I almost bought an AR15 yesterday.

For the OP.

I'm a Vet. I shot more than my share of M-16's. Burned up a few barrels too. Once I left the Army,, I didn't feel the "need" to own an AR-15. Plenty of experiences with them,, but they just didn't float my boat so to speak. In the early 1980's,, I was offered a nice Colt AR, cheaply. I bought it,, never fired it,, and soon after,, sold it for a hefty profit.
Then in the early 2000's,, I won a gift certificate for a DPMS upper of my choice. Got one,, found a lower,, and later sold it too. Again w/o firing it.
Never felt the "need."
Sandy Hook happened,, and we were all told of all the evils of the AR-15. I told myself that if I fell into another one at a good price,, I'd keep one just to pizz off the stupid politicians. Well, a few months after Sandy Hook, I won a Stag Arms AR at an NRA event.
I still have it.
Then along came a fair deal in the piston style Ruger,, and knowing it's value & potential,, I said; "Why not?" So it too resides here.
Need? Not really.
BUT,,,,,,,,,,,,, I have found that it can possibly fill a niche in my meager bunch of guns,, for certain reasons. So,, now,, I have a pair,, and both are all I'll ever feel that I may need in the future or for specific purposes.
Besides,, it they do figure out a way to "ban" them,, they will likely have to "grandfather" the ones already out there. I figure if the evil anti-American, anti-freedom types hate them,, WHY NOT own one?

My point being,, I too didn't feel a "need" but figured out a plausible reason to own one. You need to ask yourself if you have any plausible reason(s) to own one.

Buying an upper and lower at Palmetto State Armory is a cheap way to get a complete rifle.

41Dude said:

... Shooting with kids and grandkids top of the list. ...

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FWIW, my nephew really enjoyed a 9mm AR when he was learning to shoot; I ended up giving him one of mine, and he's using the first 10/22 I ever owned and that 9mm AR to teach his three kids to shoot. I've owned more ARs than a lot of folks (because building 'em can become kind of addicting ;^), but I think the 9mm versions are the most fun, in part because the ammo is so cheap. Kind of an adult plinker, with possible use for home defense, etc!

Which reminds me, I like the Ruger PCC a lot also, although it is heavier than many ARs (& weight can be a factor for young folks).

As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, one size never fits all, etc.

Dave P. said:

41Dude
There are only 3 or 4 of us shooters left in the country who don't own any ARs, we are a tiny
exclusive club....don't be a lemming.
Be strong .....you can resist the plastic magnet!

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You can make that 5 who do not.

DGW

Just to be..... well, I really can't come up with the right term.... haven't finished my first cup this morning yet....

Pray you never need one, but if you do it will be the wrong time and too late to go looking.

I built my "Angry Joe AR-14" from a lower and parts kit purchased from Palmetto State Armory. Never had touched the innards of an AR before.

I ended up putting iron sights on the front and rear.... "if and when", that will be much more practical.

We live in a World of Brandon. We are going broke, the border is allowing Terrorist into the Country, Crime is increasing. and we WILL have Terror attacks. It is not a matter of want or desire for a AR 15, it will be used for survival, just like my shotguns. Get a AR. Great defense, will not break the bank. No need for a fancy Yancy. Just get the basic and get plenty of ammo.

blume357 said:

Just to be..... well, I really can't come up with the right term.... haven't finished my first cup this morning yet....

Pray you never need one, but if you do it will be the wrong time and too late to go looking.

I built my "Angry Joe AR-14" from a lower and parts kit purchased from Palmetto State Armory. Never had touched the innards of an AR before.

I ended up putting iron sights on the front and rear.... "if and when", that will be much more practical.

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I am with you on iron sights Red dots and Scopes are fine. But for close to medium range, I am used to the iron.
I am seeing Palmetto State Armory referenced quite a bit. I am heading over to their site to gain knowledge

AR's are like the 'tater chip ad'--"you can't have just one".
My current AR 'stable' includes a variety of calibers and characteristics. 5/45x39, 556/223, 224 Valkyrie, 22 Nosler, 6x45, 6.5 Grendel, 300AAC, 7.62x39, and 9mm plus a couple of big brothers in 6.5 Creedmoor and .308. They range from basic 5.56 shooter grade to OMG long range varmint capable to 8" PDW. I even have one with my birthday as part of the serial number.
I'm probably going to buy another as I just saw an ad for a specific configuration I've been wanting for a couple years--don't NEED it but WANT it (and can afford the wants now and then).

Well, now for my two cents… I built my first AR from from a parts kit mail ordered from Shotgun News in '92, with an Olympic Arms lower bought from a Salinas gun shop while I was stationed with the 7th ID (Light). It perfectly matched my issue M16A2 except for the selector switch. We NEVER fired three round burst anyway. We were constantly doing Division competitions which included marksmanship but weren't getting much practice time at the range. We had access to the MWR range on weekends. I personally wouldn't accept anything but an Expert qualification. I used it to hone my skills and never did fire anything less than 40/40 on the pop up range for the rest of my years of service. That rifle is still in my safe. About 10 years ago my stepson won an ATI carbine with the plastic/metal lower. He wasn't "into" 5.56 and sold it to me for $400. I took it to the range, zeroed it and put it away. These two rifles are the least fired in my collection, only being dragged out of the back of the safe every two or three years when I need to verify I can still employ them effectively. They're a b*#ch to clean because of their direct impingement system and not really all that fun to me yet I keep them in case they're ever needed. 5.56 isn't the best caliber for the rifle's intended purpose anyway. If I lived in prairie dog country I might get more use out of them. I would MUCH rather "play" with my Ruger Single Actions!

The AR design will go down as one of the greatest of all times. The modularity of going from 5.56 to 6mm ARC to 7.62x39 to 6.5 Grendel in seconds is unsurpassd. And what amazes me is when put together right with quality components and match grade barrel's, they are capable of exceptional accuracy. My favorite is my papered SBR lower running 10.5" 7.62x39 upper w Red Dot. If is wasn't SO expensive, I wood love to have one w a Selector Switch!! Jus too tight to shell out that much cash

DGW1949 said:

You can make that 5 who do not.

DGW

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You can make that 6 who do not.

J.

I'm 75, live in a suburban neighborhood chocked full of 3,000+ sf brick homes on 1/4 acre lots. Try as I might, I cannot envision the "emergency" scenario in which I could run (yeah, like 75-year-olds can actually run) to my long rifle's hiding place in the home, get it out, load it, then scurry to an appropriate defensive position inside (or outside) my house. Nope...home self-defense is not a justification for me to own an AR or any other long rifle.

In my Bob Lee Swagger fantasies, I'd build a sniper's hide on the edge of the golf course across the street from my house, from which I could pick off bad guys if they stopped and posed in front of my home. I'd wear camo, and crouch in a dugout complete with a 360-degree lookout periscope - and steel my nerves by reading about Carlos Hathcock by the light from my emergency flashlight while munching MREs.

But then I remember that I get severe lower back pain and/or leg cramps whenever I linger too long in most prone, or even semi-prone positions, and my prostate compels me to get up about every 30 minutes and pee (well, more accurately, stand in front of the commode and wait for small bursts of pee to depart my bladder). So I'll just have to rely on younger Army 11 Bravo or Marine 0317 types to provide neighborhood protection duty.

And I know I wouldn't be driving around town looking to play Kyle Rittenhouse. My Explorer isn't armor-clad and sports no Ma Duce mount in the moon roof. No...I must leave residential patrol duty to others.

In summary, I simply cannot envision the scenario that would justify me owning an AR or any other long gun. Don't get me wrong, I've owned 5 of them in years past, but ultimately sold all of them.

If I wanted anything other than the handguns I already own, I'd spring for a Mossberg Shockwave pump-action shotgun - probably a 20-gauge (softer recoil) - for inside-the-home self-defense. I haven't talked myself into it - yet. But I continue to have that conversation.

My $0.02 worth.

I never have to worry about "needing" an AR style weapon. I do own one, a gift. Otherwise, you couldn't pay me to own one. My life is too dear to ever rely on one of those abominations again.

Nobody needs to own 1 AR. You need 2.

Hawk-in-Wi said:

I picked up 4 more of these last week , pretty darn nice for the money

https://palmettostatearmory.com/blem-psa-ar15-complete-moe-ept-stealth-lower-fde.html

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I just picked up two more yesterday.

41Dude said:

I am with you on iron sights Red dots and Scopes are fine. But for close to medium range, I am used to the iron.
I am seeing Palmetto State Armory referenced quite a bit. I am heading over to their site to gain knowledge

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I haven't mounted it yet & probably won't until I know I have time to get it zeroed but I recently bought a LPVO for mine. I picked up an inexpensive Tru-Glo scope with light up reticles, a throw lever & turrets that are supposed to automatically adjust for drop at certain distances (I am sure I will have to verify to see how close those align with the ammunition I'm using). It is 1-6x24. The biggest reason I bought it is I have a friend that has cut a rifle range in on his land. When the range stopped at 300 yards I could hit the 1/3 sized Steel Silhouette target fine with irons. The last time I shot on that range he had extended it to 375 yards. I was having trouble hitting because I was having trouble seeing. My eyes are not as good as they once were. Frustrating!

I was not a big AR fan. Bought one anyway some years back. I've shot it more the past several years and have learned to enjoy it. Right now a good quality AR can be had for $500 so why not?

I started assembling my own AR's a couple decades ago. I have over a dozen, with more on the horizon. It's like Lego's for adults.

ETA: If not up to the task, PSA has some great deal on assembled rifles and pistols as well as upper and lowers. They will also work to make it run right if it doesn't.

Lots of good info so far in the above posts. I would recommend getting at least one AR pattern rifle or pistol. There will always be haters but there are a lot of reasons why Eugene Stoner's masterpiece has stood the test of time to become the longest serving battle rifle in US military history. The commercial market has taken the design in every imaginable direction along the way especially after the AWB sunset in 2004. These are the glory days of the platform IMO.

As far as what to buy....A factory gun will usually hold its value better than a home build. Many people instantly turn up their nose at home builds simply because they don't know who built it and what they messed up. That said, home builds can be just as good or better and will always fit the users needs better if the parts are carefully selected. And if you don't ever want to sell the gun it doesn't matter anyways. If you buy the lower and upper separately you will not be charged the Federal tax. If you order a complete or stripped lower and an upper online on the same order you will be charged the federal excise tax. A complete factory built rifle already has the fed tax cooked into the price by the manufacturer.

Lowers and uppers are actually cast by only a handful of companies and are then either partially or fully finished out and roll marked by hundreds of different companies. Certain parts are much better when it comes to resale due to perceived and real differences. For example, Anderson lowers are cheap and frowned upon by many but I have built on a few and they run perfectly fine. If you buy and build on a Noveske lower.... everyone will say its ready for SF combat by simply looking at the roll mark ;]

Another benefit of a home build is that the builder will have a much more complete understanding of how the rifle works, which allows them to easily diagnose any problems and to make any repairs or additional mods as needed in the future.

Sorry for the long post! Its a big subject I guess. In summary:

If you only want one rifle or pistol I cant recommend building anything. By the time you pencil out the cost of all of the tools needed to do it right it just doesn't add up. However, If you want to build a couple rifles and pistols start buying tools.

However you end up with an AR my vote is to get one, but be prepared to ask yourself "what took me so long?"