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  1. #1
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    My dad's AR project

    My dad has for a long time talked about getting or building an AR. Usually though after a few days he just sort of goes and does other stuff, then a few months pass by and he brings it up again.

    Well this last time around he started asking me questions about 'options' he would have...so I basically directed him to the link below for a complete lower. It seemed like everything he was asking for. To my surprise he ordered it.

    https://www.aeroprecisionusa.com/m4e...anodized-black

    I definitely think it's a good option for him. It will be his first AR. Keep in mind he has always had a BUNCH of other more traditional type firearms.

    Now though I want to locate an upper for him. He wants one with an 18" barrel. I personally would feel better about it if we stuck with Aero just because but I won't rule out other options.

    If you guys see any 18" Aero complete uppers on sale or whatnot please direct it my way so I can pass it along.

    I have always built my own rifles out and everybody here knows I dive into the deep end. But for my dad something straight forward with a free floated handguard would be perfect. That said I typically don't keep track of pricing on things unless I am shopping for something specific.

    The only 'non standard' thing left to get will be a charging handle but I can handle that. He needs something with big grip areas and that is ambi. For him it's not a nice to have but rather a need to have. After his brain surgery his right hand still doesn't have all of the feeling in his finger tips like it used to. Oh, and he shoots left handed and I think is cross eye dominant but we aren't going down the lefty route for the upper.

    I don't know if those uppers come with bolt carrier groups but I think a standard plain Aero phosphate (or something comparable) will be just fine.

    Any help locating a good complete upper (at a competitive price) to finish things out for him would be appreciated.

  2. #2
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    Well I got lucky I guess. I haven't shopped for AR parts for a while but I found him a Lantac Mil Spec Nitride bolt carrier group (I think he wanted a nitride one now that I think about it)...

    The company had them on sale (normal price of around $200) for $109, and I got an additional 10% off. With tax and shipping it was $117 to the door. Optics Planet (I know, I know!) has them for around $170 with free shipping so I still came out on top.

    Now I just need to find a charging handle that he will like. This part is a lot more critical because of his hand but I will shop around some.

  3. #3
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    NRA Benefactor Member
    NRA Certified Instructor

    "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on."
    John Wayne - "The Shootist"

  4. #4
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    Granite ridge has complete Aero uppers in stock at a discount: https://www.graniteridgeoutfitters.c...G700605P51.htm

    The BCM Gunfighter charging handles with large latches (3x3) is nice. I've become fond of them for rifles with large optics objective lenses so it's easier to engage the CH under the scope.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry R View Post
    Thanks! I haven't had a chance to look at all. I wasn't expecting him to buy the lower actually so I was caught off guard a bit.

    Quote Originally Posted by BoilerUp View Post
    Granite ridge has complete Aero uppers in stock at a discount: https://www.graniteridgeoutfitters.c...G700605P51.htm

    The BCM Gunfighter charging handles with large latches (3x3) is nice. I've become fond of them for rifles with large optics objective lenses so it's easier to engage the CH under the scope.
    Thank you! I forwarded that link to him. I will have him look at charging handles (if he pulls the trigger on that upper).

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by BoilerUp View Post
    Granite ridge has complete Aero uppers in stock at a discount:
    Purchased. Thanks!

  7. #7
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    Might be a good time to get him what he needs, with shipping constraints, inflation, commodity's going insane re-supply will be sketchy at best in the near future...
    The best way to survive a violent encounter is to be the one inflicting the most violence.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stone View Post
    Might be a good time to get him what he needs, with shipping constraints, inflation, commodity's going insane re-supply will be sketchy at best in the near future...
    Yep.

    We are good on essentials such as ammo and all that. If it gets below any kind of critical level I will stop just plinking around if need be.

    That said my dad wants a rifle that he can be familiar with and where he can keep it in a go to location.

    He picked out some kind of charging handle so that was the last piece of the rifle. All that is left now is getting him a red dot and maybe some irons. All the other parts are ordered.

    All in all I think he will be pleased with the rifle that he bought. He was trying to go bargain basement for a while there and I wouldn't let him. To me it's better to get a known thing that might be 5% or 10% more, but that you can be confident in.

    He's really old school in his thinking about a lot of things still but it's a good start. For example I keep telling him that he needs a weapons light but he keeps reverting back to his Vietnam days saying, "a light will get you shot" and stuff like that.

    If you were sneaking up on someone in a war zone a negligent discharge of a light definitely is not a good thing at all. Same thing if you have 10 guys all in unknown position fighting you in the dark. Basically that's where he's coming from, which is his experience.

    That said, none of that matters if you have some unknown person on your lawn at 2am. It could be an escaped convict or it could be the neighbor's kid, or it could be a raccoon. Hence a light is very valuable in my view because that's a much more likely situation.

    Now that we have a decent rifle headed his way it would be cool if I can find some literature or a video or whatever teaching him about the need for a light. If he can watch or read on his own maybe he will understand better and see why it's a good thing to have, especially out in the country.

  9. #9
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    If anyone sees a deal on a good (but not expensive) red dot please let me know. Probably going to use a lower 1/3 mount and something like a holosun or something similar.

  10. #10
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    Scratch that last post. He bought a red dot. I think he got a Romeo 5 already.

    I don't know much about that particular dot but it will work for him for sure.

    I shot his rifle today and I actually really like it. The trigger in there is really nice. It's my first time shooting a Geiselle trigger and now I know why people rave about them.

  11. #11
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    Kinda seems crazy..First time shooting a “G” trigger... as I thought everyone had one or A lot..lol

    Curious, what triggers you use/like?

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by mustangfreek View Post
    Kinda seems crazy..First time shooting a “G” trigger... as I thought everyone had one or A lot..lol

    Curious, what triggers you use/like?
    I have CMC drop in triggers in all of my rifles. That's definitely not because they are the only game in town or anything like that. I would love to try out all the different stuff but in general I tend to stick with what I know. This applies to scopes, triggers, and any other part or component you can think up.

    The primary reason for all that is I shoot at home. I just have to get far enough off the porch to not scare the dogs. I have a 300 yard lane in my yard. It makes doing load development nice because I can just set up and load 5 rounds and test them on the spot. It's probably been no less than 5 years since I have gone to a public range, and now that I think about it I think it was around 2015 or so.

    That said from time to time I have had several people out to the house to do load development or sight in a rifle or whatever.

    In general though I am not around other shooters where I can just shoot their rifles to see if I like something. I am in general just reading on here (WEVO) and figuring it out on my own.

    Also about maybe 20 minutes away (or less) a friend has a ranch with a standing 1,400 yard lane with plates every hundred. I go out there when I get time to spend a day or half day or whatever but 99% of the time I am by myself out there as well.

    If I look around a bit more I can find other places to go shoot but when I have all that right here there is no need (so far) to go to some public place where you have to pay and/or put up with stuff.

    I pretty much don't like to buy stuff to just test and figure out if I like it or not. My budget doesn't like that either. About the only other thing available (to me) is to find a gun shop and see what they have on the shelf and test it like that.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by alamo5000 View Post
    I have CMC drop in triggers in all of my rifles. That's definitely not because they are the only game in town or anything like that. I would love to try out all the different stuff but in general I tend to stick with what I know. This applies to scopes, triggers, and any other part or component you can think up.

    The primary reason for all that is I shoot at home. I just have to get far enough off the porch to not scare the dogs. I have a 300 yard lane in my yard. It makes doing load development nice because I can just set up and load 5 rounds and test them on the spot. It's probably been no less than 5 years since I have gone to a public range, and now that I think about it I think it was around 2015 or so.

    That said from time to time I have had several people out to the house to do load development or sight in a rifle or whatever.

    In general though I am not around other shooters where I can just shoot their rifles to see if I like something. I am in general just reading on here (WEVO) and figuring it out on my own.

    Also about maybe 20 minutes away (or less) a friend has a ranch with a standing 1,400 yard lane with plates every hundred. I go out there when I get time to spend a day or half day or whatever but 99% of the time I am by myself out there as well.

    If I look around a bit more I can find other places to go shoot but when I have all that right here there is no need (so far) to go to some public place where you have to pay and/or put up with stuff.

    I pretty much don't like to buy stuff to just test and figure out if I like it or not. My budget doesn't like that either. About the only other thing available (to me) is to find a gun shop and see what they have on the shelf and test it like that.
    1. Seems like pops knows how to shoot back, so get him some info on Threat ID, with the kicker being that he could ID the neighbor's kid.

    2. Dad's got class knowing he likes a Giessele trigger. Get some, do it today. Your accuracy will thank you. For any person that does load development, the Trigger, bolt and barrel are the heart of the rifle. Nothing wrong with the CMC's, but I bet you'll shoot 1-2 moa better with that patented wall that precedes the candy cane break.

    3. What do I know? I have no doubt that you probably shoot better than I do, but I do hedge my bet by having G's in all of my rifles. Granted, that's only 8 rifles, but I have consistency that helps me shoot better than I would with a standard trigger.
    There's no "Team" in F**K YOU!

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joelski View Post
    1. Seems like pops knows how to shoot back, so get him some info on Threat ID, with the kicker being that he could ID the neighbor's kid.
    I've been trying to talk some sense into him about a light. He's really old school Vietnam era and is stuck on the idea that a light will attract gunfire.

    In the context of having a gunfight in the jungle he's not wrong at all. In the context of being a civilian and needing to determine if that noise outside is an escaped inmate or the kid up the street is a whole different thing.

    Trying to make him think about it differently has been a chore for sure but maybe he's coming around. He's been watching YouTube videos and the last time I mentioned it he didn't outright reject it.

    I guess in the past it was only theory but now that he has a rifle he's more interested in learning.

    Quote Originally Posted by Joelski View Post
    2. Dad's got class knowing he likes a Giessele trigger. Get some, do it today. Your accuracy will thank you. For any person that does load development, the Trigger, bolt and barrel are the heart of the rifle. Nothing wrong with the CMC's, but I bet you'll shoot 1-2 moa better with that patented wall that precedes the candy cane break.
    I spent at least a week or two going over what he likes and doesn't like. IE single stage etc. He read a lot about triggers and so forth so when I found that lower it had a trigger that was on his short list (by accident).

    Like I said, that is my first time shooting a geissle trigger and I really like it. I would have them on everything if I ever want to switch.

    When I started building rifles I just went with what you guys said. I like them a lot (CMC). There is absolutely nothing wrong with what I have, but that geissle trigger is way nice.

    Quote Originally Posted by Joelski View Post
    3. What do I know? I have no doubt that you probably shoot better than I do, but I do hedge my bet by having G's in all of my rifles. Granted, that's only 8 rifles, but I have consistency that helps me shoot better than I would with a standard trigger.
    On my 300BLK and my 10.5 I really had to intentionally get away from super precision thinking and practice. You can waste a month of Sundays trying to get a perfect reload for each gun but if you are shooting off hand at 100 yards with a red dot it doesn't make sense. "Good enough" is perfect.

    The others are definitely capable of precision but I started practicing more practical stuff. Let's shoot off this old fence, or around a tree, or from a different position other than prone... again at some point good enough is ok.

    The 6 ARC and my 16" are decent for an AR. With the 16" I shot a 10 shot group under .7 inches. With my 6ARC I did 5 shots .25 moa.

    Like I said thought I've tried to get more diverse than just purely trying to chase groups, at least with an AR.

    That said I'm not going to lie. The idea of swapping out my triggers has crossed my mind. It's not an urgent thing but the seed has been planted.

  15. #15
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    For my needs, at 100 yards, ball ammo is exactly "good enough". I shoot precision maybe 5 times a year (which is huge contributor why I'm not good at it!), so shooting expensive stuff (See: relatively. For us cheap bastards, its all expensive!) doesn't pay off for me.

    And a word to the wise: don't turn Dad onto this site. Before long, he'll have as many rifles as you, and a new one will spring from a charging handle. That, and he'll get into the world of gucci gear. Where a forged lower becomes billet because, Gucci. and then bounce back to Gucci forged. A never ending cycle of gun poverty!
    Last edited by Joelski; 19 March 2022 at 18:15.
    There's no "Team" in F**K YOU!

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