If you could start over - what would you do differently?

[3 AE]

"If I knew then, what I know now." Yep, that would have saved me some time and money.Though it was a fun ride. Ten years ago there wasn't that many quality AR manufacturers that had established themselves over the long haul. The same went for manufacturers of AR accessories and components. Today there are a myriad of top notch equipment out there covering everything you can possibly want/need for your weapon system. I'd hate to start out today as a newb with all the options available. They make it really, really hard to resist the latest and greatest. And those damn "SALES" three or four times a year doesn't help any! Damn, if I just get a suppressor or two, then I'll really focus on some more training. "Sure you will 3 AE, sure you will."

[Stuttgart]

Would have not gotten the M&P9 (crap trigger needed Apex to fix it), I finally horse traded it for Glock.

Would not have gotten a Sig516 (heavy and had gas block issues, luckily Sig fixed it under warranty) should have just gotten a LWRC to see how short stroke pistons work)

Would have skipped the Smith & Wesson ar in favor of a le6920

Would have stuck with one AK (SAM7R)

Luckily it is a sellers market for gun stuff this year.

[Diamondback]

To amend my prior, if we're going to roll the first-acquisition clock back to the time I bought Old Ugly...

1. Old Ugly stays unchanged as my first. Just too much sentimental value there, both the young lady it protected and the gunsmith friend who built it from a frame-slide kit.
2. Pick up a few Milsurps while they were cheap before GI Joe's/Foxhole/other NW Army-Navy stores died. M1 Carbine, a Mosin-Nagant or two, don't think I ever saw a SMLE but one of those.
3. Do CMP as soon as I my creds were in-hand and snag a Garand and if I can find one a 1903A3/A4 Sniper.
4. Part of me wants to say "bypass most AR's, jump straight to a pin-welded Colt 6921 URG joined to a Colt lower. The part that disagrees is because some of the parts that went into my current M4 are bring-backs by a friend who has left us, and the build was completed in his memory, as my M16A4-clone (also with his bringbacks) will be if it ever proceeds.
5. Start getting C7 and C8 parts rounded up AS SOON AS the girlfriend mentioned wanting me to teach her to shoot, so I could get a BCM Tri-Rail rather than risk an airsoft substitute, ditto getting an Elcan M134 for the C7 while they were affordable and try to snag some genuine Diemaco furniture and "green beanie" for the Elcan while they could still be imported.

[HCrum87hc]

If I had it to do over again, I'd have forgone the PSA lowers and bought complete rifles from BCM, Sionics, SOLGW, Centurion, or MA. I would have started carrying appendix from the get go instead of fooling with hybrid holsters at 4 o'clock. I also would have skipped Inforce lights and Primary Arms optics. I likely would have foregone the .300blk SBR and SiCo OMEGA in favor of a 5.56 with a micro can. This one's tough, as I like the .300blk, but I don't find myself shooting it much.

In regards to pistols, I'd have skipped the subcompact XD in .40 (my first pistol), the Kimber CDP II, and the LCP. I'm happy with my current pistol line up, but I sure could have saved a lot of money getting here. There's plenty of other smaller purchases these options would have negated, such as holster changes and magazines/accessories. Oh well, we can't change the past, but the best we can hope for is to educate ourselves and improve.

[GHMann]

I would skip the Bushmaster, Ruger, and PSA ARs and go full on with a BCM. Nothing wrong with them for home defense, but I'm jonesing for a BCM and it's too late for me now.

[1986s4]

I would skip the Bushmaster, Ruger, and PSA ARs and go full on with a BCM. Nothing wrong with them for home defense, but I'm jonesing for a BCM and it's too late for me now.

I don't think so ! Build your own or at least buy the parts necessary to build your ultimate AR. I took my time, bought the parts when they were on sale and after all the parts were present brought them to a gunsmith friend of mine for assembly. I now have what I consider an awesome rifle and it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

[t1tan]

I don't think so ! Build your own or at least buy the parts necessary to build your ultimate AR. I took my time, bought the parts when they were on sale and after all the parts were present brought them to a gunsmith friend of mine for assembly. I now have what I consider an awesome rifle and it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

I do this as well, have never had a pre-built rifle, building myself I get exactly what I want and don't have to swap things out on a new gun. All high end stuff, Noveske, BCM, Q, Geissele, buy it all on sale over time and it's worth the wait.

[AndyLate]

I don't think so ! Build your own or at least buy the parts necessary to build your ultimate AR. I took my time, bought the parts when they were on sale and after all the parts were present brought them to a gunsmith friend of mine for assembly. I now have what I consider an awesome rifle and it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

I like building (assembling) ARs almost as much as shooting them. It is important to start with a clear vision of the final product and stick to it. Buying parts and not using them will result in their growing into another AR or 2.

Andy

[snakedoctor]

Knights SR-15 URX4 Mlok
Colt LE6920SOCOM x3
Geissele URGI mk16
Glock 19X x2
Wilson Combat 1911 Classic Custom

[fred]

Like many have said, wasting time and money trying to make things work that, well, didn't. Instead of taking sound advice from many guys here and on the old 10-8 forum.