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Thread: Help me spend $2,000....wisely

  1. #1
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    Question Help me spend $2,000....wisely

    First I’d like to thank everyone on m4carbine.net, especially Rob and Grant, as a noob I’ve learned so much from everyone reading the forums until all hours of the night. The “chart” already saved me from wasting money on a DPMS, that I now know I would have regretted.

    Here is my situation; I am in the market for my first AR. I have about $2,000 to spend. I want to get a quality rifle, and everything that I will need to get started in the AR world (an AR start-up kit of sorts).

    This rifle will be used mainly for shooting at the range, but I would like to take some courses and maybe even enter some competitions in the future, obviously, it should also be capable for use in HD.

    This being my first AR, I have ruled out building my own from scratch, but I would be willing to “assemble” one from a complete upper and lower, if it could save some $.

    I’d rather have a better rifle now and add “accessories” later, than have a piece of crap with all the bells and whistles. Accuracy and reliability are very important to me. I’d also rather wait to get the right rifle than pick up one off the shelf that I’m not happy with.

    With the $2,000 budget I NEED to get the following:

    Rifle (I’m looking at the: Colt 6920, Daniel Defense M4, DDM4v3 midlength, BCM middy, or any others you can recommend of similar quality)
    Ammo (at least 1 case)
    Sling (I need help with this one)
    Magazines (at least 5, but preferably 10, Magpul P Mags)
    Any other necessary “tools” or accessories that are deemed necessary
    Am I forgetting anything on this list?

    I’d LIKE, but am willing to wait to purchase when I save up some more extra cash:

    Aimpoint sight (model yet to be decided)
    Vertical grip
    Flashlight/mount

    I live in OH, so I’ll probably be taking a trip to see Grant for this purchase, but I'm not opposed to buying directly from other reputable sources. My local gun shops are sorely lacking in selection and knowledge. I want to get all my ducks in a row before I "pull the trigger" on this purchase. I’d appreciate any advice I can get from people who have been in my situation, and know a lot more than me. Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
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    These are guesses in price but they should be in the neighborhood. I don't know if these are G&R prices but they are competitive internet prices.

    1300 - DD M4 or M4v2 (comes with rail, VFG and BUIS)
    450 - Aimpoint C3 in ADM or LaRue mount
    35 - BFG Victory sling
    90 - 10 Mags (D&H USGI)
    325 - 1000 PMC Bronze .223

    $2200 minus tax, transfer fees or whatever.

    All that's left is a light, which could go from $50 to $250 depending on what you want.

    ETA: essential tools. A LULA magloader may be the best investment one can make. I bought one with my first AR and I still think it's the savviest thing I've ever bought. A 5.56 Boresnake kicks ass. You'll need a cleaning kit and some CLP. And you'll need hearing and eye protection. I'd recommend some electronic hearing protection.
    Last edited by subzero; 03-12-10 at 22:07.
    Principles matter.

  3. #3
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    Go get a money order for 2000 and send it to me.
    Then your done!

  4. #4
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    I built a great ride for just around that. Dd lower, lmt upper, lmt bc/g, magpul mbus, 11" troy trx extreme, aimpoint h-1, ctr, miad, pmags, etc. Where in Ohio are you? I'm hosting the spring m4c meet may 1 and 2. You should come. Free.
    Last edited by lethal dose; 03-12-10 at 21:04.
    Acta Non Verba

  5. #5
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    My vote would be for a 6920 and an Aimpoint (either a C3 or H1 depending on your preference), and a bunch of ammo. Then shoot the gun a lot and you'll have a better idea of what else you need/want, if anything.

  6. #6
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    Training isn't on your list.

  7. #7
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    I highly recommend a BCM midlength. Fantastic carbine.
    I like girl scout cookies.

  8. #8
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    Since I recently kitted out a gun, here's what I'd grab:

    $1,495 (1,465 + 30 shipping + transfer fee) Noveske N4 Light Basic*
    $55 Magpul MS2 sling**
    $85 5x Magpul PMag with window ($70 without window)
    $400 Case of your favorite flavor of Ammo***
    $20 Cleaning kit (traditional or boresnake, patches, etc. etc.)
    $10 Spray bottle of CLP****
    $?? Carry bag
    $30 Tools (See below)
    -------
    $2,095

    If you put off buying the case of ammo, or want help on a future wish list, here's the other "essentials" I'd add:
    $30 Magpul MOE Handguard
    $10 Magpul MOE Hanguard rail attachment*****
    $35 Magpul AFG (unless you want a broomstick)
    $100 Magpul CTR (the Noveske comes with a nice VLTOR stock, but it's not my cup of tea and I'm aiming for a color scheme other than straight black)
    $20 Troy CQB grip (The TangoDown grip the Noveske comes with is nice but I like to grip high. I've been told these start shipping end of month. Just make sure whatever grip you use covers "the gap")
    $500-1200 Optics w/ LaRue mounts (Save yourself the headache of searching and just buy the mounts and maybe even the optics from LaRue. Seriously quality. And they give you some fantastic dry rub, too! Go ACOG, red dot, red dot with mag, or EOTech, but seriously spend time researching NOT what you want but what you NEED)
    $25 BCM charging handle (Mod 3 or 4, I think the medium one is the perfect size)
    $20 Magpul MOE trigger guard

    Then if you want to take classes, you're going to have to research what gear you want: kneepads?, chest rig or belt rig?, camelbak or plain water bottles?, pistol holster on chest rig? belt? drop-leg?, pistol mags, bug spray, eye and ear pro you can wear all day all weekend, speed loaders, spare bolt, spare batteries, sun screen, folding chair, dump pouch, loctite, etc. etc. If you want to take a class, I'd say read the forums on what you need and maybe buy a carbine course training video and pay attention to what people have, what works, and what you think will fit with you. Remember that after fees, ammo, gas, food, hotels, etc. carbine courses can cost upwards of $2,000. Buying a $40 dvd set to get the most out of your investment doesn't sound so rough, now, huh?

    After that, you can really go crazy on stuff you don't need. I'm EXO-coating my BCG, I've got a Geissele 2-stage trigger on the way, I'm putting in an ambi safety, I've got a BAD lever, a weapons light, a BHI enhanced SOPMOD bolt upgrade kit, a troy di-optic flip up rear sight, and I've even replaced the rubber cover to my Aimpoint COMPML3 to match my color scheme. But none of that's "starter-kit" stuff. All of that is "because... **** it, why not?" stuff that you can get when you've got a little money to spend.

    TOOLS:
    Once you start adding stuff like a BAD lever, rail sections, and lights/optics and their mounts, you're going to need a dizzying variety of hex and torx heads. I went to home depot and got this Husky driver set with 10 metric hex bits, 10 imperial hex bits, and 10 torx/star bits (with a single flathead and a single phillips head bit) plus the ratcheting screwdriver. Most useful $30 I've spent on my AR15. Just make sure you find a set (preferably small enough that you can keep it in your range bag and never worry about where it is) that has a whole range of torx/star and hex (metric and imperial) bits so you never have to worry about buying an addition or modification and then stripping screws or being left with the coolest whizbang on the market with no way to get it on your gun.

    *The rifle's the critical part. Make sure you're picking the one you'll want for the future, not now. For example, there are "nicer" Noveskes (i.e. more expensive) but my optics mount on the rail it's got, so no need for a monolithic rail running all the way to the front sight. I also planned (and already have) on using Magpul's handguard, so no need to get a quad-rail system. Also, since all I was mounting up front is a light and an the magpul AFG, no need for anything sturdier than polymer, plus it saves some weight, I'm sure. The only downside to the N4 Basic is the fixed front sight. But since I'm running a Aimpoint red dot, I can co-witness, and when I flip up the 3x Magnifier, the front sight disappears completely. I'm sure there are people who hate the front sight in their field of view, but I'm completely indifferent. Personal preference.

    **There's maybe 2 other slings I'd even consider spending money on. The MS2 is 100% what I'm looking for. Watch this video to see the sexy Chris Costa run down the sling and ASAP mount (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5nOt2pSySY). You can shell out $30 for the ASAP mount but the quick-detach stuff you'll get with the Noveske gives almost just as much range of motion and you'll probably only notice the difference if you're a Magpul whore .

    ***Last I checked, Midway USA will have 3-4 different lengths in stock by the end of this month or sometime in April. USCav is shipping them now but only in one length (10 slots). They're polymer, too, so the weight difference between the 3-slot and the 12-slot is probably negligible.

    ****Personally, I've found that a spray bottle makes cleaning 100x easier. There are so many small nooks and crannies that are a real bear to clean by shoving patches around on the ends of sticks.

    *****With the 1:7 twist, you probably want something heavier than 55gr, but I doubt you'll notice it at shorter ranges. I'd put off buying the case of ammo and take 40-50 rounds of 55gr, 62gr, and maybe even 70gr and see how they shoot wherever you're plinking. I'm still waiting for a few parts before I take mine out to the range and do some testing myself, so I can't help much there.

    There, hope that helps get you started.
    Last edited by Complication; 03-12-10 at 21:48.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by lethal dose View Post
    I built a great ride for just around that. Dd lower, lmt upper, lmt bc/g, magpul mbus, 11" troy trx extreme, aimpoint h-1, ctr, miad, pmags, etc. Where in Ohio are you? I'm hosting the spring m4c meet may 1 and 2. You should come. Free.
    I'm from the Youngstown area, I'd love to come to the meet but unfortunately, I'll be out of town that weekend. I'll be in touch if my schedule changes.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Argus View Post
    My vote would be for a 6920 and an Aimpoint (either a C3 or H1 depending on your preference), and a bunch of ammo. Then shoot the gun a lot and you'll have a better idea of what else you need/want, if anything.
    I have a question about the 6920. Are they all marked for law enforcement only? Every one I've seen around here has been marked LEO. If so, can an ordinary guy buy one, and are there any other implications?

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