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Thread: How has your AR ownership evolved?

  1. #51
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    Quote Originally Posted by MistWolf View Post
    A telescope magnifies the image that is subject to eye relief, field of view, depth of focus, image inversion and changes the image size ratio. Not only can a telescope enlarge an image it can also reduce it. You can have a 10x or 5x or 1x or a .01x image ratio and the lenses have to be set carefully to get the exact ratio desired.

    A plane pane of glass does none of these things it simply passes light. When speaking about optics the Aimpoint RDS is considered a 0x optic. If it were a 1x optic the shooter would have to deal with eye relief and eye alignment. Designing the Aimpoint RDS as a 0x optic eliminates those needs.
    I never looked at it that way, but it makes sense I suppose. Its funny because it that were true than all the advertising of RDS as 1x is incorrect...

    In addition to the evolution of my AR ownership, I've learned to stick with the reputable brands only for factory rifles (DD, Colt, BCM, etc). I don't discriminate mid-tier companies like Spikes/S&W, but normally are picky if they are. And as much as I love building my own, I also still highly recommend others (esp casual shooters) to buy complete rifles from top manufacturers.

  2. #52
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    I find it interesting that so many of us, myself included, were so uneducated in the realm of AR's prior to our first purchase. We didn't research, didn't second guess quality, and didn't seem seek any advice other than that of the eager salesman holding the sub-par rifle on the other side of the counter. I'm pretty sure I did more research before I purchased my flatscreen than I did before I bought my first AR. Not sure why I assumed that it wasn't necessary? Glad to have found the resources and education I have in the past few years so as to avoid those mistakes in the future.
    USMC 2011-Present

  3. #53
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    I used A1's in the Navy. Then A2's in the Army. I got out and was shooting/collecting a lot of milsurp stuff. I got the word that there would be a ban, so I went out and bought a Colt Match HBAR from my LGS. The only AR they had left a week before bad times. I liked it because it was like the A2 I used to use, and it had a "Thick Barrel" and you could take off the carry handle. Pretty cool! That rifle made me a snob after sitting next to a dude running OLY gear at the range in the early 90's. The dude told me so. POS

    I traded the rifle years later to a bud in 99, 30 rnd mags and all. I pretty much unassed everything except a SW Model 19 and a Sako 78B. Being poor sucks. Being poor and lazy, means you gotta set priorities, beer/guns beer/guns beer/tang beer/beer beer/beer.......adios firearms, maybe I can talk my way into the Tang.

    More years later, money solved with better job, Beer solved with money and Tang solved with being married, I was surfing Pron-Muscle cars-Guns, when I ended up here. I decided to build an AR. The most awesome one EVAR. 09. One billet lower and a couple of thousand dollars later, it was the most awesome thing ever. I don't think so any more.

    I'm on the third one now. It was going to be a Jack Carbine clone, but now it has morphed into going to be the smoothest shooting AR ever. So far its going to be an A5 rig with a Centurion rail. I'm leaving the other ones alone as a "Look back" at what was cool at that time.

    I like building them. That's my gig now. Thanks for all of the advice M4C! I'm having a good time.

  4. #54
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    In what ways has your AR ownership changed from your very first purchase? When I first got into the platform I looked more into the "Sniper" look, and I never did my research. My very first was a Bushmaster Varminter with a mk4 4.5-14 optic on top. I thought it was the shit. But after realizing I do not need a big heavy gun to do what I needed I looked at shorter, and eventually lighter. After going with some pretty shitty brands such as Bushmaster and Rock River, I found a deal on a S&W that preformed pretty well and that is when I noticed that there is in fact a difference in brands. Eventually I purchased a SR-15 E3 from a member here and I was hooked and really understood why some cost more than others and how much variance there is on the market in quality control and manufacturing processes.

    Are you a fan of certain brands more than others? Absolutely. Knight's Armament will always be my first choice. They just do it better than anyone else IMO. BCM, Colt, DD, and LMT have also treated me very well.

    Are there certain accessories you consider "must haves" and others "must avoid"? Geissele triggers, Battle Arms Development Selectors, BCM or Raptor Ambi Charging Handles, and Griffin Armament Muzzle Devices are all must haves on my rifles.

    Must avoid those damn grip pods.

    Is there any particular AR-related item that turned out to be a surprising and utter disappointment? My biggest utter disappointment was my RRA Operator as a whole. According to all the gun mags and the gun store salesmen it was the 'best' out there because it was so tight and match grade galore. But when I went through my first carbine class I had my eyes opened after my rifle failed while others kept running, not to mention it was a heavy bitch.

    Is there any AR-related item that you didn't expect much out of and it turned out to be an essential piece of kit? I was in the A2 camp and thought all after market muzzle devices were a waste of money. That is until I shot a BattleComp for the first time... I was kind of blown away at how much better the muzzle control was and how the noise and concussion wasn't like most of the brakes out there. Sure I have moved on to the Griffin stuff which IMO is a better all around device but the BattleComp was the first hybrid device that truly exceeded my expectations.

    Anything you want to discuss about your AR journey in general? It's been an interesting journey for me, I went from a kid who really didn't know much and never did my research to someone who has been vastly enlightened mostly by this site and the great resources on here, and also with my experience after assembling hundreds of rifles for my customers. I love sharing my experience with them and guiding them to a better build than the mall ninja carbon fantastic setup they were looking at before.
    Last edited by VIP3R 237; 05-01-14 at 01:40.
    I paint spaceship parts.

    Quote Originally Posted by Failure2Stop View Post
    Stippled Glocks are like used underwear; previous owner makes all the difference in value.

  5. #55
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    In what ways has your AR ownership changed from your very first purchase? went from DPMS sportical to learning quite a bit about the platform and working for some gun shops in my area, doing AR work. Now I own A BCM or 2.

    Are you a fan of certain brands more than others? Yup. BCM is the brand that I have chosen. Read, why Paul is making his own upper receivers now.

    Are there certain accessories you consider "must haves" and others "must avoid"? must avoid? bipod (very few cases where a bipod is justified on an AR IMO), grip pod, BAD lever, poly lowers, anti rotation pins.

    Is there any particular AR-related item that turned out to be a surprising and utter disappointment?
    early Troy mags. they didn't lock open, would not feed correctly. I threw the 3 I had away. Also, my Surefire earplugs...I love them, but keep losing the damned things, even when I attach them and try and keep track.

    Is there any AR-related item that you didn't expect much out of and it turned out to be an essential piece of kit? Gunfighter Charging handle, good padded 2 point sling & qd, the new MOE K2 grip....It fits my hand perfectly.

  6. #56
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shiz View Post
    BCM is the brand that I have chosen. Read, why Paul is making his own upper receivers now.
    Could you elaborate on this? I hadn't heard about this.

  7. #57
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    Doc there s a thread discuss the introduction of BCM made uppers. This is a fast note before heading out the door but it should be an easy search to find it
    INSIDE PLAN OF BOX
    1. ROAD-RUNNER LIFTS GLASS OF WATER- PULLING UP MATCH
    2. MATCH SCRATCHES ON MATCH-BOX
    3. MATCH LIGHTS FUSE TO TNT
    4. BOOM!
    5. HA-HA!!

    -WILE E. COYOTE, AUTHOR OF "EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW IN LIFE, I LEARNED FROM GOLDBERG & MURPHY"

    http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n289/SgtSongDog/AR%20Carbine/DSC_0114.jpg
    I am American

  8. #58
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    Found it.

    https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...bcm+made+upper

    BCM has been buying upper receivers out in the OEM market place for some time. They have discovered a problem with this. First is the fact that AR parts manufacturers will ship you whatever they feel like (meaning don't care if the part is in spec or not). BCM has had to reject upwards of 50% of the upper receivers they get in because they did not meet their specs and standards! Things like the Picatinny rail slots are off or not square and true or the inside dims are not right and your BCG is too loose or too tight, etc, etc..

    Having had enough of this, BCM is having a machine shop make these uppers to their drawings. Lots of QC procedures are in place to ensure everything is correct (pics on this to come). There was one small change made from the TDP on these receivers. They made the Inside Diameter for barrel extension slightly undersized for a tighter fit to the barrel. By doing this, you will improve the accuracy of your AR.


    Features:

    • Precision machined to correct Mil-Specs from 7075 T6 Forgings
    • Fully Assembled with forward assist, and ejection port cover
    • Mil-Std 1913 Rail for mounting optics and accessories
    • Machined for use with barrels that use an M4 barrel extension
    • Laser etched T-markings for addressing the remounting of optics
    • Includes Mil-Spec Forward Assist with heat treated tool steel pawl, with press fit and pinned cap
    • Hard Coat Anodized per Mil-A-8625F, Type III, Class2
    • Made in the U.S.A.

    This receiver will not include the BCM logo etched on the receiver. It is marked “BCM4” over the gas tube hole. MAP is $119.

  9. #59
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    Started playing with ARs in the early 1970s Colts of course. Sold them then a few years later bought some ,Then Sold them Them bought them. When Bushmaster first came out one of my shooting buds was an engineer working on the space station project "yep he is that smart" and he told me about all the mil spec specs and what they meant so I never ended up with a lower end AR. Nor toyed with the tacticool rage of several years ago. A quality AR is a very good product.
    Last edited by SteveS; 05-01-14 at 10:55.

  10. #60
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    My first was a Bushmaster that was problematic. It had so many failure to feeds and failure to extracts shooting Wolf on my first range day I ended up having to take it to a gunsmith to get a stuck casing from out of my chamber. I sold it back to the guy I bought it from for profit somehow...

    Next one was my first build. Charles Daly lower BCM upper that I assembled but had to have assistance from a local guy installing my SWS rail on it. That rail made the gun a lot heavier than I wanted but it was so expensive I couldn't tell myself it was a mistake in buying it. It WAS a mistake though and this is when I started to realize that rails were not needed most of the time. I had 1 single attachment on my rail and that was an AFG that I really liked. I mounted a BattleComp on the rifle and that made shooting so easy that my range trips started to become boring. My shooting partner and I were going to the range every week and shot thousands of rounds in a year, thankfully we were reloading by then. We both recognized that we were not honing our skills in shooting at steel targets from 50-100 yards quickly and never missing. But the range policies limited what we could do on the firing line as far as reloading and drills were concerned.

    We transitioned to spending more time on pistols and went every month to our local pistol match and that was how we discovered how awesome it was to compete. Nothing you can ever do on the line at the range can truly prepare you for that BUZZ. It was awesome. Our ARs sat dormant for a long while while we competed and I started to build my AR308 in pursuit of the precision game. I went to one fo IGs Semper Paratus armorers courses and enjoyed that but at that point my BCM was getting pretty dusty from lack of use.

    My shooting partner moved to go on active duty so my shooting saw a dramatic decrease. I eventually sold my Daly/BCM AR to fund my optic for my AR308 a few months ago. I was concurrently building a Noveske AR15 to replace my BCM that I sold and have since finished. After mounting my fancy new optic on my AR308 and taking it out one cold winter morning I fell in love with precision shooting. The concentration, the math, the patience, the skill... the demands are so much higher and I love it. The honing of a skill that is actually notable. You can actually go down range and see your groups improving and it is ****ing marvelous!

    My Noveske sits in its case. I was fortunate enough to get a free Atlas from BT at Christmas time, so it wears an Atlas with no optic lol. I shot it to make sure it works only to find out the gen 3 pmags don't fit it the Noveske Gen 2 lower properly lol. So I have resigned it to little range time, because it is unglassed, and if I do shoot it I only take 20 round mags for it. And since I only take small targets for my 308, I can't even really see them with open sights for the Noveske to shoot on. Throwing tons of lead downrange is fun but only if you are seeing improvements IMO. Be it trigger control or recoil control or whatever, improvement should be the goal, not just slinging lead. Its also not about accruing more and more gear. I know thats not a big focus on this board but others are very "look at this cool piece of kit I just got" ... blech... go shoot that mother ****er and get better at this hobby and passion of ours!

    I hope to participate in the local 500 yard precision matches soon. I need to wait on the pollen count to go down lol. I am also making plans to fly west and attend some precision classes but hopefully I can find something more local to me.


    Are you a fan of certain brands more than others?
    BCM, Noveske is all I have enough experience with to say I prefer them. I've only handled and fired my friends MWS a few times and while it seems very nice and solid it is heavy as HELL!!

    Are there certain accessories you consider "must haves" and others "must avoid"?
    Must haves: Gun Fighter charging handles are incredible. A good comp. Other range goes will hate your guts but BattleComps are great! I have a surefire brake on my new Noveske but haven't shot it enough to really comment on it.
    Must avoid: crap brands of course, but if anyone asks me I always always say "don't get a quad rail. you're wasting money and weight because you more than likely won't ever mount enough shit to it to justify it. Get a troy tube or a Noveske keymod"

    Is there any particular AR-related item that turned out to be a surprising and utter disappointment?
    My SWS rail. It was 10 miles from crap, seriously. It was wonderfully made, very tough and nice. I just didn't need it. It was $343 and all I needed was a $20 midlength MOE rail (which didnt exist when I bought the SWS)

    Is there any AR-related item that you didn't expect much out of and it turned out to be an essential piece of kit?
    Rear bag for my AR308. I'm a Marine and have shot 500 yards plenty with open sights. But when you zoom in you see how much you're truly moving around. Rear bag eliminates SO much movement that one must truly experience it.
    Last edited by caelumatra; 05-01-14 at 11:39.

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