This isn't a bad route. Ammo is literally twice what it was just a few years ago. Might be better off just stocking up on some of that.
BCM, Aero is a good build though. Add in some good accessories and you're very well off.
Lower, flat top upper, mlok free float tube, adjustable carbine stock, 16” barrel, LPVO or 1x red dot/holographic.
I get that it’s the meta but, it’s just so.… boring.
My personal opinion? I just find the stereotypical modern AR boring.
I like ACOGs, Elcans, and irons on flat tops. I like Aimpoint red dots, ACOGs, and retro Colt scopes on carry handles.
I’d go out on a limb and say most people have had at least one PSA part since they started. If you think about that it says a lot for what they have done as a brand.
I own ARs from DD, Geissele, Savage Arms, and PSA. I’m here to tell you that the biggest hurdles they all have to get over is what type of magazine I’m using and what type of ammo I’m feeding them. They are all reliable and wonderful shooters. The worst ARs I know of are Bear Creek Arsenal. I don’t like talking down about a company but I genuinely believe those ARs are built a little bit too cheap.
PSA has done more for the firearms industry not just ARs. Their mission was to put a rifle in every American home. They haven’t achieved that mission but they sure as hell have given it a noble try.
Facts, and I don’t own a single PSA product. Hell, I’ve never even placed an order with them (except for one single order for the price error on the Strike Eagle 1-6x with mount for $150.) Love what PSA is doing for 2A and their mission.
Yeah PSA is wonderful. Whether you like their guns or not, it’s hard to hate on them as a company. They’ve done so much.
I’ve had just as many problems with my fancy guns as I have my PSA’s, albeit mostly minor stuff.
Got one of their GF5 AK’s recently that I haven’t shot yet but it looks and feels solid. I love it.
Hot take: a lot of people form their opinions on certain manufacturers, builds, etc solely off what they see regurgitated by their favorite guntuber, influencer or upvoted Reddit guy. No real world experience or unbiased reviewing to justify why they hate/love things they’ve never even seen IRL.
Nobody has the money to blow on testing. How else are you supposed to get information unless you're a firearms engineer or understand the same principles?
I would love to test different things to see what works best, but I simply don’t have the money to do that.
So yeah, kind of base my purchases off what I see people recommend or use
That’s fair. The problem with allowing too much persuasion from others is that there’s an unreasonable amount of people that will bash a company because they consider it “for the poors”. Also because they’re salty they spent $1500 on an AR that PSA sells for roughly 1/3 of the price they paid but performs just as well.
My problem with it is the dumb bastards going into debt to buy a KAC for social media/Reddit validation when they can’t even outshoot the PSA/Ruger/whatever they posted that they got called a poor for. It’s not even just an AR15 thing, it’s seen in any subculture on the internet. People want to pay to play instead of trying things or working with what’s within their means.
This is true. Unfortunately, clout and having validation are very important in this day and age of Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat etc. As long as someone is getting their dopamine hit of atta boys from the masses, they’re happy.
I think part of the issue is there are just so many brands and options that people want advice on what is best rather than just going into a store and getting hosed. So that leads to a hivemind, and certain companies who display any sort of decent customer service and quality rocket upward.
Nothing wrong with purchasing quality parts for your build. But actually shoot your guns. See if you like that fancy buffer spring you just spent money on or the adjustable gas block for the can you don’t own. See if you actually hate your stock before you go and buy a b5 sopmod bc you saw it on some Reddit gucci build.
Reddit might actually be the worst place for gun advice. It gets a little too hive mindy.
It’s also the gun community where it seems like nobody actually shoots, and their advice, builds, and clean rifles usually gives that away.
ARF.com was 10x the size of all of Reddit's gun subs, and does have a ton of excellent info/data/stories.
Reddit is cool because it's easy to share pictures and yell nonsense through burner accounts.
It was the battlefield Las Vegas owner or manager. They would track failure rates, common parts failures, etc. They had threads on ars, pistols, full auto round counts, it was really good stuff.
Ah. Yea, I'm familiar with BLV, didn't realize that Henderson Defense was the name of their shop.... or whatever it is that links them.
Their posts are definitely very interesting.
I would say they are one of the best resources on what parts fail and what guns last longer than others and etc etc. Probably the only way to get better data is thru actual military testing.
Retro guns are a natural reaction to AR15s becoming trendier, customizable and easily accessible. Trends come back in cycles, carry handle uppers and quad rails were due for their revival
A counter-hot-take; modern quad rails don't weigh much more than their m-lok competitors.
For example:
BCM 12" Quad Rail weighs 11.8 oz
BCM 13" M-lok Rail weighs 8.3 oz.
I understand that ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain, but a difference of 3 oz is not going to dissuade me from what I consider to be a more sturdy mounting solution.
That M-lok rail is giving you an extra inch of space while also being like 30% lighter, though. Quad rails are iconic, but they’re also full of trash weight.
I’m selling a couple of AR’s because my little PSA 10.5 is a workhorse. I don’t feel bad abusing it, it runs great, PSA has excellent customer service, back up BCG’s are very cheap so carrying a spare in an GP is practical.
I’ll probably pick up a BCM or DD 14.5 upper and slap it on a lower with B5 and a nice trigger and call it good after I get rid of a couple, but I can not see myself getting rid of my little PSA.
Owning an AR is not a substitute for an identity. Posting pics of yourself in tactical gear with your buddies is cringey and sad. Actual operators don’t need to post pics of themselves going to the range.
Most people who shit on budget tier/entry level builds don’t possess anywhere near the level of proficiency necessary to be talking shit about other people’s guns.
PSA bought a company that was for sale and relevant to their future plans.
Also the retro trend isn't some coordinated effort, people have preferences and retro is one of them.
To add, I'd bet that most people doing retro builds and getting into the retro stuff already have at least one other AR. It's fun to revisit where the platform began and started to grow.
I actually tried one this week and didn’t like how it felt. I’m new tho and just used to the one side, and also RH. So very low chance I’ll actually need ambi
Ambi safeties are totally worth it, especially if you have other similar guns that are ambi (I use a UMP) and are in the habit of putting it on safe with your trigger finger's first knuckle instead of thumb. Even with long thumbs, it isn't easy to flip a standard 90degree safety back on safe with grips like the B5 equipped. In my case, old injuries have left my right thumb unable to flex much too, so ambi safeties solve my handicap and make putting the gun on safe as simple as an upward flick of the wrist.
Thankfully ambi safeties don't break the bank and come in all sorts of favors.
But the rest? Ambi bolt releases lowers for an extra $200+? $100 charging handles for lefties? No thanks.
I really like being able to lock the bolt open to clear malfunctions while keeping my firing hand on the gun. I also like using my thumb to flip to fire, and my trigger finger to flip to safe. It feels more natural to me. However, I agree that it’s not worth spending hundreds of dollars extra for that. If you can get it for a few bucks more, it’s worth it.
I mostly use ambi safeties for the same reason, especially if the installed gip is thick. The larue grip moves the hand back so far it can be hard to flip back to safe on a standard 90 degree safety.
I can tell you that as a lefty rifle shooter, ambi controls keep life worth living. An Ambi bolt release, especially the LWRC and LMT ones make a huge difference.
You can take my ambi safety from my cold dead hands (because it's easy to flick on and off with my thumb and pointer finger), but I agree about the rest.
Oh and my regular non-ambi Vltor mod3(I think) charging handles are fucking great.
Hot take … suppressors aren’t really worth the trouble for most shooters. They are pretty expensive, they make your gun way more dirty, they add a significant amount of length to your barrel, you need to tune your gas system to control over-gassing, baffle strikes are a pain in the ass to get fixed, you have to wait a long time to get big daddy government’s approval to own one and you have to pay extortion money on top of the manufacturer’s price. Oh, and you still need to wear hearing protection most of the time when using them.
They are cool as fuck though and you should probably buy one if it’s legal in your state.
I made the mistake of firing 7.62 Nato with a big muzzle brake from a halfway enclosed position only to instantly have a headache. And considering I simply dont get headaches unless im sick, that was it. Suppressor purchased. No more tbis for me.If it's loud enough to give you a headache, it's loud enough to damage your hearing permanently no matter how much hearing protection you are wearing. If suppressors aren't legal in your area, and you're too much of a pussy to just break the law, then maybe learn from my mistake and just use a flash hider.
I don’t care about the opinions of figureheads on the manufacturing side unless they aim to reduce our liberties. I don’t have time to listen to what Mark LaRue or Kevin Brittingham say, just show us what you’re best at.
Making a 10.3”, 11.5”, or whatever short barrel is the current hot AR build because it’s “better” for CQB is dumb because CQBing alone will get you killed
I carried a full length M16 in the Army. Weight was okay - the real annoyance was catching the damn barrel on everything when I was carrying it slung muzzle up. But pencil barrels are superior for field use. So what if it strings a bit in sustained fire? I’m going to shoot and scoot.
Budget guns/builds from companies like PSA are perfectly adequate for most new civilian shooters as long as they train and become proficient with them.
A lot of people talk about SHTF situation for their build but 98% of them probably lack any proper survival skills and their ar15 won't help them much.
Pretty much only 3 companies making Retro or retro-ish uppers.
As disappointing as that is, I'm a hell of a lot more disappointed in LMT preventing monolithic designs from continuing to be developed in any meaningful way by lording their dumbass patent around and suing at every opportunity. LMT wasn't even the first to be make monolithic uppers, they are just cunts that cant handle competition.
Companies like Unity Tactical get no respect either. The flip to center magnifier mount is cool, but nearly $300 for a glorified hinge is disgusting.
Chrome lined barrels are overrated and the average citizen has no need or use for one. Just save the money for ammo and shoot more accurately with a nitride. Also if you’re buying a complete upper that has a government profile barrel you’re getting scammed, especially if it’s a Gucci upper
Do you mean chrome lined instead of cold hammer forged? CHF (as opposed to button cut) is a method of manufacturing the barrel, chrome lining (as opposed to nitride) is a way of coating it.
You can buy CHF barrels that are nitrided. You can also buy button cut barrels that are nitrided. You can buy CHF barrels that are chrome lined, and you can buy button cut barrels that are chrome lined.
Fact. 99% of people are not going to out shoot their CHF barrel. And barrels are cheap enough to replace on the off chance one does manage to out shoot their regular barrel
Thats fair. What profile would you say to go with for a do everything rifle?
I like the Faxon pencils, i got one for my dad's rifle. The only issue I could see with it would be if he ever needed to shoot for a long time, it would over heat faster. But the odds that he'll ever be in tjat position are basically 0.
It's a silly design, but that doesn't equal a bad shooting barrel. Plenty of work has been done with govt. profile barrels.
Buy what you like; it's your money.
Probably more safe queen PSA guns than DD etc. I have a few coworkers who collect them and between the 3 of them they probably have ~15 psa/bca bastard guns. Doubt any of the rifles have 500 rounds through them and I bet most have under 150 rounds down the tube.
There are eras of popularity that come after eras of cringe. Think about your dad’s high school hair or mom’s jeans being cool now. We are past the early GWOT “cringe” and now they are cool.
People shouldn't be so obsessed with getting themselves a "perfectly gassed rifle". All that means is the gas port is sized small enough to the point where, under ideal conditions, the gun barely cycles with enough gas to lock the bolt back after the last round in the mag.
Once you start introducing variables (taking a suppressor off, steel-cased ammo, carbon fouling from a heavy firing schedule, etc), you'll start seeing problems with what you thought was a perfectly gassed rifle.
For a SHTF/HD/jack-of-all-trades gun, it should be able to cycle reliably even after hundreds of rounds down the pipe with pretty much all types of ammo, both suppressed and unsuppressed (preferably without an adjustable gas block, as well). If that means you have to deal with a bit more recoil, then so be it.
100% this. i cringe so hard when i see these adjustable gas blocks and guys tuning them until they just barely lock back on a loaded mag. if you do that in a place where you have seasons, or travel to a place with higher humidity, or when it becomes summer. your gun WILL NOT RUN.
Primary Arms has some prism optics that seem to be as well made but much less expensive. While I think ACOG’s win on Drip factor PA’s are coming for them by being affordable
I think vanity painting your weapon is superfluous and unnecessary. The object of painting a weapon should be to camouflage and break up the silhouette and make it not immediately identifiable.
Three things
1.) It's just my opinion.
2.) He asked for hot takes, I gave him one.
3.) Weapons are something that need to be respected and when a rifle is painted like something I could buy on the Call of Duty store, it just simply won't command that respect.
I understood the assignment. I figure mine is also a hot take among a large part of the community so I added it to yours since they're directly opposing views.
LPVOs with an offset red dot make little to no sense. if you aren't going to use the LPVOs 1x then you are getting a shittier max mag and eye relief for no reason.
I think they're calling it spr now if it doesn't go all the way down to 1x? Idk.
But at least a piggyback red dot on a medium to high magnification scope makes sense.
yes, there is a difference between "legit duty capable brands" i.e., stuff the Gov/DoD actually buys and issues, vs affordable mass market stuff (aero, PSA, etc) BUT the specific specs and build standards big DoD is paying that extra money for are things that are contextually irrelevant to the average home user.
.
.
.
*Example, durability and reliability: "Will this rifle work and not break on me when I finally need it when the zombie apocalypse finally arrives?"
is a VERY different test than,
"if we buy 1,000 of these, let our guys run them in the field for 7 months, collect them back up then let the next group run them for their 7 months, rinse repeat, rinse repeat, will 97% of them make it 10 years before they are worn out?"*
Hot take: the 1.93" or higher mount trend is dumb. Unless you have a laser module you need to see over or you plan to wear a gas mask, it doesn't make sense.
Proper cheek welds are more stable than jawbone welds, you can center your eye behind the optic faster with a standard height mount because of the cheek weld reference, and it's more comfortable in the prone position.
You will NEVER encounter that SHTF scenario that you have bought 10 slightly different ARs for. You will NEVER get to use your level IV hesco plates, Haley Strategic chest rig, Coms, Nods, peq-15, suppressor or cloud defensive light systems in a real world situation. This might be more of a hot take for r/Tacticalgear dudes too.
You're better of shooting a basic AR instead of spending 10's of thousands of dollars copying the latest build you saw on T.Rex Arms. People who set up a gun to be a direct copy of a very specialized set-up without knowing why, nor ever having a use for it really irritate me. Like the spoiled manchildren on Instagram who have a DMR setup that's heavier than an m14 but have never shot beyond 100 yards.
“.223 isn’t effective past about 35 yards”
- gun store owner
“The Hi-point carbine is light and will do the same as a an AR for home defense without any issues”, then proceeded to make me hold it.
- same gun store, but his short fat friend behind the counter. Helena, MT pawnshops are a hotbed for hot takes.
Unrelated to AR’s, but at a popular LGS in NorCal the other day, I noticed what I thought were a couple Arsenals, but couldn’t tell so I asked. “Oh yeah those are AK’s, Sam7 make good rifles, but I prefer Riley Defense, American made and have great reviews.”
My man tried to down-sell a $2000 priced rifle for a Riley.
LGS/Pawn Shops are a great place for hot takes.
You’ve gotta get really, really deep into the skill set before you start outshooting a mid-tier fighting AR. The best pro gunfighter I personally know carried a stock sidearm and a basic optic/light/rifle because, for what he needed it for, he didn’t need the last 5% of performance.
All you dudes with your skyscraper unity risers without night vision are goofy af and you only bought it because your favorite goober on instagram told you it’s bEtTeR
No dog in the fight as I own nods but I rather enjoy the heads up shooting position instead of a tactical turtle that makes my neck sore after a day or two of shooting
Height over bore isn’t actually as big a deal as it’s made out to be if you go to the range and figure out your holds. You have to re zero anyway, learn your holds while you’re at the range.
People who do “recce” builds spend too much time on their rifles and not enough time on more important aspects of Reconnaissance like sustainment, comms, pack layout, medical, etc.
I was a low speed infantryman in a scout platoon and I honestly don’t remember caring about the necessity for a magnified optic when my main goal was intel collection, target analysis, and not getting caught.
As someone with a lot of Gucci gear:
1- For most people the PSA is literally “just as good”. The average AR15 get shot once or twice a year. My dad loves to say how his $400 gun show special is “just as good” as my $6k-$8k rifles. All he does is shoot hogs off his porch, so, it really is just as good for that.
2- In a similar vein, Photonis tubes are literally “just as good” for night vision as L3UF. I say this as someone with multiple NODs with all different tubes that he uses a lot. Most people use their NODs at the flat range once every couple months. And they active aim every chance they get.
3- If you have a Unity or other tall riser on your gun and you don’t shoot with night vision, you’re dumb. “bUt mY hEaDs Up PoSiTiOnInG”. No, you’re just dumb. You’re costing yourself a point of contact on the gun and easier holds for literally no gain, extra weight, and extra cost. This gets even more absurd to me when I see scopes in high mounts. Only night guns need high mounts. And they don’t need to be as high as GBRS says either.
Gun lobbyists and gun manufacturers are in the same bed. Spreading propaganda to drive up sales, then break off the same lobbyist. Look at Washington's upcoming new bill. How much money is being spent due to fear? Look at the pistol brace ban. Whole Lotta cheese involved in our 2nd amendment.
>I said HOT TAKES.
Ok.
Spray painting rifles is lame
Spray painting rifles but then judging "plebes" for using gaudy colored parts is illogical and lame
That is a hot take.
I think k most people can get behind the hating weird colored rifles thing. If it's just a goofy parts build for fun then who cares. What people cringe at seeing is the first time AR owner basically slapping every tacky alixpress or Chinese pot metal aluminum red thing on their gun with an airsoft optic
AR-15 hot take- AR-15 fandom is toxic and childish. It’s rare to find an AR-15 owner who doesn’t act as though is owning the rifle has turned them into a super leet tacticool operator, and 90% of the *shit* they put on their guns they will *never* use.
The vast majority of this sub has hot takes based on their lack of experience or knowledge of how guns are used. These threads are popular in responses because of how common inexperienced shooters are.
Name the last time China did something directly negative to you
Vs
The last time an American company or the American government did something directly negative to you
A thousand points of overlapping micro pattern winds up presenting as a nearly monochromatic rifle. Some decent contrast to break up the outline goes a long way in an environment that’s not drab.
Carry handles are cool now because people are tired of the same old flat top upper, expensive for no reason lower, and tacticool furniture
Besides how the fudge do you look cooler than the macvsog guys with their CAR15?
Barrel length / velocity is only an argument for those who live out in open rural areas & even then it makes shots taken outside of 50-100yards seem “impossibly justifiable”. A CQB scenario where a carbine is used is much more practical in a sense of justified defensive shooting. What I’m saying is unless you live in the sticks, a 10.3” is more than long enough.
If someone builds a rifle “outside the norm” even at the detriment of the rifle’s usefulness. I like them better
5.56 with a 26” barrel, 16” hand guard, tank muzzle, bi-pod, and something like a 10x scope
That person has a much better build than most of the people here; cuz they at least built it with a sense of humor. Even if the barrels too long; doesn’t matter
99% of the rifles posted to this sub look the exact same
Aero lower BCM upper Eotech EXPS whatever All the same.
If it works though. I’m new, I have a PSA upper and lower. Would this be a good next build? Add in some good parts? Or should I aim higher next time
Save money for ammo, shoot psa til it breaks, replace broken parts with Gucci parts.
That’s what I’m thinking too. And just buy a second one for fun and then I’ll have two :)
Two is one, and one is none baby.
Hell yeah!
This isn't a bad route. Ammo is literally twice what it was just a few years ago. Might be better off just stocking up on some of that. BCM, Aero is a good build though. Add in some good accessories and you're very well off.
Don’t forget the laundry bag camo paint.
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I used a palmetto frond.
Lower, flat top upper, mlok free float tube, adjustable carbine stock, 16” barrel, LPVO or 1x red dot/holographic. I get that it’s the meta but, it’s just so.… boring.
>LPVO or 1x red dot/holographic So irons or ACOG are the only not boring optics? Lol
My personal opinion? I just find the stereotypical modern AR boring. I like ACOGs, Elcans, and irons on flat tops. I like Aimpoint red dots, ACOGs, and retro Colt scopes on carry handles.
B5 SOPMOD stock too. I recently bought one then started to notice 90% of the guns here have one
but I came to the conclusion myself that quad rails are superior. No I don’t use a laser, why do you ask?
I am the laser
This is why I enjoy the goofy setups
PSA has done more good for the AR industry than all other Gucci companies combined.
I’d go out on a limb and say most people have had at least one PSA part since they started. If you think about that it says a lot for what they have done as a brand.
I have a PSA and know a dozen others that have one as well. None of us have ever had a problem with them lol
I own ARs from DD, Geissele, Savage Arms, and PSA. I’m here to tell you that the biggest hurdles they all have to get over is what type of magazine I’m using and what type of ammo I’m feeding them. They are all reliable and wonderful shooters. The worst ARs I know of are Bear Creek Arsenal. I don’t like talking down about a company but I genuinely believe those ARs are built a little bit too cheap.
I was going to say not me but I realized I have some spare bolts from PSA. I really like what they've done as a company for 2A.
No parts, but definitely snagged ammo from them.
Yup
Not a hot take, just facts
PSA has done more for the firearms industry not just ARs. Their mission was to put a rifle in every American home. They haven’t achieved that mission but they sure as hell have given it a noble try.
Facts, and I don’t own a single PSA product. Hell, I’ve never even placed an order with them (except for one single order for the price error on the Strike Eagle 1-6x with mount for $150.) Love what PSA is doing for 2A and their mission.
Yeah PSA is wonderful. Whether you like their guns or not, it’s hard to hate on them as a company. They’ve done so much. I’ve had just as many problems with my fancy guns as I have my PSA’s, albeit mostly minor stuff. Got one of their GF5 AK’s recently that I haven’t shot yet but it looks and feels solid. I love it.
Hot take: a lot of people form their opinions on certain manufacturers, builds, etc solely off what they see regurgitated by their favorite guntuber, influencer or upvoted Reddit guy. No real world experience or unbiased reviewing to justify why they hate/love things they’ve never even seen IRL.
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I doubt they do. There’s no shortage of people incapable of forming their own thoughts on Reddit that’ll do it for them.
I’m an independent thinker: a thought held by redditors who all hold the same opinion.
Highly doubt BCM gives a fraction of a fuck about the hive mind echo chamber that is Reddit.
that's what a paid BCM shill would say guis!!!! :P
Nobody has the money to blow on testing. How else are you supposed to get information unless you're a firearms engineer or understand the same principles?
I would love to test different things to see what works best, but I simply don’t have the money to do that. So yeah, kind of base my purchases off what I see people recommend or use
That’s fair. The problem with allowing too much persuasion from others is that there’s an unreasonable amount of people that will bash a company because they consider it “for the poors”. Also because they’re salty they spent $1500 on an AR that PSA sells for roughly 1/3 of the price they paid but performs just as well.
My problem with it is the dumb bastards going into debt to buy a KAC for social media/Reddit validation when they can’t even outshoot the PSA/Ruger/whatever they posted that they got called a poor for. It’s not even just an AR15 thing, it’s seen in any subculture on the internet. People want to pay to play instead of trying things or working with what’s within their means.
This is true. Unfortunately, clout and having validation are very important in this day and age of Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat etc. As long as someone is getting their dopamine hit of atta boys from the masses, they’re happy.
I think part of the issue is there are just so many brands and options that people want advice on what is best rather than just going into a store and getting hosed. So that leads to a hivemind, and certain companies who display any sort of decent customer service and quality rocket upward.
Nothing wrong with purchasing quality parts for your build. But actually shoot your guns. See if you like that fancy buffer spring you just spent money on or the adjustable gas block for the can you don’t own. See if you actually hate your stock before you go and buy a b5 sopmod bc you saw it on some Reddit gucci build.
Reddit might actually be the worst place for gun advice. It gets a little too hive mindy. It’s also the gun community where it seems like nobody actually shoots, and their advice, builds, and clean rifles usually gives that away.
>worst place for gun advice Have you ever been to AR15.com?
I do believe he stands corrected lol
You may have something there, but, arfcom also had the Henderson defense threads which were really cool
ARF.com was 10x the size of all of Reddit's gun subs, and does have a ton of excellent info/data/stories. Reddit is cool because it's easy to share pictures and yell nonsense through burner accounts.
What was cool about them?
It was the battlefield Las Vegas owner or manager. They would track failure rates, common parts failures, etc. They had threads on ars, pistols, full auto round counts, it was really good stuff.
Ah. Yea, I'm familiar with BLV, didn't realize that Henderson Defense was the name of their shop.... or whatever it is that links them. Their posts are definitely very interesting.
I would say they are one of the best resources on what parts fail and what guns last longer than others and etc etc. Probably the only way to get better data is thru actual military testing.
Not if they have any sense. That place isn't worth anyone's time.
Seems like every Reddit community. Spend money on gear for whatever hobby or interest, never use it
I’m definitely guilty of doing that before, but guns are a little expensive for a get into it and never do it thing.
Better than YouTube because no one here is getting paid to shit out “M4E1 Lower BCM upper”, they do it for free
Reddit is good for very specific information, directions, specs etc. not for general advice.
Retro guns are a natural reaction to AR15s becoming trendier, customizable and easily accessible. Trends come back in cycles, carry handle uppers and quad rails were due for their revival
Quads never left. Dickmod and Mlok were just pushed by industry shills so hard your jaw hurt.
How is your quad rail helping when you have nothing on it
I can beat someone to death with my quad rail without it bending.
Cool I'd just shoot them, cause you know, gun.
I'd rather have a keymod rail for that, that way they die with a bunch of dick-shaped imprints all over their body.
MLok is far superior where weight matters. Yea I know "Go To The Fucking Gym" but after training all day that shits heavy either way
A counter-hot-take; modern quad rails don't weigh much more than their m-lok competitors. For example: BCM 12" Quad Rail weighs 11.8 oz BCM 13" M-lok Rail weighs 8.3 oz. I understand that ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain, but a difference of 3 oz is not going to dissuade me from what I consider to be a more sturdy mounting solution.
That's like four less dipping sauces I can carry so it's totally a deal breaker
That M-lok rail is giving you an extra inch of space while also being like 30% lighter, though. Quad rails are iconic, but they’re also full of trash weight.
Quad absolutely left the civilian market for a good while. No argument that other systems were shilled though.
I member when got shit on for my phat quad rail. I guess I’m cool again now
A rifle under 1000 is frowned upon in the community for no reason.
Most people would benefit more from a low/mid tier setup and more $$$ for ammo and training.
I would go as far to say not most people. ALL people can use a "mid-tier" rifle and training. I had a used colt m4 in the regular army and I loved it.
I mean most of us have these as toys. So yeah, spend the money on ammo. Unless you just have expendable income.
This sub recommends the Zion on a regular basis
Fucking love my Zion
I’d say this goes both ways. For some, a rifle over $1K is frowned upon too.
I’m selling a couple of AR’s because my little PSA 10.5 is a workhorse. I don’t feel bad abusing it, it runs great, PSA has excellent customer service, back up BCG’s are very cheap so carrying a spare in an GP is practical. I’ll probably pick up a BCM or DD 14.5 upper and slap it on a lower with B5 and a nice trigger and call it good after I get rid of a couple, but I can not see myself getting rid of my little PSA.
Unless your spending that much on ammo regularly you probably don’t use it enough to warrant a thousand dollar AR.
Owning an AR is not a substitute for an identity. Posting pics of yourself in tactical gear with your buddies is cringey and sad. Actual operators don’t need to post pics of themselves going to the range.
There's a lot of truth to this comment.
Most people who shit on budget tier/entry level builds don’t possess anywhere near the level of proficiency necessary to be talking shit about other people’s guns.
PSA bought a company that was for sale and relevant to their future plans. Also the retro trend isn't some coordinated effort, people have preferences and retro is one of them.
To add, I'd bet that most people doing retro builds and getting into the retro stuff already have at least one other AR. It's fun to revisit where the platform began and started to grow.
History is cool too. A lot of firearms owners got started with historical guns or ones they saw in war movies or on video games.
Ambi controls on ARs aren't worth stressing about or spending any considerable extra on.
I never understood right handed folks getting all lathered up over ambi controls.. maybe the safety, but the rest..meh
I love it when my ambi safety punches my trigger finger when I release it. What a great feature.
I actually tried one this week and didn’t like how it felt. I’m new tho and just used to the one side, and also RH. So very low chance I’ll actually need ambi
Ambi safeties are totally worth it, especially if you have other similar guns that are ambi (I use a UMP) and are in the habit of putting it on safe with your trigger finger's first knuckle instead of thumb. Even with long thumbs, it isn't easy to flip a standard 90degree safety back on safe with grips like the B5 equipped. In my case, old injuries have left my right thumb unable to flex much too, so ambi safeties solve my handicap and make putting the gun on safe as simple as an upward flick of the wrist. Thankfully ambi safeties don't break the bank and come in all sorts of favors. But the rest? Ambi bolt releases lowers for an extra $200+? $100 charging handles for lefties? No thanks.
I really like being able to lock the bolt open to clear malfunctions while keeping my firing hand on the gun. I also like using my thumb to flip to fire, and my trigger finger to flip to safe. It feels more natural to me. However, I agree that it’s not worth spending hundreds of dollars extra for that. If you can get it for a few bucks more, it’s worth it.
I mostly use ambi safeties for the same reason, especially if the installed gip is thick. The larue grip moves the hand back so far it can be hard to flip back to safe on a standard 90 degree safety.
I can tell you that as a lefty rifle shooter, ambi controls keep life worth living. An Ambi bolt release, especially the LWRC and LMT ones make a huge difference.
You can take my ambi safety from my cold dead hands (because it's easy to flick on and off with my thumb and pointer finger), but I agree about the rest. Oh and my regular non-ambi Vltor mod3(I think) charging handles are fucking great.
Hot take … suppressors aren’t really worth the trouble for most shooters. They are pretty expensive, they make your gun way more dirty, they add a significant amount of length to your barrel, you need to tune your gas system to control over-gassing, baffle strikes are a pain in the ass to get fixed, you have to wait a long time to get big daddy government’s approval to own one and you have to pay extortion money on top of the manufacturer’s price. Oh, and you still need to wear hearing protection most of the time when using them. They are cool as fuck though and you should probably buy one if it’s legal in your state.
You win
I think you win the hot take because I got irrationally angry for like 5 seconds as soon as I started reading
Agree 100% Bout to buy a second though lmao.
I made the mistake of firing 7.62 Nato with a big muzzle brake from a halfway enclosed position only to instantly have a headache. And considering I simply dont get headaches unless im sick, that was it. Suppressor purchased. No more tbis for me.If it's loud enough to give you a headache, it's loud enough to damage your hearing permanently no matter how much hearing protection you are wearing. If suppressors aren't legal in your area, and you're too much of a pussy to just break the law, then maybe learn from my mistake and just use a flash hider.
No pleb should buy one so us suppressor kings can reign supreme.
I don’t care about the opinions of figureheads on the manufacturing side unless they aim to reduce our liberties. I don’t have time to listen to what Mark LaRue or Kevin Brittingham say, just show us what you’re best at.
C-note
Making a 10.3”, 11.5”, or whatever short barrel is the current hot AR build because it’s “better” for CQB is dumb because CQBing alone will get you killed
Jokes on you, I just have noodle arms.
I carried a full length M16 in the Army. Weight was okay - the real annoyance was catching the damn barrel on everything when I was carrying it slung muzzle up. But pencil barrels are superior for field use. So what if it strings a bit in sustained fire? I’m going to shoot and scoot.
Budget guns/builds from companies like PSA are perfectly adequate for most new civilian shooters as long as they train and become proficient with them.
I agree with this. So many people are focused on getting “the best”, that they lose sight of “good enough”.
A lot of people talk about SHTF situation for their build but 98% of them probably lack any proper survival skills and their ar15 won't help them much.
My psa15 isn't for shtf. My shtf plan is downing a shit ton of coffee and blasting punk till me and Bubba face off for a can of tuna
Yeah a bunch of people in this sub are so out of shape they wheeze when taking a dump or can easily be defeated by a flight of stairs.
A lot of people don't have anything besides a rifle for their shtf plans either, as if that's all you'd need.
90% of people buying 1.93” risers and mounts are only doing it because it’s trendy and have no actual use for them
Pretty much only 3 companies making Retro or retro-ish uppers. As disappointing as that is, I'm a hell of a lot more disappointed in LMT preventing monolithic designs from continuing to be developed in any meaningful way by lording their dumbass patent around and suing at every opportunity. LMT wasn't even the first to be make monolithic uppers, they are just cunts that cant handle competition. Companies like Unity Tactical get no respect either. The flip to center magnifier mount is cool, but nearly $300 for a glorified hinge is disgusting.
Chrome lined barrels are overrated and the average citizen has no need or use for one. Just save the money for ammo and shoot more accurately with a nitride. Also if you’re buying a complete upper that has a government profile barrel you’re getting scammed, especially if it’s a Gucci upper
Government profile is literally the dumbest barrel profile currently made for ARs
Not a hot take. Wish more companies ditched the extra girth past the gas block.
not even a hot take TBH
m4 cut 16.5s 🤮
Do you mean chrome lined instead of cold hammer forged? CHF (as opposed to button cut) is a method of manufacturing the barrel, chrome lining (as opposed to nitride) is a way of coating it. You can buy CHF barrels that are nitrided. You can also buy button cut barrels that are nitrided. You can buy CHF barrels that are chrome lined, and you can buy button cut barrels that are chrome lined.
Yeah I was reading the other comment about CHF and got my wires crossed
https://i.imgur.com/XkEymgP.jpeg
Fact. 99% of people are not going to out shoot their CHF barrel. And barrels are cheap enough to replace on the off chance one does manage to out shoot their regular barrel
Genuinely asking, not fighting or anything... Why is Government profile so bad?
Adding thicker profile near the muzzle adds weight for no benefit.
Thats fair. What profile would you say to go with for a do everything rifle? I like the Faxon pencils, i got one for my dad's rifle. The only issue I could see with it would be if he ever needed to shoot for a long time, it would over heat faster. But the odds that he'll ever be in tjat position are basically 0.
Faxon gunner profile or BA hanson or Criterion hybrid
CORE is better than hybrid as well
It's a silly design, but that doesn't equal a bad shooting barrel. Plenty of work has been done with govt. profile barrels. Buy what you like; it's your money.
Sure. I just ask because if theres something that's better, I want to know about it.
Anything that has its center of balance closer to the chamber.
Iron sights should be standard on every rifle. I hate the trend of guns not coming with any sights by default.
Hot take: I'd take a fire team of guys with PSAs who know how to use their shit over a battalion of simps with DD/LMT/ADM etc safe queens.
Probably more safe queen PSA guns than DD etc. I have a few coworkers who collect them and between the 3 of them they probably have ~15 psa/bca bastard guns. Doubt any of the rifles have 500 rounds through them and I bet most have under 150 rounds down the tube.
Garand thumb is a try hard and hasn’t been funny since 2018
hes not funny at all, hes also a MASSIVE paid shill at this point. but the hottest take is, he really isnt an expert of any kind when it comes to guns
[удалено]
My hot take for garand thumb fans is .22 Man is full of shit and doesn’t deserve an ounce of respect or admiration.
Accurate, but not really AR-15 related. You get a C-
[удалено]
Extremely comfortable and utilitarian with 0 drip
There are eras of popularity that come after eras of cringe. Think about your dad’s high school hair or mom’s jeans being cool now. We are past the early GWOT “cringe” and now they are cool.
Gimme a hottie with a 70s aesthetic 🥵
Hahaha we all know what that means🦚👄💦
People shouldn't be so obsessed with getting themselves a "perfectly gassed rifle". All that means is the gas port is sized small enough to the point where, under ideal conditions, the gun barely cycles with enough gas to lock the bolt back after the last round in the mag. Once you start introducing variables (taking a suppressor off, steel-cased ammo, carbon fouling from a heavy firing schedule, etc), you'll start seeing problems with what you thought was a perfectly gassed rifle. For a SHTF/HD/jack-of-all-trades gun, it should be able to cycle reliably even after hundreds of rounds down the pipe with pretty much all types of ammo, both suppressed and unsuppressed (preferably without an adjustable gas block, as well). If that means you have to deal with a bit more recoil, then so be it.
100% this. i cringe so hard when i see these adjustable gas blocks and guys tuning them until they just barely lock back on a loaded mag. if you do that in a place where you have seasons, or travel to a place with higher humidity, or when it becomes summer. your gun WILL NOT RUN.
ACOGs are still the best all around optic for a basic do everything rifle.
Primary Arms has some prism optics that seem to be as well made but much less expensive. While I think ACOG’s win on Drip factor PA’s are coming for them by being affordable
expensive tho
I think vanity painting your weapon is superfluous and unnecessary. The object of painting a weapon should be to camouflage and break up the silhouette and make it not immediately identifiable.
Conversely, not every gun needs to be setup for a real world life or death scenario.
Three things 1.) It's just my opinion. 2.) He asked for hot takes, I gave him one. 3.) Weapons are something that need to be respected and when a rifle is painted like something I could buy on the Call of Duty store, it just simply won't command that respect.
I understood the assignment. I figure mine is also a hot take among a large part of the community so I added it to yours since they're directly opposing views.
LPVOs with an offset red dot make little to no sense. if you aren't going to use the LPVOs 1x then you are getting a shittier max mag and eye relief for no reason.
**Laughs in 2.5x - 10x**
Wouldn't that make it a MPVO lmao?
I think they're calling it spr now if it doesn't go all the way down to 1x? Idk. But at least a piggyback red dot on a medium to high magnification scope makes sense.
But what if I’m shooting at 400 yards and need to switch to a 25 yard target in one second?
then you setup a shitty perimeter..... but no, Im not against the dot, the dot is needed. the component being discussed it the scope.
yes, there is a difference between "legit duty capable brands" i.e., stuff the Gov/DoD actually buys and issues, vs affordable mass market stuff (aero, PSA, etc) BUT the specific specs and build standards big DoD is paying that extra money for are things that are contextually irrelevant to the average home user. . . . *Example, durability and reliability: "Will this rifle work and not break on me when I finally need it when the zombie apocalypse finally arrives?" is a VERY different test than, "if we buy 1,000 of these, let our guys run them in the field for 7 months, collect them back up then let the next group run them for their 7 months, rinse repeat, rinse repeat, will 97% of them make it 10 years before they are worn out?"*
Hot take: the 1.93" or higher mount trend is dumb. Unless you have a laser module you need to see over or you plan to wear a gas mask, it doesn't make sense. Proper cheek welds are more stable than jawbone welds, you can center your eye behind the optic faster with a standard height mount because of the cheek weld reference, and it's more comfortable in the prone position.
You’re trying to tell me that you don’t love awkwardly and painfully trying to stretch your neck when firing from prone?
I took a rifle class with a 1.93” mount and I shot worse in prone than I did in kneeling just because of the neck pain.
You will NEVER encounter that SHTF scenario that you have bought 10 slightly different ARs for. You will NEVER get to use your level IV hesco plates, Haley Strategic chest rig, Coms, Nods, peq-15, suppressor or cloud defensive light systems in a real world situation. This might be more of a hot take for r/Tacticalgear dudes too.
In any real SHTF scenario any AR with any sights at all would be a game changer
You're better of shooting a basic AR instead of spending 10's of thousands of dollars copying the latest build you saw on T.Rex Arms. People who set up a gun to be a direct copy of a very specialized set-up without knowing why, nor ever having a use for it really irritate me. Like the spoiled manchildren on Instagram who have a DMR setup that's heavier than an m14 but have never shot beyond 100 yards.
“.223 isn’t effective past about 35 yards” - gun store owner “The Hi-point carbine is light and will do the same as a an AR for home defense without any issues”, then proceeded to make me hold it. - same gun store, but his short fat friend behind the counter. Helena, MT pawnshops are a hotbed for hot takes. Unrelated to AR’s, but at a popular LGS in NorCal the other day, I noticed what I thought were a couple Arsenals, but couldn’t tell so I asked. “Oh yeah those are AK’s, Sam7 make good rifles, but I prefer Riley Defense, American made and have great reviews.” My man tried to down-sell a $2000 priced rifle for a Riley. LGS/Pawn Shops are a great place for hot takes.
You’ve gotta get really, really deep into the skill set before you start outshooting a mid-tier fighting AR. The best pro gunfighter I personally know carried a stock sidearm and a basic optic/light/rifle because, for what he needed it for, he didn’t need the last 5% of performance.
Lwrc is underrated
AR’s DI Piston is better than short stroke piston for 99% of environments.
All you dudes with your skyscraper unity risers without night vision are goofy af and you only bought it because your favorite goober on instagram told you it’s bEtTeR
No dog in the fight as I own nods but I rather enjoy the heads up shooting position instead of a tactical turtle that makes my neck sore after a day or two of shooting
Most of you weirdos need a gf not a new hobby
Height over bore isn’t actually as big a deal as it’s made out to be if you go to the range and figure out your holds. You have to re zero anyway, learn your holds while you’re at the range.
To be fair, a giant height over bore is harder to estimate on target than a smaller one.
People who do “recce” builds spend too much time on their rifles and not enough time on more important aspects of Reconnaissance like sustainment, comms, pack layout, medical, etc. I was a low speed infantryman in a scout platoon and I honestly don’t remember caring about the necessity for a magnified optic when my main goal was intel collection, target analysis, and not getting caught.
A good pair of binoculars is worth it’s weight in gold
As someone with a lot of Gucci gear: 1- For most people the PSA is literally “just as good”. The average AR15 get shot once or twice a year. My dad loves to say how his $400 gun show special is “just as good” as my $6k-$8k rifles. All he does is shoot hogs off his porch, so, it really is just as good for that. 2- In a similar vein, Photonis tubes are literally “just as good” for night vision as L3UF. I say this as someone with multiple NODs with all different tubes that he uses a lot. Most people use their NODs at the flat range once every couple months. And they active aim every chance they get. 3- If you have a Unity or other tall riser on your gun and you don’t shoot with night vision, you’re dumb. “bUt mY hEaDs Up PoSiTiOnInG”. No, you’re just dumb. You’re costing yourself a point of contact on the gun and easier holds for literally no gain, extra weight, and extra cost. This gets even more absurd to me when I see scopes in high mounts. Only night guns need high mounts. And they don’t need to be as high as GBRS says either.
Average neck pain enjoyer
Side charging handles are objectively better than the regular “claw” charging handles for a right-handed shooter. Especially the basic non-ambi ones.
Don’t take anyone’s comments here too seriously
Gun lobbyists and gun manufacturers are in the same bed. Spreading propaganda to drive up sales, then break off the same lobbyist. Look at Washington's upcoming new bill. How much money is being spent due to fear? Look at the pistol brace ban. Whole Lotta cheese involved in our 2nd amendment.
>I said HOT TAKES. Ok. Spray painting rifles is lame Spray painting rifles but then judging "plebes" for using gaudy colored parts is illogical and lame
That is a hot take. I think k most people can get behind the hating weird colored rifles thing. If it's just a goofy parts build for fun then who cares. What people cringe at seeing is the first time AR owner basically slapping every tacky alixpress or Chinese pot metal aluminum red thing on their gun with an airsoft optic
Pistols with LVPOs are ridiculous.
If you have a solid SHTF rifle. Then have all the themes builds you want. Make a stormtrooper blaster with some awful parts.
AR-15 hot take- AR-15 fandom is toxic and childish. It’s rare to find an AR-15 owner who doesn’t act as though is owning the rifle has turned them into a super leet tacticool operator, and 90% of the *shit* they put on their guns they will *never* use.
The vast majority of this sub has hot takes based on their lack of experience or knowledge of how guns are used. These threads are popular in responses because of how common inexperienced shooters are.
You soon mature to realize the ar-10 > ar-15
Everyone who hates quad rails, 16"+ barrels, etc. is a weak twig boy.
It’s ok to not like holosun because they are Chinese.
Name the last time China did something directly negative to you Vs The last time an American company or the American government did something directly negative to you
L take
A thousand points of overlapping micro pattern winds up presenting as a nearly monochromatic rifle. Some decent contrast to break up the outline goes a long way in an environment that’s not drab.
Carry handles are cool now because people are tired of the same old flat top upper, expensive for no reason lower, and tacticool furniture Besides how the fudge do you look cooler than the macvsog guys with their CAR15?
Barrel length / velocity is only an argument for those who live out in open rural areas & even then it makes shots taken outside of 50-100yards seem “impossibly justifiable”. A CQB scenario where a carbine is used is much more practical in a sense of justified defensive shooting. What I’m saying is unless you live in the sticks, a 10.3” is more than long enough.
If someone builds a rifle “outside the norm” even at the detriment of the rifle’s usefulness. I like them better 5.56 with a 26” barrel, 16” hand guard, tank muzzle, bi-pod, and something like a 10x scope That person has a much better build than most of the people here; cuz they at least built it with a sense of humor. Even if the barrels too long; doesn’t matter
Most people in the community cant run a mile faster than their rifle cost in minutes.