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ShaggyRS6

Another AR-15 Newbie Thread

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Hi all,  I have read various threads on the site regarding AR-15's, I have been to various stores locally and sought information and I am certain now that I would like to own an AR-15.  Is there a top 5 or 10 manufacturers out there that come recommended that either provide good quality NJ legal kits (not sure if kit is the right word) 

Any direction you could give would be great and I apologize in advance for any dumb questions.

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Hard to beat a Colt 6920 (OEM 1/2 too) as a first AR, or as a base to customize your own. 

Has to be made compliant, but most do anyway. 

Wont be the prettiest girl at the ball, but she will always dance!

 

If you're even the slightest bit handy, you can build your own lower and buy an upper to suit your needs. 

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  Just a thought, by asking for the top names you will get the best, but you'll pay three times the price of a very good long lasting AR. Many still want the best, but I don't see myself going to war anytime soon. Troy makes great high quality uppers, they go on sale at DSG for pretty good prices. Put together a lower, you can use a stripped Anderson, a ALG ACT trigger, and a parts kit from midwestpx.com.  

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Define your use for this rifle. HD, range toy, whatever you plan to use it for. Buy or build accordingly. 

Personally, for a rifle used for HD, I'm sticking to the best quality parts/assembly. Something of a known/proven track record. 

Range toy..something I would not stake my life on...the 'tolerances' get a little looser, if you follow my meaning. 

 

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From my experience Stag Arms has been a good bang for the buck.  (Gun puns are so easy!).  Bought mine around five years ago for $850, have run it through lots of training classes and thousands of rounds, and it's been flawless. And I'm not particularly meticulous  about maintenance.  The thing has been a veritable beast for me. 

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All depends on what your intentions are. If you just going to the local range and hanging a target 25 to 50 yards in front of you or home defense I'd go with something on the cheaper side. Examples would be stag arms, rock river, dpms, S&W M&Ps. Your into those rifles at $800 or less and allows you to spend money elsewhere such as ammo, training, etc. 

If you want something higher end I'd go with Daniel Defense, BCM, POF, something along those lines. Working as an RSO, I've never seen ARs go down to the point where a part swap or just some cleaning can't fix. Just be happy with whatever you buy and realize you can always upgrade it as time goes on. You'll learn more about what you want out of your rifle. I hate to be cliche but they're like barbies for men.  

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1 hour ago, bcarlos said:

All depends on what your intentions are. If you just going to the local range and hanging a target 25 to 50 yards in front of you or home defense I'd go with something on the cheaper side. Examples would be stag arms, rock river, dpms, S&W M&Ps. Your into those rifles at $800 or less and allows you to spend money elsewhere such as ammo, training, etc. 

If you want something higher end I'd go with Daniel Defense, BCM, POF, something along those lines. Working as an RSO, I've never seen ARs go down to the point where a part swap or just some cleaning can't fix. Just be happy with whatever you buy and realize you can always upgrade it as time goes on. You'll learn more about what you want out of your rifle. I hate to be cliche but they're like barbies for men.  

This^^^

 My old DPMS shoots just as good as my buddy's BCM.  

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18 hours ago, Displaced Texan said:

I have 3 Colt 6944's, a 6921, ( all pinned to 16.1" and made NJ compliant), a Colt A4 clone, and a Colt LE901. 

All compliant. All 100% reliable through tens of thousands of rounds. 

Definitely can't go wrong with a Colt!  I was going to get one, but have decided to wait until a get out of NJ so I can get one that hasn't been neutered by our state's oppressive laws.  

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When I move out of this hell hole, I'll convert them to free state configuration. My collapsible stocks can be undone. I may change the muzzle devices, it depends. Don't really care about bayonet lugs. The real big deal to me is collapsible stocks. I fail to understand why pinning a stock makes a damn bit of difference. Moronic laws. 

I already have a bunch of standard capacity mags at the ranch in Texas. 

 

 

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3 hours ago, ShaggyRS6 said:

Sorry for the late reply, I had to goto San Antonio for a day. So the main purpose for the AR is targets. 

Then you will be well served with something like a S&W. A friend of mine has one, seems like a pretty decent rifle for the money. 

San Antonio is a fun city. I hope you enjoyed yourself while you were there. 

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On July 24, 2017 at 1:54 PM, Displaced Texan said:

When I move out of this hell hole, I'll convert them to free state configuration. My collapsible stocks can be undone. I may change the muzzle devices, it depends. Don't really care about bayonet lugs. The real big deal to me is collapsible stocks. I fail to understand why pinning a stock makes a damn bit of difference. Moronic laws. 

I already have a bunch of standard capacity mags at the ranch in Texas. 

 

 

It's the shoulder thingy that goes up!

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On July 22, 2017 at 0:19 PM, ShaggyRS6 said:

Hi all,  I have read various threads on the site regarding AR-15's, I have been to various stores locally and sought information and I am certain now that I would like to own an AR-15.  Is there a top 5 or 10 manufacturers out there that come recommended that either provide good quality NJ legal kits (not sure if kit is the right word) 

Any direction you could give would be great and I apologize in advance for any dumb questions.

I was in the same boat as you. Considering an mp from tanners in pa.

jus bought 2 lowers. YouTube and the guys/gals here are your friend. The problem is sooooo much of a large market .

Hard the separate the chaff from the wey

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8 minutes ago, Zeke said:

I was in the same boat as you. Considering an mp from tanners in pa.

jus bought 2 lowers. YouTube and the guys/gals here are your friend. The problem is sooooo much of a large market .

Hard the separate the chaff from the wey

I don't consider the widely available AR components a 'problem'. Just requires some research on your part to determine what will work best for your particular needs. 

My advice is to either build or buy a basic AR.  Buy mags and ammo. Shoot the crap out of it. Maybe get some training. Then, ask your buddies to try their gear, go to shops and fondle guns and gear before you spend any money on upgrades. 

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2 minutes ago, Displaced Texan said:

My advice is to either build or buy a basic AR.  Buy mags and ammo. Shoot the crap out of it. Maybe get some training. Then, ask your buddies to try their gear, go to shops and fondle guns and gear before you spend any money on upgrades. 

Good point. Make friends at the range and try what other people have/like. Will give you ideas or at least save you time. 

Once you have a better idea what you want I recommend building. At least the lower. It's easy and the best way to understand how the rifle works. 

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A monkey can build a lower. If you are even the least bit handy with tools, I highly recommend it. Like Voyager astutely pointed out, building a lower will get you intimately familiar with how the rifle works. There are a lot of AR guys on this board (myself included) who would be happy to help you any way we can. 

Come to the dark side. We have cookies!

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