GUNS/RLTD Getting Ready to buy an AR-15

[Doomer Doug]

So far this year Doomer Doug has bought both a Rockland Armory Snub nosed 38 Special, as well as Mr. Mossberg in a 20 gauge slug and buckshot style for any Antifa Types that want to kick my door in, which some drunk actually did to the Apartment Lobby Door New Year's Day. It is on my cell phone, but as usual can't figure out how to post it here on either my computer or timebomb.

At any rate, any suggestions on which AR-15 to buy. I did train on the M-16 A2 back in August of 1973 during Basic at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. I also live fired it multiple times to zero it, shoot for qualifications etc. However, I have not fired an M-16 since the 1970's and the last time I fired a rifle was a Ruger 10/22 on September 10th, yes September 10th 2001. Yep, the evening before 9-11 happened.

I have checked into the PSA brand, which is in the $500 to $600 range, and I have seen some, like the Daniels in the $1500 range. Hmm, well since I have concluded Civil War Two, or a Chinese invasion could happen as early as July 4th, I need to move on this, especially since I have the money for it due to the estate settlement of my Dad. I also have a whole bunch of youtube AR-15 videos I downloaded a year or two ago, before they started taking them all down I hear, plus I easily fired 3,000 rounds during my Army days.

 

[Dennis Olson]

I now have three PSA bang-sticks. Not a single F2F or F2E. They go bang EVERY TIME.

Buy with confidence.

 

[Matt]

I also have a couple of the PSA freedom ars. Good guns! If you are going to go with iron sights, i strongly recommend the improved battle sight..very simple adjustment to the rear sight drum. Gives you a 50/200 yard zero. Lots of how to vids on youtube.

If you are looking to get one off the rack at a local store, Wyndham makes a great gun...they are the legacy bushmaster before the name was sold off to the money changers.

 

[samus79]

How’s your eyesight? Might want to invest in a red dot style sight with a 3x magnifier if your like me and have trouble with open sights.

 

[Doomer Doug]

Anybody ever heard of a Radical Firearms 5.56mm NATO 16 inch SOCOM Barerel for $650? They also have a AK-47 by Riley Defense with 7.62 x 39 with a 16.25 barrel for $689? I'm not really that much into AK47, ammo issues, poor quality although I hear they are built much better now than back in the 1980's and 1990's when I looked at them.

I have bad eyes, trying to get cataract surgery when everything blew up virus wise. So, a full scope set for sure, possibly night vision. I got the money finally, so I am replacing guns I had, and sold off, over the last few decades. Won't be buying any more once I get the AR15 and am going to get a concealed weapons permit, get some serious long overdue range time in once things open up a bit. It was too bad this happened in January 2020 and not January of 2019.

 

[end game]

Ruger optics ready carbine:

Ruger AR-556 5.56mm Semi-Automatic Rifle with M-LOK and Heavy Contour Barrel

Ruger: AR-556 5.56mm Semi-Automatic Rifle with M-LOK and Heavy Contour Barrel for sale at Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore.

www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com

1:8 twist. Most all of Palmetto stuff is 1:7 twist. You'll need flip up sights and whatever optic you choose.

 

[NoMoreLibs]

Consider an AR pistol. Has several advantages.

 

[end game]

Think you might want to invest in a 9mm handgun as well. These rate very well and affordable, comes with a light:

https://palmettostatearmory.com/s-w-sd9-ve-9mm-pistol-w-crimson-trace-tactical-light-13050.html

 

[Dennis Olson]

A good Gen3 night vision scope is well in excess of $3000.

 

[ltd]

... as a recovered Colt snob, PSA pistol or rifle per your AO, KISS principle..Always!
Save your $$ for ammo, mags, optics, training!

 

[Millwright]

You are a coupla months behind the curve at PSA.

Their prices are up and availability is way down.

This is the cheapest and most basic offering for today. Comes with a BUIS, so you can shoot it right out of the box.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-pa15-16-nitride-m4-carbine-556-nato-moe-ar15-rifle-black.html

I would give the market a week or three to calm down.

Normally, their best deals are buying separate upper and lower.

They have some lowers in the $150 range and 5.56 uppers in rifle or carbine length are non-existent.

This changes on a daily basis tho.

You need to have a dealer ready to ship to, PSA needs their FFL on file. When the right lower is in stock, order on the spot. Barreled uppers can be sent to your house.

 

[Doomer Doug]

A $3000 night optics package.

The two top suggestions are the Palmento coming in around $700 or so, and the Ruger AR 556 which comes in the $800 to $900 range, minus all the good stuff. I still have a soft spot for my scoped Ruger 10/22 that I fired on September 10th, 2001. The gun shop I bought the revolver and Mossberg at isn't doing outside transfers at the moment, but I likely could do it at Cabella's online, except I don't have either a credit card or a online pay account. I did have a Paypal but they screwed up and are no longer functional, plus they are rabidly anti-gun now.

I will have to check into it more, but based on what you all said, and what my research told me, I am either going with a $700 Palmeto, or a $900 Ruger AR 556 with a cheaper scope etc. 5.56 NATO 55 grain ammo may be an issue also. I did look at the Ruger 10/22 pistol type gun, as well as the Kel Tec one, but the smallest rifle I would be interested in is a 16 to 18 inch carbine. An 11 or 12 inch barrel is just about as useless, other than looking "bad." Heck, the Big Iron Armory shop I used has a very good selection of 22LR rifles, a 10/22 with a scope that is an exact match for the one I had, along with a smith and wesson MP 5 in 22LR. I may get one of those and wait a year and hope Civil War Two doesn't break out this July.

 

[Doomer Doug]

Here is the link to the gun store I used to buy my Mossberg 20 gauge. I bought it for $305 in February, and as you can see the Remington 870 20 gauge is $419, some $115 higher than I paid. He has a very good selection of Ruger 10/22's by the way.

Big Iron Armory

Big Iron Armory - America's largest online firearms and accessories mall.

www.bigironarmory.com

 

[Millwright]

The extra jingle you put into the Ruger would be about right for a decent red dot optic.

 

[Dennis Olson]

It’s a shame I don’t live near you. I have a complete AR-15 UNBUILT rifle kit in my closet with a Ghost Gun lower. Brand new.

 

[end game]

A $3000 night optics package.

The two top suggestions are the Palmento coming in around $700 or so, and the Ruger AR 556 which comes in the $800 to $900 range, minus all the good stuff. I still have a soft spot for my scoped Ruger 10/22 that I fired on September 10th, 2001. The gun shop I bought the revolver and Mossberg at isn't doing outside transfers at the moment, but I likely could do it at Cabella's online, except I don't have either a credit card or a online pay account. I did have a Paypal but they screwed up and are no longer functional, plus they are rabidly anti-gun now.

I will have to check into it more, but based on what you all said, and what my research told me, I am either going with a $700 Palmeto, or a $900 Ruger AR 556 with a cheaper scope etc. 5.56 NATO 55 grain ammo may be an issue also. I did look at the Ruger 10/22 pistol type gun, as well as the Kel Tec one, but the smallest rifle I would be interested in is a 16 to 18 inch carbine. An 11 or 12 inch barrel is just about as useless, other than looking "bad." Heck, the Big Iron Armory shop I used has a very good selection of 22LR rifles, a 10/22 with a scope that is an exact match for the one I had, along with a smith and wesson MP 5 in 22LR. I may get one of those and wait a year and hope Civil War Two doesn't break out this July.

You do realize that the ruger I linked to is $640 free shipping.

 

[Millwright]

Quite a few on Armslist too.

ARMSLIST - Portland Rifles Classifieds

Classifieds listings of Rifles in Portland

www.armslist.com

 

[Doomer Doug]

This is Portland, Oregon, Multnomah county. They hunt people buying guns on the open market. It isn't worth spending 5 years in jail to save a few bucks on a used gun. I wouldn't stand a chance up against a Multnomah county jury full of Marxist Democrats. You can barely buy a gun legally in Portland at a gun shop. All the gun grabbers from new york and California moved up here. I may get the Ruger 10/22 first and then wait to see how things play out.

 

[Jaybird]

Vortex makes some good low end scopes.

 

[twobarkingdogs]

First suggestion is to visit ar15.com. While there I'd suggest you go over and read the hometown forum for your state to see what folks say about the dealers in your area.

You mentioned Radical, I believe you will not get very many good reviews on them as their quality is inconsistent.

You should be able to get a PSA for less then $400 if you are willing to shop the deals. I don't know about your area but in atlanta there is at least 1 stocking dealer I know of who basically charges the same price as the website for their stuff. Plus they do not charge for transfers

Since you are buying an AR which I'm guessing will not be used much then don't discount getting a S&W MP15. It's normally a sub-$500 gun and is a good consumer grade rifle

Note though the virus has caused prices to increase on both guns and ammo so an S&W MP15 you could have bought last black friday for less then 400 might cost you 6 today.

Don't forget mags

tbd

 

[Raffy]

I’d also recommend PSA. Theirs seem to be the best bang for the buck right now for original gas impingement AR’s.

If you want even more reliability than the standard gas impingement AR systems, you may want to consider a gas piston AR. These work similarly to the AK and require less cleaning and maintenance than the gas impingement variety. Adams Arms makes a good gas piston upper that works well for me. They can be had for around $600 for the upper, to which you need to add the cost of the lower. I built the lower for mine for less than $200 in parts, some from PSA. They are more expensive but worth it, IMO.

 

[Matt]

At this point it may be more feasible to get a red dot on that 20 guage mossberg and some more slugs. Or even look into a dedicated slug barrel with some higher end hunting ammo. That set up is pretty handy out to 80 to 100 yards. I really don't know if you are going to be able to source enough mags, ammo, ar, etc in this current environment.

In an urban environment like Portland, shots are going to be relatively short.

500 20 Gauge Slug Barrel, Rifle Sights - 24" - Matte Blue (6-Shot)

500 20g Slug Barrel 24"

www.mossberg.com

 

[hoss]

I’d also recommend PSA. Theirs seem to be the best bang for the buck right now for original gas impingement AR’s.

If you want even more reliability than the standard gas impingement AR systems, you may want to consider a gas piston AR. These work similarly to the AK and require less cleaning and maintenance than the gas impingement variety. Adams Arms makes a good gas piston upper that works well for me. They can be had for around $600 for the upper, to which you need to add the cost of the lower. I built the lower for mine for less than $200 in parts, some from PSA. They are more expensive but worth it, IMO.

Piston ARs tend to be a bit nose-heavy to me. Something to think about for those getting older. Personally, I think they provide a solution to a non-existent problem. YMMV.

 

[Luddite]

Whatever you buy, find a way to practice. Paid training is best. Mag changes. Over and over and over. In the dark. Put your strong hand in your pocket and use only your weak hand. Figure it out.

 

[desert_fox]

Just a thought: have you looked at AR pistol carbines? 9mm is way cheaper than 223 to feed a beast.

Not sure if you could get one in 38/357 mag then only have to stock one type of ammo.

 

[TCPatriot]

If you stick with PSA or Ruger you should get a good serviceable carbine. The heart of the AR is the BCG. I would trust both PSA and Rugger to have good bolt carriers. I have 3 PSA bolt carriers and they have all functioned without any problems.

 

[SmithJ]

Frankly, given your location, you would probably be better served with a good quality semi automatic pistol than is easily concealable and quickly reloadable, such as a glock 43, glock 43x or Kahr k9.

 

[Dennis Olson]

Glock sucks donkey dick.

 

[SmithJ]

Glock sucks donkey dick.

Then S&W shield, if you think it’s hip to hate glocks.

The point is, get a major brand sub compact 9mm or 40 s&w, take it to the range and test it. You’ll (Doug) be far better served with it (and a couple extra mags) than with a with an AR. Now if you want both, thats another thing. The revolver you have is fine, but it really would be a major step up to have a quicker reload capacity

 

[Doc1]

Consider an AR pistol. Has several advantages.

The only possible advantage an AR pistol could have is concealability. Every other aspect of them is a disadvantage. They live in the "neither fish nor fowl" nether region between pistols and carbines, without the advantages of either.

If you want a pistol, get a pistol. If you want a rifle/carbine, get that.

Best
Doc

 

[CaryC]

You do realize that the ruger I linked to is $640 free shipping.

And have been highly rated. I also think it is made in the USA ? If there are any problems Ruger's Customer service is also excellent. It's one I would have no problems picking off the rack, at all.

 

[Dennis Olson]

The only possible advantage an AR pistol could have is concealability. Every other aspect of them is a disadvantage. They live in the "neither fish nor fowl" nether region between pistols and carbines, without the advantages of either.

If you want a pistol, get a pistol. If you want a rifle/carbine, get that.

Best
Doc

Which is why I’m waiting with bated breath for the JAKL....

 

[Grock]

The only possible advantage an AR pistol could have is concealability. Every other aspect of them is a disadvantage. They live in the "neither fish nor fowl" nether region between pistols and carbines, without the advantages of either.

If you want a pistol, get a pistol. If you want a rifle/carbine, get that.

Best
Doc

Actually, they are extremely handy in CQB environments, homes and vehicles. They contain a high capacity of rounds, in powerful centerfire rifle calibers, and are accurate and potent self defense tools. They are very maneuverable, even compared to a carbine, and with a good aimpoint are hard to beat.
We used them at work long before their current popularity, though then we called them SBRs. But with the “brace” that is basically what they’re selling these days. Street legal SBRs.
Dont be so quick to dis them unless you’ve spent some time working in the CQB environment.

 

[CaryC]

As for scopes/optics/red dot's. Everybody has their fav's, which is cool, no problem. Meaning you'll get a bunch of different answers.

I like the 3X scope. Don't have to worry about batteries, use to using a scope, and mentally compensating for drop, has a very wide field of view, which is good for quick acquisition, etc...

If you've got some time on your hands you might want to marathon the Seal Team series, think its in season 3 now. For the purpose of seeing what they carry. The team carries a variety of configurations, and weapons. Very cool. One configuration is having the weapon scoped, with in one case Eotech side mounted, and in another a red laser.

In one episode Ray was using a .338 for long range sniper fire, from one country, into another country, which was a bolt action. And the spotter was using some kind of contraption I'd never seen before. In the lead up to the shot they were saying it was 3000 meters.

I'd recommend doing some research on what you think you would like, read comments, reliability, etc.

BTW Sig is making scopes now that aren't to expensive, and with the reputation of Sig, would think them not a bad buy.

 

[Tex88]

I bought a complete "kit" from PSA, and the reason it's in quotation marks is because all the assembly required was to click the upper and the lower together. $350. Left enough money over to deck all out in Magpul FDE furniture:

 

[20Gauge]

So far this year Doomer Doug has bought both a Rockland Armory Snub nosed 38 Special, as well as Mr. Mossberg in a 20 gauge slug and buckshot style for any Antifa Types that want to kick my door in, which some drunk actually did to the Apartment Lobby Door New Year's Day. It is on my cell phone, but as usual can't figure out how to post it here on either my computer or timebomb.

At any rate, any suggestions on which AR-15 to buy. I did train on the M-16 A2 back in August of 1973 during Basic at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. I also live fired it multiple times to zero it, shoot for qualifications etc. However, I have not fired an M-16 since the 1970's and the last time I fired a rifle was a Ruger 10/22 on September 10th, yes September 10th 2001. Yep, the evening before 9-11 happened.

I have checked into the PSA brand, which is in the $500 to $600 range, and I have seen some, like the Daniels in the $1500 range. Hmm, well since I have concluded Civil War Two, or a Chinese invasion could happen as early as July 4th, I need to move on this, especially since I have the money for it due to the estate settlement of my Dad. I also have a whole bunch of youtube AR-15 videos I downloaded a year or two ago, before they started taking them all down I hear, plus I easily fired 3,000 rounds during my Army days.

One suggestion!

If your eyes are getting a bit older and you feel you may need to get a scope or red dot, then get an upper that does not have the traditional A frame front sight. It just makes things easier. Ask me how I know. It still works, but is just easier without.

 

[20Gauge]

... as a recovered Colt snob, PSA pistol or rifle per your AO, KISS principle..Always!
Save your $$ for ammo, mags, optics, training!

Agreed!

But be prepared to change a few things as you become adjusted to the rifle.

 

[20Gauge]

I bought a complete "kit" from PSA, and the reason it's in quotation marks is because all the assembly required was to click the upper and the lower together. $350. Left enough money over to deck all out in Magpul FDE furniture:

You got the lego version. Congrats!!

 

[Shooter]

last year I bought 9 PSA kits, 5 pistol and 4 rifle AR-15,s i just had to put them together, 4 and 4 are for my grandkids, each got a AR rifle, 16 inch barrle and a AR pistol, 10 1/2 inch barrel, and 1 AR pistol for me,

there already built rifles are really good. all the parts I have used have worked out great,

Go to the PSA site, they have a list of dealers who will accept shipments for customers, you can find one local and have it shipped to them,

 

[CaryC]

last year I bought 9 PSA kits, 5 pistol and 4 rifle AR-15,s i just had to put them together, 4 and 4 are for my grandkids, each got a AR rifle, 16 inch barrle and a AR pistol, 10 1/2 inch barrel, and 1 AR pistol for me,

there already built rifles are really good. all the parts I have used have worked out great,

Go to the PSA site, they have a list of dealers who will accept shipments for customers, you can find one local and have it shipped to them,

And if you have a local gun dealer you like have it shipped to them, they will change a little for the transaction, like 20.00. I'd just check with them first about the transaction.