← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Faust
Thread ID: 18401 | Posts: 19 | Started: 2005-05-25
2005-05-25 23:56 | User Profile
AR-15s
Any thoghts on the AR-15?
Buying? Building?
With kits around for about $400.00 it does make ons think about the idea of building even with it's problems. Are the cheap kits any good?
20'' AR15 Standard Rifle Kit $435.00
[url]http://www.model1sales.com/[/url]
2005-05-27 15:17 | User Profile
Faust,
Super busy at the moment, but I'll get back to you on this...
2005-05-27 21:11 | User Profile
Faust,
I can't pretend to know anything about Model 1 Sales. If you look around a bit on the AR15.com boards, you might find some info there. Unfortunately, they don't seem to have their own forum there, as do a lot of other companies. I checked here: [url]http://www.ar15.com/forums/board.html?b=2[/url]
Note: If you're not already aware of this, years ago AR15.com turned into a political cesspool. The last time I was there, the place was filled with Israel-lovers, supporters of the Iraq war, and just general neocon filth marching in lockstep. If you happen to venture over to their General Discussion board, make sure you have a barf-bag handy.
Anyway...I doubt there's much I could tell you about ARs that you don't already know, but here are my opinions for what they're worth.
I generally like ARs and own a couple myself (plus lots of extra parts). I like their ergonomics, light weight, ease of rapid mag changes, accuracy, etc. I stuck with Bushmaster because of all the good things I'd read about them on various discussion boards. For example, I seem to remember one guy who did a torture test on his Bushmaster by rapid-firing it for thousands of rounds without cleaning it, and it didn't jam once. I wish I could remember the details or find the link, but this was years ago.
Of course not all rifles will be that reliable, and ARs have a reputation for being a bit finicky. Some are jam-o-matics (e.g., if the gas port in the barrel is drilled incorrectly). And magazines are definitely the worst thing about the AR system! The only jams I've had in my rifles have been magazine-related. I have plenty of good mags, though, so I'm not too worried about it. Brownells now sells 20- and 30-rounders, and they are just like USGI. In fact, you can get them with chrome-silicon springs that are probably even better than USGI springs. Here's a link, if you're interested: [url]http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=21225&title=AR-15%2fM16+HIGH+CAPACITY+MAGAZINES[/url]
If you think that you might one day have to rely on your AR as a weapon, I would worry less about price than about getting something that's already been proven to work well. Colt ARs are supposed to be of high quality, but they don't deserve our business because they go out of their way to appease the anti-gun crowd and use non-mil-spec parts even when the law doesn't require it (e.g., their asinine use of large-diameter pivot pins to join upper and lower receivers). Bushmasters are probably as good as Colt (though I hear the receiver finish isn't quite as durable as Colt's). Whatever rifle you get, be sure it has a chrome-plated chamber cut to 5.56 NATO (as opposed to SAAMI .223 chambers).
In short, my recommendation if you want an AR that might be used to defend yourself is to get a Bushmaster. I'd skip parts kits from other companies unless I heard a lot of good experiences from customers.
Perhaps a better alternative to any AR would be a VEPR II in 5.56 from Robinson Arms. They're heavier than ARs and don't have the ergonomic advantages or a last-shot bolt-hold feature, but they're utterly reliable and durable and very accurate to boot. I have one in 7.62x39 and love it. If possible, I'd get one with a flash suppressor on the barrel instead of a muzzle break, as the latter is not needed and the former is always a good idea. Here's their website: [url]http://www.robarm.com/[/url]
Again, these are all just my opinions, and I might not have said anything you don't already know, but I hope some of this is helpful.
2005-05-28 04:26 | User Profile
Is there any decent rifle one can buy in California (legally)?
2005-05-28 05:54 | User Profile
[QUOTE=madrussian]Is there any decent rifle one can buy in California (legally)?[/QUOTE]The Springfield Armory M1A might be legal in CA, but I'm not sure. It doesn't have a pistol grip, but it does have a flash suppressor. You might have to order it without the latter if you want to stay legal.
A Garand would also be a nice weapon if you can find one. I think those are legal in CA.
A really devastating rifle is the Browning BAR. It's a semiauto hunting rifle that can be had in very powerful calibers such as .300 and .338 Win Mag. It does have the drawback of low capacity, but you still get a couple of quick follow-up shots, and you might be able to extend the capacity if you have the metalworking skills. Here's a pic of one BAR model, the "Lightweight Stalker":
[img]http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/images/031008m.jpg[/img]
A link: [url]http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=002B&cat_id=031&type_id=008[/url]
2005-05-28 19:19 | User Profile
MR,
I almost forgot about these rifles from Kel-Tec. They should be California-legal, though I don't know how good they are. They use standard AR-15 mags, so you can use 10-rounders at the range and keep the 20s or 30s stashed somewhere.
[url]http://www.kel-tec.com/su-16ca_rifle.htm[/url]
2005-05-29 19:38 | User Profile
Faust,
Angler pretty much covered it. Bushmaster is quite good, although their prices are approaching Colt's. I think once they have a military contract, they can charge whatever they like.
A couple of other makers to keep in mind are DPMS (I do see their parts kits on the market) and Rock River Arms. I don't have personal experience with the DPMS guns, but the fit and finish is comparable to the best out there from all I've heard. Rock River Arms I can recommend without hesitation. I bought a 16.5" upper from them a while ago and it fits like a glove to another manufacturer's lower.
One thing I would suggest if you decide to put one together yourself is to at least find one with an assembled upper, or, failing that, one that has a bolt included already headspaced to the barrel. Otherwise, you'll have to invest in a set of headspace gauges, not something worthwhile unless you're building more than one gun. You could buy a complete upper and put together the lower yourself. Not as cheap as buying a parts-only kit, but well worth it to cover the headspace issue. The chamber should be 5.56 NATO as Angler mentioned. It's less "tight" and therefore less prone to jams/failures to extract when it gets even slightly dirty.
I second Angler on the mags. They are the weakest link in the whole system. Stay away from aluminum mags or cheap ones like USA mags. Stick with either GI mags or ones like the Thermold (they work very well and the melting issue, which was only on early ones, isn't a concern on a semi). I've heard Orlites (as used by the IDF) are good, but don't fit all lowers (Bushmaster is one they do not fit).
he Springfield Armory M1A might be legal in CA, but I'm not sure.
I'm pretty sure it's not "kosher" in Cali, because it accepts detachable mags of greater than 10 rounds. However, madrussian, the fixed-mag version of the SKS without a grenade-launching attachment is legal there and it's a reliable weapon, provided you get a Yugo manufactured one or other comparable quality and stay away from the Chinese knock-offs.
2005-05-30 00:15 | User Profile
[quote=MST]Stay away from aluminum mags or cheap ones like USA mags. Stick with either GI mags or ones like the Thermold (they work very well and the melting issue, which was only on early ones, isn't a concern on a semi). I've heard Orlites (as used by the IDF) are good, but don't fit all lowers (Bushmaster is one they do not fit). Quick correction: stay away from steel mags. USGI mags (and Colt mags and the new ones from Brownells, which are just like GI) are aluminum. They're the good ones.
I know MST knows this, he just misspoke. :smile:
2005-05-30 23:34 | User Profile
More stuff
AR15/M16 Magazine FAQ [url]http://www.biggerhammer.net/ar15/magazines/rawlesfaq.html[/url]
[url]http://www.biggerhammer.net/[/url]
[url]http://www.ar15.com/[/url]
2005-05-31 15:53 | User Profile
Well someone beat me to it, for some time now I have been working on a centrifugal force gun capable of spewing 100,000 round per minute.
I only have to perfect the feeding part of the divice and I got it made in the shade.
The pre-prototype that I made and tested got out of hand and the bearing went right thrue my garage door and broke my front and back window of my SUV, it was fantastic.
I don't even care tu guess the force or speed of the bearing and what I like about it is that it is not a "firearm".
Not counting the rding lawnmover 12 volt battery the weight of the gun will be of only eight to twelve lbs, the battery can be worn as a back pack.
The one that I read about weights 37 lbs.
2005-05-31 16:01 | User Profile
I was thinking of the cheap aluminum ones by USA Mags and such. I forgot some of the USGI ones were the thicker aluminum and worked well. At any rate, the lesson is, stay away from USA mags!
I wish AR mags were as stout as AK mags. Run them over with a truck and they still work, just about.
2005-06-21 06:40 | User Profile
Any thoughts on 300 Whisper?
[url]http://feistyrooster.com/300x221/300x221faq.html[/url]
From what I have read the AR magazines for 7.62x39mm do not work well, unless you get one of those AK magazine feedinging lower frames but them you can not shoot .223 in it. Also 300 Whisper can have 250 gr. loads 7.62x39mm stops at 150 gr. 300 Whisper uses standard AR .223 magazines. The heavy sub sonic loads might be usefull somewhat like the Russian 9x39mm round.
A 300 Whisper upper might be fun to play with.
2005-06-23 01:16 | User Profile
Yeah, Faust, that 300 Whisper does look pretty cool, especially since it works with AR-15 mags. It'd be especially nice with a silencer, though I'm not willing to jump through the legal hoops to get one at this point.
There's a link on that page to the following company:
[url]http://www.sskindustries.com/[/url]
Did you see some of their stuff? Pretty wild.
2005-06-25 08:10 | User Profile
madrussian
[QUOTE]Is there any decent rifle one can buy in California (legally)?[/QUOTE]
You might look at this tread:
Remington MODEL 7400? [url]http://www.originaldissent.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16573[/url]
2005-06-25 08:18 | User Profile
Angler,
Model 1 sales does have cheap Barrel but only in 16'' I would rather have 20". I do wonder if putting a 12" inch tub on the end of it might make it a bit more Silent when shooting sub sonic loads.
More stuff:
16'' C.A.R. .300 Fireball Chrome Moly Heavy Barrel, 1-8'' twist, threaded muzzle $180.00
[url]http://www.model1sales.com/[/url]
Two great articles.
Silent But Deadly [url]http://guns.connect.fi/gow/ed.html[/url]
HOW TO HANDLOAD SUBSONIC RIFLE CARTRIDGES [url]http://guns.connect.fi/gow/arcane1.html[/url]
2005-07-15 21:55 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Angler] Note: If you're not already aware of this, years ago AR15.com turned into a political cesspool. The last time I was there, the place was filled with Israel-lovers, supporters of the Iraq war, and just general neocon filth marching in lockstep. If you happen to venture over to their General Discussion board, make sure you have a barf-bag handy.[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately, this isn't limited to AR-15 boards. The M-14 boards are just as tedious. In fact, you'll probably see loads of support-our-empire, Israel-is-always-right on most any board that's oriented toward military firearms. Even the Enfield forums overflow with it.
2005-07-17 04:36 | User Profile
arkady,
Yes all of the gun forums are very PC. The Assault Web used to be good but then there was a FR type blood purge.
2005-07-17 12:33 | User Profile
[QUOTE=arkady]Unfortunately, this isn't limited to AR-15 boards. The M-14 boards are just as tedious. In fact, you'll probably see loads of support-our-empire, Israel-is-always-right on most any board that's oriented toward military firearms. Even the Enfield forums overflow with it.[/QUOTE]The Mauser and Mosin-Nagant boards of a couple years ago, had a couple of neo-con types, but mostly the political talk was anti-gov't, anti-BATF.
Most of the conversation was solving technical problems and restoration projects. (Good stuff, BTW)
2005-07-17 12:35 | User Profile
AR-15s
Any thoghts on the AR-15?
As they say on some forums: BLOAT