Thanks. I’m struggling to find anything on the shelf.
Regards
Chris
The best AR15 is the one you like and are most comfortable with. My favorite in my arsenal is the Daniel Defense MK12. It does what I want it to do.
hello all. I see that this thread/discussion died, but since I am now in this position - considering becoming a sport rifle owner, I thought it appropriate to reply to the existing thread with my questions, and see if some folk would share their knowledge & experience.
a couple folk earlier in the thread recommended a couple Colts, if reasonably priced - the M4 and the 69xx series.
is the M4 as adaptable/customizable as the others discussed? what I mean is - a quick search showed me some M4 .22LR results. would something like this be upgradeable to 5.56 and be as easily upgraded otherwise?
also - the earlier mention of the 69xx series - am I right that this refers to the LE series with all its 69xx different models? would there be any of those better or less than the rest?
thanks a bunch everyone!
1 Like
Hey @John586 “M4” is a military designation for a full auto rifle and while you can buy a machine gun receiver you would have to assemble the parts to make a reproduction M4, the Gov’t won’t sell you one of theirs. If you have your heart set on a Colt then rock on. Otherwise you would be $$$$ ahead for a less costly name. I don’t know if it was this thread or another but all the big name manufacturers get their lower receivers made by one of about 5 companies and uppers are from one of 3. So when Knight’s Armament sells a rifle it has the same lower manufacturer as a DelTon rifle, the difference in price tag is about $2K.
Most “dedicated” 22LR AR’s are not convertible to 5.56 and have platform specific parts. You can however get a conversion kit for an AR that will allow you to shoot 22LR (poorly) the barrel twist rate is all wrong for 22 ammo. Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Craig6
2 Likes
Craig - that’s outstanding info! yes, it helps, and thank you for that. and if I may, to continue for a bit:
no, do not have my heart set on any brand, “style/platform/whatever” (meaning not set on AR-like, vs. AK-like, or any other.) we’re very new at this, and are complete noobs looking at sporting rifles - so I’m trying to gather data to make the best decision for us possible.
obviously I do not need a M4, now that I know it’s a machine gun/ fully auto. and I am open to less expensive names.
I would like to try to find the “balance point” of cost vs quality - at some point where I approach the max quality in the Chevy/Ford price range without getting too far into the Bugatti/Rolls prices - if you follow.
what I am looking for is to find one that is solidly dependable at a reasonable price, and so far, I’m hopeful we can buy for, let’s say 8-9-$1000 or less. someone, earlier this thread I think, mentioned that to go from a 10k round unit to a 20k round one is where it gets really costly; if that is the case, ya, keep me in the 10k round area, thank you very much.
You speak in car terms I like you already!!!
My personal preference it to build the gun. Lowers can be had for ~$100 or less and there are still kits to be had for less than $400 with a BCG. On assembled rifles I am no help, I built every AR that I ever owned, the only complete guns I got were on loan from Uncle and he made sure I gave them back. You should find no troubles at your price point for a manufacturer assembled rifle IF you can actually find one. That said anyone that can follow a video or read a PDF can build an AR.
As to the 10K vs 20K thing I must have missed that, after 10K you are going to need a new tube at a minimum and doggone sure after 3-5K you will need some new springs so it’s handy to know how to get them out and in. A lot of folks seem to like Spike’s Tactical an PSA (Palmetto State Armory) I used to be a fan of Outdoorsprotsusa for kits but their prices jumped $200 so they are off my Christmas card list. Springfield, Ruger and all the normal players have options. Just remember they all get their parts from the same place everybody else does and they pay some guy to assemble them from the parts bin as fast as he can. When you step up to a custom shop that’s a whole new ball game and you are talking about AR “smiths” they get paid more and you get charged more. Don’t get me wrong I’m not against built guns but I am the guy that took a hacksaw to a brand new SS Colt Officers model 30 days after purchase because it sat too high in my hand and I wanted a beaver tail. I just got the last box of parts in for my short block build on my 357 Windsor motor (351W bored 30 over = 357) so yeah I like building my own stuff.
I can’t help in selecting a built rifle but I can doggone sure walk you through building one.
Cheers,
Craig6
1 Like
nice. I’ll have to add Spike’s Tactical & PSA to my reading list & check them out.
and building vs buying makes perfect sense, especially where it comes to maintenance & the like.
I’m glad you 'splained the Windsor 357. I woulda thought that was some kind of .38 spl compatible something or another. whatchu gonna do with it when its built?
thanks for all the tips.
Stuff it in my 77’ Ranchero and spend money on new tires 
Cheers,
Craig6
1 Like
awesome! when you finish that, bring it over here.
we’ll find a place where we can “compare” (wink) yours to my wife’s 01 Z-28 
very nice. ours doesn’t looks near as good.
she was a daily driver in CO for years; we were able to retire her a few years ago but haven’t yet put really anything into turning her back toward her glory years. keeping her running - oh yeah, like is said, she runs “like a scalded dog”.
just another reason wife thinks I’m off my noggin - I told her we should freshen up the motor with a tear down, rebuild and some newer pieces, to raise the HP some. she said "it’s got 330 HP (or something like that… her story, so who am I to argue) stock. I answered: yeah, but we could give her more, to really smoke these Coyote 'Stangs & such around here. I got an eyeroll as she turned & left.
I should be somewhere near 450hp when I get done. She is being built for cruise and mebby a little plant and go. Too big and heavy to race but it will surprise some I’m sure.
Cheers,
Craig6
1 Like
There’s some really good advice given by @Craig6 I’ll add a little bit more
To answer a couple of your questions:
Yes the Colt LE6920 is probably the most common variant. I forget the other model numbers (6940? 6930?) but all you are changing is the different features or furniture but the core of the rifle is the same. In normal times I would say you can research a little and get whichever you prefer, but nowadays it’s get whatever you can get your hands on at a reasonable cost.
Most ARs can be customized but it’s important to know its not a blanket “change whatever you want”, some things are really easy and some are hard. If there is something specifically you want to change and aren’t sure, ask in here and get an answer rather than find out later you can’t do it.
ARs can change the furniture (grip, stock, handguard) usually pretty easily, you can add accessories (handstops, foregrips, lights, lasers, optics, sights) and change some internals like the trigger, safety, mag release, bolt catch, etc. Most often these changes require minimal tools or tools you already have around the house.
Changing caliber however (from .22LR to 5.56 or vice versa) often requires way more than that. Frequently you will need a new barrel, bolt and bolt carrier, new magwell (or an adapter), buffer & buffer spring. In some cases you might need a whole new upper receiver as well. In rare cases you need a different lower receiver too. Most people who swap calibers frequently just buy an upper in each caliber and then put it on the same lower. Eventually though those people just buying a lower for each upper. ARs breed like rabbits in that sense.
I wrote a fuzzy tier rating in another thread that may help, link below…
If you are in the market to buy “right now”, have a look at Palmetto State Armory’s (PSA) Daily Deals section. It was bone dry through most of 2020, but they seem to be getting/making more stock now. I think this link below will take you straight there, but if not from their homepage choose “Daily Deals” then filter by PSA brand.
There are a couple kits right now that are in stock at a fair price, not sure how long they’ll be in stock but . Like this one is an AR pistol kit, comes with a red dot and backup iron sights (BUIS), and 10 magazines for $900. This AR rifle kit only has BUIS, but costs a bit less out the door at $730. Both kits include a complete upper (the upper is the “hardest” to build requiring some special tools and a little more knowhow), and all the pieces to complete a lower (this can be done with tools you probably already have and watching a few youtube videos).
In both cases, these kits can be delivered to your door BUT you will need to buy a stripped lower (this is the serialized part of the firearm) and that needs to be purchased from, or delivered to, an FFL and a background check completed.
1 Like
They started sending me a “Daily Deal” email since January 8th. This “Standard Carbine Kit” was $385 on the 15th:
AR-15 ‘‘STANDARD’’ Carbine Kit (outdoorsportsusa.com). All it needs to be complete is a striped lower receiver, magazine, and ammo. It also looks like they will do various levels of upper assembly ranging from $8 to $75 for complete assembly plus test fire.
I presume a person could get on their email list by registering on their site.
1 Like
@Craig6 , you going carb or injection on the “357”?
If it’s not going to be a daily driver and carburetor, I would recommend Carter AFB/Edelbrock because there are no gaskets below the fuel level to dry out and shrink if you don’t drive it often. I have chased the idle mixture as gaskets reabsorbed fuel more than a couple of times on a variety of Holley 4 barrels 
@Gary_H Midnight will be carbureted, I did OK with the Holley I have when it was running. The OP had it totally out of wack so I ended up getting re familiarized with it pretty quickly after 35 years of not messing with one. There are several “I would prefer to have” options but I’m trying to get it built on a budget which is already stretched. The next big hurdle is cam and valve springs to match.
Cheers,
Craig6
awesome info @Craig6 , @Harvey , @Gary_H - many thanks!
I don’t usually check in too much over the wkends - other things goin on.
I’m more of a M-F 8-5 kinda guy I guess - “invest” a little time doing “research” wink, wink, nod in between duties they send me a check for doing…
thanks for some outstanding info! based on what I’ve learned so far:
I do believe, when we pull the trigger so to speak, we’ll go with 5.56 (5.56 x 39?) rather than anything in 22LR.
I had seen those LR posts/ads, and wondered if I could enter cheaper via them & upgrade later.
I gather it can be done but not always easily or cheaply, so never mind. I’m not for that.
and I may be looking at some stuff at the PSA - I could probably manage to pull that off.
with the advances in these intarwebs, surely I could be more successful finding YT vids & help here.
I can remember, back in the day, trying to smooth out my '70 Malibu 1st ride that was doing something I didn’t like, so I decided I’d tear down the 2bbl Rochester it had. I’m pretty sure I wound up with spare parts and it really never was the same. but like I say, these intarwebs have some great stuff - some of it even proves helpful!
1 Like
My last 3 purchases were complete units. I sat down one day and started to figure out one part by part. With good quality components it was cheaper for me to buy complete. But putting cost asside It would be fun to build. All thats needed is a couple tools that can be bought from Wheeler
2 Likes
to the group - and I could tag you guys who’ve already contributed, but that’s ok.
you reply if you wanna; or not if you don’t.
so I like the PSA AR-15 COMPLETE MOE EPT LOWER, GRAY - PSA product link.
how do I determine which uppers & BCGs are compatible with this? or are they all?
what else would I need besides ammo? extra mags (I think) are always a plus.
are they fairly “universal”, paying attention to type, caliber, etc?
thanks all.
1 Like
@John586 for the few extra $, the EPT lower is most definitely the way to go. Trigger pull is noticeably better!
I’m also partial to the Gray, as well as that particular stock. The grip has a built-in storage for batteries, etc.
Unless it’s noted otherwise, ANY rifle upper that PSA lists will work with that. Good choice!
Note - it has a carbine buffer. It will work with longer mid-length or rifle-length gas systems. Some folks, though, like to fine tune them.
Edit – forgot to mention, you will save $ by getting the BCG with your upper. Preferably a Carpenter steel, Nitride bolt.
1 Like