re: Always wanted an AR... which one and which options?

Rock River has a great sale going on right now for a pretty tricked out rifle for 1,000. check out their website for details

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can u tell me the basic parts i would need to assemble one myself and be able to fire it? Im interested in getting one but dont have the funds to dish out on one already geared out. Im talking about upper assembly, lower assembly, barrel?

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buy the upper already assembled. you can buy lowers already assembled or you can buy a stripped lower, a lower parts kit, and a buffer tube and stock. Ive put together 2 lowers, its really easy.

if you build your self you can get something for about 500 if you use an upper from the link I posted.

No I do not own one....out of my price range right now.

I believe it is threaded but do not hold me to that...I have only held one for a few minuties.

It is supposedly going to replace the M4 the military is currently using and I believe some branches (special force types) are already using it.

Good luck on the House hunting this weekend. Pearland has exploded over the last 5yrs in growth.

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I believe it is threaded

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It looks threaded due to the nut on the end of flash suppressor. I would just want to get a .308 noise suppressor for it as well. I mean why not???

It will be several years before I can even Rationalize holding one, much less buying one.

I don't shoot the guns I have at this point.

I was walking down one of the "Bayous" around Beltway 8 and had my Glock 22 with me. I stumbled into about 9 wild pigs. That and an attempted car jacking are the only times I've pulled out a gun with the intent to shoot since I've been here.

Do you need an FFL to buy the separate uppers/lowers?

Let me provide some guidance amongst the doomsdayers and chris costa wannabees. If you are asking the questions you are asking the best AR for you in an entry level budget AR. The good thing is your entry level AR will be just as accurate (because accuracy will depend on you not the rifle) and reliable as the more pricey versions. The higher end rifles you are paying for rollmarks, bells and whistles.

In addition to the questions you asked, you should be asking are should I build my rifle or buy a pre-built one? What length system? Should I go 1:9 twist barrel or 1:7 (there are others but these two are the most common) Fixed or no carry handle?

.308 vs .223 - what are your plans for this rifle? If you want to shoot out past 250 yards and make small patterns dump a bunch of money into an accurized .308. I say 'dump money' and 'accurized' because whats the point of having a distance gun that shoots mediorce patterns. I also feel a nice Remington 700 fills this need. A carbine is not intended to make long range shots. Being your introduction to the AR15 I would choose .223 its more practical and a better introduction to the system. Save the .308 build for your 2nd AR (yes once you get one there will be more). Also, you can own multiple uppers (that can be shipped to your door no need for a FFL) and use the same lower receiver. So, you could have a .223 uppper (tactical/frick around setup and a .308 upper for longer range shooting)

Go with the carbine length. Why, because it looks the most right.

1:9 v 1:7 being that this is your introduction to the gun I went with and if I were you I would go with 1:9 twist. The difference is that 1:7 can stabilize the heavier grain bullets whereas a 1:9 can only stabilize up to something like 68 grains. the good news is that 55 grain bullets is the most common for .223 ARs, certainly all you need to have some serious AR fun, All the surplus military ammo is 55 grain and so is the cheap stuff. This means that you will save money and shoot the same ammo you would anyway even if you got the 1:7 barrel. If you have the choice and the price is the same I would go with the 1:7 over the 1:9, but for all intents and purposes you'll bee just fine with the 1:9.

DO NOT GET A FIXED CARRY HANDLE. I REPEAT DO NOT GET A FIXED CARRY HANDLE. no matter how cool you may think it looks or how much you don't give a shite at some point you will want to remove it and if it's fixed, it's fixed. get the flatop and if you want the carry handle buy the detachable carry handle, they're like $35.

Buy built or build. I chose to build my first AR because it was the cheapest route and now I am glad because I now know exactly how the whole thing function and feel comfortable stripping it down to all the pieces. Also, it is not remotely hard to do (a benefit of the simple system). Literally, i watched a youtube video and did it step by step pausing when needed with some random guy.

I think I addressed all of your questions. Now I will end the thread by telling you what to do.
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-Buy your upper from HERE
Choose these as the options:
Upper receiver options: A4 upper (M4 feedramps)
Charging handle: standard
flashhider: standard A2
Carbine handgaurd: this is a personal preference for you. I would choose either M4 Black looks like this, UTG 2 piece 4 rail looks like this, Magpul MOE black looks like this if you want to add forgrips and lights get the rails or the magpul.

-Get you lower from here or to go cheaper (still very good quality i just dont like the rollmark) get this one here

-Get your lower parts kit from HERE

-For the sights you can do what you want. I recommend a a red dot. I waited for the Eotech 512's to got on sale for $350 and got one. I think they are currently offering a $50 rebate which would put them about there.

If you do as I say you will have a quality rifle that you put together and that is more accurate than you and cheaper than most pre-builts of any quality. The accessories are up to you. as mentioned before with that upper you will at the least need to purchase front and rear sights (offered by many companies just google AR15 sights), but as stated before I would go with some sort of red dot sight. You could also stick a flashlight on there and you probably are going to want some kind of fore grip whether it be vertical or angled like magpuls offering.

*****IF YOU ARE A LAZY BASTARD******
and do not mind the possibility of a cosmentic default(s) on your rifle get this one prebuilt. They get great reviews at all the major gun forums on the internet, and most claim to not have and blemishes on their rifles.

P.S. you will need MAGAZINES. I reccomend either C-Products with the ORANGE follower or Magpul PMAGS w/out window. either way do not purchase either one if its not onsale. C-Products decent price HERE

alright, well, enough rambling out of me. hope i didnt mess anything up cause im not gonna read back over it all.

Colt is the only way to go.

If you are handy with tools and working on stuff, I highly suggest building your own. The only thing you really need to get done is floating the barrel to the upper receiver. Instead of just a thing you bought, you feel like it is your CREATION!!

Plus, if shite ever hits the fan, you'll be a lot more able to maintain it.

What tools are required to complete the lower? I would most probably just buy a complete upper. Also i think it would be a bit weird to fill out paper work and have a background check done and only walk out of the gun shop with a stripped lower receiver

I have always wanted one, been thinking about building one, and now this thread is pushing me closer to actually buying something...

Its harder for me to get past spending the large sum on a built gun, yet its easier to make the excuse of spending a little here and there and pretending to not notice the final cost!

thanks for all the info, great thread.