22 comments on “BSG Time”

1. The AR is the modern equivalent of the minuteman’s musket…I think everybody ought to have one. I just got back from the Gunsite 223 Carbine class, and all but 2 students were shooting ARs. A plain ol’ direct impingement AR will serve you well, and you don’t need to spend a ton to get one these days.

   • Thanks, Dave! Now the issue is whether I’ll buy one “off the shelf” or buy the parts for a friend of mine to build one for me. Might be kind of fun (and informative) to watch it come together bit by bit.

     • I already have one complete AR which I bought outright. Now I am trying my first build…mostly just a project to learn how to do it. Lower is finished, getting ready to start collecting parts for the upper.

       I guess the driver on your decision would be how soon you want the finished rifle. AR prices have dropped so much, it’s hard to save money by building it yourself anymore. I’ve seen plenty of complete rifles under $700, and there are a couple that can be had for under $600 (the S&W Sporter and the new Ruger AR556 both list for $599). I even saw one on sale for $469 recently!

       If you just want to get shooting, go find one you like and go for it. If you’re in no hurry, a build is a great way to learn the inner workings of the gun.

       • At this point I’m just ready to get shooting. But I have been told I’m too impulsive sometimes, so I’m trying to be thoughtful and deliberate and all that… 🙂

         • Call me a bad influence, but I’d say go get your rifle! My advice to an AR newbie would be to buy a decent, inexpensive rifle rather than a top of the line model, and put the savings into ammo and maybe an optic (for the money, the Aimpoint PRO is hard to beat).

           If anybody calls you impulsive, you can blame me.

2. My 2 cents: Start with a S&W M&P-22. And here’s why… A) I highly doubt that you’ll regret the purchase, even after you later buy a 5.56 cal gun. It’s an extremely fun firearm to shoot and the price is quite reasonable. B) Obviously, .22 cal is a highly cost efficient way to learn rifle basics…manual of arms, grip, stance, etc, etc. C) I assume this would be your first long gun, so by having an M&P-22, you can shoot on the rifle line at your range…whereby you will almost undoubtedly be able to try other folk’s AR’s. In my experience, most people are quite happy to let a fellow shooter put a couple rounds through their gun. This is a great way to try different AR’s, optics, and other accessories. And I bet you’ll make new friends! Either way, I look forward to reading about your experiences in the AR world.

   • Meant to write S&W M&P15-22.

   • Thanks, Jeremy! Welcome to the party! I’ll keep you posted on how things go. (Oh, and it’s not my first long gun, but first rifle.)

3. I’m a minimalist when it comes to accessorizing. A quality red dot, white light (a Surefire G2X Pro will do all you need), back up irons, a sling (I’m a fan of 2 point slings for general work, i.e. the Vickers or VTAC) and LOTS of PMAGS and you should be good to go. And I’d go with the collapsible stock as well.

   • Thanks Mike! It’ll be my first rifle rodeo… Hope I don’t do anything I’ll regret!

     • All AR accessories are basically bolt on and therefore easily replaced. If you can try other folks’ rifles you can get a feel for what you like/don’t like without the cost of buying something only to find you don’t like it after all. That would be where most regrets come in.

4. Before you purchase an AR make certain you have shoot several different makes with different accessory set ups. Ideally you should take an urban rifle course with a borrowed rifle which will really increase your decision making abilities on this. Me? I like Colt products but am not opposed to one of the Ruger or S&W offerings. Currently I’m running a Bushmaster, Essential Arm’s receiver H-Bar clone and a S&W M&P 22. I’ve got an unused NIB stripped lower to build and am weighting options on doing an 80% receiver project.

   • Thanks, duly noted! I am still scrambling to take advantage of a few beginning rifle courses that my readers have suggested. So much to do, so little time!

5. Skip the piston nonsense. It only adds $$ and complications.

   This isn’t rocket science. Buy a Colt 6920 or 6720, A Daniel Defense or a Bravo Company 16″ gun. Easy.

   Feed it brass cased ammo from Pmags. Keep it well lubed with your favorite gun oil.

   You can chose iron sights, but you’d be better off with an Aimpoint. Surefire or Streamlight for the light.

   You’ll quickly find out why this platform is so popular.

   • Hmm, money and complication are certainly valid considerations (especially for me). But “nonsense” might be the wrong word, since I know folks with plenty of sense who prefer pistons. Should we say instead that you simply disagree? 🙂

     • An instructor who teaches the Colt AR Armorer course summed up the gas impingement vs. piston debate as “where do you want the carbon, in the gas tube or receiver?” It largely is a matter of personal preference and budget.

     • Sure! I’m the last person to actually dismiss another’s opinion. I do tend to get a bit full of myself and my gun snobbery , and tone is lost on the internet sometimes.

       I also tend to dislike Heavy barrels and actually prefer GI triggers, but those are pure personal preferences.

       There are some very nice piston guns out there, but boy are they pricey.

       (I also like the Sig Arm brace, but that’s just for giggles.)

6. Do some hands on research. Find people who will let you shoot theirs and find out what you don’t want and what you do. Then you can buy the right AR for YOU.
   If you get one with furniture you don’t like, you end up paying twice and are still stuck with the part you don’t want.
   Now is a GREAT time to buy. The AR market is really soft so hunt down those specials! New sales appear almost daily.

   And having 1 AR doesn’t last long…before you know it, you have 2. 🙂

   • …or three, or four…..

7. Go for it. I’m not a AR guy (prefer the AK) but there are some things you should keep in mind. Carbine sized (M-4). Piston driven rather than direct impingement makes sense to me. You – especially you – will need a collapsable stock. You’ll need iron sights for back-up. I’d install a red dot.

   Oh, and don’t forget the flashlight, bayonet lug, food processor, can opener, and all the other tacticool stuff you can hang on it. If you try hard enough you can get one to weigh about 10 pounds. 🙂

   • Ugh… okay suddenly pistols and shotguns are feeling way more attractive again LOL

   • But yeah, without the collapsable stock my arms are almost fully extended. Probably not the best platform to work from. 🙂 Thanks, Craig!

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