AR advice

[Deleted member 38069]

I forgot to add, sig m400s are nice rifles for an affordable price

 

[MO Betta]

That would be outstanding! FWIW - I am going with 16" barrel as I don't want to mess with NFA.

There's a few ways around that. 14.5 barrel with pinned and welded brake, sub 16" barrel and use a pistol brace like an SBA3 or SBA4, or just a usual 16"+ barrel and stock. Just be aware that you can't put a vert grip on a pistol build. ATF has some really messed up regs. I'll send you my sheet when I can get it located

 

[FLS]

I’ve had and built a bunch of ARs. 223/556, 6.8 SPC, 6.5 Grendel, 224 Valkyrie, 308.
My advice is roll your own.
Best short barrel performer was the 6.8 SPC. 95 TTSX and 110 Accubonds worked great on deer and pigs.
I built a 6.5 Grendel to shoot some Tactical matches. It was a hammer but I broke several extactors shooting Factory 123 Amaxes. Now that the 6 Grendel has factory loads I might would go that route, if I hadn’t built a Valkyrie.
The one I shoot most and like the best is and 18” 1-8 twist Wylde chambered rifle I built. It shoots sub MOA with 77 SMKs over TAC, and 55 NBT’s over H335. I buy processed LC brass 1k at a time and bullets in bulk. All I do is prime charge and load on a Dillon 550.
I have no problems ringing steel out to 800 with the 77 SMK load. That bullet also does a number on deer and pigs.
I enjoyed them all, but considering the cost of ammo and availability of components all I would own is 223/ 556. Buy a good barrel and trigger. The rest doesn’t matter much.

 

[morgaj1]

I went down this road and ended up building my own. Some people will disagree, but I've had good luck with PSA lowers and their premium uppers with FN barrels. As stated earlier, quality barrels and triggers are crucial. I am partial to the Wilson Combat triggers for hunting. I use my 5.56 upper for high volume paper shooting and my 6.5 Grendel for hunting. I just started loading for the Grendel and am really impressed with the accuracy and velocity I am getting from this little round.

 

[PsRpOiGrRiAtM]

Since you already have the S&W Sport, just focus on getting a better upper recevier, and possibly a trigger upgrade. The aluminum lower you already have is sufficient, and anything you might upgrade by going up a tier in quality is going to be in the upper components. Many good names have been referenced here, like Aero, Daniel Defense, Triarc, SOLGW, BCM, Colt, and you might even consider the higher-end PSA offerings, which would be anything with a name-brand rail and barrel, like their 16" mid-length Geissele CHF upper. It's got an FN cold hammer forged barrel, a Geissele rail, and then you can get a premium bolt carrier group of your choice.

 

[midwesthunter]

I have not had that much interest in ARs. A while back I did buy (and still have) an M&P Sport 15 - kind of the Savage Axis of ARs. I am interested in getting a better one for range use and home defense. I have two questions.

First, what is the Tikka of ARs - high quality, decent price.

Second, do I go with 5.56NATO or something like a 6.5 Grendel.

I am open to a range of options. What is your advice?

My vote would be to rebuild the one you have. Pick a butt stock you like, swap it out. Get a better trigger, change your front gas block out and a free float hand rail you like and shoot it.

 

[ImBillT]

For a gun that will shoot most ammo pretty well, go with the Wylde chamber instead of 5.56 or .223Rem. For something a little better for longer range, I’d go with the 6mmARC. The 6.5 Grendel never should have existed. The 6AR was owned by an obscure fellow who wanted money and didn’t move product. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the 6ppc and I’m not sure why it never took hold in an AR, but alas, Hornady finally brought out the first real improvement to a 5.56 for an AR platform that also has solid support from ammo and gun manufacturers.

 

[Bowmannate2000]

I recently built my first with Aero Precision components. I am pleased with it and total build was right around $600. I would like to upgrade the trigger at some point, but as is, it does what I need it to do.

 

[BrentD]

I forgot to add, sig m400s are nice rifles for an affordable price

I just acquired one. It's not a tack driver, that's for sure. I'm disappointed in it in that respect. Strange things they are.

 

[Doublecluck]

I’ve built and shot a bunch of em, got a few factory ones as well. Aero precision, magpul, blackhawk, Troy, m&p, Daniel defense, and combinations thereof. When I moved to Montana I got rid of most but recently I picked up a few more.

Of Recent if you don’t want to
Build one I’ve been really impressed with the Springfield saints, solid rifles for the money, we ran a full size and a “pistol” thru the paces in the beginning of the year, I settled on the pistol and I have run a about 2k rds thru it since, it’s a pretty smooth shooter, accurate as hell for a short barreled AR.


about a month ago I picked up a savage MSR in 6.5 creed, overall I wouldn’t recommend one but after some tuning and running/destroying quite a bit of brass I got ours shooting pretty good. admittedly with a mil reticle 4-12 it’s fun as hell to be able to hit targets @ 250 then do straight to 1k using a hold and hit steel. But I wouldn’t put my life on it’s reliability.

Honestly you can build one with the best of everything you want for under a grand.

 

[mtmuley]

I just acquired one. It's not a tack driver, that's for sure. I'm disappointed in it in that respect. Strange things they are.

You surprise me with this. mtmuley

 

[p_ham]

You surprise me with this. mtmuley

I had to double check that it was him!

 

[VikingsGuy]

You surprise me with this. mtmuley

I was sure he was going to scold me for even thinking about an AR over a nice german double

 

[Horse]

Your from mn. Buy a high end JP. They are pricey but are tack drivers. Or for cheaper BCM or Rock river. Both have different options that you may be looking for. Look for 223 wylde chamber so you can shoot 223 or 5.56 nato

 

[VikingsGuy]

Your from mn. Buy a high end JP. They are pricey but are tack drivers. Or for cheaper BCM or Rock river. Both have different options that you may be looking for. Look for 223 wylde chamber so you can shoot 223 or 5.56 nato

So, basis the many good tips and some PMs I have decided to first upgrade my M&P 15 Sport I. After this project I will know a lot more and then will probably build a whole new one from scratch with higher end components (and probably chambered in 6mmARC). I have ordered a tweaked Rock River Predator Pursuit Mid-Length in .223 Wylde 16" heavy match barrel threaded and satin blasted + Radian Raptor charge handle. I also ordered a CMC 2 stage trigger drop-in set to 2:2, a Magpul rubberized MOE grip, and LuthAR MBA-3 stock. Putting more into the build than I did buying the original rifle, but it should be a big improvement and I will see what I appetite I have for a whole build. I have no idea when the upper will come (probably 12-13 weeks) but the rest are all in stock and should be here in a week or so. Even just the trigger, stock and grip upgrades will be an improvement. Thanks all for your input.

 

[MO Betta]

You'll like the MBA-3, that's what I have on my 308 win build. I like that you can tighten up the slop that's common with multi-position stocks, and can tweak it to fit your profile.

 

[VikingsGuy]

You'll like the MBA-3, that's what I have on my 308 win build. I like that you can tighten up the slop that's common with multi-position stocks, and can tweak it to fit your profile.

Did you have any problems with interference with the charging handle? There was some rumbling about that on the forums.

 

[MO Betta]

A little, if you have it collapsed you'll ram the charging handle against the cheek riser. At the halfway point on a 6 position tube I can chamber a round (308 has a longer charging handle), but I have a pretty long LOP so mine is fully extended except for travel.

 

[Festus]

Did you have any problems with interference with the charging handle? There was some rumbling about that on the forums.

I built a pistol in .223 wylde with a Sanders Armory side charging upper - I like it WAY better than the standard rear charging.
It's just a PSA lower, but I couldn't resist... KAG

 

[GlockZ]

Just find yourself a MIL-SPEC built AR, that is if the S&W you own isn't one already, most of the ones built today are. If the one you have now is, you can personalize/customize it any way you want. I own one, and it's Mil-Spec built, so I can buy any brand part, whether it's another upper assembly, sights, grips, whatever, and it'll fit my rifle. Just make sure the part you are buying says Mil-Spec built on it. Almost everyone out there has their company name stamped on an AR these days. I personally don't believe one brand is any better than another, especially when Mil-Spec is stamped on it. When I was in bootcamp, my M-16 had Colt's name stamped on it, when I was assigned a unit, my rifle had Harrington & Richardson stamped on it, or Armalite, Singer, and Springfield Armory. The federal government contracts out to various manufacturers, and the rifles are all built the same way. Now a days, rifle twist is what everyone is looking for. For bullets weighing between 55-62 grains, a 1:9 is more than sufficient, if you want to go up to 77 grains, a 1:8 or 1:7 twist is the way you want to go. That is if you choose to stick with 5.56/.223 caliber. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.