HavocMan

Exactly correct. I'll throw this into the discussion ... For someone new to guns in general, I'd recommend buying a complete gun. This way, if something goes wrong you have a warranty and some recourse. Snapping a gun together is certainly fun and a great learning experience. The AR system is simple too. On the other hand, there's no warranty on a malfunctioning parts gun. Getting something like that to run could be frustrating for a newby. Just something to consider gang.

My experience and that of HE demonstrate that 'older' Bushmasters are not 'OK'. I bought my XM15 about 20 years ago. I'd bet HE did as well. If everything on my gun broke all at once I would have sent it back to Bushy and asked "WTF guys"? That's not how it went. The parts breakage occurred over time. Each time something broke, I figured "OK, this has to be IT for this gun, right? What else can go wrong?" Getting the thing to run reliably became a challenge and a learning experience. When I decided I wanted a few more guns I DID buy something else! Thank God for the intarwebz and LIGHTFIGHTER.net, lol!! First I bought a complete lower from Bravo Company Manufacturing. That gun got a BCM BFH 14.5" middy upper with a pinned BattleComp 1.5 and a LaRue handguard. Later, for the other 2 guns, I decided I wanted to snap my own lowers together. I bought Spikes lowers because BCM does not sell stripped lowers. The parts in those two lowers are from BCM, except the FCG's. All of my guns have Geissele SD3G's in them. Upper #3 - on my first Spikes lower - is also from BCM. It's a Lightweight 14.5" BFH middy with a pinned BattleComp 1.5 and a PRI carbon fiber handguard (sorry HE, lol). The fourth upper will be from BCM too - as soon as they get their KeyMod stuff out. This will be a 18" SS410 barreled upper. That old Bushy gun will likely get a completely new upper this summer. I'm looking forward to BCM's Enhanced Lightweight barrels in combination with their KeyMod handguard. Yes, I want to have the ability to accurately run heavy bullets through all of my guns. The 1/9 twist is not optimal. The point is, I learned my lesson. AR's are not all the same. I no longer shop for "the cheapest" or "pretty decent" stuff. I look for top quality parts and then look for a good deal on those parts from sellers with great reps. My life is worth it.

It is pretty straight forward. There are three tricky/important steps... 1) The bolt catch roll pin 2) The trigger guard roll pin 3) Staking the receiver extension's castle nut if you choose to go with a collapsible stock (pinned for NJ compliance).

As board member High Exposure mentioned, and as I agreed in post #46, I'd go with either a BCM midlength or a S&W M&P. I own 1 complete BCM gun and 1 BCM upper/Spikes lower hybrid gun. I'm also working on a second BCM/Spikes hybrid now. I'm waiting on a KeyMod upper for that gun. I also have one Bushmaster. I bought my Bushmaster first - from Navy Arms! - years ago, before I had a clue. Now, nearly every part on that gun has been replaced. The only Bushmaster parts still on that gun are the upper and lower forgings and the ejection port cover. Nearly everything hanging on them has been replaced, many because the original Bushy parts failed or were simply not up to specification. The bolt was replaced because it cracked at the cam pin hole, a common Bushy failure. The gas key bolts were not staked. They eventually worked loose. Another common problem with Bushy guns. I re-torqued them and staked them myself, but that carrier is now just a spare. The 1/9 barrel was replaced with a 1/7 barrel. The fire control group was replaced when the disconnector broke. The spring that keeps tension on the bolt catch broke somehow, allowing the catch to just flop around. The receiver extension, buffer and spring were all replaced with mil spec parts from BCM. In fact, all of the replacement parts came from BCM. Sooooo, the Bushy now runs as well as my BCM guns, lol.... I'll never buy another Bushy ... or a Windham. Fit and finish? Reliability is more important, especially for a SHTF/first AR like the OP is looking for.

Absolutely correct. You guys talking about Windham ... you realize this is the same outfit that used to build Bushmaster guns, right? Did they change anything besides the rollmark on the mag well?

http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/fm3_22x9c1.pdf

Yep - I already switched out the Ruger front sight for an aftermarket fiber optic blade. That was a great help. I'm interested in adding some type of an optic on the rail next. Anyone using anything like a Trijicon RMR or a Reflex?

I've got a 22/45 LITE with all of the Volquartsen stuff in it. It's an accurate, fun little gun. Right now I'm just using the irons though. Some type of an optic is next for it. I'd be interested in hearing what other folks are using.....

These are the same things I plan for. I work at one of the large power plants that butt up against the Turnpike in the Elizabeth/Linden/Newark area. Some of the power plants are mixed in with the refineries and storage tank facilities. The entire region is barely above sea level. The salt water tide that Sandy brought in wrecked so much equipment. It was a real eye opener to see how vulnerable the plants are. The plant I work at is nearly back to 100%, but we are still working out little kinks here and there. We're in good shape actually. Believe it or not, some of the PSE&G plants are still struggling with recovery efforts, more than a year after the storm. In addition, we commonly get alerts from Homeland Security and the FBI to BOLO for suspicious activity. The concern is that a scummer will stop his vehicle on the Turnpike shoulder, hop out with an RPG and take a few shots at one of the power plants or refineries...easy-peezy instant disaster. Also, many of the facilities are in Newark International's flight path, so that has also been a concern. The thought is that someone will stop on the Turnpike and shoot down a jet, causing it to crash into either a power plant, a refinery or a tank field...or hijack a jet on approach and kamikaze it into one of the facilities. I live near a river, so water is not a real concern. I picked up a filtration & purification system from REI. It's something a camper or hiker would use. In addition, have a number of full Jerry Cans set aside already. I've got plenty of dry and canned food set aside too - enough to last a month or so. If things go beyond that (I doubt it ever would) my families plan is to head to our place up in New Hampshire. Hopefully the bridges are still in place, lol...

I use paper plates when shooting at 100 yds or less. I add a ~2" bulls eye in the center with a big fat sharpie. Over 100 yds I use NRA bulls eye targets.

hmmm...I wonder which rifle Custer and his guys would have chosen? Given the opportunity to upgrade, does anyone think the Continental Army would have chosen a lever gun over an AR? Out of curiosity, do any of you lever gun guys actually own any AR pattern rifles?

Straight trucks, 18 wheelers, construction vehicles, buses and any vehicle towing any type of trailer should be restricted to the right hand lane. They should only be allowed out of the right lane if the right lane becomes impassable or closed for some reason (weather/collision/construction). Slow or heavy traffic would not be an excuse for deviating from the right lane. IIRC, the Autobahn has a rule similar to this. Having driven there a bit, keeping the big vehicles to the right does wonders for traffic flow. For what it's worth, one of the primary ideas behind the US interstate system was to assist the US military with troop and supply movements. President Eisenhower saw how effective the Autobahn was during WWII when he was the ETO's Supreme Commander. When he became President, he really got behind the US developing and building a similar system.

To start with, stick with the mil spec trigger that comes with most parts kits.

AR, without question. My Winchester's are range toys. My AR's are tools.

OK, that looks like a real blast. I want to get involved. What's the best way to go about getting into it? I have the guns ... need holsters, mag carriers and a belt though. Bladetech stuff gtg? What other gear is required/recommended? Beyond the gear, what's next?

Yeah, c'mon man ... which store? What does the chucklehead look like?

Franziskaner weissbier ... so now I don't have to eat any bread!

The only "Assault Weapon" feature is the flash suppressor.

I worked retail for years and I never got the whole Black Friday thing. It's an advertising racket. Guess what folks - you're not getting any special deals. The retailers are just offering the "B" price right off the bat ... perhaps the "C" price ... maybe - MAYBE - the sheet price for cheap junk, which they advertise just to get you in the door. You can get these prices any other day of the year if you're a halfway decent shopper/negotiator. Stay home with your families and friends.

Bugsy, please check your PM's.

The only reason to worry about cleaning all the carbon out of an AR is if you're dealing with an OCD afflicted Drill Instructor or armorer, lol. Otherwise, forget it. Wipe it down with some SLiP 2000 and move on.

I'm interested. OK to bring a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol? What type of shotgun ammo do we need?

I've got another question for everyone... When you do get out to the range, how many rounds do you go through? With rifles, I usually go through 200~400 rounds. Handguns, about 100~200 if it's 9mm or a .45ACP. If it's a .44Mag or a .45 Colt, maybe 100 or so. During this past summer I bought my first .22 pistol. I haven't fired it yet, so it'll be interesting to see how much ammo I feel like going through. Also, I must confess to not owning a shotgun right now, but that will soon change. This year I've only been to the range 3-4 times. I decided to spend my ammo funds differently over the last 8~10 months. Instead of buying a lot of ammo (I already had a pretty decent stash), I've been trying to fill my safe. I've been using my ammo budget to augment my firearm budget. I'm sure we all have a "Wish List". Mine is fairly modest. This year I've managed to nearly fulfill mine - I really cut my list down a lot. Going forward, I hope to get back to my usual schedule of hitting the range at least twice a month with rifles and handguns. I'll likely go through a few hundred rounds during each session. If all goes as planned, I'll have a shotgun to add to the mix in a week or two. We'll see how the round count changes... I live about 45 minutes from my usual range.

Hey all, I'm going to move closer to work in order to shorten my commute. I live in Paterson and work in Linden. Right now the commute varies. Sometimes it's a 35 min drive, sometimes it's a 90 min drive (welcome to NJ). Right now I have a pretty decent relationship with the local detective. Handgun P2P's take 8-10 days. Want 3, 4 or 5 P2P's? Need an extension? No problem, just stop by his office. I'm wondering if there are any forum members that live anywhere between Linden and Westfield and/or anywhere between Kenilworth and Metuchen. Specifically, I suppose I'm really looking for a "gun friendly" police department so I can get P2P's and my FID card fixed promptly.

So it's ok to commit treason if you discover another crime? Two wrongs do not make a right. Go check your supply of tin foil