My first AR

[Psawneo1]

I have been looking for quite a while now and feel like I?m going to take the plunge. I thought I?d go with something ?entry level? and have heard good things about DPMS oracle as well as S & W M &P Sport 2. I?ve been looking online and found some that are reasonably priced and just wanted to discuss a bit with you folks here before making a mistake. :).

decent choices for a first gun?
any issues with buying online that I should be aware of?


I appreciate any tips and I?m excited to get into the game so to speak.

[CS1983]

Budget?

[Aardvark]

ARs are poor financial decisions: you buy one, on budget and realize how much fun they are, so you buy parts to modify it or you buy another AR, then more parts, more ARs regardless of price, ad nauseam until you have a dozen ARs and spare parts to make a half dozen more and a severely damaged savings account! ...uh...just sayin' for a friend.

[Gman]

[LOL]..

[ChickNorris]

Curious. Have you considered how often you'll go shooting, the conditions you'll be in most often &/or if you have a particular goal or task you'd use this for? Might be easier to focus your choices with relevant ancillary considerations.

[Sawin]

Buy a lower receiver that you like and just build something... you’ll be happier and save money in the long run, while learning a lot about the platform....

[Wolfshoon]

Purpose of gun? That drives the parts quality choices (unfortunately there are good and poor quality AR companies out there, all claiming to be superior).

I'd go talk to Bowers Tactical as they specialize in quality AR's and can either build what you want or sell you a complete brand name rifle with your purposes in mind and no BS big box store misinformation.

[kidicarus13]

https://www.deguns.net/dpms-oracle-5-56-ar-15-dpms-oracle-for-sale/p?idsku=1677&utm_source=gundeals

Buy it. Shoot the crap out it. If you need something better 2 years from now buy something that suits your needs better and then you'll have 2 AR's before the Dems ban them in 2022.

[beast556]

There are some very nice AR's for sale right now in the for sale section right now.

[iego]

I built my own first AR and am now on my 3rd I do believe.

https://www.ar-15.co/threads/166527-Off-to-an-okay-start

-John

[MrPrena]

One of the guy was knocking on the door. He was telling me about the hoa and we need to change this and that.

We voted for him, and there are no hoa bs things we worry about for a while.

Run for a board.

[sroz]

^^^^^ ????

Lost me on that one

[Irving]

He meant to post that on the HOA thread.

[SideShow Bob]

To the OP, you will never make it to Tier 1 Operator status with a mere entry level AR.

[Tooth]

[Gman]

To the OP, you will never make it to Tier 1 Operator status with a mere entry level AR.

...and this was a joke.

I bought a complete rifle as my first. Once I got the hang of things, I built my second. Nothing wrong with that approach.

[SideShow Bob]

...and this was a joke.

Post edited to reflect this...... I didn’t look at the OP’s join date or post count......

[Great-Kazoo]

...and this was a joke.


Or was it?



Buy one, shoot it, buy more.

Those dpmsfor under $400 are tempting. I could hand them out come Christmas. Or give my contractor one as a bonus. He has no clue how much AR's are. Or didn't until i said, THEY WANT HOW MUCH for a S&W M&P ?

[00tec]

Buy budget rifle.
Shoot budget rifle.
Keep all parts you decide to swap out for better stuff
Shoot upgraded budget rifle.
Assemble new rifle starting with hoarded parts.
Shoot new rifle.
Repeat.

[battlemidget]

Those are both decent choices, and here's my comment. They both seem to be carbine length gas systems with a 16" barrel. Midlength gas systems are getting more popular as they're easier on the bolt carrier group, and midlength is perceived to have a softer press. If I had either of those blasters my first change would be to swap out the barrel/handguard for something else (or build a new upper) , but I think they're both fine to start with.

[BPTactical]

Pretty hard to beat the M&P rifles for a budget build. Up the ante a hair for the chrome barreled rifle, I have seen "bare bones" (sans furniture) for $500.00.
Good , solid and reliable rifles that just flat work. I have seen them run very hard and they just keep running.

Your in the salad days of AR's, sales are flat and you can buy cheap.

[Great-Kazoo]

Pretty hard to beat the M&P rifles for a budget build. Up the ante a hair for the chrome barreled rifle, I have seen "bare bones" (sans furniture) for $500.00.
Good , solid and reliable rifles that just flat work. I have seen them run very hard and they just keep running.

Your in the salad days of AR's, sales are flat and you can buy TEAR 1.

[SideShow Bob]

Was that a FIFY With an intentional misspelling ?

[ray1970]

Those are both decent choices, and here's my comment. They both seem to be carbine length gas systems with a 16" barrel. Midlength gas systems are getting more popular as they're easier on the bolt carrier group, and midlength is perceived to have a softer press. If I had either of those blasters my first change would be to swap out the barrel/handguard for something else (or build a new upper) , but I think they're both fine to start with.

Anything with a sixteen inch barrel is garbage according to a certain forum member because it isn?t ?mil-spec?. The military has never requested a 16 inch barrel.

[SideShow Bob]

Well then get a14.5” barrel. Either tax stamp it or permanently attach a flash hider to it.

[kidicarus13]

Well then get a14.5? barrel. Either tax stamp it or permanently attach a flash hider to it.Dude's just trying to get into a budget AR, I doubt he has any desire to jump through the $200 tax stamp hoop for 1.5"

[Honey Badger282.8]

I’d buy a rifle from Palmetto State before I bought the Oracle or M&P. They have this guy on sale for $469 right now.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-16-m4-carbine-5-56-nato-1-7-lightweight-m-lok-classic-rifle.html

[CS1983]

In my opinion, try to find (or build!!!) something with at least the following:

* mid-length gas system - as battlemidget said, it will be better overall

* 1-8" or 1-7" twist rate -- 1-9" is going to most likely limit you on ammo due to lack of stabilization; I've never had a problem with lighter ammo (55gr) in 1-7 or 1-8 and they allow up to 75gr ammo. If you ever want to build a varminting rig, you could go 1-9 or 1-12 for lightweight bullets, but just build the upper.

* 5.56NATO or .223Wylde chamber. Stay away from .223Rem chamber as it limits you to .223Rem; 5.56 or .223Wylde will allow you to shoot both.

* Chrome-lined or not, up to you here in Colorado. But if you are wanting to do more "precision" shooting, CL won't be as helpful. In a "battle carbine", go CL for the wear and tear factor. I have both on various rifles for various reasons. A discussion on your planned use would clarify direction.

* trigger - Either an ALG mil-spec or something like a LaRue MBT -- the latter is a perfectly fine trigger for more precise shooting but still has a home on a run and gun rig.

Resale: it just ain't going to be good right now. If we enter another panic, you won't lose your ass regardless, but you also likely won't want to sell. I'd be hard pressed to go cheap, as it's unlikely you will build/buy and then decide you prefer to handicap yourself with a less efficient system.

Build vs buy: Build will require either you get some tools (which will be handy in perpetuity!) or borrow some. Buy will put you on the range immediately. If you build, you gain an intimate knowledge of function off the bat -- good for diagnosing any issues. Build allows you to customize off the bat. Buying cheap and then upgrading 2 months later is a route many go, but I think it's dumb and a waste of money in the long run.

Budget is necessary to know what direction to take, along with average/worst case scenario of use.

[Joe_K]

To the OP.

What?s your intended use?
Budget?
Any interest of adding a can in the future?
What?s your grasp/understanding of:
Caliber options.
Pistol vs. Rifle.
Gas tube lengths.
Sights/Optics options.







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[Duman]

ARs are poor financial decisions: you buy one, on budget and realize how much fun they are, so you buy parts to modify it or you buy another AR, then more parts, more ARs regardless of price, ad nauseam until you have a dozen ARs and spare parts to make a half dozen more and a severely damaged savings account! ...uh...just sayin' for a friend.

This ^^^ x 10^4

It's an illness.... I"m in a AR-15 12-step program. Or is that an AR-12 step program?

[SideShow Bob]

This ^^^ x 10^4

It's an illness.... I"m in a AR-15 12-step program. Or is that an AR-12 step program?

This, but just realize that large bodies of water (rivers, ponds, lakes, inland seas......) are AR-scopic, as many on this forum have found out while taking our favorite ARs boating..... [Tooth]

[Jer]

There are some very nice AR's for sale right now in the for sale section right now.

Yeah but when?

[izzy]

Yeah but when?

They mostly come out at night, mostly.

[Gman]

They mostly come out at night, mostly.

Newt has spoken.

[Psawneo1]

Thanks for all the feedback.
I?d like to stay under $1000 because of a couple things mentioned above. First, I probably won?t shoot it all that often, and it?d primarily be at a range. I honestly would just like to have one. right now I don?t, so that?d check that box off for me. That?s why I was thinking something budget would work just to have.
I?ll definitely check into the options above and appreciate the help.

[CS1983]

Thanks for all the feedback.
I?d like to stay under $1000 because of a couple things mentioned above. First, I probably won?t shoot it all that often, and it?d primarily be at a range. I honestly would just like to have one. right now I don?t, so that?d check that box off for me. That?s why I was thinking something budget would work just to have.
I?ll definitely check into the options above and appreciate the help.

In this case, here’s your huckleberry:
https://www.ar-15.co/threads/172478-Spikes-mid-length-AR15

[Jer]

Thanks for all the feedback.
I?d like to stay under $1000 because of a couple things mentioned above. First, I probably won?t shoot it all that often, and it?d primarily be at a range. I honestly would just like to have one. right now I don?t, so that?d check that box off for me. That?s why I was thinking something budget would work just to have.
I?ll definitely check into the options above and appreciate the help.

Your checklist is exactly why Palmetto State Armory exists. Buy an inexpensive stripped lower receiver. Blems can be had for ~$40 plus shipping & transfer fee. Then get a cheap lower build kit or you can splurge a little on a LBK w/Magpul MOE furniture. Then watch YouTube videos that walk you through building it step by step. When you're done you'll have the cheapest lower half you can find & maybe more importantly you'll know know every single part it contains & can service it yourself. It seems intimidating but believe me when I say a caveman can do it w/video instructions.

Now just wait for a deal (possibly another blem?) On a midlength upper. Your complete rifle will be around $400 & you'll learn so much about it that you'll gain even more respect for the system.

Everything I mentioned can be had inexpensively through PSA's website & their sale items rotate daily. Don't get paralysis by analysis and think you need to spend a fortune on every little component. Before you know it years will pass and you'll be left with a rifle that isn't any better than the one you could build this month for $400.

With the money you saved invest in lots of ammo and range time and possibly even some training and your rifle will perform better than the one you would have bought two years from now for $2,000 that you can't afford a more training for. after you run a few thousand rounds through it you can reevaluate what components you want to replace and why but most importantly you'll know at that point exactly why you want something different.

[Psawneo1]

https://www.deguns.net/dpms-oracle-5-56-ar-15-dpms-oracle-for-sale/p?idsku=1677&utm_source=gundeals

Buy it. Shoot the crap out it. If you need something better 2 years from now buy something that suits your needs better and then you'll have 2 AR's before the Dems ban them in 2022.

Thanks man - that?s a pretty sweet deal. Do you have recommendations on optics? I was thinking either a red dot or a 1x6 magnifier scope. I figured something in the 100-150 range -

[Psawneo1]

Your checklist is exactly why Palmetto State Armory exists. Buy an inexpensive stripped lower receiver. Blems can be had for ~$40 plus shipping & transfer fee. Then get a cheap lower build kit or you can splurge a little on a LBK w/Magpul MOE furniture. Then watch YouTube videos that walk you through building it step by step. When you're done you'll have the cheapest lower half you can find & maybe more importantly you'll know know every single part it contains & can service it yourself. It seems intimidating but believe me when I say a caveman can do it w/video instructions.

Now just wait for a deal (possibly another blem?) On a midlength upper. Your complete rifle will be around $400 & you'll learn so much about it that you'll gain even more respect for the system.

Everything I mentioned can be had inexpensively through PSA's website & their sale items rotate daily. Don't get paralysis by analysis and think you need to spend a fortune on every little component. Before you know it years will pass and you'll be left with a rifle that isn't any better than the one you could build this month for $400.

With the money you saved invest in lots of ammo and range time and possibly even some training and your rifle will perform better than the one you would have bought two years from now for $2,000 that you can't afford a more training for. after you run a few thousand rounds through it you can reevaluate what components you want to replace and why but most importantly you'll know at that point exactly why you want something different.

That’s also a good idea. I appreciate it

[Martinjmpr]

I'm pretty fumble fingered and built my first AR from a kit. I watched a you-tube video and it was pretty easy. Mine was a Del-Ton "middie." I liked the middie because IMO the M4 "shorty" style looks weird with a 16" barrel. With a Middie the extra barrel length is in the handguard.

If you are willing to "roll your own" you should be able to stay around $500 or maybe a bit more.

Some have said the middie is a more reliable action because the gas tube is longer.

It's not "tier one" but it shoots pretty well:

77393

[Martinjmpr]

BTW I've heard that Bear Creek Armory makes some quality pieces.









[ROFL1]

[Joe_K]

Another great option would be stopping by Bowers Tactical in Centennial. The guys there have just a little bit of insight as to what works vs. what doesn?t when it comes to AR-15?s.

They can get you started in the right direction of choosing buy vs build, Rifle vs. Pistol, Caliber options, optics, Or what manufacturers to look at all while still staying within your budget.

They do a decent bit of work fixing everything from the first time home built $400 AR all the way up to building/selling/fixing the higher priced stuff. Even if you go in with a list of questions and no cash burning a hole your wallet, Mike, Rob, and Sean are all very knowledgeable and professional. Plus if you do decide to go the build it yourself route they have loads of reasonably priced parts in stock.


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[Joe_K]

BTW I've heard that Bear Creek Armory makes some quality pieces.









[ROFL1]

[emoji1648]


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[Great-Kazoo]

Thanks man - that?s a pretty sweet deal. Do you have recommendations on optics? I was thinking either a red dot or a 1x6 magnifier scope. I figured something in the 100-150 range -

That's sig romeo red dot territory

[Psawneo1]

Another great option would be stopping by Bowers Tactical in Centennial. The guys there have just a little bit of insight as to what works vs. what doesn?t when it comes to AR-15?s.

They can get you started in the right direction of choosing buy vs build, Rifle vs. Pistol, Caliber options, optics, Or what manufacturers to look at all while still staying within your budget.

They do a decent bit of work fixing everything from the first time home built $400 AR all the way up to building/selling/fixing the higher priced stuff. Even if you go in with a list of questions and no cash burning a hole your wallet, Mike, Rob, and Sean are all very knowledgeable and professional. Plus if you do decide to go the build it yourself route they have loads of reasonably priced parts in stock.


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I work down there twice a week, so maybe I’ll do that. Thanks!

[Psawneo1]

That's sig romeo red dot territory


I’ll check it out.

[Psawneo1]

FYI all — really appreciate the attention. Seems like a great community and not all of them are like that (obviously). I wanted to take a second and acknowledge that. I look forward to interacting more over the years as I get more into it.

[Gman]

Another small bonus to mid-length is that you can put a bayonet on it. Seeing a bayonet on a rifle causes libtards to have kittens.

[Psawneo1]

Another small bonus to mid-length is that you can put a bayonet on it. Seeing a bayonet on a rifle causes libtards to have kittens.

That, amongst many other things

[kidicarus13]

Thanks man - that?s a pretty sweet deal. Do you have recommendations on optics? I was thinking either a red dot or a 1x6 magnifier scope. I figured something in the 100-150 range -In that price range...
https://www.primaryarms.com/primary-arms-slxz-advanced-rotary-knob-micro-red-dot-sight