Sanity Check: Looking to acquire first AR.

[corlissimo]

Some of the companies, Stag Arms in particular comes to mind, offer a true dedicated left hand AR-15 but nobody seems to be mentioning them. Is there some particular reason for not looking at one of the left hand AR's?

http://www.stagarms.com/product_info...roducts_id=212

Thanks for bringing the Stag option to my attention. I was not aware that there were dedicated LH AR15's available out there.
I like the idea of it but am curious as to where the benefits come from exactly.
Some potential issues with a lefty using a RH AR that I can see are:
1. brass ejection closer to face
2. excessive gases/fumes
3. some controls related items (mag release, bolt release, safety, etc)

Since I'm used to using RH guns already I don't know if these will be a problem for me or not. An ambi ssfety is a must for me. Not sure how I'll be with the bolt release or mag release, although I've read that sometimes LH shooters mights actually prefer the standard mag release. Since I've yet to run an AR I have no true perspective on these matters.

Would the benefits of going to a dedicated LH model, with its' limited availability of parts, outweigh the benefits of staying with a standard AR and learning to live with some of it's RH features (or changing what I want to) in order to preserve parts availability?

This is the biggest question I have about the LH models. Can anyone speak to these points?

Thanks

[SierraCharlie121]

Some of the companies, Stag Arms in particular comes to mind, offer a true dedicated left hand AR-15 but nobody seems to be mentioning them. Is there some particular reason for not looking at one of the left hand AR's?

http://www.stagarms.com/product_info...roducts_id=212

Hi, Corlissimo here. This "SierraCharlie121" account is a new user I've created since I've been experiencing posting issues with my original account.

Thanks for bringing the Stag option to my attention. I was not aware that there were dedicated LH AR15's available out there.
I like the idea of it but am curious as to where the benefits come from exactly.
Some potential issues with a lefty using a RH AR that I can see are:
1. brass ejection closer to face
2. excessive gases/fumes
3. some controls related items (mag release, bolt release, safety, etc)

Since I'm used to using RH guns already I don't know if these will be a problem for me or not. An ambi ssfety is a must for me. Not sure how I'll be with the bolt release or mag release, although I've read that sometimes LH shooters mights actually prefer the standard mag release. Since I've yet to run an AR I have no true perspective on these matters.

Would the benefits of going to a dedicated LH model, with its' limited availability of parts, outweigh the benefits of staying with a standard AR and learning to live with some of it's RH features (or changing what I want to) in order to preserve parts availability?

This is the biggest question I have about the LH models. Can anyone speak to these points?

Thanks
Corlissimo

[corlissimo]

woodwrkr,

Thanks for bringing the Stag option to my attention. I was not aware that there were dedicated LH AR15's available out there.
I like the idea of it but am curious as to where the benefits come from exactly.
Some potential issues with a lefty using a RH AR that I can see are:
1. brass ejection closer to face
2. excessive gases/fumes
3. some controls related items (mag release, bolt release, safety, etc)

Since I'm used to using RH guns already I don't know if these will be a problem for me or not. An ambi ssfety is a must for me. Not sure how I'll be with the bolt release or mag release, although I've read that sometimes LH shooters mights actually prefer the standard mag release. Since I've yet to run an AR I have no true perspective on these matters.

Would the benefits of going to a dedicated LH model, with its' limited availability of parts, outweigh the benefits of staying with a standard AR and learning to live with some of it's RH features (or changing what I want to) in order to preserve parts availability?

This is the biggest question I have about the LH models. Can anyone speak to these points, because in my mind I think the parts availability (based upon my original criteria) is something I value more than shooter "convenience features".

Thanks

[corlissimo]

I like the MOE handguards and will likely use those based upon the feedback I've received. Thanks.
As far as building my own lower is concerned, I'm not sure which one's are good and what features to include. From my reading, billet is better, but forged are more affordable and will likely meet my needs nicely, so I know I'd go with a forged lower. But that's where my knowledge/confidence ends. The only other thing I know for sure is that I want the AR to follow MIL SPEC as much as possible.

Is it safe to say that I would just need to order certain pin sets, fire control group, stock of choice, etc in order to complete my build? What about staking the castle nut on the buffer tube? Am I just making this more complicated than it needs to be?

[TehLlama]

Billet is certainly not 'better' per se, but can be much more attractive to some. I have three sets of billet receivers, and I'm replacing them with forged units.
For the most part any in-spec lower will do, so choosing on roll mark and then checking to see if they've had issues with any out-of-spec dimensions might be a workable strategy. The only consistently appearing concern is if certain magazines will drop free.

I'd limit the LPK search to higher end ones - Colt, BCM, DD, LMT, (G&R), (WOA), or CMT/Stag - I've owned at least one of each of these, and they're all pretty highly regarded.
Swapping in certain components (especially with the G&R kits) is possible - new triggers (the G&R and WOA can be had without FCU's), Norgon catch, and ambi selectors are all parts you can include off the bat.

The rifle will run without the castle nut being staked - it's just a wise move to stake it if it will be seeing hard use.

If you still want to run a southpaw rifle, Rainier has (or had) the best option for this - their barrel/upper pairings could include the CMT/Stag Left Handed upper receiver with matching barrel extensions, but I'm not sure how they have those in their shop at the moment. The only issue with these is their non-standard nature, so if you're the type who stockpiles spare parts, you'll want spares for all the southpaw-modified operating components.

[m249saw]

I agree with teh llama, Ive had a few billet pieces and from now on just staying with quality forged parts. Forged uppers for example are all pretty much a certain spec, where as billet are not. I ran into an issue mounting a Larue Rail on a Mega billet upper, but it fit great with the Rainier billet.