Help- please, AR basics

[PegLeg45]

Les has good info....
Also, a couple of your Florida DRTV brothers can help....TW has good info and another member, Bafsu has built more AR's than you can shake a stick at and always has solid info. Look up some of his past posts and there is a ton of info.

[tombogan03884]

you didn't ask specifics... I'm a 3gun and practical rifle game player...some comments from an old fart

most everyone uses a forged 7075 T5 receiver
chrome lined barrels and chambers are accurate... mine shoots 4" at 400m
They also are much easier to clean resist fouling and increase barrel life.
for consistent accuracy you need a full float front end, and not necessarily one with sharp rails
you need a flat top if you plan on shooting optics... I DO NOT have backup sights... I shoot a 4x32 TA31F with red chevron that cost more than the rifle
the bolt carrier needs to shroud the firing pin, and the carrier key needs to be properly staked
if you are particular, get a magnifluxed and prooftested bolt of Carpenter 158 or 9310
I use RRA NM triggers in all my rifles, even my Armalite 15T
if you shoot a short barrel it needs M4 feed ramp cut
a 4.2oz buffer seems to work best
if you play gun games a compensator is a good option
an A1 stock fits most better than an A2
you probably need a grip that puts your trigger on the tip pad

that gets you in the ball park

[jaybet]

Thanks guys, I'm still studyin' and cypherin'.

[Rastus]

I may have missed it in one of the posts, but are you going with piston or original gas operated piston?

Take a look at the FailZero uppers and bolts if you are not going piston.  It's a hard-faced upper and needs no lubrication.  However, the lower bolt will still need lube to keep from hanging up on the mag.

A Wilson trigger (pricey @ $220) is a drop in excellent trigger with and excellent reset.  You might really like their TRIM rail.

I like the Phase 5 ambidextrous charging handles, sling attachments and bungee one point slings..  You can get the charging handles in 3 sizes.

Stark pistol grip is pretty good.

For your muzzle device check out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtVB4IubWyc a couple of friends made.  There are 5 youtube videos on muzzle break comparison you'll have to find them after the first link and wade in.   They make comparison on muzzle climb, sound, flash suppression, semi/full-auto, debris kicked up when shooting prone, etc.  Helps you pick what you need for your purpose.  

Some good instructions and drills that help you learn how to work an AR.  

Grip and stance...the basics on fighting with an AR.  It takes some time to forget the old forearm hold learned over decades, but the new hand-over grip really helps in control and speed.  Note this when you select a gas block and rail....YOU DO WANT to have a low profile gas block and a longer rail.  The low profile block will keep you from burning your hands and the longer rail is needed to facilitate the grip.  You'll want to have that front site as a folddown way out front out of the way of your grip....which also increases your sight radius which is overall a good thing.

Basic grip, stance, etc.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbhmDOY4BeE&feature=related



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcwZNXkIw7U&feature=relmfu



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41wuFOTByp8&feature=related



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oikDoKBqup0&feature=relmfu

[fightingquaker13]

Nice post Rastus.
I watched the first one and it was informative. I'll catch the other two later.
FQ13

[Sponsor]

[Rastus]

Jay,
I sent a PM with my email address.  FYI  

I have learned that there is a big difference in shooting a gun and being able to fight with one.  I grew up hunting and shooting and have 5 decades of practice with that.  Fighting with a gun is quite different.  The first video provides some of the basics on how to work the AR properly for a fight.  The others drill to sharpen that a bit.  I train regularly with one of the instructors in the video.

Classes are expensive and these vids are a good beginning on the basic foundation on fighting with the AR.  Take and modify these for your home defense.  

There is a conspicuous absence of failure drills....malfunctions are a part of life and should be addresssed with training.   Failure drills suck and ruin a good range day but they are what they are.

[jaybet]

Replied...and thanks.  I agree with that statement. Like anything, practice and practical use is different than life-and-death use. I would think that although we'll do target work with the AR platform, it will be poised at home to go into service if we ever have need of a dealing with a mob.  For general HD we've got a handgun plan that we're comfortable with.

[tombogan03884]

Snap caps or dummy rounds inserted randomly in your training mags will give you failure drill practice.
Or really cheap ammo

[Rastus]

Snap caps or dummy rounds inserted randomly in your training mags will give you failure drill practice.
Or really cheap ammo

Yup...I didn't post anything with failure drills because 1) I hate them so much and 2) I was going overtime to post what I did.  If you take a Magpul mag and trim the lip in a certain way you can get some honest to goodness double feeds that jam up everything....it is particularly evil for training.

[JC5123]

Heck, FQ...everyone is in the AR parts business these days.... Wal-mart has BLACKHAWK! aluminum hand guards with rails and covers for around a $100.

And then there's any price you care to pay here:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_7?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ar+handguard&sprefix=ar+hand%2Caps%2C201
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_7?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ar+handguard&sprefix=ar+hand%2Caps%2C201


Every wally world in my area has AR's for $700 to $1100 (depending on the model. I just bought two DPMS M4 carbines for $650 each, out the door, at an area gun store............ which is about $150 less than normal for most gun stores, but I had connections. 

Now I'm researching sights and scopes and such also.

Be careful with Wal-Mart and their BLACKHAWK! Items. I noticed the other day they had holsters that were labeled BLACKHAWK! However on closer inspection I found that they were in fact knock offs. I was a little irate that a company would so blatantly use the Blackhawk logo like that to sell cheap gear. So much so that I took a picture and sent an email to BLACKHAWK. I believe they make the absolute best gear out there ad I would hate to see their reputation get tarnished like that.