AR 15 plausible with a minimum wage income?

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CoyoteSix

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Hello folks. I'm gonna need some wisdom today. :eek:

I don't have a modern fighting rifle. I have a Yugo M59/66 and a MN 91/30 as fighting rifles.

Do I need one? no, do I want one? YES :D

I'm a young'n on minimum wag, full time student. But because I'm living with family I'm not paying a ton of bills and just helping out the homestead. (I'll move out some time after I turn 21 and get sworn onto a Dept. and/or the economy levels out)

Basically I want an AR15, I'm fine with buying an upper and lower seperate to save money. I am NOT Okay with assembling a stripper lower.

I'm on a budget. I just need to be able to mount a 3x9 scope, hopefully run Wolf/Tula with alot of cleaning and lubrication, and I would like a full stock and 20" barrel. The last one isn't totally nessecary. first two are.

THANKS!
 
How can anybody else say if you can afford one? A better question is "what is the cheapest i can get an AR for"? The rest is up to you. Bargain basement prices i've seen are at about $600 but not for a 20". Maybe look for used?
 
I could never afford to shoot an AR15 on minimum wage.

Thats just me personally, but shooting guns is not a poor mans game.
 
You have to spend way more to do better than a M&P sport that can be bought for right around 600 dollars. Our LGS has one for 595 and that the same price I paid 6 months ago.
 
My girlfriend and I built matching AR-15's (consecutive serial numbers... cute eh?)
Mine was
100 for a stripped lower from a private sale
86 (shipped) for a PSA LPK + 6pos stock from PSA's labor day sale.
= 186 for lower half.
Nations gun show, Del-ton 16" middy upper (EXACTLY what I was looking for) WITH bcg, 329. I was floored. They had like 10 in stock at thet price too.

I already had a carry handle, so 329 for the upper half.

329+186= $515 for a 16" AR-15 carbine.

Now I just have to break it in.

To feed it I reload 223 at around 15c a round.
A 22LR conversion kit will be the best thing you can EVER buy.
 
I'm a full time student with little income. I have a mostly BCM AR-15, not exactly budget. I don't shoot it often, except when I find good deals on ammo and have some spare change.

If you don't require (or want) full mil-spec attributes in the rifle, something like a DPMS or M&P Sport (no dust cover or shell deflector iirc) will do just fine. You can also pick them up at Walmarts now (depends on store and state).

If you are really tight on budget then just buy the lower, later on buy an upper, buy ammo as you find good prices.
 
I am NOT Okay with assembling a stripper lower.
Click to expand...

Why the heck not? it's very easy, and it's not like your time is worth a lot of money.
 
dom1104 said:
I could never afford to shoot an AR15 on minimum wage.

Thats just me personally, but shooting guns is not a poor mans game.
Click to expand...
This is significant.

If the affording of the basic tool is potentially problematic, imagine how you might feel if after jumping through hoops to get one you just end up letting it go for lack of use due to excess expense in ammunition or lack of satisfaction due to the performance of the ammunition that you can afford?

On the other hand - good ARs will probably never be less expensive than they are right now and are always in the anti-gunners sights so maybe popping for one and salting it away whether you use it or not is a good idea.

If you do get one - take care with your hard earned money and save to get a complete firearm from a good manufacturer with a warranty. Should you get in a bind and need to sell it it'll be easier than with a "mutt" gun.
 
Best way to get into the AR game on the cheap is the S&W M&P Sport. They look a little funny without the dust cover or forward assist, but for $600, you can't beat 'em. And if you later decided you just have to have those two things, it's not like you can't plop on a new upper.
 
Why don't you want to build your lower? Its really easy to do-following online instructions

Then buy the parts as funds allow-sooner or later you'll have a complete rifle exactly how you wanted it to be.
 
Back when I was in a situation similar to yours, I was making about $10/hr. I bought a WASR-10 AK variant for $400 and once a month I would put about 500rounds through it but ammo was half the price back then. What I should have done was bought half as much ammo and only gone shooting every other month. It is a always a good idea to have at least 6 months worth of "bill" money saved up before spending money on "fun". You never know when your employer might decide they dont need so many employees.
 
We'll, you're asking for wisdom so here's my 2 cents. Shoot a 22 rifle. You can get a 10/22 or Marlin for less than $200 and the ammo is cheap. At your age and economic situation you should be saving as much money as possible. Forget about your "wants" and you will be thankful when you turn 30, which will sneak up on you much faster than you think. As far as "fighting rifles" go, well, if you can't do it with a 22 rifle, then you probably can't do it anyway.
 
In all honesty the Yugo SKS you already own will do 99% of what an AR will do.

Graduate school, get on with a department (Boise PD, Idaho State Police, etc), and buy yourself an AR to celebrate. That is better than buying/assembling one now and not being able to afford shooting and enjoying it.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
Save your money. I didn't shoot for the duration of my college career. There are worse things.
 
@ Teachu2

Actually I was really considering this! (the s&w mp .22) Would you say its better than buying a .22lr bolt conversion or dedicated upper?


Also, I've got 6 months of my bills covered. I just don't know if I want to leave it in the bank, keep it in a safe with some cash, or do half and half.

I have 2 .22 rifles, and a .22 pistol for marksmanship fundamentals as well.
 
My thought is hold off until you can get what you want. You will be happier over the long run, it won't be such a sacrifice, and as you say, you don't need one.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
 
Get a nice .22LR (if you don't have one). It will always probably be the gun you shoot the most even if you can afford more...because they are just so darned much fun. Plus, in today's world, a person such as yourself may have other firearms needs that might be more pressing. Again, I don't know what you've got but were it me, I'd want the the most effective self defense/home defense weapon at my disposal...which is going to be some sort of handgun or a shotgun. Either can be had for a lot less than an AR-15.
 
I am not a huge fan of the CMMG conversion kit I have. It is the baseline model though, so it doesn't lock the bolt back on the last shot, etc. It is also really inaccurate, at least in my guns. I haven't bench tested it or anything but even casual range use, if I am shooting at 25 yards it seems like the groups double in size. I would opt for a dedicated upper.
 
Kit building a Del-ton A2 middy on a stripped lower would be the lowest cost way to go (wonder how I know this?)

PSA had stripped lowers on sale this past weekend for $50

Feeding it after you build it is another issue entirely.
 
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