GDITurbo77

So I ended up going with the Vortex Strikefire II/VMX3T Magnifier combo. I got a decent price on it over the Romeo 5/Juliet combo. I guess my next question is, can I leave my MBUS flip-up sights on there as BUIS? Or will they interfere with the mounting of the Magnifier/RDS? I'm not sure how far down the rail you typically mount the optics but I assume you would want it closer to the stock.

Sorry it has a rail on the top and m-lok on the other 3 sides.

I believe the Romeo 5 has the shake to wake feature.

So I picked up some basic MBUS flip up irons when I purchased my rifle so I can shoot it. Now I'm interested in adding an optic and maybe a flashlight. I'm looking at 2 different Red Dots right now. Sig Sauer ROMEO5 1x20mm Red Dot Sight https://www.opticsplanet.com/sig-sauer-romeo5-x-compact-red-dot-sight-1x20mm-2-moa-red-dot-0-5-moa-adj-aaa-m1.html Vortex SPARC AR II 1x22mm 2 MOA Red Dot Sight https://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-sparc-ii-1x-2-moa-red-dot-sight.html I'm also considering adding a magnifier as well so I'm covered both close and medium range. Looking at this one. Vortex VMX-3T Magnifier with Flip Mount https://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-vmx-3t-magnifier-with-flip-mount.html For the light, I was considering a Streamlight. Maybe this... Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount HL-X Long Gun Light https://www.opticsplanet.com/streamlight-protac-railmount-hl-x-1000-lumen-fixed-mount-long-gun-light.html Looking for some constructive criticism about the choices or maybe point me in the right direction. It will be mainly for home defense and range days.

It's a quad rail m-lok handguard. I just ordered a handstop for underneath the handrail from Magpul. It will probably help out a bit.

So I went thru 40 rounds of WWB 5.56 and 20 rounds of PMC .223 and the handguard was getting pretty toasty. Not to the point where it was burning our hands but still very warm to the touch. Is this normal after just 60 rounds? Should I not be putting too many rounds through it at the range? Also, the muzzlebrake at the end of the barrel gets extremely hot. I guess this is understandable, but I was just concerned that I might actually catch my soft case on fire (or at the very least melt the nylon if I put it in the case right away after finishing up. Do I need to be worried about that? I ended up wrapping the barrel in a hand towel to absorb some of the heat when putting it in the case. Sorry for the noob questions.

Picked up a few hundred rounds and 2 extra mags.

My newest addition to the family...

So I went over to Howell Gun Works tonight to see what they had. He took out about 6 AR's for me to hold and look over that were around 1200 or less. This is what my choices were: IWI Zion 15 Sig M400 Tread Stag Arms Tactical 15 AndroCorp AC-15 Colt M4 Carbine Rock Island RRage 15 I didn't care for the Sig because it was the Snakebite version with the FDE furniture. The Andro was the cheapest one and considered an entry-level AR so I passed on that one. The colt was the most expensive of the bunch at around $1300 so I passed on that one too. That left me with the IWI, the Stag and the Rock Island. After much drooling over the 3, I ended up going with the Stag Arms Tactical and bought a set of Magpul MBUS flip up iron sights for it. My plan is eventually to put a red dot on it but I'm not prepared to drop another 250+ on an optic right now. Also picked up 200 rounds of .223 to practice with at the range. NICS should hopefully be back by Saturday so hoping to pick it up by then. Hope I made a wise choice!

Will be harder to find/ship all the parts I need though won't it? Also, do all the parts come with a warranty like I would get if I bought a ready-made?

I gave Howell Gun Works a call this morning. He said they have a dozen or so AR's in stock. Might take a ride to see what he has.

Most likely a range toy. I have 2 9mm's, a .357 revolver and a .45ACP 1911 that I would probably grab first in a home defense situation.

Looking at a few different AR's and having a hard time choosing. It will be my first, and most likely my only, semi-auto rifle. I'm not looking to drop 1500+ but don't mind spending over a grand for higher quality. Right now, it's down to the following rifles: M&P 15 Sport 2 Ruger AR 556 Sig M400 Tread Springfield Saint Victory All of the above are at or below a grand and all are considered lower middle-tier I think. I was also looking at a Troy A4 Other but I've been hearing that there's a push to make the Others illegal so I don't think it's an option anymore. Anyone have the above rifles and can comment in goods and bads? Or suggest any alternate AR's that I'm overlooking?

Ended up getting a Kimber Custom LW Shadow Ghost in .45 ACP. She absolutely loves it!

The Rugers I've seen are all pretty much north of 1k. I'm looking in the 600-800 dollar range.

Hey all. I was looking into getting an 1911 in 45acp for my wife and I to share. She fell in love with the Les Baer 1911that we rented at our range. I recently found one at a LGS in my area for an affordable price, but it appears to be made in Turkey and imported by a company called SDS Imports out of Knoxville, TN. Obviously, the difference in quality between this one and the Les Baer is going to be huge, but I don't have a couple grand to drop on one. I've never used a Turkish firearm before, so I am a little concerned about reliability. Should I just pay more and hold out for a Kimber, Ruger or one of the other big name manufacturers? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

We waited about 10 mins

Think we are going to give it a try in about an hour or so and see what it's like on a crappy Sunday.

We normally go up to Cherry Ridge to shoot since my sister in law and her fiancee are members there. It's about an hour and forty minutes to get there though. We were looking to join a more local range. The last few times we went to Shore Shot in Lakewood, the lines were out the door. We found another range in Lakewood called WeShoot and we decided to check it out. We went tonight (Tuesday) at 5:30pm and there was only 2 people using one lane. They have 12 lanes and it was really clean and mellow. The RSO was super friendly and made the experience a joy. They also had a decent selection of firearms for sale, along with a big selection of rentals. It was a great experience overall so we were happy to purchase a family membership. Can't wait to get back and put some more rounds downrange!

Ahh I didn't know that. Wasn't sure of the differences in the HP ammo.

I have 3 9mm pistols . I was sold a couple of boxes of Sig V-Crown 9mm JHP's for home defense a couple of months back from my LGS. Today, I went to try out a new range to see if I wanted to join. After shooting for about an hour, we decided to become members. I asked about .357 Magnum ammo for my new 686-6+ and he said they only had Hornady Critical Defense rounds for carryout purchase. He then told me that the red tip Hornady's are the only JHP that are legal to use in the state of NJ. This surprised me, since the LGS sold me the other JHP's and never said anything about not being able to use them in a home defense situation. Can someone confirm that the Sig V-Crowns are basically just expensive range ammo?

So I am still a fairly new gun owner and I'm just trying to figure out the stupid gun laws in this state. As long as they are secured and separated from any ammo, I can drive with guns in my car from the FFL to my home, from my home to my business (if I own one), my home to a range or my home to a gunsmith. I can't drive with guns in my car if I am going to my inlaws' house first and then going to their range later in the day or the next day?

It's actually a semi-auto/pump hybrid. You can shoot it in either mode.

I was told my my local FFL where I bought it that this is NJ compliant due to the thumbhole grip.