Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles CMMG and AR accessories...

Due to my choice of education(gunsmithing school), it's become apparent I'll need an AR to work on and generally learn with. I don't want to spend a penny more than I have to on it, and I've heard good things about the CMMG guns. What is the fire's experience with them?

Next; the weapon needs a rear sight, as it doesn't come with one. The UTG flip-up sight has overall good reviews, and is only $30 -- and for the same price, it actually has better reviews than their fixed sight, which is strange. I don't care what I get as long as it's cheap, fixed, folding, or whatever it is.

I also need magazines. The ones I'm willing to spend money on at Sportsman's Guide would be Tapco, Orlite, or 'mil-spec' green follower mags. I'd like to get the last option, as they're more common and I'd like to handle the weapon in as stock a configuration as possible, but obviously need the mags to work.

Finally; are there other accessories I should get that aren't just frills? An extended bolt release and an extended charging handle... thing... both look useful. Though, I haven't had trouble manipulating either when I've played with ARs. An inexpensive light and a sling are going to be added, too. No interest in rails or grips or anything like that.

JOG

I'm gonna say this as nice as I can, UTG, CAA, Tapco and several other "cheap" parts are junk and will cost you more in the long run. I don't even like YHM as some of their stuff I've seen was unusable to me, like a front sight that flopped side to side.

For a BUIS, check out Daniel Defense, chop a carry handle or LaRue (they have a newer cheaper version due out). There are several good companies who's products are not that much higher.

For mags stick with GI surplus type mags or Magpul P-mags.

CMMG probably makes a decent AR, probably needs a few upgrades but if you're on a budget...

TWR, interesting as I have one set of the UTG BUIS and so far (bout 500 rounds) they have worked perfect and co-witness with the EoTech 516 perfect. I do understand they are not high end but so far I have been happy with them.
I much prefer the Magpul BUIS but this was a set that came with a upper I bought, so the price was right

If you are going to gunsmithing school... why would you buy one? Buy a lower and upper and assemble. That would be the common sense way to do it to me.

Of course buying a cheap one.. you could assume some issues very possibly and that would give cause to learn what problems are...

The problem mostly though... you need to specialize IMHO... you won't learn eveyrthing about everything.... pick a trade and go with it.

Tapco has some good products and some bad. Their Mini 14 mags suck, but a lot of it is good. Century has bad quality control. I certainly like my AK I got from them, though.
UTG, can't vouch for, but reviews are good. If the stuff works, nothing else matters. Sounds like he had good results. A carry handle would be fine if the price was right. Like I said, don't care much. Not an AR guy. Not interested in other upgrades and stuff unless they're next to necessary, which is why I asked.
CMMG has excellent reviews, too. $600 might be cheap for an AR, but it's certainly not cheap for a rifle. I haven't heard anything bad about them thus far, as long as one realizes they're blemished and whatnot. I could care less; it'll make a refinishing project.

Reviews are only as good as the crowd reviewing them.

Figure how you'll use it and pick your crowd...

Jimmy, they have alot of air soft stuff.

but then again I do have a set of magpul plastic sights too but they're on a 22LR...

The UTG is aluminum, not plastic.

The ones I have are steel and as said have worked so far.
Hell, I think I've got a set or two of those plastic's ones

Yes I was talking about Magpuls MBUS sights, they are plastic and work okay for my 22LR.

A quick search brought out that UTG and Leapers are sister companies, both in the airsoft business. UTG supposedly moved some of it's operations here from china, maybe they have changed but do you really want to trust the quality?

My S&W M&P 22 came with aluminum sights too and they were junk, trying to sight in was doable but not easy.

Cheap airsoft parts belong on airsoft toys in my opinion but it's your money.

It depends on the product, not the company. Ex: UTG bipods have great reviews, and Nutnfancy even prefers them over Harris. And yes, before being asked, he demonstrates why he likes them...

Regardless, enough people have given them good reviews on many different sites, that I feel fine spending $30 on it. $60 for a rear sight(the Daniels you mentioned) is absolutely outrageous, especially for a gun I don't care to invest much in.

sounds like you got it all figured out...

Big deal, that's not difficult. Two sticks and a rubber band are better than a Harris bipod any time.

The point is, you should judge a product for what it is, FTR.

60 bucks on a rear sight is a rip eh? I think you are all wet behind the ears... on a CHEAP AR thats a tiny part of the price. For repeatable adjustable sights thats a bargain really. Evidently you are thinking more along the lines of what fixed sights on a Rem 700 type might cost....

If you don't care to invest much, then I'd just skip the whole damn thing and spend your time learning a bit about life and not being a tightwad.

Denys.... badmouthing my Harris again... grin....

JOG, here is just a tad bit of advice. You asked for advice from the guys here on this forum, I would listen to what they have to say. Most of us have built several AR's and shot thousands of rounds through these guns. We don't always agree on certain parts, as you can tell from the posts but we do know what works and doesn't work. IMO!!!

Best of luck with your purchase.Let us know how things work out for you.

Nobody is tighter than myself. Buy the best you can, buy it once, and don't look back. These guys know their chit.

So the lesson in life is to trust people who tell me something's bad because of its brand, without any other reasoning, over a -multitude- of reviews?

Sigh. This is getting old.

No, the lesson in this is don't offer advice to someone who only wants to justify their purchase.

Some people just gotta pee on the fence themselves. Have at it.

JOG,

You are coming across a tad arrogant in your questions, I'm guessing b/c you are enrolled in gunsmithing school, and asking advice on something you obviously already have made your mind up on...

I'd heed the advice from some of these guys...

Good luck with your studies...