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Isaac,

You could screw around with this forever. I only own one AR and it's a RRA M4 6.8. I wanted it for the same reasons as you. I went out and bought it before the election because I could see this mess coming. There is a gun shop by me that specializes in AR style rifles. I bought a ARMS 40L for a BUIS and Leupold Mark IV super high aluminum rings per their recommendations. Put a Leupold Vari-X III in 1.75-6 on it that I happened to have laying around. It came with the two stage match trigger also. This out of the box setup shoots MOA at 200 meters no problem using Silver State Armory 6.8 110 Pro Hunters and 110 TSX. My cousin is one of the biggest ranchers in SD. He liked mine so much he got one himself for a truck gun. He couldn't find a RRA but I checked around and found him a Bushmaster. The Bushy shoots just as good as the RRA. The coyote and deer population has seen a marked decrease on his ranch since then. Someday I might buy a 5.56 upper for it but for now I figure why? The 6.8 hits a lot harder than the 5.56 and I don't plan on vacationing in Iraq or Afghanistan any time soon. BTW if you get a 6.8 get the PRI magazines. They cost more but are well worth it. Another thing is that Silver State Armory requires a Spec II chamber, 1-10 twist, six groove barrel for their combat loads which run 100 fps faster than their commercial loads.

Nobody is fighting; opinionated people are presenting their preferences with added comments.

I for one, am trying to figure out what YOU want in a rifle and what you want to do with it most of the time.

The AR-15 is a platform that allows you to change the rifle at will by the simple expedient of pushing two pins and swapping one upper for another. Total time: 20 seconds.

With one AR-15 lower, you can have as many uppers as you want, in various calibers, as long as the cartridge is no longer than the .223. You could have a short 16 inch barrel upper with a red dot sight for those bumps in the night and in the morning, push the 2 pins and mount the 26 inch monster barreled upper with a Hubble-class scope and go shoot at long ranges. The next day, you could put an 18 inch 6.8 SPC barrel and go hunting and when you come back you could mount a National Match A2 style upper and go compete at Camp Perry.

Any lower will do the trick, the design of the AR-15 removes all stress from the receivers and places it squarely on the barrel, barrel extension, bolt and bolt carrier; the receivers are there to hold the above pieces together and provide a buffer for the bolt carrier.

You could buy the stripped lower that has your prefered logo on it, add a lower parts kit and the trigger of your choice and have it assembled in just an hour or two or you can buy the lower fully assembled. The lower is the only part you have to buy through an FFL. You can order whatever upper you want on the Internet and receive it via UPS/Fedex/USPS right at home.

The only issue these days is the parts availability, which can be a little iffy but is showing signs of improvement.

What I like the most about building an AR-15 is that you can pick and chose the parts you want and for my match rifle, I selected what I considered to be the very finest parts throughout the rifle. There is no other rifle quite like it and it is supremely accurate. But that's another story.

So, I understand your dilemma; you are afraid to commit yourself, thinking that you would make a mistake and blow a good opportunity. Forget about that, it's not going to happen. You will not go wrong with an AR-15; if you decide later on that you really would like a longer or shorter barrel, build or order the upper that suits that need and push two pins. Bingo, a new rifle.

Start with a .223/5.56 caliber rifle and as you learn and your needs become clearer, you can easily adapt.

And now you know why you can't have just one. It's too easy to build another upper to suit a specific purpose.

I agree with staying with the 5.56, the 6.8 maybe a fine round but is harder to find and more expensive.

I think everyone has presented their final arguments. What is the court's decision?

"no dog in this fight" is just redneck for saying I am not involved in this deal with the lower. I don't know the guy, I am not making anything off this deal, etc.

You can use that lower for any upper build for that receiver size. It is just a good price on a complete LMT lower with a BCG (Bolt Carrier Group). Changing uppers is as easy as removing 2 pins.

LOL. This just shows that the AR crowd is almost like another religion. It reminds me of the old 45 vs 9mm debates we used to see on gun boards all the time.

So far I like FTR_Shooter's advise best. Practical and well thought out.

Ask 5 AR owners what the best configuration is, and you'll probably get 6 or 7 answers. That's the problem with a gun that has so many variations. I've see multipage arguments over which AR grip is best (I like the MagPul MIAD, for the record).

As a newcomer to ARs, I be tempted to pick a well know manufacturer with a good warrantee and reputation. Ask you local gunsmith if he has an opinion and what he like Who has the best customer service, etc.

I work on my own guns, so this is not an issue. But if you are not an AR mechanic, it pays to pick a maker with good customer service. I've heard very good thinks about S&Ws M&P and there service has always been great. T be honest, I haven't dealt with any other AR maker's service department, except Knight's, and there customer service is so horrific, I warn everyone not to deal with them (unless you are a government agency in which case you will get good service).

Buy a turn key system and you will only have to deal with one company if you have a problem. Or get one from an AR mechanic with a good reputation who you can rely on to fix any issues.

Buy what appeals to you. You can always change things like barrel, hand guard, etc later if you change you mind. My personal AR started life in 1984 with triangular hand guards and a A1 upper. It's been a 20" heavy barreled varminter, a 6.8 rifle and now a 5.56 M4gery. Along the way its been used for 3 gun matches, killing PDs and even a couple of deer

As far as configuration, I don't think there's a wrong answer as long as you like it. Just make sure it's built by someone you can rely on.

Well . . . .

I like rost495's best . . . . .

Neener, neenner, neener . . . .



BMT

You're all wrong!

AM NOT!

I'm going to have my first draft of a build up tomorrow sometime. Advise as you deem appropiate fellas. Sorry, but I'm a perfectionist by nature. maybe it's a character flaw.

BMT....got your message and I am going to call you tomorrow, if OK. Thank you.

It's very important that I build something 10 times better than each and every one of you times infinity.

Just saw this in my research

http://www.rockriverarms.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=215


I'm so confused but this does look great to my inexperienced mind. Maybe too much, though. I like the looks of the RRA's Nebraska had, as well.

You patronize whorehouses much?

BMT, my thoughts also.
isaac, just go with the RRA 16" flat top and build from there.
You should have bought that LMT lower with the bolt carrier group, a hell of a bargin. I couldn't resist so now I will have another project when I get back home in Nov.

Here are two I put together about a couple months ago. Top is an LMT lower with a 16" SS upper and the bottom is all RRA 16"

Well, good luck with that.

Ouch

From the link you've posted it looks like you want more of a fighting gun than a hunting rig.

Terry

What makes that more of a fighting gun?


Jimmy...you may be right but I'm kinda figuring out the game and before I tell this client's friend what I want, I want to educate myself such that I don't seem a dumbass.

So far I'm leaning towards the RRA.

Red dot sight and short barrel are items I wouldn't want for a hunting rig. The short Barrel balance isn't as good for steadied shots and the optics are geared for close fast shooting. The quad rail and retractable stock are pretty much worthless in the woods.

I'm not knocking your choice, it was just an observation.

Terry

isaac, it is great fun learning all the in's and out's of the AR world.As I posted above as well as several other's, this first AR is only the begining
I am very happy with all the RRA that I have purchased, which numbers more than a dozen. Some were complete guns and some were RRA parts guns.
I do prefer the flat top along with a flip up front sight for the irons along with a BUIS in case my optic's take a dump.
The nice part is once you get your complete gun you can add upper's as you wish and can purchase them without the needed FFL, they come right to your door and push two pins and your ready to go with a new upper.
Confused yet???????

Confused yet???????
+++++++++++++++++++=

Less and less as I read each post and surf the net. I'm having a hell of a time figuring out all the acronyms and what all of your guy's initials stand for, as well. I have to research all that on my own or you boys would really figure me to be a dumbschit.

I am enjoying the lesson, however. Sure beats helping married folks try and figure out who gets custody of the kids on Labor Day weekend.