So up to now I've just been shooting handguns and precision air rifles. That's been great, because there is a exellent pistol range near my house. But now I'm in college and the handguns are staying with my parents. In CO it is much easier for me to own and shoot a rifle than a pistol, and my school is out in the middle of nowhere so there are many more places available to shoot a rifle. I'm thinking of buying a semi-auto in .223, The cheap ammo being a nice selling point. I'm not looking for anything to fancy, probably just a basic A2 configuration ar15, but I am open to suggestions. I'm a decent shot with my air rifles, so I'm not a compleate novice, but I'm pretty close. Whats would you guys recomend for me?
Currently I am using a Bushmaster AR-15 lower receiver with a DPMS top end. Once you get a lower receiver, you can set up all sorts of combinations. I am thinking about getting another Bushmaster, DPMS or Rock River Arms lower and building a 9mm carbine.
I say the best deal on the market is going to be the Rock River Arms. I have recently ordered mine with all the trimmings. They are made to order and made out of the best parts available and they are not the most expensive by far. You should be able to get into a RRA M4 style or Ar for around the same price or cheaper than a bushmaster or Armalite. 8)
RRA and Bushmaster are the two I've been looking the most at. I've thought about building one, but I would rather have some experance before I try something that ambitous. RRA lists some of their chambers as .223 wylde, what's that?
Never heard of it. You can have RRA build it the way you want it. Talk with there sales team and have then give you recommendations on what you think you are looking for. Very good people to deal with if you can get one on the phone. 8)
I've got an RRA A-4. It's a fantastic rifle. Definitely a great value given the price and quality. The .223 Wylde is kinda a cross between the .223 and a 5.56. You can get the info here: .223 Wylde.
I am not sure where you are from, but Colorado has some of the most liberal gun laws in the country, very gun friendly.
I am down the road in Aurora. Using ahndguns is not a real issue in this state, if you are actually from out of state, I think the only problem would be actually carrying it, check with the local sherriff to get all the facts.
Building your own is VERY simple. There are several books available online or at gunshows that show you how to assemble one. That is how I got started building my own, over 100 builds later I have still not had any problems/catastrophes, and it is really fun. I only recommend you take it to a gunshop to check the headspace before shooting it. If you go the seperate barrel route, have a gunsmith do the barreling if you don't have a vise and action block.
As far as a complete rifle, I would go RRA or even DPMS. I have purchased complete uppers from DPMS, and they were willing to build uppers to my needs/wants with no problems. I have a RRA 9mm upper unit and lower, great quality, reasonable prices. I have spoken to the folks that do the 1911's at RRA, if they are any indicator the AR side of the house should be great to work with.
The only thing I would recommend against from personal experience is getting the TiN coated bolts, I have had nothing but problems using the TiN Coated bolts, the carriers are fine, without the Tin Bolt in my opinion. Hardchrome or plain jane is the way to go I think.
Glad I found this article; I too am looking into a semi-auto rifle and am not real sure where to begin. I love shooting my .45 taurus 24/7 but Im ready to move to something more interesting. I do have one (possibly really dumb to most of you) question. Im seeing similar rifles and interchanging definitions in magazines and it concerns this: What, if any, is the difference between a rifle shooting .223 or 5.56mm ammo? Is one interchangeable with the other? Are they actually the same (a-la- english vs. metric type thing), or are they completely different (and is one signifigantly cheaper to shoot than the other?) Thanks. (and I drool daily over the new sig 556)
I have shot SKS rifles for a while now, and I enjoy them. They're inexpensive (depending on which version you get), well made, and the ammo is inexpensive also. They shoot the 7.62x39 round....a nice medium size. As a first semi-auto, they're a blast. Some of them have collectible value, too.
As you can see there are lots of options. I have had excellent results with DPMS. Price is right for entry level also. I love my Colt but they are overpriced IMO.
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