AR newb questions

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sailor723

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I'm thinking about buying my first AR. Obviously the choices are a little overwhelming for a newb. I'm looking for something entry level to mid range for range plinking and maybe some very casual 3 gun type shooting. I'm not much of a tinkerer so I'd prefer something i could happily use out of the box. My only "add on" at this point would be some kind of an optic. I'm thinking 1-4x rather than a red dot due to aging eyes.

I'd be interested in suggestions either new or what to look for on the EE. (To be frank most of what i see listed on the EE seem to be heavily tricked out with stuff that in some cases I don't even understand the acronynms :redface:)

What's a reasonable budget I'd need to look at to get something that would be reliable?? 1200?....1500?....more?
 
stag, out of arms east right next to you. stag has a 3 gun model with everything you need, or you can buy a bare stag and put what you want on it after reading my stickies and some others up here ^^^

heres the stag 3gr
http://www.armseast.com/store/stag_15_carbines_and_rifles/stag_arms_model_3gr_rifle_18_1/8/
cant go wrong. good price, good quality. but hard to find stock


1-4 optics are pricey. in that config i run a dr, but thats probably way too expensive for you.
 
mikethebike said:
stag, out of arms east right next to you. stag has a 3 gun model with everything you need, or you can buy a bare stag and put what you want on it after reading my stickies and some others up here ^^^

heres the stag 3gr
http://www.armseast.com/store/stag_15_carbines_and_rifles/stag_arms_model_3gr_rifle_18_1/8/
cant go wrong. good price, good quality. but hard to find stock


1-4 optics are pricey. in that config i run a dr, but thats probably way too expensive for you.
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Thanks for the reply but the link you posted is to a gun that is out of stock so it's kind of a moot point

edit

sorry....what's a "dr"?
 
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look through the EE also... always a pile of all kinds of AR's.. Just compare to retail (incl taxes and shipping) and see if the price is fair.
 
Look at those new completed colt IUR's, they range from 1,549 to 1,599 but if you looking for just a basic entry level rifle, buy a norinco/dominion arms rifle for ~600-700 new from canadaammo or marstars.
 
Redblack said:
Look at those new completed colt IUR's, they range from 1,549 to 1,599 but if you looking for just a basic entry level rifle, buy a norinco/dominion arms rifle for ~600-700 new from canadaammo or marstars.
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Sorry....I guess i really am a novice..."IUR"??

edit Google to the rescue....so, IUR is a fancy way of saying "complete gun"?
 
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sailor723 said:
Thanks for the reply but the link you posted is to a gun that is out of stock so it's kind of a moot point

edit

sorry....what's a "dr"?
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maybe call arms east, maybe they can get you a 3gr on order.

iur is integrated upper receiver, DR is elcan specter dr,mboth are on display here on one of my ars:
c8b9a7e64c11f1756438eec62d0a9385_zps2a8m2jsw.jpg


the world of ARs is easy to get lost in, I have 4 and honestly they all serve a purpose:
le 6920 with aimpoint for comps in the usa
cc 15.7 with aimpoint for some canadian flair
mk12 noveske with browe for an spr
cc iur with DR for comps here in canada
 
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The IUR is a one shot deal. There is no option to change the hand guard. They're also heavy and outdated with picatinny rails that you likely won't use. For your intended purposes I would stick with a basic rifle and focus on ammo and optics with spare budget money.

Local
 
I see one of our local gun dealers here in NB has Bushmaster A3's and XM15 QRC on for 799 and 899 respectively. What's the opinion on Bushmaster in general and specifically these models?
 
sailor723 said:
I see one of our local gun dealers here in NB has Bushmaster A3's and XM15 QRC on for 799 and 899 respectively. What's the opinion on Bushmaster in general and specifically these models?
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They are near the bottom of the pile quality-wise, but those are attractive prices. Even the bottom of the pile is not bad these days, but there are better rifles for not that much more cash. Colt, Daniel Defense, LMT, BCM...even the S&W M&P15 to mention some that come to mind.



Local said:
The IUR is a one shot deal. There is no option to change the hand guard. They're also heavy and outdated with picatinny rails that you likely won't use. For your intended purposes I would stick with a basic rifle and focus on ammo and optics with spare budget money.
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I was surprised at how light it was—I was expecting it to be much heavier.
 
bushmaster for 800$ is a good deal right now, considering the dollar thats a pretty good deal.
imo bushmaster is a lot better than the bottom quality wise its the same as a sw15 or a windham
 
mikethebike said:
bushmaster for 800$ is a good deal right now, considering the dollar thats a pretty good deal.
imo bushmaster is a lot better than the bottom quality wise its the same as a sw15 or a windham
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Yeah, I'd agree with this. They're for sure a better bet than the Chinese ones or NEA.
 
If your price range is up into the $1500 range, I'd personally suggest a a used Colt from the EE. They're often going for around $1200-$1300 used, which is a steal compared to what they were priced at up until a couple of years ago. Any of the higher-end guns - LMT, DD, KAC, Colt, HK for under $1500, is a good value. Though I all but guarantee you won't find an HK or KAC for anywhere close to that!


mikethebike said:
bushmaster for 800$ is a good deal right now, considering the dollar thats a pretty good deal.
imo bushmaster is a lot better than the bottom quality wise its the same as a sw15 or a windham
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Agree, nothing wrong with Bushmaster. Definitely middle-of-the-road, but certainly not bottom-end. Similar to Stag or Core, imho.

Local said:
The IUR is a one shot deal. There is no option to change the hand guard. They're also heavy and outdated with picatinny rails that you likely won't use.

Local
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Absolutely disagree. A bit on the heavy side? Yes. But for around $600, you're getting an amazing barrel, and an upper that already has the rails built in that guys are often adding with RIS systems anyway. Plus, the barrel's free-floated.
 
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To get into the game, I would highly recommend the Norinco CQ. I've seen a number of them used in the ORA CQB matches and they perform flawlessly under tough match conditions. You can later add/modify the rifle to your hearts content, but out-of-the-box, they perform just fine. for optics, I would top it with a Vortex Spitfire 3X. This combo would be just fine for 3-gun and would be priced very competitively. Marstar has a great deal right now: https://www.marstar.ca/dynamic/product.jsp?productid=75213

Get a half dozen or so P-Mag magazines and you're good to go :)
 
You should be buying a standard rifle:
rra-ar1288_1.jpg


or a standard carbine:
rra-ar1252x_1.jpg


It should have standard handguards, standard trigger, a standard buttstock, one of the common barrel profiles (government or heavy barrel), and a flat top receiver so you can put sights on it as to your desire.

Such a gun will be an excellent, low cost introduction to the system for you, and offer infinite possibilities to upgrade as you start to learn how you are going to use it and what you like.

There aren't very many brands you need to stay away from. Olympic Arms has a questionable reputation dating from many years ago. Norinco is Norinco. I have seen bad things said about NEA but have no personal experience. The Vulcan/Hesse brand is ridiculed heavily in the US, but I've never seen one of them make its way up here. Almost anything else should get you started.
 
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