New to ar15's could use some help

[languini84]

Hey guys, I'm 18 and have had my FID card for about 4 months now. So far I got an 2002 sar-1 perfect... and a .22 rifle. I like the fact that both these guns can be shot cheaply, I go to college money counts... I'm looking to get a new gun at the next gun show coming up and have some guns to pick from, could use some help deciding. My picks are, m1 garand(matching numbers) L1A1, Cetme, or an ar15 or ar10.

The m1 is a lot more than most of the other guns, but will increase in value... so I'm guessing around 700 for a decent one, but it shoots 30-06=$

L1A1, Nice gun, more power than my SAR, cheap ammo..accuracy???

Cetme, 300 dollars, plus i'd get the synthetic stock set... i've heard good and bad things

And the ar's, the ten is nice, I like the 308, but the 15 is more reasonable. I'd get a stripped lower, probably dpms, and the lower parts kit for 150.

Now I'm new to ar's, once I have a complete lower, can I get any upper and install it, I'd want a 16 and a 24"? Could I get 2 uppers and just easily switch them whenever. And what type of moa would I expect with a scoped ar15 with a 24" upper.


Sorry for all the question, I appreciate any help you guys can dish out, about the AR's or any other guns I listed.

Best regards, Chris

[ironmann700]

The answer to the AR question is yes you can get 1 lower and mix and match uppers. I have a 16" Bushmaster and am looking at getting a 24" A3 free float barrel with scope and bi-pod. I can get the upper shipped right to my door without any paperwork. You can also use the bolt-carrier assembly from one upper to another. AR's are a little spendy though. Paid 950 OTD for mine brand new 6 months ago.

Good luck

Ironmann

[ironmann700]

One more thing, you might want to pay attention to the laws, 16" barrel is the shortest legal lenghth with out a SBR liscence/stamp. Make sure that you do not put a pre ban upper on a post ban lower, etc, etc, etc. blah, blah blah.

Ironmann

[languini84]

I'd like to get a lower reciever and a lower parts kit for it, calapsable stock that i'll pin open and then get an upper from ebay. I figure if i do it my self I can make a nice ar for about 500.

My question is, is it easy to put the lower parts kit on the reciever or do u need a great deal of skill. Also what lower should I go for, the forged or the cast...

Is it still posabil to find pre ban lowers for a decent price, I'm looking to spen under 200 for a lower with out the stock...

Thanks for your help

[Circuits]

Just so you know, ATF has not approved ANY method of "fixing" an AR type collapsing stock to make it non-collapsible. All the manufactured, legal, approved fixed shorty stocks out there are made with a full length receiver tube or a short receiver tube, so they physically cannot be collapsed.

I agree with the spirit of your endeavor, and if you do a really bang-up job of fixing a collapsing stock, you probably won't have too much to worry about - but be warned that ATF has NEVER approved the fixing method you propose.

[sfc ret]

Originally posted by languini84


Is it still posabil to find pre ban lowers for a decent price, I'm looking to spen under 200 for a lower with out the stock...

Thanks for your help

the lower had to have been assembled as a complete weapon, with all the evil features prior to sept 94.....bayonet lug, flash suppresor. just because the lower was made before sept 94 does not mean you can automatically built it in a pre-ban configuration.....you will have to check with the manufacturer on how it came out of their factory. they have records on how left by serial number....either as a weapon, or just as a receiver.

it's still possible to find bonified pre-ban receivers,.....but you are going to pay a whole lot more then 200 bucks....off hand probably around 800 bucks or so, depending on who made it.

the records that indicate which olympic arms weapons came out as a complete weapon, or just as receivers where all destroyed by fire....all they have is a serial number range and the date...so technically all olympic arms lowers can be assembled into pre-ban rifles if the serial number falls in the pre-sept 94 range....that is unless ATF puts out a variance that says since all the records are destroyed they deem all the olympic arms manufactured prior to the fire as post ban....I'm just guessing but you never know...they have done wilder things like deem M16 trigger parts and bolt carriers as machine guns.

I would venture to guess that oly arms lowers are probably the most expensive...since there is no way of knowing which ones left the factory as receivers, and which where assembled as weapons.

I will advice you to stay away from HESSE and AMERICAN SPIRT ARMS (ASA)...since these 2 makers are notorious for making the most fucked up rifles of all the AR manufacturers.


pre-bans are nice....but to pay that much money to have a bayo lug, flash suppresor, or collapsible stock...you can buy a very nice post ban for half the money.

as for swapping out bolt groups between one upper to another, as ironman stated....that's not a good idea, the bolt may not be headspaced to the other chamber....if you're going to do something like that, buy a field gauge, and check to make sure that it is at least safe to fire. never assume that all is good to go....it may not be... just advice.

[languini84]

Yea I also heard bad things about hesse and ASA. I'll buy an upper that has been head spaced and testfired, probably a preban and I'll cut the lug off and replace the flash hider with a nice compensator or break.My goal is to build an ar-15 using my local gunshow and ebay and have it shoot 1MOA... for under 500 bucks... If I bargain hunt I think I can do it, I already have some nice optics for it... I'll probablt go with a RRA reciever. Whats the diff between forged or cast?

Thanks guys

[sfc ret]

it's up to you what you want to do...but if I were you I'd buy a factory assembled rifle....first off it will come with a warranty. armilite has the best warranty of all the AR manufaturers....lifetime for the original owner. secondly when you buy a used upper, you don't know how many rounds went through it, and how well the previous owner maintained it...if something is fucked up about it, you'll have to spend money out of your own pocket to get it fixed. if your goal is to put together a AR then have it shoot 1MOA from a upper you have no idea how shot out it is.....good luck.

it may seem like it would be cheap putting together a AR, but for the price of a new one you'll have the piece of mind that the upper is correctly headspaced to the weapon, it's never been abused, or the barrel is shot out...and if something is not working correctly you have a recourse of getting it fixed. like I said it's up to you but if your going the route of putting one together, just be adviced that if anything doesn't work, you're the one that will have to spend money to get it gixed.

[languini84]

They are selling pre ban uppers that are new on ebay for cheap, I'll just lop off the bayonet lug and replace the flash hidder with a comp, and have a nice legal m16a2 look alike in a semi config, and thats what my main goal it, and I can do it for under 500... 1moa is a dream, but if I can get 1 moa with my ak (all u got to do is lap the crown and use GOOD ammo) and think i can handle the a6, wish me luck guys

[PBR]

Just make sure you Weld/Blind Pin/Silver Solder the muzzle device on.