Do you want a short package like an M4, but care more about durability and shoot-ability? Buy a inch barrel with a mid-length gas system. This is a compromised system. It is a bit higher on theoretical reliability than the carbine, but less so than the rifle. If you want a jack of all trades to start with the mid-length 16inch AR This will be another excellent all-around shooter. Do you want an M16 clone or a rifle high on reliability and muzzle velocity?
Get a rifle length system. Typically these will come in 18 inch and 20 inch flavors. With the rifle length system we have arguably the most reliable AR15 of the weapon family. It also has the highest muzzle velocity, and it is one of the softest shooting variants of the three systems. IF you want the nitty-gritty details of pressure, dwell time, army reliability tests, ect. Now that we have covered the gas systems, its time to decide your rifles goal: do you want tack-driving accuracy or a tough, long-wear fighting machine?
Poke you in the eye down a hallway this one can. Here we are going to touch on three popular barrel types. Chrome lined barrels will last a great many rounds before deteriorating. Due to slight inconsistencies when applying chrome to the bore of a barrel, they are considered less accurate than other options. Keep in mind that the Marines use a chrome-lined barrel to hit man-sized targets at yards.
These barrels can typically do 1. This option will have a long bore life and be more forgiving of less frequent maintenance. As the barrel erodes the match-grade accuracy will degrade to very good accuracy.
See ADCO firearms test here. This is the barrel you want if you value accuracy over barrel life. Typically capable of 0. Nitriding has more lubricity than chrome, it is harder than chrome, and does not add inconsistency to the thickness of the bore. This is a layer that is added both to the bore and outside of the barrel. These barrels are a great balance of accuracy and durability. I would rank them between SS and Chrome lined. Nitrided barrels are becoming well established and they offer clean looks and good to excellent performance at a budget price.
Everything has a bit of a trade-off. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. A match-grade chrome-lined barrel from Criterion will lean towards the accuracy of a SS barrel as an example. If you want the best, prepare to pay the cost. It is very common to find rifles that come standard with a tactical rail. The question is do you need this upgrade? Here is a video I did of my rifle for a post I put together a while back: in the video I compare red dots with iron sights but it is a good video to show that a non-free-floated rifle can hit distant targets easily.
If that is the case then investing in the free-float system will be a wise choice. Free-floating eliminates unwanted interference from the barrel by isolating it from the hand-guard.
Many free float rails have slots or rails to mount things like lights, lasers, bipods, foreword grips, ect, and in recent years, modular rails such as MLOK or Key-Mod have become popular for their lightweight and affordability without sacrificing utility.
At this point in time most companies offer these modular rails for very little extra cost, and they appear to be cheaper than plastic hand-guards and the related sub-components.
Go ahead and free float to save yourself the upgrade down the road. These rifles integrate the free float rail and upper receiver into one rock-solid unit.
These receivers are extremely rugged platforms for building an accurate, hard use rifle. While the initial cost of a monolithic or polylithic AR15 upper may seem high, they offer exceptional strength over other systems.
So by now, you have your carbine or rifle picked out with a certain goal in mind. Recce: A carbine with a 16 inch barrel utilizing a stainless steel barrel for match-grade accuracy. A great choice for a do it all style rifle. Top this type of gun off with a x variable and you have a jack of all trades. Accuracy in a small package. SPR: A 18 inch stainless steel barreled weapon used by the military.
A very popular and accurate configuration. Extremely Accurate. M16A2: You are likely to find one of these clones in the gun shop rack. An A2 fixed carry handle upper receiver with a 20 inch barrel and a fixed butt-stock.
Overall a good rifle but many view the lack of a railed upper receiver as outdated. The carry handle does limit your optics choices, but is a very shootable as is rifle. M4 clone : This build is a very common offering from various manufacturers.
They can be found with 16 inch barrels or This ensures that the total barrel length is 16 inches. A very small and handy AR15 package. CAR: Typically these will be found as carbine length gas systems with a 16 inch barrel and an A2 carry handle.
My suggestion, especially for your first AR, is to buy a complete rifle from a good manufacturer. These manufacturers produce a good product right around the sweet spot price point. If you still have the itch to build, then you should buy a stripped lower receiver to finish. Then pick up a complete upper from one of the mentioned manufacturers. Several years ago, a gentleman by the name of Rob S put together the infamous Chart.
These specs contributed to the reliability and performance of the rifle. In the years since the chart went public, the gun buyers got smarter and more demanding about what they wanted. In response, manufacturers started touting their compliance, lest they be seen as inferior.
These days, the chart is long gone, and nearly all those specs show up on every AR sold. That made it more difficult to tell the difference between a good quality AR and a lesser quality one by only looking only at the spec sheet. That said, I want to run down the key specification points and offer some tips. This is not a comprehensive detailed breakdown. Each of these topics has their own associated blog post getting into more detail.
Choosing your barrel is a stressful decision for most beginners. There are simply a lot of options out there. I highly suggest you check out the full piece on choosing an AR barrel , which prepares you for making this decision. Get it with a chrome lined bore and fixed front sight. This combination is the most versatile for people who own only one AR and need it to do lots of things well. The length primarily affects the velocity and balance of the rifle. Velocity has a huge impact on the trajectory of the bullet as well as its effective range.
They targeted these towards competition shooters since heavy barrels tended to be more accurate. Their extra mass also helps put up with higher volumes of fire. The accuracy thing is interesting. But if this is your first AR then you are not likely to take advantage of the increased capability.
Otherwise, you are better served by learning the rifle and shooting out the first barrel as you practice. That will take about 20, rounds. For most people, that represents may years of shooting, if they ever get there. A lightweight profile puts up with plenty of abuse while also being easier to carry and maneuver.
Weight matters. There are a lot of barrel steels out there. It has a bit more durability for use in firearms due to its higher carbon content. Stainless barrels are often used in precision rifles. Historically, stainless barrels were easier to machine and polish, while also being more resistant to corrosion. That means manufacturers shorten their supply chain and produce more consistently machined barrels.
Stainless barrels come with some risks in durability, particularly in very cold weather. For that reason, stay away from lightweight profile stainless barrels. They should always be a medium profile or heavier. If you want to go the stainless route, then buy one made from or r stainless. If you plan to use the rifle in below freezing weather, then stick to r. The compromise is that nitrided barrels are much less heat tolerant of high rates of fire. This applies more to fully automatic rather than your regular semi-auto rifle.
I know there are nitrided stainless barrels out there on the market. Be cautious here, since the temperature used for nitriding is very close to that used for tempering a barrel. For more information here, read my article all about barrel nitriding. Look for a twist rate of or Some cheaper barrels have a twist rate, which work fine for shooting bulk ammo in the 55gr to 62gr range. But if you ever want to use the heavier and more accurate 77gr family of bullets, then you need the faster twist.
If you want more detailed information about selecting the right twist rate for your rifle, head over to my article all about rifle twist rates.
Some people are particularly passionate about this. They are usually lighter, plenty durable, cheaper, and replaceable. I usually find them more comfortable as well since the shape is ergonomic and internal heat shields help protect my hand after lots of shooting.
Rails come in either free floated or non-free floated format. These days, I see no reason at all to have a non-free floated rail system. There are several well-made rails on the market that are even lighter than plastic handguards. AR triggers are a highly personal thing, and everyone has their own preferences. I suggest reading my longer article about AR trigger selection as a follow-up to this.
All of those are great triggers. I love my nice triggers, but I also realize they circumvented the process of learning to squeeze the trigger well. Lighter triggers are not a replacement for poor fundamentals. A practiced shooter can take any trigger and use it effectively. Get a decent mil-spec trigger and practice. To be honest, this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Far too many people are getting too complicated with this. If one of those applies to you, then cool.
Take your pick, as they all work about the same, and will cause you and everyone else the same amount of headache when you shoot it near them. The stock is one of those things that most people take for granted. If you are buying a complete rifle, it probably comes with a pretty good stock already out of the box. Shoot it and enjoy it. If you are taking the path of assembling your own or want to customize what you already have, then pick what looks good to you from Magpul, BCM, LMT, or B5.
For a long time, I advocated for fixed rifle-length stocks. I still enjoy them. I realize that there is a lot of utility sacrificed in the process, though. Fixed stocks offer much more stable cheek welds, which increases accuracy potential. This happens at the expense of adjustability and compactness. What you value more is up to you. Whichever choice you make, make sure to get the right size.
If you go for a rifle length stock, then you will need a rifle buffer tube technically called the receiver extension. That also requires a different rifle spring and buffer. Again, whatever path you choose, buy quality. Aside from the rifle itself, I think a minimum capable AR should have an optic, sling, and white light.
There is an optic targeted to every price point, from ultra cheap to high end. Most people are best served by a red dot sight.
This projects a little red dot against an unmagnified lens, and it greatly speeds up the aiming process. It is best suited from 0 to meters, give or take depending on your eyesight. You can find them today for very reasonable prices. I understand. Stick to your iron sights and master them while you save for the optic. It is not worth buying a cheaper optic in the meantime that could fail on you at any time. But you should still get an optic when you have the funds.
Red dot sights are sometimes problematic for people with astigmatism. It turns the red dot into a cluster of red splotches, lines, or other misshapen things. As an aside, please make sure you zero your sights. If you want to use your AR for home defense, you need a flashlight. You also want something with enough power; — lumens is plenty for this purpose. Some people try to push it well beyond what is practical.
Make sure you get one matched to your flashlight body diameter and mounting system rail, M-LOK, etc. Slings do more than just carry the rifle. I have a long history with variations on the shooting sling, which cinches around the arm to stabilize the rifle. A good sling allows you to take up and release slack as needed to adjust the rifle or get more stability.
I always recommend two point adjustable slings for new shooters. They will never stop being useful, and can be modified for even more functionality. I consider it the quintessential American rifle these days. There is a lot of information in this article, and I keep it updated as needed to reflect my thoughts and experience.
Do your homework, buy quality, and you will have a great experience with your new rifle. Let me know if you have any thoughts or questions down in the comments. Feel free to argue with me as well. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. First AR? More like my only AR.
I bought what I could afford. The budget red dot, someone gave me. Did you polish this article a little?
Anyway, spot on with so many good, solid, reliable and accurate suggestions and philosophies that any newbie or guy who has stepped away from the market for a while, like me, can come back to and reference.
Yep, I rewrote a lot of it, added some new sections, photography, and redid the formatting. I figured the changes were enough for a repost to. It is good to re-visit this stuff. I am on board with most of what you said, except for a few items. I have no use for fixed iron sights or plastic handguards. Also, the world of optics has been changing. If all you are looking for is a simple and durable red dot sight, there are plenty of options out there that cost less than the Aimpoint.
Sometimes a lot less. You have enough experience and knowledge to separate good from bad and recognize a good deal. My concern is for people who know next to nothing, and then get caught up in bad information and marketing hype. The front sight post is a good example of this. Is it ideal for magnifies optics? But is it … Read more ».
Iron sights are a great thing to learn on for a healthy 18 year old with young eyes and very limited budget. However, I assume your recommendations should be suitable for a broad range of people with widely varying experience levels, physical condition and eye health. Once you get a little older and your eyes start changing, iron sights become a major limiting factor.
They are harder to use for a new shooter even with 18 … Read more ». I would love to get my hands on a spitfire for some testing, though. You are absolutely on point regarding helping people actually have fun at the range. If sacrifices have to be made, a sighting system is not where I would be doing it. We can argue about handguards, triggers and buttstocks all day long, but these, largely, are not critical. A simple 1x prism scope will make all the difference in the world if you actually want to hit something.
Reliability and sighting system, in many ways, trump everything else. Nearly all modern ARs … Read more ». I am 55 and I think iron sights are a good starting point. I have to use my glasses to see smaller targets past yards but I can ring steel all day with iron sights at in with no glasses or with my glasses. I just look over the rear sight like i was … Read more ». For southpaw shooters looking to invest in their first AR rifle, what options, or path would you recommend to create an ambidextrous platform?
Al, I shoot ARs left handed. It ejects on the left side. It may not be the most bombproof option on the market, but it fits me the best. As far as controls, I just picked up an ambitious selector from Strike Industries and a left-side mag release from Troy. If I can help more, let me know. Good info. The bolt carrier group for the Stag would be specific to the Stag and have to be ordered from them I would guess? That is correct. I recently put a suppressor on my stag and had no gas in the face issues even knowing how overgassed it probably is.
Some states have restrictions on magazine size which you should know before trying to purchase additional magazines for your rifle. You need to check your state law to confirm what size magazine is legal. You can check this chart to see what is legal in your state. My Account. Stag Arms Blog. Target shooting. One of the most popular uses of our rifles is target shooting, and it is where most of our customers start their journey as shooters. A day at the range can also create a family or friends bonding experience.
Stag 15 rifles are able to be used to hunt a wide range of animals.
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