and then. Bud's Gun Shop has a nice search engine and a lot of reviews of weapons and manufacturers for making decisions. If I bought again, I'd look to the Springfield M1A, because 5.56 is covered for me now, and .308 is a legitimate 300 yard hunting round for pretty much anything in North America with the right load.
 
   / AR 15 #20  
My AR-15 is a Rock River in .223/5.56. It is a very high quality rifle and shoots a lot better then I can.
As far as brand...all good, so options are virtually unlimited. I would definitely recommend one chambered in 5.56. You can run .223 in a rifle chambered for 5.56, but you shouldn't run 5.56 in a rifle chambered for .223.
I know a lot of guys prefer Colts, but I wouldn't pay the extra dollars for a Colt. Also, the take-down pins on a Colt are a different size then most other AR type rifles...that makes it more difficult to swap uppers. There are kits to modify the Colts to accept the smaller diameter take down pins though...I'll let the Colt fanciers go into this as I'm sure they know more about it then I do.

I also wouldn't buy or build a "tack driver". I want mine (which is a home defense gun) to run reliably and I'll give up a bit of MOA accuracy for a reliable rifle.

My next AR will probably be a Bushmaster.
 
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