Newbie question, yes I'll be THAT guy today

[UWone77]

I guess you make a good point. K.I.S.S. until I figure out what I like. Really hadn't considered that.

Side note... I do love my .308's and at some point intend to build a kickass one as well

The nice thing about the Colt... you'll get your money back out of it, should you decide to ditch it later. You can't say that with a home build. I wish I would have started out with a nice baseline rifle from the beginning. It would have saved me thousands and a lot of time. $850ish for a Colt is still insane to me.

[Ride4frnt]

I guess you make a good point. K.I.S.S. until I figure out what I like. Really hadn't considered that.

Side note... I do love my .308's and at some point intend to build a kickass one as well

Get your feet wet with 5.56 first. I agree with UW. Buy a colt first, or bare minimum, complete upper and build your lower. My first was a complete Bushmaster HBAR. Bare bones, carry handle, a2 post, etc. shot it a lot, learned the platform. Second ar was a spikes stripped lower I built with a PSA mil spec parts kit, put a complete spikes 14.5" upper on it. That's the gun I shoot the most. Very KISS rifle, magpul furniture, vortex red dot, just a lot of fun to shoot. I've also built a 18" SPRish gun that I'll finally get to shoot this weekend, but it's more of a mid-long range bench gun that will be shot on a bipod most of the time. Have also built a .300blk for deer, but the novelty of the round has really worn off on me. Maybe when I get a can and start reloading it'll reignite the flame.

Point is, get your feet wet. Learn what you like, upgrade from there. Go to the range, if you see people there with AR's, ask them about them, you may see something you like yourself. I know some people aren't as nice as the guys on here, but speaking for myself, if someone at the range sees my guns and asks about them I'll talk their ears off. If they wanna shoot them, go for it.

If you go the complete upper route, IMO, a 14.5" barrel with pinned muzzle device and mid length gas system cannot be beat.

ETA: http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/AR-15...roup-s/135.htm

As has been said, the price of these is hard to beat. A 14.5" middy with a pinned battlecomp would be primo for a first rifle!

[KW900A]

Ok, can someone enlighten me on the rules regarding pinned/unpinned uppers? I assume this mainly affects whether or not the barrel would be able to accept a suppressor? I was browsing uppers on PSA and found one I liked, but since its unpinned NFA rules apply. Does this mean more hoops for me to jump through? I'm a virginia resident, and we are a pretty gun friendly state.

There is a pretty good tactical gun shop close to me than can help me with details whenever necessary. Lots of times it's more convenient to look here first.

[Ride4frnt]

Ok, can someone enlighten me on the rules regarding pinned/unpinned uppers? I assume this mainly affects whether or not the barrel would be able to accept a suppressor? I was browsing uppers on PSA and found one I liked, but since its unpinned NFA rules apply. Does this mean more hoops for me to jump through? I'm a virginia resident, and we are a pretty gun friendly state.

There is a pretty good tactical gun shop close to me than can help me with details whenever necessary. Lots of times it's more convenient to look here first.

Pinned or unpinned refers to barrel length. In order to be a rifle the barrel has to be over 16". That means you need a >16" barrel, or a barrel with a muzzle device pinned and welded to it to make it overall longer than 16", I.e. 14.5" with a pinned 1.5" muzzle device is 16" and legal. Shorter than that and the gun is a SBR, meaning it needs to be registered with NFA paperwork. The exception is with a AR pistol, having no stock, you can have a barrel as short as you want, since it's technically not a rifle...

[KW900A]

Gotcha

Do some of these places offer pinning as an option for otherwise unpinned uppers? The one that jumped out at me was 14.7

[Ride4frnt]

Gotcha

Do some of these places offer pinning as an option for otherwise unpinned uppers? The one that jumped out at me was 14.7

Most places should offer pinning and welding, or your local gunsmith can do it. It's not a hard process for a competent smith, and it's not illegal for you to own in an unpinned configuration, you just can't mate the upper to a rifle lower legally without it behind pinned and welded. If you were to order a 14.5 or 14.7 upper that doesn't come with a muzzle device, or isn't permanently affixed, your local shop should be able to pin it for a small fee.

[Ride4frnt]

Also, about your suppressor comment. Same applies. A lot of suppressors are QD threaded to the muzzle device. By buying a compatible muzzle device and having it welded on, you could still run a suppressor. Example, buy a AAC 51t muzzle device and have it welded, you can attach the compatible AAC suppressors to it.

[Eric]

The nice thing about the Colt... you'll get your money back out of it, should you decide to ditch it later. You can't say that with a home build. I wish I would have started out with a nice baseline rifle from the beginning. It would have saved me thousands and a lot of time. $850ish for a Colt is still insane to me.

Exactly.
$875 for the LE6920 MOE version. A factory carbine from Colt is a solid starting point. Run it and then figure out if you want to change it up.

[KW900A]

I am certain the shop here can do that with no issues. Just to order one, and have it shipped to me would not require extra work, or will it? If I understand correctly, I have to have the NFA paperwork to own the assembled gun (which I do not intend to do). Just making sure I could order it, and carry it to my local shop without any hassle.

Ride4frnt, A suppressor is something I would like to get sometime, while as a civilian, I still can. That's an entirely different set of questions. I'm not at that point yet, so I haven't even looked into it. I know the local shop here is pretty well versed in that area, so I should have no issues with that when the times comes.

Eric, thanks for the colt link. Considering that's a gun ready to rock for the price of half the uppers I have looked at, it's hard to knock that idea.

(this was supposed to be attached to the answer about pinning, but didn't work for some reason)

[DutyUse]

No you wouldn't have any hassle with an unpinned upper as long as you don't have it attached to a lower. In fact just keep the lower seperate,

[UWone77]

Here's another option you can do:

Aero Precision complete Lower $180

http://aeroprecisionusa.com/aspx/sto...l.aspx?pid=321

BCM Complete Upper with Free BCG and Mod O Comp $439:

http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-1...urg-mid-14.htm

OR:

http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-M...-urg-m4-16.htm

This is the carbine version, they were out of Middy 16's

Charging Handle $20
MOE/SL Handguards $30

$669 plus transfer on the Lower

Personally, I like 16" uppers for new shooters to the platform. If you don't like the muzzle device, you can swap it out. If you don't like the hanguards, you can swap them out. Otherwise, after you pin and weld, you are stuck. That's a pretty expensive mistake if you decide to change anything.

[VIPER 237]

Personally, I like 16" uppers for new shooters to the platform. If you don't like the muzzle device, you can swap it out. If you don't like the hanguards, you can swap them out. Otherwise, after you pin and weld, you are stuck. That's a pretty expensive mistake if you decide to change anything.

Exactly, a pinned upper is one of the worst ideas for a shooter who isn't sure exactly what they want as far as hand guard/muzzle device.

[KW900A]

Thanks UWone77, that second bcm link is dead for me though. I have a little notebook with a ton of info and ideas... And prices... Haha

I'm in on sticks giveaway, so I am holding off on any purchases on the off chance I am lucky enough to snag something. Words can't even describe how awesome all that came together. I know you are one of the ones working behind the scenes, thanks for that too!

I am going to check with my local shop here on those colts and any other entry level platforms they offer. I think starting out, it's wise to keep it at 16"+

I've learned stuff just in this thread I wasn't even aware was there to know!

[GOST]

Check your local Wal-Mart for Colts. Mine a couple of months back had a 6920 Magpul edition for I think $850.

[southernborne]

Theres some realy good advise here, only wish I would have joined sooner... I bought a Seekins gen2 upper & lower and at the risk of sounding silly, Where do you get the screw in pins?