Buying first AR

[alfsauve]

Interesting question.

Not a particularly gun person wants to acquire an AR to plink with and learn about them.  What brand would you recommend?  PSA? Anderson? JP? Daniel?  Balance cost with reasonable quality.  This person isn’t looking to shoot <moa groups or participate in competition.  They can always upgrade parts as they realize the need.

I’m of no help as my first was an A1 Eagle brand that I quickly started upgrading and all subsequent ARs were DIY.

[TAB]

I would say aero precision.


They have made lots of very small changes that make it way easier to build.    Like the bolt catch being threaded instead of a roll pin.  Decent price and good quality.

[Big Frank]

Everyone knows Colt's Manufacturing is the Prancing Pony. Anderson Arms is the Poverty Pony. Better than no AR at all, and it can be upgraded as more funds become available.

I also would suggest Aero Precision, since their M4E1 Lower Receiver and M4E1 Enhanced Upper are what I would start with if I was building a new AR. I might even buy a whole rifle from them, or a complete upper and complete lower, and call it a day. It doesn't need to be upgraded, and is as close to "ideal" for multiple users and uses as I've seen in a "premium quality" AR at a reasonable price. An M4E1 PRO RIFLE 16" is $1,999.99 MSRP. I don't know what makes the PRO so special, but sometimes you can get an upper and lower on sale for a total of $700 or so.

[TAB]

The pro has a Ambi mag release. It is a significant cost upgrade over the standard lower receiver like $200. I personally don't think it's needed but some people do. Honestly if someone's never built an AR before I always recommend aero precision.   The amount of annoying / hard to do tasks they replace with set screws is wonderful.   The bolt catch. Safety detint spring is held with a set screw not just the end plate.    It really does make the only difficult task being the front take down spring pin.   Which I always use the razor blade method, but there are several cheap tools you can buy to do it.

[Big Frank]

I have The AR-Takedown Tool (AR-TT ). It's a spring loaded 3/16 inch punch on one end for takedown and pivot pins if they're too hard to press out with your fingertip. The small end is a 5/32 inch and 1/16 inch reversible tip that's screwed in. It works on the hammer and trigger pins. The 5/32 inch tip is used for taking apart the bolt (firing pin retainer) and front detent pin, and assembling the front detent. Both ends are brass and the big end can be used for drifting sights hat are drift-adjustable on lots of guns, instead of using a hammer and punch.

It's the only American made tool made of metal that I'm aware of for AR pivot pin assembly. Real Avid has a cheap plastic one made in China for 12 bucks for anyone who doesn't want to pay $40 for a multi-use tool they can use on other guns too.

https://www.artakedowntool.com/products/the-ar-takedown-tool-the-ar-15-multi-tool-ar-15-disassembly-tool-ar-tt

P.S. The small end of mine didn't stay screwed in very tight. IIRC I squeezed it with pliers enough to bugger up the threads and make it bind together tighter. Anyone who can't figure out what to do with loose threads shouldn't be building an AR, but that may be helpful to someone anyway.

[Sponsor]

[Big Frank]

The pro has a Ambi mag release. It is a significant cost upgrade over the standard lower receiver like $200. I personally don't think it's needed but some people do. Honestly if someone's never built an AR before I always recommend aero precision.   The amount of annoying / hard to do tasks they replace with set screws is wonderful.   The bolt catch. Safety detint spring is held with a set screw not just the end plate.    It really does make the only difficult task being the front take down spring pin.   Which I always use the razor blade method, but there are several cheap tools you can buy to do it.

If I was left-handed maybe I would want an ambi lower. Maybe not. When I was in the army, left-handed shooters had 2 options. Shoot right-handed, or shoot left-handed and have brass flying at you. They had brass deflectors that clipped onto the M16, but there never seemed to be enough of them in the right place at the right time. If you left the top button of your shirt unbuttoned like everyone else, brass would go down the front of it when you were prone. I knew a guy whose chest was scarred up from all the hot brass hitting it. The built-in brass deflectors on the M16A2 and M4 carbine took care of that problem.

[alfsauve]

Hertic:  You're suppose to use the tip of your ammo.

I however think the takedown tool is solution for problem than shouldn't exist. 

I use quick takedown pins.

[Big Frank]

My MagRipper, if it ever gets here, will have a takedown punch built in. I used to use the tips of my ammo to adjust my sights and everything else you can think of, until I got an extra firing pin. In basic training some of the drill sergeants had one stuck in their pistol belts when we were on the range. They make a handy tool. I have Strike Industries Extended Pivot/Takedown Pins on my DPMS lower. They extend just enough to make them easier to use. I wouldn't want them any longer. I've seen some that stick out so far there's a hole through them to attach a sling. That's not for me.

https://www.strikeindustries.com/si-ar-eptp.html



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USjtd0hmTXU

[PegLeg45]

My two cents: If looking for a moderately-priced rifle with quality enough to go bang I'd go with PSA. There are certainly some cheaper stuff out there, but what I've seen from PSA is they are decent guns. I've got a lower that hasn't been built yet, but plan to do a hunting rifle for the wife so she can get away from that old Rem 742 she uses.

Anderson isn't the worst either. I had the chance to grab a stripped lower years ago for $30 and ordered a kit from Ground Zero Precision and built a 7" pistol and it functions fine and the upper-lower fit is tighter than I expected (based on what I had read online).

[Big Frank]

I've read mostly good things about PSA, and they have sales ALL the time. They have ARs on clearance for as low as 400 bucks. It would probably be a good first AR until someone knows what they really want.

My older brother has my dad's old Remington Woodsmaster Model 740 in .30-06. My dad said his Winchester 94 .30-30 kicked a lot harder than his .30-06. I'm sure the steel crescent buttplate didn't help. Someone made 10 round mags for the 740 and 760 series rifles, but the guns aren't made for high volume fire like an M14.