My AR Project...

[Dionysusigma]

Continued from the end of this thread...

I took the plunge yesterday and bought the stripped lower, built by Superior Arms. I kid you not... the owner of the store had 12 left in stock, was holding onto 10 for some parts kits he was invoicing, and the last one was bought by the guy who literally came in behind me.

I have reached an impass, though, as to what I actually want to do. I've came up with a few detailed lists of what I want out of an AR, but cost is going to play a major issue here.

The first way was to build a basic carbine with no rails, A1 slickside upper, MagPul CTR stock, mid-length gas system on a 16" Gov't profile barrel, and with LMT innards. Basically a bare-bones general-purpose rifle that'd be the AK of ARs. Downside: I'd have to build the upper myself, and the price would be nearly $1000. I can't afford that.

However, Del-Ton has a kit ( http://www.del-ton.com/Rifle_Kit_p/rkt104.htm ) that's half the price at $465 before shipping, with an M4 stock and a flat-top. I can get a carry handle locally for a good price, and it'll be easier for me to mount optics later if I so choose.

Finally, there's the strange (I'll be the first to admit it) combination of a Del-Ton 20" A2 with an M4 stock, based on THR member Rev. DeadCorpse's rifle (seen below). Same price as the above-mentioned Del-Ton midlength, but with a longer barrel and sight radius. Blessing or a curse, it's something different. http://www.del-ton.com/Rifle_Kit_p/rkt102.htm

(second one, minus the foregrip and light)

So, what do y'all think? This will be my only AR, and I want to do it right the first time. I'm not planning on taking any carbine courses soon, and I pretty much only go to the range and shoot paper. Might try to get into other stuff (hog hunting, competitions) later on, but nothing of that sort happens in my area as far as I know.

Any recommendations/critiques/input? Which configuration should I go with? Should I upgrade later? And if I do, would I have to re-headspace the bolt if/when I get an LMT?

I have no idea what I'm doing. Help!

 

[Dionysusigma]

... anybody?

Is there really any point to a 20" with a collapsing stock?

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Is there really any point to a 20" with a collapsing stock?

Sure there is. If you want or have a need for a collapsable stock...

 

[DogBonz]

I would

Get one of the Ace type skeleton stocks. They are light, comfortable, and did I mention light. I got rid of my colapseable stock because I was always using it fully extended, and the few times that it was useful, were out weighted by the comfort (both shooting and carrying) of the skeletonized stock.

For paper punching, I wolud look at a DPMS upper. You can get a flat top complete with bolt & carrier for a little over $400. Get a "rebuild kit from Bushmaster for all the springs and pins and stuff, and if you can afford it, and trust me this is where money should be spent in an AR build, get a drop in trigger kit. You can get the McCormick on sale pretty cheap if you look around.

If I had my druthers, and I sometimes do, I would go for an 18" barrel with a nice flash hider or comp.

 

[Mr White]

A collapsible stock serves the purpose of fitting the gun to the shooter. Whether the barrel is 14, 16, 20 or 24 inches long, the stock will make the gun fit you better.

What do you want to do with this rifle? How far will you shoot?

If you're looking to get into highpower matches, then an A2 with a heavy floated barrel is the way to go. Probably more than you want to spend.

If you're looking for just a fun gun to plink with, I'd get a Flattop upper (more versatile for different sight choices), a collapsible stock, and a 16" barrel. A 16" barrel is good out to about 300 yds.

If you want to shoot longer distances, go with a 20".

But for an all around plinker, I'd definitely go with a flattop.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

collapsable stocks are also...

for using with armor...