Extreme noob needing some advice from the experts

New to the site and I've recently decided to get an AR and am in need of some advice. I have been looking around the site trying to see what everyone thinks about different rifles. I would love to just build my first one by honestly I know nothing about nothing when it comes to Ar's, so I guess I will buy a complete rifle to start off with. This being my first Ar do you suggest I go all out $$ wise or will a cheaper gun suffice me for now since I will be having to learn alot as far as taking it apart and such, like I said I know nothing about nothing on them.I don't even know what alot of the parts are or do yet am still trying to learn that, with that said....I have looked at one gun that is alot cheaper than some of the other but I did notice it doesn't have a dust cover or a forward assist(not sure what that even does) but is that something I really need on a beginner rifle...any help and guidance would be great as I have alot to learn yet....the gun will just be for plinking mostly.

Dust covers and foward assist are not required. Dust cover does just as it sounds, keeps dust out when closed. I prefeer one. And hte foward assist is also like it sounds, it will assist you in closing the bolt that last little bit if your bolt wont close on its own. I like having both and i would recommend you have both esp for a SHTF gun. For hunting it wouldnt be as big of a deal.

But I think i would atleast start with a Colt, When i was a nub i bought a rockriver, nice gun and all but wouldnt have cost that much more to get what i really wanted. Now anouther 1k on top on the original price, handguards, stock, trigger pins, trigger, im much happyer. But then again you could buy a 600 dollar dpms or equivlent and prolly be happy and spend some money on it as you go.

This helped me a lot.

http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=493

There's an FAQ for practically everything around here. Arfcom is an awesome resource.

What ranges will you be plinking at? Do you plan to run a magnified optic (scope), red dot sight, or irons?

I'd check out daniel defense if you want a complete rifle. They make goof stuff and the prices arent bad. Bravo Company USA also makes excellent rifles, but they require a little bit of "assembly". Of course anyone here would be happy to walk you through building one.

not many range choices to pick from where I live ...we have the Sand Mtn. Shooters club and thats about it...other than that it will be shot around the house at targets set up ....as far as optics go really havent looked at them yet as to what I would need...what would you recomend for a beginner as far as optics.

Irons and after you are decent with them a scope or red dot.

OP, just go to walmart, academy, or any gunstore that sells AR's and get a basic model with iron sights. Colt, Stag, Rock River Arms (RRA), Bushmaster, DPMS, Smith and Wesson, and Armalite are all brands that will get you started. There are many more.

Our guys killed VC, krauts, norks, and tojo just fine with iron sights. It is still important to master them.

I happen to like both Rifle and Carbine!

Building a lower is pretty easy!
Just buy a Armorers Manual ! It will have everything you ned to know about the AR15.
Even if you dont build you should have 1.



AR15 for plinking and range, hunting.
You are lucky!
There are several quality AR15s out in the market now.
If you stay with well known brands you will be okay.
Stag
Armalite
S&W
Bushmaster
RRA


If you want a Carbine for SD/HD/L.E./etc!
I would look into
Colt,LMT,STAG +plus package,BCM

Stay Away from Hesse / Vulcan , Oly

Don't take this as "expert advice" of any kind - just another opinion you can consider or disregard.

It sounds like the rifle you're looking at is something like a Smith & Wesson M&P Sport. They can be had in the $600 range (or less), and in my opinion they represent solid value for a budget conscious shooter. You could use the ~$400 you'll save to buy stuff that you can immediately put to use... $300 for 1000 rounds of decent 5.56/.223 (PMC Bronze .223 or PRVI Partisan 5.56 for example, depending on your barrel), and maybe $80 for a Primary Arms M3 with cantilever mount or $170 for a Vortex Strikefire. You'll be getting a lot for your money.

You might also consider looking at a used rifle. You could easily pick up a Bushmaster or something like it for a few dollars more than the M&P Sport. That's how I ended up with my Bushmaster Patrol Carbine. I wanted a beater gun I could abuse and shoot the daylights out of, and looked hard at the M&P. My LGS owner talked me into getting the Bushmaster for $100 more than the M&P. Of course, I sank another couple hundred into it before it even left the store to add a quad rail and free float it and add a couple of other upgrades - but that's another story.

If, however, you're not building to a strict budget limit, I would personally suggest skipping to a Colt 6920. You'll be perfectly happy with one, and you can get them for around $1100. The reason I'd suggest going this way is that if you ever decide to part with it, the Colt will hold its value. In the meantime, you get a rifle with all the right milspec features, with a proven manufacturer and at a price that is only a bit more than a commercial grade RRA, Stag, Bushmaster, Del-ton etc.

The other reason I'd suggest you go this way versus the M&P Sport is that if election buying heats up, you may find it much more expensive to upgrade in six months or a year. If prices run and stock gets thin, you'll wish you got the Colt while you had the chance to buy it at this price. As for the DDs, BCMs, LMTs etc., they all run more than a Colt. You can argue as to whether or not they're a bit better or not, but I don't think you'll ever regret buying the Colt for less money.

yeah you hit the nail on the head....the two guns I was looking ta were the M&p and the DPMS....but neither have the dust cover or the forward assist....we have a gun show coming up next month in B'ham at the civic center and thats our big gun show for the state so I may just wait til then and see what I can find there...can prolly get a good deal on one.

dude i was in the same boat i wanted an ar but didnt have alot of$$$ to spend on a nice fancy one so after looking here and youtube and seeing how easy it was i decide to build my own and so glad i did all in all i spent $700
i got everything from palmetto state armory except for my barrel witch was the most expensive part $245 from rock river arms all you need is an ar tool i got a dpms for like 30 buck so not that bad then common tools pliers hammer and something small enough to hit a pin the rest of the way in.. and another great thing about diy its yours you made it the way you want it and you will have something you take alot of pride in.... i was a little sketch about firing mine for the first time but after the initial shot we put 200 rds threw it and had no problems i was impressed.

yeah it would be awesome to build it myself but just not sure I could as I really have no gun knowledge other that cleaning my sidearm....if its as easy as you say from just watching a youtube video I may go that way and go to the gun show and just get all the different pieces I need maybe and try and build one...is there somewhere to look and get a complete list of what all I would need to buy parts wise so that I dont forget to buy something

appreciate all the replies and comments ...its nice to know there is some folks out there that don't mind helping people that don't have the knowledge yet

take a look at Windham..they build a great rifle and the price is right.

Buy instead of build..learn the platform then decide what you next rifle will be..

Don't get caught up with building a weapon that "keeps you up with the Jones's" KISS is cool

You may want to look into picking up a lower (either stripped or complete) at a gun show, and you can purchase the rest of the gun online.. the lower is the only part of the gun that requires a background check..the rest can be mailed to your door no questions asked. I say this because at the last couple of gun shows I went to the uppers and upper parts were more expensive (if they could be found) than what I could purchase them for online.. however, to purchase a lower in person side steps the transfer fees and shipping to an FFL..

ETA:
I don't typically recommend building first, because sometimes it's just fun to buy, shoot, and then become addicted.. but if you're getting hooked, then this information is something that I wish I had known before buying my first.

You're in AL ?
Wally World has Colts now for $1067.....that's right, a real friggin Colt.

Get the Colt at Walmart.

If you go to the gun show, go with someone who knows AR's and their values.
Lotsa junk and overpriced stuff to wade through sometimes at those shows.

http://www.brownells.com/UserDocs/Miscellaneous/ARCLform.pdf

its a little overwelming but it really is simple just take your time and buying the recivers stripped and puting the parts in yourself will be the cheaper way to go like a said palmettostatearmory.com sales striped upers and lowers then lower build kit (that will get you your internals and pistol grip and buffer with tube) then upper build kit ( ejection port pins and foward assist) then just a barrel nut and delta ring with a barrel thats pretty much it i tired and post pics of mine on here but cant figure it out..... im an extreme noob too but i figured it out and i encourage you to give it a thought its so simple the ar platform was made with the army in mind you it had to be so simple that they could handle it their not know for being some smart ones lol jk

Go with the s&w or dpms. Before long you'll be hooked and modifying whatever you got to suit your needs...or just building new rifles outright. Happened to me! As far as building goes...it really is quite easy. Most kits come with an assembled upper so all you have to do is put the pins and springs in the lower receiver. There's a step by step guide for this on the "build it yourself" forum. There's no drilling or anything required...just hitting things with a mallet.

If you end up going more expensive tho, I recommend starting with a rifle with detachable iron sights. That way it is easier to add optics later, after you're good with irons.

Honestly you can get parts cheaper online than a gun show and you will actually know what you're getting online. And you wont have to worry about forgetting something.

this is my gun that i built mostly from psa with rra barrel for $700

very nice looking gun....

as for buying a Colt at the local Wal-mart the one nearest me only has the DPMS for like $587.00 but it has no dust cover or forward assist....

Yea I believe that's the sporticle. No experience with them personally but they're pretty popular with the general populous...probably not around here.

+1

I’d buy this as a "go to" gun then go shoot the next day. You’ll have time later to venture down the building road as cheaply or as expensively as you like.

$587.00??? Man, for that price, everyone should have one laying around!

yeah I looked at it for a long time but thought I would come on here first and ask about the dust cover and the forward assist....I mean the dust cover is self explanatory but didnt really know about the forward assist, didnt know if it was something I should have or not , and Im pretty sure the barrel isnt chromed lined

It's a stripped down entry level rig.
If you get into AR's it will be something that you will probably sell off as you move up.

Go for it if you want it. If you keep it clean and lubed, you will need no forward assist. Dust cover isn't a necessity. Non-chromed barrels can be more accurate, but I'm not sure that applies here. However, you will want to keep it clean. Clean and lube your rifle every time you shoot it.

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