Question for AR-15 Guys

[93cobra]

I picked up nice middle of the road new one a couple weeks ago & want to know the best place to buy parts & accessories etc for it. I ask because I notice immediately that one site to the next will have drastically different prices on the same brand stuff. I want to upgrade stuff like MOE ctr stock & grip, fore grip, handguard with maybe quad rail & decent scope etc. Last question, is 1000 rounds of 556 at cheaper than dirt for $320 the best bet without going to machine gun shoot etc?? I know a few on here know their stuff on these guns. Thanks in advance for any suggestions:bigthumb

[dedpedal]

Ive bought from CTD a few times. Seems to be the best bang for the buck. However, the cheap ammo is just that. cheap. If you want quality for accuracy, spend money on the good stuff.

[jktruckin06]

your best bet will be to search for each individual piece you want to buy. one thing might be cheaper on one site than ten others, but the other ten have something else cheaper. it's the beauty of the internet i suppose... aimsurplus.com is in middletown and usually has some stuff... i've ordered from thecountryshed.com... there is one in kentucky that deals alot of stuff online and cannot remember their name for the life of me...

[Black92LX]

www.aimsurplus.com
is located in Middletown and has some great ammo prices. Save you on shipping if you pick it up. Only thing is they only sell ammo one day a week for pick up I believe.

They have PMC Bronze for $290 per 1,000 rounds.
I have shot thousands of PMC Bronze in pretty much evey caliber I own and have a bunch in the basement.
It's great ammo.
The also have PMC X-Tac Green Tip. Steel Core ammo for a little more. Nice to have around.
They also have PPV ammo for the same price.
Also have some Federal for about the same.

Then they have wolf for $189 per thousand. And no there is nothing wrong with Wolf ammo. It's just not as accurate, it's dirtier, and smells like rotten eggs if you shoot a bunch of it. But it's cheap and goes bang which is great from practice.
http://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.aspx?groupid=21&name=.223%2f5.56x45

They also have great prices on their AR accessories.
http://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.aspx?groupid=47&name=AR15+Accessories+%26+Parts

When I lived in Cincy. I was there every payday Friday picking up 1,000 9mm rounds and 1,000 7.62x39. Though back then it was $99.99 for 1,000 rounds of 9mm and 79.99 for 7.62. If I would have known ammo prices would more than double (even more a few years back) I would have bought two cases of each and stocked more away.

[dedpedal]

On the Wolf ammo, Ive never had a problem with 7.62 but Keith had some failure to eject. His therory was that the finnish on the steel casings would melt and seal the case to the chamber if there was suffient time.

[fasthawk]

Hunters Den in amelia had pmc 223 for $279 for 1000 last week but i do not no how long the sale last.Also check out the local gun shows for add extras.

[Walter]

www.midwayusa.com
www.rainierarms.com
www.ar15.com -> classifieds

[Walter]

Midway usually has sales going on but most pricing is msrp. They are like the summit racing of the gun world tho. Ultra fast shipping, great customer service, up to date inventory and good return policy.

[93cobra]

Thanks a million for all the suggestions! I will go up to middletown & check those guys out for sure. I'm not planning on shooting competitions & getting crazy with the best ammo etc. Maybe I'd buy a box of 50 of real good stuff to have a couple magazines ready to grab & go if needed. I just wouldn't mind have having a thousand rounds in the safe and planking around at a buddy's farm a few times a year for fun. I stay on top of the cleaning etc of all my guns so that wouldn't be a big deal if the cheaper stuff is a little dirty"er" as long as its safe for me & the gun itself to shoot etc.

I picked up a Surplus Ammo & Arms lower with a DPMS A3 upper chambered for 5.56x45mm...obviously nothing to get overly excited about but the general vibe seems to be good quality for a lower budget build. I think with a few hundred dollars of good quality accessories exchanged out / added "stock/grip/handguard/foreward grip etc" and a nice little scope & red dot, it will be a neat gun for a little over a grand. will look cool anyway..lol

[ibstrokin]

As others stated, you need to shop different places for the best deals. Here are some of the places that I buy from.

http://www.midwayusa.com/
http://www.brownells.com/
http://www.natchezss.com/
http://www.opticsplanet.net/?gclid=COqqva786KwCFS4DQAod5Bf9Iw
http://www.joeboboutfitters.com/
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/Main.aspx?
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php
http://www.dillonprecision.com/

[Walter]

Good read on steel cased ammo. Interesting site also.

http://theboxotruth.com/docs/edu18.htm

[dedpedal]

Good read on steel cased ammo. Interesting site also.

http://theboxotruth.com/docs/edu18.htm

Excellent read. Thanks for the heads up. I wonder if the differences between the AK and AR cycling has any bearing on me not having any problems.

[Dirtyd0g]

My sks (7.62x39mm) works great on the wolf ammo, my AR-15(bushmaster 5.56nato version) does not like the wolf .223 at all. I bought 500 rounds of PMC(.223) and 500rds of hotshot(5.56nato) ammo for it and they work great. For cheap prices check ammoseek.com
Alan

[Walter]

Excellent read. Thanks for the heads up. I wonder if the differences between the AK and AR cycling has any bearing on me not having any problems.

Tolerances are much tighter on ar's obviously. Environment, cleaning intervals etc will all play a role. You may never have an issue with gumming due to steel cases, then again you might.

[facemelter71]

Just reload your own. Bam, problem solved.
Magpul CTR stock is nice. So is the asap attachment and the MS2 sling. Magpul moe front hand guard, light durable and you can easily attach whatever you want to it. Keep away from sticky grips, they tend to grab clothes and dirt. Spend the money on nice optics. Don't cheap out on Chinese/Taiwan garbage that you find in abundance at gunshows.

[93cobra]

More awesome suggestions! Thanks again!

[CNTLOSE]

Stay away from Wolf in 223, you will get nothing but jams. I have never had a problem with the 7.62 Wolf in my AK or SKS, but that 223 stuff sucks.

[Moody]

I won't put steel case ammo in my dpms they are not made for it. Brass and steel expand differently. The ak47 and akm are made for it. I wouldn't reload unless you know what your doing. My buddy blew up his colt with his reloads his buddy made. As long as u take care of your AR it will take care of you. I didn't have a single jam when I was over seas.

[dedpedal]

Sounds like we need a farm party to test.

[BIGRED Z]

I'm up for a farm party...Keith????

[Dirtyd0g]

Sounds like somebody needs to donate a honduh we can put out of it's misery, just think it's value will double after getting pumped full of lead,steel and copper! We'll all dump the empty cases in it when we are done unless someone claims them for reloading!
Alan

[IWRBB]

Screw searching every website out there for ammo deals.

Just go here. www.gun-deals.com

Click on Ammo, pick your caliber, type in your zip code, then sort by "cents per round shipped".

[93cobra]

Sounds like we need a farm party to test.

:cheers: for sure!

[302coupe]

Hey guys im just going to throw this out there went to a gun shop a few weeks ago i used the GPS on my to find local gun shops and one that caught my eye that i have never heard of http://www.jenamygunshop.com. He is a Retired Veteran His son also works there. This may sound odd but its at his house in his basement super cool people very intelligent. Seemed to have great prices i got a 30rd MAGPUL PMAG for $13.00 brand new. So if it means anything to you guys like it does to me i rather buy from a local business owner. check them out super nice people.

[one90gt]

I have used a few of the Magpul moe parts and really like thief fit and finish. Dsg arms has the moe kit (handguards trigger guard pistol grip and buttstock ). For 100 bucks. It will work for you if you have the m4 stock. If you have the a2 you would need to get a new buffer tube.

[facemelter71]

They make two different styles of A2 Stocks.

Mil Spec,and standard commercial. Both look very similar. If you are unsure,do some measuring.

[bangingears]

I have used a few of the Magpul moe parts and really like thief fit and finish. Dsg arms has the moe kit (handguards trigger guard pistol grip and buttstock ). For 100 bucks. It will work for you if you have the m4 stock. If you have the a2 you would need to get a new buffer tube.

I like the look of some of the magpaul stuff, just every time I try to buy something it turns out to be a PTS airsoft part, and half of the stuff I look at online doesn't say what its designed for.

[93cobra]

Sorry to bring this thread up again "I know this is not a gun forum" One last question..Whats the best scope setup to buy for $200ish price range. I've gave myself a headache going in circles reading & wathing vids online on these. I kind of like this deal:
http://www.valhallaarmory.com/3_9X42_Ultimate_AR_15_Scope_p/st3942gdmod1.htm The guy has a little video and for $120 option you can get the burris fastfire ii (320 total) don't seem too bad considering I see a lot of people selling the burris for $200ish itself. Again I know a few of you guys no your stuff on these with more experience etc.
Thanks!

[ibstrokin]

What are the best tires for my car? I'm not trying to be a dick, but to answer my question, you would want to know what I was going to do with my car. The same applies when choosing a scope. What is your primary purpose for the rifle (Target, varmint/hunting, cqb/home defense)? How is the rifle equipped(flat top or fixed carry handle, 16/20" barrel)? What reticle do you want, what power magnification do you want, are you going to have iron sights on it also? If you keep irons on it, do you want a quick detach scope base/rings?

I have done a lot of checking on scopes, and have found some decent and cheap scopes, but usually, you get what you pay for. Check out natchezss.com, they have a lot of scopes for good prices. Opticsplanet.com also has a good selection. Cheap scopes often have tracking problems, for example, you have your rifle sighted in for 100 yards, but decide you want to shoot at 300 yards, let's say you turn your scope 12 clicks to hit @ 300, you then decide you want to shoot at 100 again, so you turn it back down 12 clicks, but your zero is off, and it took 15 clicks to get back to your zero. That is very common with cheap scopes, which makes hunting nearly impossible, because you can't predict accurately how your scope is going to react.

For a budget, check out Millett scopes @ Natchez, they have some models on clearence. I have one of these (6-25x56 mil-dot, .1 mil) and they get good reviews. I mounted it on my Savage .300 wsm, I sighted it in, but haven't played with the tracking yet. Millett also makes a DMS which is 1-4x30mm, dot in a donut, which can be had for under $200.

Bushnell makes a 3200 elite, fixed 10x40mm, mil-dot for around $200 that is pretty good.

Leupold makes a nice setup like the one on your link, but it's pricey. Burris xtr scopes are nice also.

The options are endless. Keep an eye on ebay, good deals come up on used equipment.

[93cobra]

What are the best tires for my car? I'm not trying to be a dick, but to answer my question, you would want to know what I was going to do with my car. The same applies when choosing a scope. What is your primary purpose for the rifle (Target, varmint/hunting, cqb/home defense)? How is the rifle equipped(flat top or fixed carry handle, 16/20" barrel)? What reticle do you want, what power magnification do you want, are you going to have iron sights on it also? If you keep irons on it, do you want a quick detach scope base/rings?

I have done a lot of checking on scopes, and have found some decent and cheap scopes, but usually, you get what you pay for. Check out natchezss.com, they have a lot of scopes for good prices. Opticsplanet.com also has a good selection. Cheap scopes often have tracking problems, for example, you have your rifle sighted in for 100 yards, but decide you want to shoot at 300 yards, let's say you turn your scope 12 clicks to hit @ 300, you then decide you want to shoot at 100 again, so you turn it back down 12 clicks, but your zero is off, and it took 15 clicks to get back to your zero. That is very common with cheap scopes, which makes hunting nearly impossible, because you can't predict accurately how your scope is going to react.

For a budget, check out Millett scopes @ Natchez, they have some models on clearence. I have one of these (6-25x56 mil-dot, .1 mil) and they get good reviews. I mounted it on my Savage .300 wsm, I sighted it in, but haven't played with the tracking yet. Millett also makes a DMS which is 1-4x30mm, dot in a donut, which can be had for under $200.

Bushnell makes a 3200 elite, fixed 10x40mm, mil-dot for around $200 that is pretty good.

Leupold makes a nice setup like the one on your link, but it's pricey. Burris xtr scopes are nice also.

The options are endless. Keep an eye on ebay, good deals come up on used equipment.

I know what you mean. sorry my request was pretty general to say the least I guess. I have a carry handle mounted on flat top but was assuming I would have to loose that to avoid scope sitting up so high etc. I have a 16" barrel chambered for 5.56. To be honest, I'll most likely pull the gun out & and shoot at my parents farm a few times a year and have a little fun like today, we have 20-30 pumpkins left over from last month, so I would line them up 100-300 yds away & blow some pumpkins up. Other then that, it will be in the house in the safe etc. If a year or two down the road so & so comes along and wants to give me what I have invested in it, I sell to buy something else or keep etc. I enjoy shooting guns but have zero interest in hunting anymore and not likely going to run out & enter competitions anytime soon. Basically I've never lost a dollar on any firearm I own while having occasional fun & taking care of etc. I guess I was just by chance wondering if anyone on here bought xyz scope for $200-300 "with or without a red dot attached etc" which wound up being a decent positive experience etc for the hobby planker. Ive taken note of a few things you mentioned & appreciate it.:bigthumb