Want my 1st non-turd black rifle soon, what to get?

[Imposter]

Have an SKS-D, and while I like it 'cause it's cheap to feed, it jams just often enough to piss me off. I'd like to get another AR style rifle, not really worryied about the non-restricted/restricted status so I'm thinking seriously about an AR-15 (though the 180-B also interests me if I could find one of the railed handguards).

Should I get a lower, or a stripped lower, and build it up from there, or should I go for a full rifle?

What company should I be looking at? Who's got the best quality out of Bushmaster, Olympic Arms, Stag Arms, Colt, and Armalite? (As I understand it Colt can now only be had used since they won't sell to Canadians anymore?)

Should I get a heavy barrel? All AR furniture, barrels, and parts are compatible with all brands right?

What's the diff between the Bushmaster Dissipator and any other AR 15? If I got a Dissipator would I be able to swap out the handguard, etc, still?

 

[HPL]

If it's your first AR, get a full rifle. That way you don't have to worry if part A will fit with part B and so on.

 

[Paulinski]

I also agree for first AR get a complete rifle. I got a Stag 20" lefty on the way, plus all complete stag rifles/carabines have lifetime warranty.

 

[Mike K]

If you are new to the AR game, you are probably better off getting a complete rifle first. It is cheaper to build up from parts, but you need the right tools to do it without damaging anything.

In Canada there we are limited by what the importers bring in. Generally you can go wrong with Armalite, Bushmaster, Colt, Stag or Rock River Arms. There are Colt's around, but they fetch premium prices.

Get whatever type of barrel you like. Generally most rifles that you see available in Canada have heavy or M-4 type barrels. Colt is the only one that may have incompatable parts. Everything else is standard.

The Bushmaster Dissipator has a 16" barrel with a full length handguard. It's sort of silly and may be difficult to put some types of handguards on it as opposed to the more standard formats.

The board sponsors are some of the best suppliers of AR-15 rifles in Canada.

Wolverine http://www.wolverinesupplies.com/ Armalite rifles and a whole mess of accessories.

P&D http://www.p-d-ent.com Bushmaster rifles and various accessories.

Arms East http://www.armseast.com/ Home of Stag Arms in Canada and also Samson MFG bits and pieces.

Questar http://www.questar.ca/ Bushmaster, Rock River Arms and LMT

The Shooting Edge http://www.theshootingedge.com They were stocking DPMS, but I'm not aware of what AR's they carry now.

Locally the best guys to go and talk to about AR-15's are Hunter's Sporting Goods out in Surrey on 104th Ave and 149th St. Anybody can sell you an AR-15, but these guys actually know what they are talking about.

 

[kirill]

Buy a 16" or 14.5" flattop!!

Yes, if you want your AR to be versatile, buy a flattop, but be sure to research the various BUIS options. I bought a carry-handle AR, and even though I use iron sights, I am limited on the optics I can install if I will ever want a holographic sight or a scope.