I was thinking about getting one and was just getting preliminary info. The mods and extras seem to run the gamut.
So here is my criteria. Rough budget $1,000. Please feel free to add suggestions, future add ons, must have features now(things you buy with the gun that cannot be easily added afterwards) or later , what works,what does'nt.
Would also be interested in upkeep cost, ammo cost-availability, ease of use. Explanation of gas vs. piston. Web info. Reliability.
Since you appear to have plenty of 'toy' money you can get whatever you want. Your stated budget of 1K will buy a lot now. Someone on this forum can prob build you a good one at a good deal. or you could buy the parts and build your own with the help of a knowledgeable friend or member of a local gun club.
I got my AK a while back because it was just a little over 1/2 the price of an AR during the panic buying. Still waiting to being able to afford an AR.
I ended up with a Bushmaster Patrolman Carbine M4A3. 5.56 , 1/9 twist, chrome lined barrel, $1,050 out the door. Will go out and shoot it this week with luck. Thanks to all for the info.
Right now Grant at G&R Tactical has Colt 6920's for $980 if you email for that price. $1,050 for any Bushmaster is a bit much... I'm sure it'll be fine, but you could have purchased a better gun for less money.
If you want something larger take a look at the AR-10. It's the Ar-15 big brother using a .308 round. Longer range and is a more formidable round than the .223. Also more expensive ammo but very accurate at long distance.
I own several AR and AK rifles and have been shooting both platforms for 25 plus years....if forced to leave the house with only one rifle.......it would be an AK.
Just curious, why would you pick the Ak? If you had to "leave the house" the ammo for the AR-15 is much lighter to carry allowing you to carry more of it.
Also the AR platform is far superior in accuracy to the AK. If, for example, you needed to hunt with the rifle the AR would be the better tool.
Aw, I'm too late. I was going to be divergent and say Robinson Arms XCR; the combo M-16, AK-47, and FAL, available in light and heavy barrels, convertible for 5.56, 6.8, and 7.62.
I shoot lefty and simply don't enjoy the control placement on the standard issue M-16/4. XCR is ambidestrous friendly and very fast to pick up. The AR platform seems to have several people more interested in ambidextrous controls so I may give them another chance if I ever buld my own. Or give Troy a couple hundred dollars for all their add ons...
Just saw a Rock River AR-15 with a 1:9 twist and chrome barrel with A1 handguards and stock for 650 at the LGS, if its still there next week its coming home with me
My vote is for an AR platform, probably the M4 variant and definitely the newer PISTON version, instead of the old gas tube we all (well, us OLDER folks) grew up with. As long as you buy American and not a knock-off from a small manufacturer, you can't really go wrong. I have two: One older Oly and a newer RRA. Love them both. 5.56mm is the way to go -- for all the reasons stated in this thread but for me, most notably for availability EVERYWHERE. Now that I have my main battle array in the AR's and my long rifle capability in my sniper tuned M1A, I'm looking for some specialty items from Kel-Tec:
Now looking at these: Kel Tec CNC With the Beretta M92 mag option (Kel Tec Sub 2000 Review - YouTube) Next week, the gun show is in town and I have already called my favorite supplier (Shoot Straight Florida) to see if they'll bring one along to the show for me. I can't seem to find it anywhere else.
Respectfully disagree. The Mini-14 is notoriously fickle when it comes to feeding certain types of rounds. Use a soft lead tip instead of FMJ and you'll get jams out the wazoo. Not something you want to trust your life to in a pinch if your rifle is ammo sensitive.
If its under $500 then your probably looking at an AK
Under $1,000 then you are looking at a DI AR
Under $1,500 Sig 556, MSAR, piston AR
Under $2,000 M1A, higher end AR
Under $3,000 SCAR, high end AR
As far as ammo, it depends on the situation. I'm too old to be humping around the country. I will probably shelter in place or move by vehicle. If you have enough ammo, you don't have to worry about scrounging any.
Yup...getting older myself. Add a wife and two small kids, and defending in place is the order of the day, unless we are forced out. Running around in the woods? Not so much.
As far as ammo goes - most anywhere that sells rifle ammo has .223, .30-30, .30-06, and .308. 7.62 x 39 is getting more common. 5.45 is not, as far as I can see locally. Of course, you don't necessarily need a ton of ammo - just enough to get the BG and take HIS gun and ammo.
As far as resupply from gubment sources - do yourself a favor, and volunteer with your local police or sheriff auxiliary. It never hurts to have an official good guy ID - especially in a SHTF scenario. I think I could easily get some "spare" ammo from my local PD...but that only helps if you are using common NATO calibers.
The Mini 14 bashing goes on...I wonder how many of the bashers have actual first hand experience with the Mini 14, especially the newer ones. Mine has digested everything I've fed it, though I do not use the cheap steel Russian ammo.
Agreed again although not on the Mini-14 and I do have quite a bit of experience with them. But each to his own. I also love your citing the tried and true insurgent doctrine of TRADE UP. If you have a knife you can GET a handgun. If you have a handgun you can GET an M4. If you have an M4 you can get as many others as you need or you can expand upward to LMGs, mortars, tanks, APCs the sky is the limit as long as you have the will to execute.
@ ExSoldier - Thanks for the kind comment. However, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that "trading up" only works if you are trained in other weapons...picking up a weapon from a fallen BG is no good if you don't know how to use or maintain it.
Wonder if your experience with the Mini is with an older one, or the newer ones with the tapered barrels? Just curious.
Just wanted to throw this out there. I bought a gun already. I get it, you do not like my Bushmaster. Please stop PM me with paid too much or crap gun or just don't like it.
I got what I got and I like it! Still have yet to shoot it. Waiting for an otis cleaning kit to arrive.
Thanks to the many people who Pm'd with helpful advice. They did not pick the brand, I did. They just gave me info. 229 was most helpful.
Some things I have learned. Ar =$14,ooo. OK I meant military style gun. That part I DID need to be educated on. .223 is not 5.56! Good to know. Iron sights rule. Having this is really fun! Best part......you can actually get 5.56 ammo(what the military uses) in varmint form! Really an AR for vermin???
My point is this. Thank you for the replies.
Just wanted to throw this out there. I bought a gun already. I get it, you do not like my Bushmaster. Please stop PM me with paid too much or crap gun or just don't like it.
I got what I got and I like it! Still have yet to shoot it. Waiting for an otis cleaning kit to arrive.
T
Borglyn, I have a few thoughts for you regarding your Bushmaster.
Most AR's operate on a DI (Direct Impingement) gas system. In short, this method of operation cycles gasses back in to the receiver to cycle the bolt. Consequently, the action of DI AR's can and does get a little dirty after shooting a bit. Just being mindful of proper maintenance will have your AR running like a top. AR's don't run their best "dry"....they need a nice coating of good oil in the upper receiver components to cycle smoothly and reliably.....and that's very easy to both accomplish and also to overlook.
AR's are quite easy to maintain, pop the 2 pins connecting the upper and lower halves, remove the bolt/carrier group and simply clean out the carbon build-up. Taking a few runs with solvent soaked patches through the chamber end, through the barrel 1st, then a bore snake run through the action end, towards the muzzle with a light coating of oil is all you'll need to do. The bolt carrier group can and should be disassembled and cleaned occasionally as well (see video link below).
Since everyone on the planet now produces some variation of an AR, it's good to know what parts are prone to weakness/breakage/inferiority. Knowing this can greatly aid in running a very reliable gun. In an AR, the bolt carrier group is the epicenter of reliability in that gun platform. Some companies make good ones, others not so much. The good news is that having a spare BCG as a part of your kit is like having a spare tire in your trunk. You wont need it much, but when/if you do, you have a small, drop-in part, that will get your gun back up and running immediately.
I would strongly suggest picking up a complete spare bolt carrier group (BCG) from a reputable quality source such as BCM (BCM Bolt Carrier Group MPI Auto M16 ) or from Daniel Defense ( http://danieldefense.com/components-parts/complete-bolt-carrier-group.html ). Both of these companies make absolutely the finest AR's and AR parts available anywhere. Buy from either with 100% confidence. AR parts are largely universally interchangeable from most any maker....might as well get the high reliability stuff, if not the rifle itself, from those that address the details extremely well.
This is probably the single most important spare parts set you could have in your kit to make sure your gun stays in good working order.
The lower receiver group is made up of small parts such as pins, springs, trigger and so on. Many AR owners also keep a spare lower parts kit (LPK) on hand as well.
Beyond those two things, you're good to go. AR's are a fantastic and highly adaptable/customizable platform that allow the use to very easily modify their guns in a number of ways that require no need what so ever for gunsmithing. Most add-on's or alterations are typically extremely easy, even for the beginner, to apply themselves....and this flexibility in the platform makes the AR unlike almost any other weapon system, in a good way.
I own two Mini 14's... Also a colt AR-Hbar. My experience is the Mini 14 function with all kinds of ammo in most any condition. I've never had a stopage with either gun. However the colt tends to malfunction when it get too warm. I've had it to several gun smiths who blamed various issues. The Mini's seem to work just fine. Even with soft point ammo. My buddy has an AC556... No complaints there either.
I also recommend to check out the CZ 858 assault rifle. It has a very similar design to the AK-47 but has a completely different internal design with a short-stroke gas piston, the caliber is 7.62 x 39mm, the barrel is 19" long, it weighs 7.32 lbs, trigger pull is 5.5 lbs, magazine capacity is 30 rounds, stock is wooden or folding (depending on model), there are two models (Tactical Sporter and Military Sporter) and it usually comes with 4 spare magazines, a bayonet, a magazine pouch, scabbard and the usual other accessories. It is a great high quality and inexpensive alternative for an assault rifle. You can get one at GunBroker.com for $550 - $750 depending on the model and the accessories it comes with.
I just switched from the AR to a Saiga in .308. 308 is readily available, any large animal hunting it could handle, its extremely reliable.
I got tired of babying the AR. I expect in true shtf you wont have time to baby it even if you need to. Id rather have the option to baby it but know if it cant be babyed, it will still do its job.
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