~Help with new AR Purchase plz~

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v3n0m

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First off, Hello all! Im new here to the forum and looking for some advice. Im 23 years old and have been shooting pretty much since I was big enough to hold a firearm. The majority of my shooting experience is with hunting rifles and shotguns. Ive always liked ar-15s so I figure why not buy one, while I still can. First off, the first rifles I was really intrigued by for the price was the Stag Arms Model 2 and 3, after reading tons of reviews on the two I came to the conclusion that both were very well made, quality rifles. I was pretty much sold on one of these rifles until I done a little research. It seems to me that I could do better if I build the rifle myslef, so, I done a little more research looking for good quality made complete uppers and I came across a company called Bravo Company Mfg. I feel like these guys make a great product for the money and Im almost 100% sure Ill be purchasing one of their uppers for my build. Where I'm really needing advice is with my lower. Ill be buying a complete lower so any advice you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated. Im currently looking at buying the spikes tactical complete lower or the cmmg. This rifle will mostly be used for playing around, target shooting, whacking the occasional varmint and so & so, but I also want a rifle that I will totally sure of in a SHTF situation for the best price possible. Also, spikes tactical has a complete m4 for like 800 bucks, I was looking at that as well, but Im really liking that BCM upper. Anyways, please comment on my choices, or give me your own. Thanks guys, hope to hear from you soon!
 
As a part owner of a gun shop we carry many models of AR-15s. We have had great experiences with such brands as: Rock River, Bushmaster, CMMG, DPMS, Del-Ton, Spikes, Stag, Colt, and Smith and Wesson. I dont think you are going to save much money if you buy a complete lower and complete upper. You would probably do better buying a complete upper, a stripped lower, and a parts kit and building the lower yourself. It is fairly easy to do and with all the info on YouTube and the forums you can do it. We sell new complete Del-Ton's for around $750 and Del-Ton's that we use the complete upper and build our lowers for around $650-675. So, I think that you will be fine with any of the brands listed above.

If you do however want a "custom" ar, ie. quad rail forearm, magpul accessories ect. you will do better to find one already configured than buy the gun then all the parts separately. Just my .02 cents.
 
I would really like to buy a complete BCM rifle but they are 1k plus, The complete upper I want ready to go is 535, a spikes tactical complete lower is 226. If spikes tactical is as good as I hear they are, seems like this would be a good buy, and a great setup.
 
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welcome to THR!

get the BCM upper you want

and the cheapest name-brand lower you can find.
spikes and cmmg both put their names on fine lowers.
 
allright, thats what I wanted to hear. I really feel like The BCM 16" mid length upper with either a spikes tactical or cmmg lower will be real hard to beat for the money. Thanks for the reply.
 
Do that, and you save the tax on a complete firearm. Some order a complete upper and lower from the same company, ship to the FFL, and assemble the two halves on site.

In this case the upper can go straight to your front door, the lower is the part required to be handled by an FFL. Choose carefully, some do not like being left out of the profit loop, and you can't even get their attention. The transfer fee runs $10-25 on average, figure the high side as it's a paperwork exercise they make no money on.
 
Tirod said:
The transfer fee runs $10-25 on average, figure the high side as it's a paperwork exercise they make no money on.
Click to expand...
The FFL fee IS the profit. The buyer fills out the paperwork, they make a phone call and run your info.
 
Have you checked out BCMs blemish lowers? My buddy got one with a Vltor stock for 300 bucks and all it has is a small scratch on it.

I think the standard blem lowers go for like 240 bucks.
 
I hear good things about aero precision. I recall reading some post somewhere where they were supposed to be making the lowers for spikes. here's a complete lower for $165. http://jsgunparts.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_52&products_id=574

I have a DSA lower that's worked pretty well. bought the blemished for 60 bucks. http://www.dsarms.com/DSA-ZM4-Stripped-Lower-Receiver---DSZM4R/productinfo/DSZM4RBLM/

or a complete lower for 200 http://www.dsarms.com/Model-ZM4-Com...Stock-Assembly---DSZM4R2/productinfo/DSZM4R2/

you can buy a spikes lower for 100, and I think cdnn has S&W lowers for 100.

but there are so many options on guns right now. I hear nothing but good about delton as long as you're not going to shoot 10,000 rounds a year. they're like RIA 1911's. not everybody needs bells and whistles.
 
May I suggest scouring this forum and your local NC (carolinashootersforum.com) forum for private party sales? It is a BUYER'S market right now on black rifles. It seems that everyone that bought a couple (or a dozen) rifles right after Obama's election is trying to unload right now. There are some tremendous deals to be had on gently used AR's.

New = taxes, transfer fees and/or retail price.

Also, since you're in NC, do some reading up on Barnes Precision Machine. They're down near Charlotte and make one heck of a mid length upper.
 
As another option and for a very good value in an AR I'd take a look at a DoubleStar. I spent a handful of days by them at Knob Creek and I was very impressed with what I saw and have only heard good things from folks that shoot them. They also make the Ace line of products which I have been very happy with.

http://www.star15.com/
 
Guns n more, That was a great read and I thank you for posting it for me. After reading it, it further reinforces my choice of using BCM. They have pretty much all the bells and whistles of a rifle costing WAY more. Im certain now, I will be purchasing the BCM complete 16" mid length upper, and either a spikes tactical or cmmg lower, unless I can get a blemished BCM lower for cheap. Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it.
 
Buying a new AR can be confusing, if that's the right word. There are so many versions of the same thing out there that it's really difficult to decide. Personally, I build my own ARs and stick with what I know works, in terms of vendors that I buy parts from.

The best advise that I can give you without dropping a laundry list of brand names is to buy from a place that will stand behind their product. Anyone can let a bad one get by quality control, how they handle it is what separates the good from the bad.
 
Your going down the right road with BCM. They make near mil-spec uppers for your SHTF scenairos. Just make sure and get the upper first, then go to the gun store & mate it to a couple lowers to find the perfect fit. Should be good & tight, no wobble. Assult rifles are cool! :)
 
worst case scenario, you get wobbly, you buy an accwedge off ebay for 3 for $8 and an o-ring at the hardware store for 30 cents. wobble solved.
 
I wouldn't worry so much about the infamous wobble. Even if you do find a lower that is a tight fit, it may just be due to a tight fit at the rear of the lower where the rear lug of the upper sits. This will loosen up over time. I should have saved the link, but didn't, to an article that I read wherein a sample of ARs were tested. Half were tight and the other half had the wobble. Those with the wobble ran better. I can see the logic too.

In any case, don't worry about the fit of the upper to the lower. It isn't important. Besides, as was mentioned, if it bothers you, it's nothing that can't be fixed with an o-ring and a $2 accuwedge. Going this route is probably better anyway. If you get an upper and lower fit that requires you to use a tool to either drive the pins in or out, it's too tight. This will put stress on the upper and may affect accuracy. You should be able to field strip an AR using nothing more than the tip of a full metal jacket bullet.
 
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