Thinking about a rifle purchase

[baboon]

I had a "Liberty Mini 14" that shot minute of pond turtle.

 

[Axxe55]

Personally, I wouldn't really want a Mini 14, but would rather have the Mini 30 in 7.62x39 instead.

 

[Sam7sf]

Remember when they produced the mini in 6.8? I always wanted one.

 

[Axxe55]

Remember when they produced the mini in 6.8? I always wanted one.

Yep! The Mini 30. They weren't rare, but not common either. I have only seen one at a gun show years ago for sale.

 

[Maverick44]

The two issues with mini accuracy is partly due to the thin early barrels, and the lack of consistent tourqe on the gas system. The M1 style of stock lockup is also working against you.

Even then, you aren't any better than a cheaper AR

The metallurgy was not anywhere near as good back then as it is today. Thin barrels back then tended to warp in unpredictable ways as they heated up. Nowadays, it's not a problem. Good quality thin barrels will not see a zero shift as they heat up. The group obviously still opens up a bit, but your zero stays the same. I have a Faxon pencil barrel on one of my ARs, and I like it a lot. It's plenty accurate and very consistent. The Ballistic Advantage pencil barrels are supposed to be good in that regard as well.

Doug, S&W, Ruger, and PSA all make pretty good budget ARs. If you want to spend a little bit more and get a mid range AR, BCM is very good too. I wouldn't discount building your own through. It's very rewarding, slightly extremely addictive, and just flat out fun and easy to do. If you can't find a complete one, it's definitely an option you should at least consider.

 

[oldag]

Didn't realize how expensive the Mini 30 had gotten. Just looked at current prices. Wow.

Never mind.

AR would be a better way to go for the bucks.

I have no problems with Mini's reliability (never had a problem) and the accuracy is fine for its purpose. But at the price they are asking...

 

[PinnedandRecessed]

What other recommended AR-15 mfgs. would be recommended to fill the void I'm trying to fill?

Not sure if serious or a master troll.....

 

[Dougw1515]

Not sure if serious or a master troll.....
View attachment 235107

huh?

 

[PinnedandRecessed]

huh?

Usually that comment is followed by a bunch of guys saying X brand is better than Y brand, and Z brand is a piece of shit....etc, etc, etc. To TGT's credit, that hasn't happened....yet.

 

[PinnedandRecessed]

Basically, all brands and home builds can fail. Buy a rifle. Put a decent amount of ammo through it to make sure it's reliable and accurate enough for your liking. Most of the rest is marketing and ego whether you pay $500 or $3000. I am not saying a PSA "Freedom-15" is the same as a BCM RECCE or HK 416 BUT I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of any of them.

ETA: I believe Mr. Rittenhouse effectively employed a poverty pony with a sightmark optic during the Kenosha incident.

 

[Dougw1515]

The metallurgy was not anywhere near as good back then as it is today. Thin barrels back then tended to warp in unpredictable ways as they heated up. Nowadays, it's not a problem. Good quality thin barrels will not see a zero shift as they heat up. The group obviously still opens up a bit, but your zero stays the same. I have a Faxon pencil barrel on one of my ARs, and I like it a lot. It's plenty accurate and very consistent. The Ballistic Advantage pencil barrels are supposed to be good in that regard as well.

Doug, S&W, Ruger, and PSA all make pretty good budget ARs. If you want to spend a little bit more and get a mid range AR, BCM is very good too. I wouldn't discount building your own through. It's very rewarding, slightly extremely addictive, and just flat out fun and easy to do. If you can't find a complete one, it's definitely an option you should at least consider.

I don't know that I'm necessarily shopping for a "budget" AR. $1,500.00 could be considered a starting point. Not wanting to break the bank but I'm somewhat flexible on cost. The way I see it it's a tool to protect lives - mine and those I care about. Dependable, repeatable accuracy, 20 rounds or greater, affordable/reliable magazines. "Probably" optics ready and any thing others can add to this list that makes sense and/or enhances the items I've noted. I'm starting to think an 18" barrel will still work for close quarters and give me a little edge over a 16" barrel when working @ 100 yds. and beyond.

 

[Sam7sf]

Y’all started it now.

 

[PinnedandRecessed]

I don't know that I'm necessarily shopping for a "budget" AR. $1,500.00 could be considered a starting point. Not wanting to break the bank but I'm somewhat flexible on cost. The way I see it it's a tool to protect lives - mine and those I care about. Dependable, repeatable accuracy, 20 rounds or greater, affordable/reliable magazines. "Probably" optics ready and any thing others can add to this list that makes sense and/or enhances the items I've noted. I'm starting to think an 18" barrel will still work for close quarters and give me a little edge over a 16" barrel when working @ 100 yds. and beyond.

Standard capacity nowadays is 30rd. I'd advise you to get mags now while you can.

Magpul (the standard by which all others are judged) and D&H are cheap and plentiful now.

 

[Moonpie]

 

[Dougw1515]

Standard capacity nowadays is 30rd. I'd advise you to get mags now while you can.

Magpul (the standard by which all others are judged) and D&H are cheap and plentiful now.

So what do I buy? 5.56 mag for an AR, any AR?

 

[Dougw1515]

View attachment 235129

I watch that for 10 minutes and they never ran out of ammo. How long did it take to load the magazine????

 

[PinnedandRecessed]

So what do I buy? 5.56 mag for an AR, any AR?

PMAGs for AR15, M4, And M16 Rifles

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With minor exceptions all standard 5.56/223 mags will fit it all 5.56/223 standard AR's

 

[Dougw1515]

Fixing to order but M3 or M4?

 

[Sam7sf]

My vote is gen two. I’m not a fan of the over travel stop.

 

[Maverick44]

Even after joining here, all my rifles are bolt-action. Been meaning to get a 10-22, but I keep putting it off for trivial things like groceries and auto maintenance.....

I'm going against the grain here....but, I recommend a bolt-action or lever-action rifle for a first rifle. The rifles and ammo can be easier to find than most AR & AK calibers these days. And, for the OP's stated purposes, a lever-action .30-30 or .35 Remington will check the boxes. I've even seen a few bolt-action rifles in .350 Legend with plenty of ammo on the next shelf. If you want smaller, a lever-action rifle in .22 Magnum is hard to beat. Also, if the political winds blow foul, these guns will attract less attention in the short term than the semiauto rifles....a sad thing that must be considered.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

You're not going to see much of a difference between 16" and 18". Especially at 100 yards. A 16" barrel is effective out to about 500 yards, though you can make hits past 600. Most small arms combat takes place within 300 yards. Self defense tends to happen a heck of a lot closer.

BBTI - Ballistics by the Inch :: .223 Rifle Results

(statement of intent)

www.ballisticsbytheinch.com

You probably want to keep your bullet selection between 55gr and 77gr. I believe the military mostly uses 62gr. The old M16 barrels had a twist rate geared towards lighter bullets. Modern barrels are usually gear towards heavier bullets. You can shoot the lighter stuff still (to a degree), but the guns generally shoot better with something in the 60+ gr range. I think the standard now is a 1:8 twist.

For $1500, you could probably get a BCM and a decent optic, or you could build a really nice one (probably a bit cheaper).

Now, if you are wanting something a little different, this will be hitting the market soon. You would probably have to wait a few months as they said the complete rifles will be the last thing they ship, and it will go over your budget a bit (does not come with optic either), but having basically built a clone of this rifle, I have to say it's fantastic. If you are interested, I would suggest looking into what they did for their 2017 version. They go into the meaning of each part and why it was chosen, as well as what purpose behind this build was. The 2020 version is just an update of the original design with a few improvements. Mainly the receiver.

Trigger Times | Brownells

Trigger Times | Brownells

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Here is the playlist for the design process of the 2017 version. It's about 15 videos long (it was a long process).