I currently have Patrick Sweeney's book on Gunsmithing the AR-15 and have downloaded, printed out and made into a binder the USGI Technical manual for the M-16/M4 series of firearms platforms. Thank God I can use the printer at work with complete anonymity.
First I would like to say I fully realize and accept the cause for my problem of having the difficulty I describe below is almost entirely the result of the current (IMO well planned and completely orchestrated) hysteria my nation is suffering through.
Both these books are excellent sources of how to operate, assemble/disassemble, clean, maintain, fix and even accessorize my AR-15's.
But what I have come to realize and accept is I do not posses the knowledge or experience on how to tell the difference between (and therefore how to buy or most important NOT to buy) what are in FACT NOT opinion but FACT components or complete rifles that are considered functional but of minimal, unknown and possibly questionable or undetermined quality to components that are for lack of a better way to state it, in the mid level better than entry level or average level of quality that while not the best will give me a level of reliability and dependability I can place my trust in if I ever find myself in a TSHHTF situation. In short I'd LOVE to by a new Lexus LS500h but can only afford a good used Toyota Corolla.
I have gone to a large number of websites that sell complete uppers and complete lowers who list of specifications for same are impressive and have the specifications known to be needed in a good quality reliable complete upper or lower but I am unfamiliar with their company name. As a precaution I would then post at another VERY well known AR forum asking for experienced based opinions of this same company. I have been rather shocked at the replies i have received. By that I mean when a person would make statements proclaiming the company makes junk I would thank them for their reply and then ask for specifics as to why they felt that why. More often than not their stated basis for their poor opinion was anything but credible and would then chastise me for asking to justify their criticisms with some fact or experienced based evidence.
There are literally over 100 companies and more almost daily it seams that now sell AR-15 rifles, AR-15 parts, complete upper and lower assemblies. I also know like almost everything else there are but a few, actually very few companies that make most of the major parts for the AR-15 platform like the srtipped upper and lowers as well as barrels and BCG's.
I know from personal experience that AR-15 parts are no different from automotive parts in that the same company can make the same exact part but to dramatically different level of quality control per their customers specifications. My most dramatic example of this was when I worked as an outside contractor for one of the largest manufacturers of automatic transmission parts in American history. They made parts for almost every car company but the vast majority of the parts they made were sold to Toyota, Ford and GM/GMC.
I spoke at length with the head engineer in charge of QC who also held several engineering degrees and asked him who he felt made the best transmissions. He replied that without exception Toyota demanded the parts they made for them be held to the highest possible standards, Ford was a close second and GM/GMC a distant third. Considering most companies that sell AR-15 parts or complete rifles do not make most of the parts they sell or use to make their complete upper and lower assemblies and even complete AR-15 rifles and in point of fact very similar to the auto industry and are more of an assembler of AR-15's then actual builders of AR-15's.
I would absolutely LOVE to buy all my AR components, uppers, lowers etc. from the best known and respected AR companies like DD, Noveske, LMT, or Larue. But considering my AR's are strictly 'fun range guns" only and I do no hunting or competing with them and due to extreme impracticality never take them along on vacation for personal protection like my HG's and Keltec Sub2000 G2's so to be brutally honest I absolutely can not justify the expense let alone afford to equip myself and my sons with AR's made from the top AR producers. In short I can not afford to buy or build at the same level of quality AR-15 as our Special Ops troops use, but with some good education can I afford to build a AR-15 at least on par or close to with what our conventional forces carry? My instincts tell me I likely could have pre-PLANdemic.
So that leaves me in the same very crowded boat of AR-15 owners who CAN NOT afford the best money can buy but still want the best for our money.
Now I can post questions here and other AR-15 forums or utilize the search function of this and other AR forums to answer my questions but I do not want to be one of those AR owners who post questions asking the same questions over and over and do use the search function here and other AR websites. I also have and still do HOURS of research on line on trying to find fact based evaluations of AR parts manufacturers to answer my questions, but we all know how much bias and even BS can end up in people's evaluations of most things they buy but in my experience peoples opinions of firearms are as full of bias and BS as are people's opinion of pickup trucks. Thankful this website seems populated with the least ego driven status minded AR owners and their opinions and advice have reflected that at least in my experience so far.
As an example I have read countless posts by people professing on how all of XXX popular branded AR-15 components are absolutely junk and just as many saying the same XXX branded parts have served them well, myself being one of them. Same applies for my other brand of AR rifles and components. Most of my AR components I bought from one maker and never once has anything I bought from that maker let me down but I have read many who claim that maker while is OK is still of lower end quality.
I also realize I have never put one of my AR-15's through a true torture test but I have fired over 3k rounds combined of almost every make of ammo including my reloads out of my two favorite Ar-15's alone and except for regular lubrication never cleaned them beyond their first and only complete cleaning when new. I also have put my mags through although not a test until failure evaluation I have made it a point to drop, stomp and mud test them and thy still have worked very well for me.
So does anyone know of a book or several books that I can buy that will allow me to educate myself on how buy the best AR-15 parts for my money, or as I suspect the field of AR rifles and parts retailers is growing so quickly that save for the most well known and long established AR-15 parts and rifle retailers, it's simply not possible to to keep up to date on who makes good quality affordable AR parts and rifles?
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