I am in the market for another weapon. Based on my budget I can buy a less expensive Ar and an M1 Garand OR a higher end AR. Regardless what AR I buy I am looking for a basic Ar15a2 type unit. No collapsible stock, maybe a removable handle, but no buzzers and bells. The question is a high end say Colt AR a better decision than two guns. I don't compete, but I like to shoot fairly regular. I can not hunt with either in the state of PA (no autos) so that is out. Any suggestions?
There are a few threads on building your own right now. I'm getting ready to buy a couple of stripped lowers. For the price of a cheap AR, you can build a mid-high end AR. For the price of a mid grade AR, you can build one that is stupid accurate. http://www.firearmstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5287 http://www.firearmstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5843 Dillinger is in the process of building an interesting AR and is making a lot of interesting discoveries along the way. Also, balloo93, from JF has built 5 or 6 ARs from the ground up.
Damn you Matt!! Now I feel like I have no choice but to grab a Garand and start buying AR parts. I'll buy my parts with the father-in-law's 'smith discounts when I can. Building an AR from nothing would make the weapon MINE and I really like the idea. The budget is one thing that concerns me. Have an idea what it might cost for a good piecemeal build like Dillinger is doing? Time will certainly loosen the money but I don't want to wait forever. Dillinger, hurry up and finish that thread, my checkbook is getting itchy!!
Well, here I am.... LOL So far I have less than $280 in mine and I am about halfway through building my own lower. Today I ordered up a RRA NM 2 Stage Trigger, which is really about the best damn trigger out there for a drop in AR part. That was $99 shipped to the door. Pictures on that by the end of the next weekend. As for buying a done up Colt AR - That is a lot of coin to drop. I would say, for that price, I could probably build you 1 and a half, maybe two full AR's that didn't have the Colt name ( or the Colt mating problems with aftermarket parts ) for the same price. There has been this BS mystique for awhile now that you NEED to drop large coin to get a "good" AR. I believed it too, until I really started looking into how easy it is to build an AR , and what the parts cost. Nevermind the upper, put that out of your mind for a moment, the lower is only a couple of pins, a couple of springs and a couple of detents to hold things in place. I can train a chimpanzee to assemble an AR lower that is the famous "mil-spec" criteria ( because you buy and use Mil-Spec parts ) in an afternoon. Once you have a complete lower, you can buy ANY built upper, if you are so inclined, and match them up with a couple of tricks to have a very functional, very well built machine that will put rounds down range all day long. Now, if you want National Match type of performance, yeah, you need to spend a little more money. But, you can buy a standard rifle, change a few parts out, and get some great accuracy without having to take out a second mortage. Take a look at some of the AR parts kits at Brownell's and MidwayUSA. Then look and see what you can get a stripped upper and lower receiver for. You might surprised at how much over inflated the "finished" AR market really is.... JD
A "good AR" will set you back less than a grand, about $750-800 new. It will shoot well (one minute groups) and work reliably. You can build one for a bit less. A Remington 74,740,7400 will do what a Garand does for less. 10 round detachable mags easily as accurate or better. Available used, all over the place, for less than $500. Easily scoped, if that is your cup of tea.
The only "down" side (i'm kidding) to building your own ar is that you can't stop at just one. I picked up three double star lowers two months ago and need three more now. The problem for me is that as i'm building the current one i'm thinking about the next one, i mean if their making dime size groups, shouldn't they be all clover leaves? And to do that i need to ..... guess theres worst things i could be doing. blue
You mean you don't already have a Garand????? It's a piece of history as well as a weapon. Also good as a club. You wouldn't want to smash someone in the face with an AR. The M1 was made for face smashing! And poking with a sharp bayo too. Get a nice, long 16" sticker for it and the goblins would run away at the sight of it. The CMP has 'em. They're the real thing. They're priced right. Heck, buy two. (insert Patton quote here)
Posted some updated information in the End the AR BS Thread. If you are interested in building one, give it a look and see what you think... JD
Update: Talked to the Father-in-law tonight about the M1. He said, "Don't bother, I have three if you want to shoot one, I'll get you one of mine, and in time, one will be yours. Save your money for other guns." He was however keen on the AR idea. We didn't go into many specifics, as he is not that familiar with the piece. We talked about using the M1 as a shooter, a paper buster. His advice was to buy a ragged out Rem 700, add one of his pulled barrels (pulled to build competition guns), and put together an inexpensive very accurate piece. My only thing was that I want a common, cheap as possible round, say .223, .308, and I might even go for a '06. I need practice to be a good shot, and I'm not loaded, so the price-per-squeeze is an issue. So, is a 'junkyard 700' a good option based on my position?
If it's well put together, and you can get something like a .223/.308, you should be fine for practice shooting til the cows come home. Both are plentiful, and I would imagine your Father In Law has plenty of old factory barrels, so he should be able to find you one that was nearly new. There is nothing wrong with having a good bolt gun in the safe. While I have my differences with the 700 design, parts are plentiful, as are the actions themselves, and there is no reason your Father in Law shouldn't be able to piece meal one together for you that would be fun and enjoyable to practice with. JD
No Such thing as a JUNK YARD REM 700 Remington 700 actions and bolts are always sought after items.A Remington 700 short action seems to bring the most money. Good luck on finding anything for less than $350.You can buy a Brand new Remington 700 PSS for $700 to $800 and they are generally tack drivers right out of the box.Good luck though. Sounds like you are looking in the right direction at least.
