Help, Semi-Auto rifle

[anonymouscowherd]

AR or AK from PSA can't really go wrong. The disadvantage the 762x39 has regardless of platform (I have both bolt gun and ARs in the caliber) is the cheap ammo is no longer and will disappear completely next year (end of Russian imports, from a thing done 2 years ago). If you bought cheap and stacked deep when it was 30c/rnd delivered, or if you plan on buying 500 rounds and then never shooting it, well then rock on. The CPD/Duramags work great for the caliber in ARs, use real commie mags in an AK

Nothing wrong with 223. Best option for inexpensive shooting, etc. You can even get AK types in 223, but mags get weird and I'd rather have an AR over an AK (but if the FAL in 223 ever became available again......)

Depending on your local environment, a 9mm carbine or 9mm SBR (AR, CZ, etc types) can be the bees knees, but 100 yards is really pushing it even with the slight velocity boost (most benefit of a say 8" barreled SBR in 9mm is that you have all the benefits of aiming and controlling a rifle with the ease of 9mm, but you "pay" for that with not much of a performance gain over a 5" duty size handgun barrel). Can be a good choice for the ladies, youths, old or infirm/weak. AR with Glock mags or a standard magwell and Endomags (kinda expensive for more than 4 or so mags compared to a dedicated lower)

Other critical stuff -

4-10 20 to 30 round mags per rifle, with some way of carrying them (bandoleer or mag pouch on a web belt for old school cool, some type of vest for new tacticool hotness)

Sights - I like A2 style AR irons, but my eyes are getting old. Amazing what cowitnessing with a $75ish 2 or 3moa red dot will do to help pick up that front sight and get you on target quick - also helps with precision aiming.

Sling - I make my own with solomon bar knot paracord, but anything that works for you works. I would avoid QD swivels unless you spend the $$ for the best 'cause even the best fail at the wrong time.

Light - maybe, maybe not. Depends.

Ammo stash - enough to fill each mag at least twice, if not 3 times. Plus enough to go shooting on a regular basis.

 

[anonymouscowherd]

Geez all those uppers n lowers n build kits, i have no idea on that stuff. I have never had my hands on one let alone tried to put one together. I was thinking one that was already to go shoot with a mid length barrel, 16"-18"20" ? Anything that is like that for $600 ? plus i have to buy her ammo i have couple decent red dots to put on one.

It is like Legos for grown ups.

Do not under any circumstances subscribe to the PSA daily deals list. The sales list from Aim Surplus is just as bad.

1 - Decide if you want a collapsing carbine stock, or a regular A2 style stock, or maybe one of the Magpul or other variants

2 - Go to PSA's website, find lower that matches your desires, click "add to cart", do the buy process, have sent to your local FFL for transfer. I would go with either a standard carbine spring and buffer or standard rifle spring and buffer. A properly running rifle does not need a Heavy buffer for any reason (well, OK 9mm does but that is blowback not gas operated/DI)

3 - Figure out what you want in an upper. If I were to only own one AR upper, I would go with 18" barrel, mid length gas, and some type of "rifle length" free float handguard with a full length rail on top, no front or rear sight (gas block should be tucked under handguard). Or just a bog standard 20" A2, carry handle and all. Find said upper in PSAs site, buy and have shipped to your door. Be sure to include a charging handle, bolt and bolt carrier in your order if it doesn't explicitly say it comes with. If you went flat top, I would top it with a set of the UTG Slim profile *fixed* irons, put a Bushnell TRS-25 or AT3 RD50 where it would cowitness perfectly and rock on.

Once you have both the lower and upper in hand, pull the take down and pivot pins from the lower (they only pull out and stop, they shouldn't remove all the way). Put upper on lower, snap in the pivot pin (the one up front). Make sure bolt, bolt carrier and charging handle are in place. Close the two receiver halves together, shove the take down pin (the one by the selector) home. Cycle action a few times to make sure nothing is binding. Congratulations, you have assembled your first AR15! Now take it apart, clean off shipping oils and such, visually inspect, re-oil and reassemble.

Actually building an AR is also trivial - there are only one or two of everything, they all have a place to go and only fit one way. Quite a few good printed guides, video guides, etc. on building both a lower and upper from a pile of parts. Takes two or so hours taking your time, there are a few tricks to know for some difficult spots, and while there are plenty of special tools made make the tricky parts less so, you can do it with nothing more than a home owner/apartment dweller really basic substandard tool kit, with the exception of the barrel nut IF you are using a GI style one (without flats for a wrench)

The only times I would recommend building from parts is either to do it slow and spend a little at a time ($25-50/paycheck can get it done over a year or so), or to get a very customized mix of parts that just aren't available as a existing combo (ie, that special trigger plus some other companies mag release plus ...), or for legal compliance on stuff (the last two I built were pistols that got turned into SBRs). Would also recommend just building for the people who say "i wanna buy a colt and replace the trigger and the barrel and the mag release and the stock and the ..."

 

[Hausser1]

I've had 2 Ruger mini14's, but I like the mini30 much better

Sold my mini30 years ago. Mistake.

 

[anonymouscowherd]

Sold my mini30 years ago. Mistake.

An AR is so much better than a mini ...

What I find funny is in the late 80s a Mini was 425 OTD at Walmart but the cheapest ARs (Olympic Arms at the time) were wholesaling around 550...

Today quite a few sub-600 ARs available, but a mini is 700+.

 

[Hausser1]

Not comparing, love my 6 ARs too.

 

[Ninering62]

An AR is so much better than a mini ...

What I find funny is in the late 80s a Mini was 425 OTD at Walmart but the cheapest ARs (Olympic Arms at the time) were wholesaling around 550...

Today quite a few sub-600 ARs available, but a mini is 700+.

Id totally agree, that an AR is a much better shooting weapon by design than the Ruger mini 14 or 30 in comparison.
Is I could get an AR in .30 vs .223 & would choose that 99% of the time too.
It is kinda funny how the AR & the mini30 have change in price & choice. & I think I paid 300.00 for my first mini14. An SKS Para is a great choice too. I remember when they could be bought new for 125.00 at every gunshow

 

[Keone]

An AR and a backup, 9 mm CZ Scorpion that’s small and light. Plenty of extra magazines and cases of ammo.

 

[Dcwman]

I have not owned CF nothing in years. Back when i used bolt actions or single shots to hunt deer with. So i am a noob on what i need to know. Due to this Hamas killing of the Israelites. My Mrs. is having hissy fits because of all those Border crossers maybe the same mental thinking of us here. So without breaking a poor mans Bank what rifle n caliber would be good for 100 yard fire power for the purpose of shtf with them ?

I'd you'd like a shift gun see if you can find a cmg mutant lower it was designed so if you want to rock AK47 or AR15 clips then you just build an upper that suits you . AR15 discounts has some really good deals on parts and can't put one together for about $600 I recently built a AR in 9mm just for shi* and giggles. Personally I like all cool add parts designs they come out with for ar 15 .but I'll tell you my lynx ak 12 gauge simi auto is a mean gun for cheaper gun and it will function and eat what ever 12 gauge ammo I put in it 3inch slugs hits like a horse kick but it's functional and 12 gauge ammo is super easy to get and super easy to reload id take my 12 gauge over any ar15 .ammo is cheap for 12 gauge .I'm here in Texas and a buddy of mine for minute had heck getting his hands on 223 and 556 .

 

[Dcwman]

Id totally agree, that an AR is a much better shooting weapon by design than the Ruger mini 14 or 30 in comparison.
Is I could get an AR in .30 vs .223 & would choose that 99% of the time too.
It is kinda funny how the AR & the mini30 have change in price & choice. & I think I paid 300.00 for my first mini14. An SKS Para is a great choice too. I remember when they could be bought new for 125.00 at every gunshow

Correct me is I'm wrong but won't the 7.26x39 start getting hard to find just like the 7.62x54r cause didn't we use to import them, I know they band the importation on 7.62x54r so give that round 2 years and you probably pay same price you pay for 50bmg box of 20 for 89 dollars .I'm not sure on the 7.62x39 if it was apart of that band ,I will agree the ak and sks I personally take thoughs over AR15 just something about a gun that don't care what the temperature is outside and eats what ever I show in it .

 

[Ninering62]

Correct me is I'm wrong but won't the 7.26x39 start getting hard to find just like the 7.62x54r cause didn't we use to import them, I know they band the importation on 7.62x54r so give that round 2 years and you probably pay same price you pay for 50bmg box of 20 for 89 dollars .I'm not sure on the 7.62x39 if it was apart of that band ,I will agree the ak and sks I personally take thoughs over AR15 just something about a gun that don't care what the temperature is outside and eats what ever I show in it .

I can't do any more than speculate on your question.
What I know & what I think are that there is an enormous amount of 7.62x39 ammo to be had virtually everywhere & its still pretty affordable to plink at the range burning to them 30 & 40rnd clips & I really can't imagine it ever becoming hard to come by. But then again, I never thought I'd see 25.00 pks of primers or caps & 160.00 per lb of powder either. But here we are. Not heard a 7.62x54 mentioned anywhere in a coons age.

 

[Leigh Clambakes]

It sounds like your missus is paying attention.
I'm in a mixed marriage, she's definitely blue, while I'm beyond red.
She sides with the poor displaced Palestinians, while I think I am my own first responder, so I favor the Israeli side.
Not saying y'all will be a QRF or anything, but having a partner or team mate in a self defense situation is a free force multiplier.
Without delving into the politics, didn't the Border Patrol say they've captured a baker's dozen of watchlist folks coming across? How many didn't they catch? That's where your wife's concerns may be valid.

I'd suggest some 9mm handguns, with a small pile of spare mags and enough ammo to really practice with. Look through Aim Surplus for some of the LEO trade ins in the $300 price range. Then wander over to Palmetto State, and as previously recommended look for an upper in a configuration you like, but one listed as a blem. The blemishes are cosmetic, not functional, so you'll save some frog skins on that.
Do the same on a lower. If you can find a blem built lower featuring an EPT trigger, get that. EPT is enhanced polished tuned. One of the more gooder milspec trigger setups available. Even better at $39.
Get a decent red dot on one rifle, and a low power variable scope on the other. Sig makes good ones, as does Vortex, sometimes offered on the previously mentioned deal of the day list at Palmetto.
Mags are reasonably inexpensive, and easily obtained.
Ammo is getting there for availability. Lotsa places have ammo, prices vary, as does shipping.

Other folks will have other opinions; I don't think mine is the only one, nor the best one. You've gotta decide what works for you. But you're on the right road, thinking about these things now, before they're streaming down your driveway.

 

[Leigh Clambakes]

Here's a good start...

https://palmettostatearmory.com/blem-psa-ar15-complete-moe-ept-stealth-lower-black.html

 

[Leigh Clambakes]

Palmetto's umbrella corporation owns AAC now, so here's a good buy for 5.56. Be mindful of barrel twist rate and bullet weight before buying a metric **** tonne....

https://palmettostatearmory.com/aac-5-56-nato-77-grain-otm-20rd-box-ammunition.html

 

[Leigh Clambakes]

Ok, here's their current daily deals listing....

https://palmettostatearmory.com/daily-deals-new.html

 

[anonymouscowherd]

Palmetto's umbrella corporation owns AAC now, so here's a good buy for 5.56. Be mindful of barrel twist rate and bullet weight before buying a metric **** tonne....

https://palmettostatearmory.com/aac-5-56-nato-77-grain-otm-20rd-box-ammunition.html

Thankful for them starting up, but I've only seen 5 rounds of AAC ammo fired. The one I shot in my Howa Mini pierced primer, the 4 my buddy shot in his varmint rig AR, three of them had the primer fall out when the action opened. No more AAC ammo for me. Reloading press goes chunk-thunk.

Ok, here's their current daily deals listing....

https://palmettostatearmory.com/daily-deals-new.html

Oh now you've done it....

 

[anonymouscowherd]

I can't do any more than speculate on your question.
What I know & what I think are that there is an enormous amount of 7.62x39 ammo to be had virtually everywhere & its still pretty affordable to plink at the range burning to them 30 & 40rnd clips & I really can't imagine it ever becoming hard to come by. But then again, I never thought I'd see 25.00 pks of primers or caps & 160.00 per lb of powder either. But here we are. Not heard a 7.62x54 mentioned anywhere in a coons age.

Considering 3 years ago before any hint of a import ban on it prices were 23-25c/rnd delivered for Wolf, Tula, GoldenTiger, etc. Today same ammo is 45c/rnd at the cheapest, or about what you pay for decent brass case 223. Of course, the brass x39 starts at 62c/rnd now but that is still cheaper than any currently available surplus or just FMJ 308 much less any other military caliber of yesteryear (762x54r, 7mm or 8mm mauser, 303 brit, etc)

 

[Leigh Clambakes]

Yessir, ammo prices are up across the board. That's why we plan ahead.

 

[Leigh Clambakes]

One of the factors I overlooked mentioning in your weapons selection criteria is availability of resupply.
While many of the firearms mentioned in this discussion are legitimate, effective tools of self defense, what do you do when there are major supply chain interruptions? Not just the stuff we saw during covid, but martial law societal breakdown situations, similar to what could be happening in Israel now. Or in Ukraine, if you are a Christian.
We are our own first responders.
I used to read blog posts from a guy that survived 2 currency collapses in Argentina. His experiences, and insights, were enlightening.

 

[BadgerRidge]

I've had great results with Bear Creek Arsenal:

https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/
I'd stick with .223 Wylde or .556 if I wasn't going to hunt with it.... if I was going to hunt with it, I'd still buy a complete .223 Wylde or .556.. . then get a 450Bushmaster upper, or a 350 Legend Upper for hunting.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

I've had great results with Bear Creek Arsenal:

https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/
I'd stick with .223 Wylde or .556 if I wasn't going to hunt with it.... if I was going to hunt with it, I'd still buy a complete .223 Wylde or .556.. . then get a 450Bushmaster upper, or a 350 Legend Upper for hunting.

My current AR plinker is a 223 wylde. Since i already load for 450 bm and 350l im going to get both uppers.