"Parts Guns"...Caveat Emptor?

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I've decided to purchase a "Black" rifle, and am leaning towards an AR. Partially because I like the 5.56, and partially because I learned to know and like the C7 back when the .50 was still in the machine gunner's course :50cal:

Browsing through the EE, I've noticed what appears to be some pretty good deals on "low-mileage" AR's of various configurations. The "best" deals seem to be on rifles that are assembled with parts from various sources.

Given that this is my first personally owned AR, should I be especially wary of these builds? Am I better off buying a NIB Armalite or Stag and then adding a quad rail/VFG/upgraded pistol grip/misc. mall ninja parts after the fact?

I'd also welcome feedback from more experienced members on the effects of barrels under 16". I know that the terminal ballistics are affected by the loss in velocity associated with the shorter barrel, but is there a substantial effect on accuracy within 200m?:confused:
 
Barrel length primarily affects velocity. All else being equal, shorter barrels can actually be more accurate due to increased stiffness. There are threads kicking around here on the lethality issues of 5.56 as you shorten the barrel with the apparent general consensus that 16" is a good compromise for not losing too much velocity (compared with a rifle length barrel) and maintaining handiness. I'll let the experts expand on these things or point you to the thread.
 
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Personally, I think you should go buy a complete AR, Armalite, STAG.....all good and backed by the importer for warranty. when you knowmore about the AR parts in the "commerical" world, you will be able to use better judgment to look at the part guns. Unlike the C7, not all commerical ARs ( and their parts) are created equally-some are good, some are so-so.
 
ESQ said:
Barrel length primarily affects velocity. All else being equal, shorter barrels can actually be more accurate due to increased stiffness.
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If that was true, handguns would be more accurate than rifles. How many handguns can shoot one inch groups at 100 yards? The longer the barrel, the more stabilized the bullet is when it exits the bore.
 
I said 'can' and 'all else being equal'. I am talking about rifles, not ridiculously short barrels like pistols.
 
koalorka said:
Buy an LMT from Questar. Best AR's on the market.
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Might be a good product but the pricing sux. Get an Armalite. The pricing is better..you are not paying *phantom duties and Shipping* that Jack the price up.
Give Wolverine a call... spend you money wisely
 
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If you are leaning at all to a 20" barreled rifle with iron sights, there are usually a few gently used older Colt A2s (large pin) floating around the EE. For the $1000 - $1100, they seem to be going for these days these guns are very good value for the money. As an added bonus, all the cash you save on cool aid can buy more ammo.:)
 
Thanks for all the quick and helpful replies folks. It is always nice to see a forum where a question asked by a noob does not immediately degenerate into flames and pi$$ing contests:D

If I do end up with a 20", I will be probably go for an AR-180B. I know that there are those that aren't a fan of the sheet metal and polymer parts, but the lure of a non-restricted black rifle is strong. The dark side and all, ya know?

As far as an AR goes, my desired "end-state" is:
-a flat-top mounting 1X or low magnification optics
-a BUIS behind the optic
-16.5" barrel at the longest
-picatinny rail(s) on the for grip for VFG and/or light mounting
-upgraded pistol grip
-carbine style telescoping stock (don't care for most folders anyways)
-midlength gas system would be a plus, but without any first hand knowledge of how it compares to the CAR length, I won't commit myself absolutely
 
It might be difficult for you to find some of those parts new. The 16" barrels are common, but the midlenth gas systems are not. Only Armalite seems to have a readily available 16" with midlength gas system.
 
capp325 said:
The longer the barrel, the more stabilized the bullet is when it exits the bore.
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In the case of rifles, you'd be wrong. Benchresters went away from long barrels a couple of decades ago.

handguns are completely different animals, short sight radius etc. But to answer your question: TC Contenders can shoot very well indeed.

Back to the original question: all my AR's are "parts" guns and they work fine, because I used good parts on a solid foundation (Stag or SOCOM MFG lowers).

Off-brand parts are a different matter.
 
acrashb said:
Off-brand parts are a different matter.
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That is the important consideration. There are parts floating around that are not manufactured to the proper specs. A rifle assembled from out of spec. odds and ends may not be satisfactory.
 
acrashb said:
In the case of rifles, you'd be wrong. Benchresters went away from long barrels a couple of decades ago.
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Benchresters went away from long barrels for a different reason. If the barrel is too long, the powder is burnt up before the bullet exists the bore and as it is traveling over the remaining distance, the velocity drops quickly because the bullet is still rubbing against barrel but without any propellant force behind it. The ideal barrel length is one that allows the bullet to exit just as the powder is burnt up.
 
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capp325 said:
Benchresters went away from long barrels for a different reason. If the barrel is too long, the powder is burnt up before the bullet exists the bore and as it is traveling over the remaining distance, the velocity drops quickly because the bullet is still rubbing against barrel but without any propellant force behind it. The ideal barrel length is one that allows the bullet to exit just as the powder is burnt up.
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Incorrect on several levels - to mention one, if this was true they would have just used slower-burning powders. In a nutshell, shorter barrels can be thicker (weight constraints) and therefore more stiff, making "the tune" easier to find because of reduced barrel whip.

You may find a copy of Warren Page's classic "The Accurate Rifle" to be helpful. "Extreme Rifle Accuracy" by Mike Ratigan is newer, and also a great read.
 
Assyrian said:
Might be a good product but the pricing sux. Get an Armalite. The pricing is better..you are not paying *phantom duties and Shipping* that Jack the price up.
Give Wolverine a call... spend you money wisely
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if price is a big factor then get a norc, otherwise spend what it takes to get what you want.

personally i'm planing on LMT in the near future.
 
blah, at 200m you can whack a 19" X 19" target with a 10.5" and Aimpoint as easy as flipping a light switch......even a 9" Swiss ARms CQB will do a very good job.
 
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