I think I'm over my AR...

[FROGO207]

Since my first post in this thread I purchased a 5.56 pistol lower with arm brace from a friend and now I am looking into getting a 7.62X39 pistol upper. that might confound/confuse them as it would be an ARAK pistol. When I get er built there will be pictures. Glad you figured something out OP.

 

[NWPilgrim]

RRA Varmint A4 with Wylde chamber and 20” barrel on order. 1:8” twist.

Crisis averted. Thanks y’all.

Sounds like a good plan! The .223 will be lots of fun varminting and cheap enough to shoot frequently.

 

[MistWolf]

Since my first post in this thread I purchased a 5.56 pistol lower with arm brace from a friend and now I am looking into getting a 7.62X39 pistol upper. that might confound/confuse them as it would be an ARAK pistol. When I get er built there will be pictures. Glad you figured something out OP.

If you're going to get a 7.62x39 upper, get a lower that uses AK mags.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I know where you're coming from.
I built one a while back and rarely shoot it. It's okay, but I have no desire to have another one, unless they ever pass the hearing protection act (which seems unlikely in the current political climate). If that happened, I'd probably build a .300 Blackout.

 

[amprecon]

My biggest aversion to the AR in the beginning was the caliber, secondly the direct impingement gas system and thirdly it's political history. I wrote the gun off my interest list and went with other comparable firearms, namely the AK, I could not justify the 5.56(2.23) for my uses.

When I discovered the 6.8spc it piqued my interest, the more I learned of it the more I liked it. Then I had to overcome the DI gas system and the political history biases, I had to give the AR another look. In 6.8spc the AR has become my favorite rifle, period! In that caliber I feel utterly confident in almost any situation and would even feel ok in big bear country with it.

It really packs a punch, is ergo-friendly, accurate, reliable and relatively lightweight with lots of pills in the mag and with a good red dot there's not much you couldn't take on easily within 100 yards. With a good scope I'd push that out to 300 yards with no reservations about it's effectiveness.

Had the AR been available in 6.8spc when I bought my AK, I would not own an AK.

But, if you don't feel the need for an AR because it doesn't fill a niche for you then by all means dump it. But I'd at least consider alternative calibers for it, it has potential to be so much more in another caliber and for me it is 6.8spc.

 

[someguy2800]

If you're going to get a 7.62x39 upper, get a lower that uses AK mags.

My 10 rnd C products mags work perfect. The AK mag lower is probably better if you want bigger mags though.

 

[FROGO207]

I was mulling around the 7.62X39 and 300 BO and thought they would both use the same lower. I think that I would be happy with a 10 round mag if it saved me from getting another lower at this time. Nothing is as easy as some say it is eh. If I was reloading for it I could do it as I have 7.62X39 dies already but the upper would probably use .311 bullets. 300 BO and use standard mags and bullets I would just have to buy the dies. Actually might make more sense.

 

[someguy2800]

I was mulling around the 7.62X39 and 300 BO and thought they would both use the same lower. I think that I would be happy with a 10 round mag if it saved me from getting another lower at this time. Nothing is as easy as some say it is eh. If I was reloading for it I could do it as I have 7.62X39 dies already but the upper would probably use .311 bullets. 300 BO and use standard mags and bullets I would just have to buy the dies. Actually might make more sense.

300 blackouts are great if you reload for them. They use less powder and cheaper powder (Hodgdon H110 and the like) than a 7.62x39 does and the bullets are more common though many tell of good success with .308 bullets in 7.62x39. Brass for the blackout is free if you have time to make it. My 16" blackout ran 2400 FPS with a 125 and 19 grains of H110, and my 7.62x39 does 2400 FPS with factory 124 gr hp so no difference. The 7.62x39 can be handloaded up a good bit. My blackout is alot more accurate than my 7.62x39 is but granted I have only ever shot handloads in the blackout and steel case junk for the 7.62x39. My blackout does about 1-1.5 moa and my 7.62x39 with wolf steel ammo is about 2-2.5 moa. Both of mine are 100% reliable with 20 round p mags for the blackout and 10 round c products mags for the 7.62x39.

I guess it boils down to do you want to buy ammo or load it? Both are great fun to shoot. Blackout takes less investment to set up the gun but more investment to load for it.

 

[DannyLandrum]

Can't argue with your logic: don't use it ==> get rid of it.

However, if you are looking for reasons to keep it, they are, roughly in order:
1. They WILL be severely restricted, as to ownership, but likely with a grandfather clause, at the federal level, within 10-20 years, due to Florida, Texas and other places turning blue (i.e. anti-civil-rights), thus swinging the national pendulum back to tyranny ...thus the upshot is they will increase in value, so they are a true investment of sorts. [Note that to the extent that one can predict whether or not a grandfather clause will be present when the ban(s) come, it would be important to so attempt to predict, because: (a) if there is no GF clause, then these are terrible investments as they will be worth nothing, but (b) if there IS a GF clause, the polar opposite end of the spectrum applies, as to value - they will greatly increase in value. Also note that the most recent ban at the state level - Florida - following gun-hating hysteria did NOT contain any GF clause as to that ban on bump fire stocks and binary triggers - meaning not only are instant felons created, these are worth much much less, and worth $0 on the legal market *in that state* (maybe they can move them out of state to sell them?) ].

2. Do you have any plans to increase the frequency at which you will take noobs to the range? If so, they are one of the guns newbies will enjoy on about the 3rd range trip (always stick to .22lr only the first trip, and rimfires generally on the 2nd trip, IMO).

3. To bolster the argument that they are "in common use" under Heller, as but one person in the statistical landscape, thus bolstering their constitutional protection argument, thus helping prevent or at least helping to slow down their (likely inevitable) banning?

4. WROL scenario - well, yes, it WILL happen, but the chances of it happening in YOUR lifetime, where YOU live, such that YOU will actually be a firefight where a semi-auto will actually be the difference between life and death, are nearly nil. So this is very weak - essentially a non-reason, but there it is.

 

[M1key]

5. Foreign invading army (ISIS et al). Likely in our lifetime.

M

 

[DannyLandrum]

Well yes, that's true, but their tactic will be terrorism a la Paris, Brussels, San Bernardino, Orlando, etc (and they will come in mostly from Canada, by the way, I would bet - along with fully legal USA immigrants welcomed in by the regressives), not a recognizable military unit / formal "invasion". Having said that, yes, an AR or other semi would clearly be the preferred choice to fight back, so I accept and endorse your #5, as it's distinct from WROL - thank you.

Also, I need to correct a mistake above - change:

- if there is no GF clause, then these are terrible investments as they will be worth nothing,

to

- if there is no GF clause, then these are terrible investments as they will be worth nothing, *except* on the black market.

 

[M1key]

6. Living anywhere near the southern border.

M

 

[Schwing]

I'm not a big fan of ARs either but, the irony is, I was one of those who bought one during one of the gun control panics some time back. It was 2 or 3 panics ago.

It's a great gun. It's very accurate and cheap to reload but I just don't get the joy that tons of folks get out of them. Still, it isn't going anywhere. I still like to take it out from time to time.

On the other hand, I just bought an M&P 10-22 and the thing is a blast to plink with. Not sure why one is joyful and the other isn't... that's just how this hobby works.

 

[Slamfire]

I have not shot an AR15 in years. I shot the National Match versions starting in the late 1990's, once I was convinced that I could shoot higher scores in NRA Across the Course Competition with the things. I earned my Distinguished with the M1a, but once the Army started winning everything with their 223's, and the herd moved on from the M1a, I also moved with the herd. My scores standing were about the same, long range was close, but it was easy to clean the rapids and my X counts went up. Once I got tired of shooting a service rifle, I shot a Space Gun version, won medals at Perry, and won the occasional match here and there. But, I still preferred shooting my 308 Bolt rifles, and I did that. I have scoped the Space Gun but have not taken it to an XTC match. It will be interesting to see how I do with a scope on top. I do know that my 600 yard scores will improve, I have shot the Space Gun with a scope on top at a mid range match. I could see the mirage change. It was wonderful, because I could hold off, or wait, till the mirage came back.

Have not been shooting XTC as much as I used to, been shooting mid range, and even there, I prefer 308 bolt guns. It takes a lot more time to clean up an AR15, so I don't take the thing to the range to bang away, but I do take bolt guns. My AR's are just collecting dust in the safes. The things are accurate, but, so what. I have lots of accurate bolt rifles.