Post: #26

(12-20-2012 06:22 PM)Way Cool Jr Wrote:  Guys, I've got a newbie question.
Is it legal in most States to get assault rifles like the AK-47 or the M16 as a normal citizen?

Yes. But very expensive. These are select fire (automatic) weapons. New production of these for the civilian market was banned in 1986. So in addition to being an NFA item and requiring a special tax stamp (send forms and money to BATFE), the firearms themselves are essentially collectors items and worth many thousands of dollars.

(12-20-2012 06:22 PM)Way Cool Jr Wrote:  What's your opinion on people getting such potentially destructive weapons for self-defense?

I would guess that anyone who has these is not using it for self-defense. If you preferred swords, would you use an old Japanese samurai sword for self-defense or some more modern long blade?

As noted above, they are priced as collectors items; for a fraction of the cost, you can get more modern semi-automatic rifles that I would trust more to not malfunction.

Post: #27

(12-20-2012 11:03 AM)WestIndianArchie Wrote:  - semi-auto assault rifles

You picked a helluva time to consider that! The run on ARs since Saturday has been nothing short of epic. I would venture to guess that in the South, 98% of ARs in local gun shop inventories as of a week ago are now gone. Probably the same everywhere.

ARs, and key parts (bolts, bolt carriers, lower receivers, etc.) are nearly totally out of stock at nearly all online gun stores. 30rd mags, and .223, 5.56 ammo, also out of stock. Truly incredible.

Back on topic, as has been suggested earlier, go shooting with friends who own guns. Even if it's only a friend of a friend, I think you'll find that most gun owners do not fit the negative media stereotypes, and would be happy to take a newb shooting.

Don't overthink which exact gun is going to be your first gun or second gun. It's an easy hobby to get hooked on, and you'll buy/sell/trade guns until you find ones that you really like. Quite a few of my earliest guns have long been sold/traded to fund newer additions to my collection. This is financially feasible because guns hold their value (assuming you didn't overpay to begin with). Try this with anything with a semiconductor in it, and you'll hemorrhage money.

Post: #28

(12-20-2012 10:26 PM)assman Wrote:  You picked a helluva time to consider that!

No kidding! Things are flying off the shelves. Noveske's doing 12 hour shifts 7 days a week cranking out uppers. The waiting list is as long as my cock...wait never mind.

Post: #29

(12-20-2012 11:00 PM)deuce Wrote:  

(12-20-2012 10:26 PM)assman Wrote:  You picked a helluva time to consider that!

No kidding! Things are flying off the shelves. Noveske's doing 12 hour shifts 7 days a week cranking out uppers. The waiting list is as long as my cock...wait never mind.

I've got 250 of those evil, dreaded "high capacity" mags on backorder. Hope they don't get cancelled now that they know they can sell them for far more than I paid.

Hope you're right that the manufacturers are working around the clock. I need a few uppers to go with the lowers I bought a while back.

Post: #30

Is there even much point to owning a gun if:

1. You live in CA.
2. You're single.
3. You don't really have valuables.
4. You probably won't visit a range more than once a month.
5. You're more likely to win the lottery than to get granted a CCW.

I took a class and got a handgun permit, but I couldn't see a strong reason for someone like me to get one. If I did, I'd probably get a .22 handgun first - used a Ruger Mark III in the class, nice gun.

Post: #31

130K guns were sold on Saturday. NICS had a 30 minute wait time.

Post: #32

Hi All,

Thought I'd revive this thread and ask for some recc's

I currently have a 80% ar-15 (no serial or registration) 5.56 lower, I milled it to specs. Purchased a lower parts kit with rifle grip.

I'm about to head out to the Crossroads of the West Gunshow here in SoCal (yeah yeah i know shittiest state to be in for weapons) http://www.crossroadsgunshows.com/

Anyways, I need to purchase an upper receiver, barrel, sights, perhaps additional accesories.

Do any of you have recc's for brands, types, or styles ?

I'd appreciate any input !

Post: #33

(05-02-2014 01:26 PM)kaotic Wrote:  Hi All,

Thought I'd revive this thread and ask for some recc's

I currently have a 80% ar-15 (no serial or registration) 5.56 lower, I milled it to specs. Purchased a lower parts kit with rifle grip.

I'm about to head out to the Crossroads of the West Gunshow here in SoCal (yeah yeah i know shittiest state to be in for weapons) http://www.crossroadsgunshows.com/

Anyways, I need to purchase an upper receiver, barrel, sights, perhaps additional accesories.

Do any of you have recc's for brands, types, or styles ?

I'd appreciate any input !

Well, you can get a standard direct impingement-style upper or a piston upper. I prefer the piston since it's easier to clean and all the carbon isn't blowing back into the chamber. I have an Adams Arms mid-length piston upper that has served me well for thousands of rounds and it has a 1/7 twist barrel, which is what the military uses.

As far as sights are concerned, Magpul makes some really good iron sights. You can get them in polymer or steel.

I have no recommendations as far as styles or additional accessories are concerned because that's really just up to you. It's fun to experiment around and find out what you like. I personally like Magpul's stuff, though.

Post: #34

I own three firearms:

1. A CZ75 SP01 Shadow chambered in 9mm

2. A Browning Lever Rifle chambered in .308 Winchester

3. A Benelli Supernova pump action 12 gauge shotgun

Post: #35

(05-02-2014 02:42 PM)TheWastelander Wrote:  

(05-02-2014 01:26 PM)kaotic Wrote:  Hi All,

Thought I'd revive this thread and ask for some recc's

I currently have a 80% ar-15 (no serial or registration) 5.56 lower, I milled it to specs. Purchased a lower parts kit with rifle grip.

I'm about to head out to the Crossroads of the West Gunshow here in SoCal (yeah yeah i know shittiest state to be in for weapons) http://www.crossroadsgunshows.com/

Anyways, I need to purchase an upper receiver, barrel, sights, perhaps additional accesories.

Do any of you have recc's for brands, types, or styles ?

I'd appreciate any input !

Well, you can get a standard direct impingement-style upper or a piston upper. I prefer the piston since it's easier to clean and all the carbon isn't blowing back into the chamber. I have an Adams Arms mid-length piston upper that has served me well for thousands of rounds and it has a 1/7 twist barrel, which is what the military uses.

As far as sights are concerned, Magpul makes some really good iron sights. You can get them in polymer or steel.

I have no recommendations as far as styles or additional accessories are concerned because that's really just up to you. It's fun to experiment around and find out what you like. I personally like Magpul's stuff, though.

Yeah 2 of my friends recommended I get a piston upper easiest to manage. I've heard nothing but praise for Magpul. I'm taking a buddy of mine whose built a few rifles with me, I'm hoping to get a better understanding of everything since this is my first rifle.

Post: #36

(05-02-2014 03:19 PM)kaotic Wrote:  

(05-02-2014 02:42 PM)TheWastelander Wrote:  

(05-02-2014 01:26 PM)kaotic Wrote:  Hi All,

Thought I'd revive this thread and ask for some recc's

I currently have a 80% ar-15 (no serial or registration) 5.56 lower, I milled it to specs. Purchased a lower parts kit with rifle grip.

I'm about to head out to the Crossroads of the West Gunshow here in SoCal (yeah yeah i know shittiest state to be in for weapons) http://www.crossroadsgunshows.com/

Anyways, I need to purchase an upper receiver, barrel, sights, perhaps additional accesories.

Do any of you have recc's for brands, types, or styles ?

I'd appreciate any input !

Well, you can get a standard direct impingement-style upper or a piston upper. I prefer the piston since it's easier to clean and all the carbon isn't blowing back into the chamber. I have an Adams Arms mid-length piston upper that has served me well for thousands of rounds and it has a 1/7 twist barrel, which is what the military uses.

As far as sights are concerned, Magpul makes some really good iron sights. You can get them in polymer or steel.

I have no recommendations as far as styles or additional accessories are concerned because that's really just up to you. It's fun to experiment around and find out what you like. I personally like Magpul's stuff, though.

Yeah 2 of my friends recommended I get a piston upper easiest to manage. I've heard nothing but praise for Magpul. I'm taking a buddy of mine whose built a few rifles with me, I'm hoping to get a better understanding of everything since this is my first rifle.

Some of the problems with piston systems is the availability of spare parts, front end weight, no as accurate, and they tend to wear out a bit faster.

The biggest pro is that they can be cleaned in 5 minutes.

Post: #37

(05-02-2014 03:33 PM)vinman Wrote:  

(05-02-2014 03:19 PM)kaotic Wrote:  

(05-02-2014 02:42 PM)TheWastelander Wrote:  

(05-02-2014 01:26 PM)kaotic Wrote:  Hi All,

Thought I'd revive this thread and ask for some recc's

I currently have a 80% ar-15 (no serial or registration) 5.56 lower, I milled it to specs. Purchased a lower parts kit with rifle grip.

I'm about to head out to the Crossroads of the West Gunshow here in SoCal (yeah yeah i know shittiest state to be in for weapons) http://www.crossroadsgunshows.com/

Anyways, I need to purchase an upper receiver, barrel, sights, perhaps additional accesories.

Do any of you have recc's for brands, types, or styles ?

I'd appreciate any input !

Well, you can get a standard direct impingement-style upper or a piston upper. I prefer the piston since it's easier to clean and all the carbon isn't blowing back into the chamber. I have an Adams Arms mid-length piston upper that has served me well for thousands of rounds and it has a 1/7 twist barrel, which is what the military uses.

As far as sights are concerned, Magpul makes some really good iron sights. You can get them in polymer or steel.

I have no recommendations as far as styles or additional accessories are concerned because that's really just up to you. It's fun to experiment around and find out what you like. I personally like Magpul's stuff, though.

Yeah 2 of my friends recommended I get a piston upper easiest to manage. I've heard nothing but praise for Magpul. I'm taking a buddy of mine whose built a few rifles with me, I'm hoping to get a better understanding of everything since this is my first rifle.

Some of the problems with piston systems is the availability of spare parts, front end weight, no as accurate, and they tend to wear out a bit faster.

The biggest pro is that they can be cleaned in 5 minutes.

The Adams Arms upper only has a few different parts. As long as you don't lose the gas plug or the piston itself (both of which are very hard to lose) you should be fine.

As far as accuracy is concerned? 1.25" MOA at a 100 yards compared to 1" MOA at a 100 yards is not a big deal. Most people can't shoot well enough to notice a difference.

I'm not sure whether they do wear out faster or not, but I don't see why they would. The main thing that gets worn out on ARs is the barrel after several thousand rounds and since it's pretty much the same spec as the military barrels then I don't see how they'd wear out faster on a piston gun.

Post: #38

Just about all of the piston systems are proprietary. If something goes out of spec, or a manufacturer goes out of business you now own a cool club. At least with the gas impingement guns spare parts are plentiful. The advice I gave to all of my friends that bought piston systems is make sure you know you system, and buy at least 2 sets of spare parts to keep the gun running.

Post: #39

(12-20-2012 12:07 PM)deuce Wrote:  Training: INVEST IN QUALITY TRAINING. In my opinion, this is where the major liability of firearms ownership comes in (convoluted sentence). Many weapons owners purchase their Gen 4 Glock 19, get a shitty velcro holster, go to a crappy CCW class, throw it on their belt thinking they're good to go. If these idiots don't get their gun taken from them by the bad guy in the first place, they're going to be throwing bad rounds (AKA liabilities) downrange. Also, going to a class gives you an idea how to use your time at the range effectively so you're not wasting your time and money by building bad habits, throwing bad rounds, and getting frustrated.

This cannot be stressed hard enough. Nothing will affect the quality of your shooting more than the quality of your first instructor. Full stop. Shooting is all muscle memory, if you never learn bad habits, you will never develop bad habits that you have to work yourself out of. If you are thinking about buying a gun, take your gun budget, and take a trip to somewhere that teaches people to shoot, and is staffed with the types of people who taught professionally for Uncle Sam.

Learn pistol, then carbine, then long rifle, then shotgun, and again, pay to learn.

Post: #40

My first pistol was a Glock 17 which is my go to carry pistol. If you are to get a holster, I'd recommend Blackhawk. The quality is there and at a pretty good price.