Help buying first AR in MD

[cb1980]

thank you! I was planning to look for a standard 30 round magazine in VA. Do you know a good place? Is there a specific part number for me to look or what? what site would you recommend for a good decent ammo? I have a case picked out already from amazon, Plano all weather tactical 42 inch, and a cleaning kit. thanks for reminding me, i need to buy ear and eye protection!

no problem, unfortunately I don't have a shop suggestion for mags in VA, I usually go to PA as it is a closer trip for me being in northern baltimore county. as for the mags I use, typically I buy magpul 2nd or 3rd gen, have some with and without windows.
ammo, I typically buy either from PSA, Dick's when they have a nice sale, I have purchased from cabelas a few times and ammunition depot, a site to check is ammo grab as aggregate sites selling ammo and list price per rounds, shipping fees etc.

 

[outrider58]

"Any" is a big word. Pretty sure an AR or two can be found on the street for sale in Maryland, and they are not Maryland compliant and the paperwork, or lack thereof, isn't Maryland compliant. A lot of people in Maryland don't even understand that a face to face transfer of an AR is verboten.

Now, any AR at any decent local gun shop will most likely be Maryland compliant. Most likely.

I have no idea what your budget actually is OP, or what your skill level with tools is. Me, I built my first AR and have continued building them since then. Not too complicated if you know how to use a screwdriver, hammer, and wrench, even though I don't think the screwdriver is necessary. Now, if your budget is a little above $1,000, maybe check out an AR from Engage Armament in Rockville (Gude Drive) if you are anywhere close to Rockville. Engage makes some pretty nice rifles.

If your budget is $2,000+, then look at JP Rifles, Les Baer, Noveske, Daniel Defense, Wilson Combat, etc. Pretty sure I missed some of the upper level manufacturers. Personally, I like JP Rifles and Wilson Combat, but they are pricey.

Otherwise, the rest of the group has you covered at the lower end of the budget spectrum.

Don't know if anybody has covered this yet, but one of the mantras on here is "Buy once, cry once."

ANY AR legally being sold in Md WILL be legal to purchase in Md. We, here at MDS, do not condone nor do we suggest breaking any laws, local, state, or federal.

 

[rseymorejr]

not really, when you go to pick it up, they will do a background check, should be 10-15 minutes tops, sign a few papers and away you go

prior to getting the gun, you might want to take a short trip out of state and pick up some standard capacity 30 round magazines, look online for decent priced ammo and pick some up, I shoot mostly AE 5.56 55 grain, cheap, shoots decent and easy to find. might also want to pick up a case, make sure you have ear and eye protection

Or maybe even some 20 round magazines. They are a lot handier if you will be shooting off of a bench.

 

[MrGrey]

alright.. so i got my cleaning kit for the AR, eyes and ears delivered today, the plano case arriving tomorrow.

I'm thinking about buying an optic and a suppressor cause why not? what do you guys recommend? price is negotiable.. but i don't want to spend too much.. but at the same time i want a decent quality.

 

[cb1980]

Or maybe even some 20 round magazines. They are a lot handier if you will be shooting off of a bench.

20 rounders are nice for bench shooting, even 10 round if you shoot prone, I rarely bench shoot or shoot prone, but when I do, my 30 rounder has about an inch of space between the bottom of the mag and top of the bench, as for shooting prone the 30 rounders do cause a bit of an issue with clearance

 

[outrider58]

alright.. so i got my cleaning kit for the AR, eyes and ears delivered today, the plano case arriving tomorrow.

I'm thinking about buying an optic and a suppressor cause why not? what do you guys recommend? price is negotiable.. but i don't want to spend too much.. but at the same time i want a decent quality.

Don't know if you've priced suppressors lately but they ain't cheap, not to mention the $200 tax stamp and 8-12 month wait, but here's asuggestion for ya. Think seriously about enrolling in a SOTAR armorer's class. They are taught by a member here and you will learn EVERYTHING you need to know about the AR platform(depending on how much your brain can absorb in a 10 hour course). You won't regret it.

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=170022

 

[MrGrey]

Don't know if you've priced suppressors lately but they ain't cheap, not to mention the $200 tax stamp and 8-12 month wait, but here's asuggestion for ya. Think seriously about enrolling in a SOTAR armorer's class. They are taught by a member here and you will learn EVERYTHING you need to know about the AR platform(depending on how much your brain can absorb in a 10 hour course). You won't regret it.

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=170022

i guess suspressor is out of the plan then lol. thanks, i'm gonna enroll now.

 

[MrGrey]

finally picked up my gun earlier today, but didn't get a chance to take a pics since i'm a little tired. I promise tomorrow i will take pics when it's in the case.

Who's going to a gun show this weekend? I'm thinking about picking up some 20, 30, and 40 rounders.

 

[dreadpirate]

finally picked up my gun earlier today, but didn't get a chance to take a pics since i'm a little tired. I promise tomorrow i will take pics when it's in the case.

Who's going to a gun show this weekend? I'm thinking about picking up some 20, 30, and 40 rounders.

Nations Gun Show would be a good place to get them.

 

[lazarus]

finally picked up my gun earlier today, but didn't get a chance to take a pics since i'm a little tired. I promise tomorrow i will take pics when it's in the case.

Who's going to a gun show this weekend? I'm thinking about picking up some 20, 30, and 40 rounders.

Keep in mind 30rnd are going to be awkward prone or from the bench, 40rnd are going to be too long to shoot prone or bench (other than a BIG stack of sandbags). I mostly have 30rnd mags, but other than having tried them out I only use 10 and 20rnd from the bench and prone.

 

[Magnumite]

I have a Colt (?) 5 rounder I keep around for a reason or two.

 

[dreadpirate]

Don't know if you've priced suppressors lately but they ain't cheap, not to mention the $200 tax stamp and 8-12 month wait, but here's asuggestion for ya. Think seriously about enrolling in a SOTAR armorer's class. They are taught by a member here and you will learn EVERYTHING you need to know about the AR platform(depending on how much your brain can absorb in a 10 hour course). You won't regret it.

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=170022

Been there. Done that. This is worth it. ^^^^

 

[Sticky]

alright.. so i got my cleaning kit for the AR, eyes and ears delivered today, the plano case arriving tomorrow.

I'm thinking about buying an optic and a suppressor cause why not? what do you guys recommend? price is negotiable.. but i don't want to spend too much.. but at the same time i want a decent quality.

I didn't read the whole thread and I see you realize suppressors are not just 'go out and buy one' now, but as far as optics, there are a zillion options. What is your intended use for this AR? That will help us guide you along on your journey.

I also agree with those that suggested SOTAR. It is money and time well spent if you want to learn the AR platform!

 

[MrGrey]

I didn't read the whole thread and I see you realize suppressors are not just 'go out and buy one' now, but as far as optics, there are a zillion options. What is your intended use for this AR? That will help us guide you along on your journey.

I also agree with those that suggested SOTAR. It is money and time well spent if you want to learn the AR platform!

Here it goes! Finally got the chance to custom fit it on my case along with my handgun. it looks so sexy! I bought (2) Lancer 30 rounders dark smoke tint for $20/ea. Quality seems ok, who knows how it'll handle in the future, however (2) of the 40 rounders i bought are POS. What a waste of money.

I looked at some optics while I was there, but it's too expensive.. I'm looking for a red dot optics, currrntly had my eye on Holosun HS503GU, but they didn't have it in there. I was also planning to get a 3x magnifier with a 90 degree pivot mount, but still can't decide.

Any suggestion guys?

 

[gwchem]

Looks good^^^. If you spin that pistol around, then you can open the case and remove both guns without flagging other people on the line.

 

[outrider58]

Here it goes! Finally got the chance to custom fit it on my case along with my handgun. it looks so sexy! I bought (2) Lancer 30 rounders dark smoke tint for $20/ea. Quality seems ok, who knows how it'll handle in the future, however (2) of the 40 rounders i bought are POS. What a waste of money.

I looked at some optics while I was there, but it's too expensive.. I'm looking for a red dot optics, currrntly had my eye on Holosun HS503GU, but they didn't have it in there. I was also planning to get a 3x magnifier with a 90 degree pivot mount, but still can't decide.

Any suggestion guys?

Sounds like a good place to start(opticswise). You will change your setup multiple times, so start out cheap and as you gain more knowledge regarding your gun and its intended uses, you will be able to make more informed decisions on more pricier(and better) optics and accoutrements.

 

[cb1980]

looks good, curious which brand of 40 rounders you picked up that you consider junk? I have all magpul mags and have had 0 issues with them in any of the capacities

 

[MrGrey]

looks good, curious which brand of 40 rounders you picked up that you consider junk? I have all magpul mags and have had 0 issues with them in any of the capacities

The 40 rounders I picked up isnt in a plastic, so there's no name or anything. Also, it's not a fixed mags, it's one of those that can be extended. The other mag broke when i press the button and the other mag won't lock in to the rifle. Oh well..

 

[dreadpirate]

For red dots, there are a bunch that are good in a reasonable price range; Vortex SPARC AR, Bushnell TRS25, Primary Arms MD-RBGII, Holosun. Like Outrider said, you probably don't want to run out and buy a $600 red dot just yet.

 

[MrGrey]

thank you for all your help guys! I finally pulled a trigger on Holosun HS503GU, and received it yesterday. I'm so impressed with this optic, very clear and crisp. I'm currently waiting on my magnifier and mount, and off to the range to try it out.

What rifle range would you guys recommend the area that doesn't involve memberships? Outdoor would be nice as well..