First AR15

[ShadowByte]

I knew I shouldn't have done this, but I couldn't resist. I ended up shooting a friends AR-15 and fell in love with it. I have shot several other "assault" rifles in the past and was able to resist the urge/desire of buying something similar, but once I shot that AR, I knew I had to have one.

After a bit of reading and trying to find something in my range, I am coming close to settling on the Armalite LEC15A4CBK. I wanted something with a rail on the upper so I could attach some basic optics and also a flip up iron site.

The max distance of our "range" is about 200 yds, so I figured this would be a reasonable first AR that wouldn't need much in the way of upgrades to make it a straight/reliable shooter at that distance. I was hoping someone here may have experience with this specific model, or better yet, owns one, and could give some pros/cons on that model. Any issues with different uppers from other manufacturers?

Also, if you have one of these, I was also curious as to what you feed it, or if you have run across anything that didn't cycle reliably in it.

Thanks!

[kanata67]

from what I know armalite pieces are sweet. I had the same bug and went for an absurdly cheap RPG AR with rails, bi-pod, and optics when they were first starting out and undercutting others. Grabbed it from http://classicarms.us/ with no complaints. Might be worth considering as an "entry level" ar to check out what they have now. I did... not as nice as mine but... A CLASSIC ARMS EXCLUSIVE. THE URBAN TACTICAL IS A FULLY DRESSED S.W.A.T. GRADE AR-15. REMOVABLE A-3 CARRY HANDLE, A-2 SITES,
M-4 BARREL, RUBBERIZED INSERTS COVER THE TACTICAL FOREARM WITH RAILS FOR TACTICAL LIGHTS, LASERS, ETC. TACTICAL BI-POD.
COMES COMPLETE WITH 2- 30 RD MAGS, SLING, CLEANING ACCESSORIES & A HARDSHELL CASE. THESE ARE COOLER THAN AN ESKIMO'S NOSE.
ITEM# RPG-LE-AR15-UT........$799.95

I know my dream gun but it will be a very long time before my wife would let me spend that much on something "useless", if then. I would recommend this route as many people will tell you your first AR is rarely your last. Something reliable to shoot for fun is a good start. Not that if I had $4k the wife wouldn't notice missing I wouldn't pick up a sweet ass armailte 308 ar mind you. They have a real pretty one... or two.
Also if you are patient you can ask some of the experienced folk around here about building your own with great success. I think the mid line was around $1k built and nice ones were about $1.4k built. The majority of tools will be used on the next ar you build though so the more you make the more you save
check out some of the older posts

[ShadowByte]

It certainly is really amazing how many various kits and builds there are out there for the ARs. It is a little daunting trying to assimilate information regarding the various manufacturers and the pros/cons of the various uppers/lowers and parts kits, but it certainly is very appealing to be able to put together the AR from the ground up. It is one guaranteed way that you will know your firearm inside and out and be able to replace a part if something breaks. Perhaps this will be something I can do for my second one down the road

I have also started looking at the Stag Arms Model 2. This is pretty comparable in price (~$800) to the Armalite AR-15 LEC15A4CBK, but also has the rear flip up site. The Stag Arms AR's get very high reviews and seem to chew through any ammo you feed them. It seems like they have a fairly good customer support/turn around if there is any issue with their product.

If anyone has one of these, I would love to hear some feedback on that as well.

Decisions, decisions....

[jrswanson1]

So you want a genuine Armalite AR-15 rifle? That's not a bad way to go. The first things you'll need after you buy it is a rear sight, a bunch of magazines, and ammo. Rear sight is your choice, find one you like. Magazines, I'd get Magpul 30-round mags. Good, solid magazines, bomb proof and very reliable. As for ammo, either surplus 5.56 ammo or Remington .223 ammo will work. Lube it up, take it to the range, and

Jim

[VBshooter]

I have a Stag Arms model 1..Built solid,. Shoots great and have had no ammo FTF or FTI after nearly a 1000 rounds. Their support is good too if you were to ever need to call them