Which rifle to go with?

Scud · Nov 12, 2011

Get all three. Each are excellent choices. DSArms makes a nice FN-Fal. Each weapons system will have it's own pros and cons, (along with the operator). It sounds to me like this is leading you to study and examine weapons until you find what you like the best. It is all personal preference.

Bwhite · Nov 12, 2011

Where can you find the m&p 15 sport un-regulated? Everywhere i saw them they were regulated unfortunately.

hooligan82 · Nov 12, 2011

It's a hbar rifle, it should be cash and carry. If you are somewhat local to Baltimore county I'd suggest contacting the gun connection in white marsh. I got a spikes complete lower from them. They are good guys to deal with, and knowledgeable about the ar platform.

sailskidrive · Nov 13, 2011

AR...

>>Another Option is a Mini-14 (Not Regulated) from Lou45 @ Shooters Discount

I know for a fact those are all gone.

I would go with an AR as it's definitely the "platform du jour" right now. It's super modular, there are tons of parts and nearly unlimited upgrades available and the ammo is reasonable. You can pretty much morph any AR rifle configuration into another config in a short amount of time as the permutations are nearly endless. However, given the inexpensive price of lower receivers they have a tendency to grow into additional rifles.

I would love to know how many ARs have been produced over the past 40 years and am even more curious how many since the last election. It seems like every time I turn around someone else I know has picked one up, which it pretty kewl but also a little scary.

Ooops · Nov 13, 2011

1. AR
2. Build it

Russ D · Nov 13, 2011

Slimjim said:
www.palmettostatearmory.com Get one of their m4 carbines for 599.00 it's a great deal.

I'd go with the AR, i've tried multiple weapons trying to find something better than the AR, and always came back to them.

Parts availability, ease of maintenance, magazine and ammo cost, all come back to the AR being superior.

cobra · Nov 13, 2011

I love my AR. With it's good optics it's a great gun to shoot at distance.
Plus the options avalible for it are almost limitless.
However for the cost and simplicity.
I like my AK for shtf weapon.
No fancy optics. Open sights. Ammo is cheap and effective.
It has allways functioned and at a cost of around $500.00 for most models.
Your not afraid to get a scratch or ding on it as you would a more expensive rifle.
I love my Ar and other presision bolt action rifles. Espeacially if you want to reach out and touch a target.
But for down and dirty, no frills reliable weapon. I'll go with the AK

Catch-10-22 · Nov 14, 2011

I have a FAL but if price is a consideration I would go with the AR (have a number of those). MUCH cheaper ammo, cheaper/more available accessories, easy to shoot (maybe not as FUN to shoot - the 7.62x51mm is a man's caliber), easy to work on. An entry level AR will be fine for your purposes as long as you pick one of the better entry level ones (plenty recommended here already - I did CMMG's bargain bin).

And when you are ready to upgrade, talk to Mark at 2A and let him upsell you

Diesel Kinevel · Nov 14, 2011

M1A

-Z

cap6888 · Nov 15, 2011

Thanks again for all of the suggestions. I think the FAL is off the table for now (unless I come across an excellent bargain). Still can't make a choice between the AR and AK. I see you guys mentioning less than $500 for an AK. In my internet travels, I haven't seen anything that cheap. Any places in particular to look for those prices? The board seems to like Gun Connection a lot. I may have to travel up there. Do they have a decent size of rifles in stock? Do they sell used rifles, or is that strictly something I would have to go online for? If I were to look at an AK, is it legal to have one with a folding stock in MD, if so, what extra paperwork/wait is involved? Thanks again.

Stein79 · Nov 16, 2011

Folding stock Ak is legal but regulated so paperwork and waiting period. Also south of gun connection is Christian Soldier with decent selection and there's another shop in Dundalk I forgot the name. Good luck

erwos · Nov 16, 2011

Here's how I see it: I'd rather have a $600 AR-15 than a $600 AK. AR-15s at the $600 mark will probably not suck too badly, especially if you build the lower yourself. If you buy a $500-$600 AK from Century, you're at a much higher risk of problems. Plus, it's easy to upgrade the components of your AR-15. whereas doing so in the AK can be much more of a hassle (eg, swapping out the BCG). If you are planning on growing a gun, make sure you buy a gun that can grow... I've made that mistake before, and I won't make it again.

If we were talking closer to a thousand bucks, and you could afford an Arsenal AK or a Czechpoint Vz-58, it'd be more of a decision.

I am assuming, though, that buying a Saiga and doing the conversion later is off the table. Saigas are relatively high quality AKs, but come in a sporter/hunter configuration. You can convert them to the more traditional configuration yourself, or pay a builder to do it.

GoGoGadget · Nov 16, 2011

cap6888 said:
If I were to look at an AK, is it legal to have one with a folding stock in MD, if so, what extra paperwork/wait is involved? Thanks again.

All AKs - folding stock or not - are regulated. Same paperwork as a handgun and a 7 day wait. Same with ARs (with the exception of an HBAR AR).

Personally, I prefer AKs that fold...

DarthZed · Nov 16, 2011

Boy! You can't buy a good gun for that kinda money. You need to get an expensive gun that won't fail you. I'm talking Noveske, POF, or something like that; otherwise you're just asking for the zombie horde to overrun you!

Seriously, you can get an Arsenal for s smidge more money (~$700), if you want an AK. Or you could get a Saiga for about $400 and convert it yourself. Then you have a fun cheap, reliable gun. I'm not an AR guy, so I can't give any advice in that area.

Atlanticfirearms.com has an Interarms Polish Tantal (AK74, side-folding stock) for $609.
http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/storeproduct875.aspx
I have one and its a pretty nice gun for the money. Lots of options out there.

Personally, I prefer AKs that fold

cobra · Nov 16, 2011

Cap, Gun Connection is a great store to deal with. In fact I bought my Bushmaster HBAR (heavy barrel) AR from them cash and carry same day.
They have had used toys for sale eveytime Ive been there.

Now if wanting a light barrel or less then 20" barrel would have to wait 7 days like you would if buying a pistol.
I got my AK off Gun broker, shiped. $500.00. Yes they are regulated and need to wait 7 days.
The inexpensive AK's are not the quality of the AR's imo.

Couple years ago went thru the same decision as you are now.
AR or AK.
Since I wanted to tarket shoot at more then 100 yards. Plus use a nice scope for these and longer ranges. The AR made more sence.

But for fun. A larger round rifle. Along with a shtf weapon that will hold up to plenty of abuse along with me personally not shedding tears is it were to get a scratch,ding, chip on the stock due to it's inexpensive price. The AK fits the bill.

What will it be used for? That answer will norrow down the choice quickly.

Want a shooter to enjoy at the range. Shoot at distance. A reliable upgradeable rifle.
Get the AR.
Got enough guns already. Couple extra bucks avalible. Want a "toy". Get the AK and have fun.

At least how I approached
(justified?) purchasing these two rifles.

hth

Ooops · Nov 17, 2011

You can get a BCM Upper for 400 and a palmetto lower for 80 and then accessorize however you want.

OLM-Medic · Nov 17, 2011

Ooops said:
You can get a BCM Upper for 400 and a palmetto lower for 80 and then accessorize however you want.

Where? Looking on the BCM site they list complete uppers for like $700 not including the BCG. Am I looking in the wrong place?

QuebecoisWolf · Nov 17, 2011

Sigh...

I do not recommend "budget" guns for the novice. Century AKs can be a bargain on wheels IF you can recognize all of the assorted problems these rifles have and choose carefully. Choose poorly? You're out of $600. Times are a-changing though and I might be forced to alter my opinion. Century knows that their QA sucks and have been stepping it up. I've encountered a few recently built WASR-10s and was very impressed by the fit and finish on these bargain basement guns. They weren't beautiful, but they looked like properly built AKs. That's a HUGE step up from the old "Romanian Roulette" WASRs.

ARs: don't cheap out. Go for a well known brand with decent fit and finish. Bushmaster, Rock River, Stag Arms, and some others all make quality ARs for the $800-$1000 price point. They also stand behind their product. Believe it or not, but just because your AR doesn't have a dancing horse on the receiver or is not the subject of gushing, pseudo-sexual forum posts on ARFCom does not mean that it's a piece of junk. "Mil-spec" is a buzzword, not a stamp of quality that differentiates good from bad. Guns and Ammo actually had a great article going over every mil-spec feature. Some of them are important (receiver pin size, chamber dimensions), some of them are nice to have (staked bolt carrier, chrome-lined barrel), and some of them don't really matter at all (lip at the bottom of the mag well).

Yes, you can build an AR and it will be cheaper than buying one, but not by all that much in the scheme of things. If you're building just to save money, don't. Build because you enjoy the experience of craftsmanship and because can pick your parts and tailor the rifle to your needs. Saving a little money is just the cherry on top. Be aware that "Frankenstein" ARs are much tougher to sell on the used market than a factory rifle. Once you build, plan on keeping it. And why not? It's your rifle. If you sell that, you might as well start selling your underwear.

Nemesis · Nov 17, 2011

Slimjim said:
No issues. I dont even currently own an AK, have owned a saiga, yugo m70 and a Arsenal krink. But dont anymore, stayed with the AR, I'm just saying if you're picking one platform to make your main gun, you should be able to completely service it at an armorer level. The AR is much easier to service at that level.

just a thought on this...not to start anything...

but if i am picking one platform, i dont want to have to fix a damn thing on it...ever...

jimbobborg · Nov 17, 2011

Nemesis said:
just a thought on this...not to start anything...

but if i am picking one platform, i dont want to have to fix a damn thing on it...ever...

This. Sorry, the gun store is closed, Internet ordering went bye-bye, and you don't have a logistics train.

Which rifle to go with?

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Member

Active Member

Ultimate Member

Legalize the Constitution

Former Navy Bubblehead

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Appleseed Shoot Boss

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Surf&Turf

The Hebrew Hammer

Deplorable Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Former Navy Bubblehead

Banned

Ultimate Member

Russian Grizzly Adams

Oddball caliber fan

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics