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Old November 17, 2017, 06:22 AM   #1
bspillman
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Noobie to the AR15

I got my first AR15 the other day. I picked up a Double Star Star 15 556 rifle. I don’t have much training with one and what little I do have I got years ago in the police academy. I was never issued one while I was on patrol. Any way, do you experienced AR folks have any tips or secrets that you wouldn’t mind sharing to help me master the rifle or at least be more efficient. Thanks.
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Old November 17, 2017, 07:51 AM   #2
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What do you want or expect the rifle to do for you? That will determine the worthwhile advice you may get.
To begin, I'd advise you to pull the BCG and lube the gas rings(with CLP or similar), cam pin, and bolt lugs(with heavier grease). Then with the upper separated from the lower, spend a few minutes working the bolt into and out of battery by hand. I often do 100 cycles to "break in" the BCG before firing. Keep these parts well lubed during the initial firing sequence--it WILL smoke from various places but that's fine. Don't worry about the grease-it'll work itself out. The idea is to keep all the working stuff lubed as it finds it's happy place. Don't forget to clean the bore before firing-it's odd how sometimes stuff finds it's way into the bore of new rifles.
Load no more than 2-3 rounds until you determine that all the safety features are working properly.
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Old November 17, 2017, 08:13 AM   #3
rickyrick
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Make space for more... even if you swear that you’re only owning one.
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Old November 17, 2017, 08:36 AM   #4
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Ain't that the truth.

Hi my name is Joe.
I have an addiction........
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From my cold dead hands.....
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Old November 17, 2017, 09:34 AM   #5
GeorgeandSugar
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Information on performing a "function check."

https://www.bevfitchett.us/
army-ar15-car15-m16-rifle/function-check.html


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Old November 17, 2017, 11:17 AM   #6
marine6680
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Any useful advice will likely benefit from knowing what you expect from the rifle, and the role it is to fill.

I lube a new firearm a bit on the heavy side, with grease in a lot of places. Just to allow the parts to work together gradually and smoothly.

For defense and plinking put to 100yds or so, I recommend a red dot sight. High end is not a requirement, but a good middle of the road option in the $175-450 range works well and can handle rough handling better than the cheap red dots. You also start getting models with battery life measured in years. You turn it on and leave it on. The Sig Romeo 4 and 5 series, and the Primary Arms Advanced Micro Dot or good options. For a bit more, the Aimpoint PRO is an outstanding red dot. $425 with a QD mount included. (Some sights may need to have an AR height mount added as an option, I usually go for ones labeled lower 1/3 cowitness)

Cowitness is the ability to look through your iron sights and the red dot at the same time. Absolute cowitness has the irons and red dot line up in the center of the optic... Lower 1/3 has the irons line up in the lower half of the optic. I find the lower 1/3 to offer a cleaner sight picture when using the red dot only.

If not for defense, a red dot is still good, but a low power variable scope can make for a fun rifle as well. The Vortex Strike Eagle and the Primary Arms 1-6x are good options. They are around the $300 price point.

Most of the consumer grade or budget AR offerings come with a "carbine" buffer. Most will run better using an "H" or "H2" marked buffer. They weigh more than the carbine one, and help keep the rifle running smoothly. This is not a necessary change, but it can be helpful if you have any issues.
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Old November 17, 2017, 01:07 PM   #7
TrueBlue711
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Like others before said, decide what you want your rifle to be used for. Home defense, paper punching, hunting, long range shooting (as far as 5.56 goes at least), jack-of-all-trades, etc. Then "upgrade" your AR to those desires. Such as, a scope instead of a red dot for longer range shooting or a flashlight attached if used for home defense.
The cool thing about the AR you either need to be careful of or fully embrace is how modular it is or how easy it is to upgrade. You can get a very basic entry level AR and, as time passes, get better parts you can easily swap out yourself (if you feel comfortable enough to do it). My first AR was roughly $500. After all the upgrades I did to it, it's probably over $1000 now. It all depends on how much time and money you want to put into it for it's intended purpose(s). Just be sure to do the research on what you want to replace and making sure you get the proper replacement parts. The AR market is HUGE in America. Welcome to the club!
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Old November 17, 2017, 02:21 PM   #8
Nathan
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Understand how to be fundamentally safe. There are videos or instructors to help.

Always practice the 3 rules. ALWAYS.

Work on your own groove of getting the rifle from rest....sling held, on a table, etc....to an accurate 25 yd shot down range.

Work on shooting positions....prone, kneeling, standing, sitting and each with a rest or support.

Work on transitions. It is great to make hits on a 25 yd target, but what about 3 at the same distance...how about 5 yds....500 yds.

Lots of topics. Just setup a practice session to mature a skill and then another. Maybe come back to a skill for some rework.
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Old November 17, 2017, 03:32 PM   #9
DaleA
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Folks that have AR's speak highly of having something like these around...spare parts kits for those tiny springs and pins. I like the way the Anderson folk call theirs the "Oops Kit".

http://www.primaryarms.com/anderson-...56-lw-oops-kit

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...pair-kit-ar-15
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Old November 17, 2017, 04:20 PM   #10
bspillman
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the planned used of the rifle is home defense/fun gun with the occasional deer hunting trip maybe. I also picked up a sight mark wolverine red dot for it too.
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Old November 18, 2017, 02:30 AM   #11
SDF880
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Yes make more room these things have a way of being like rabbits! Take your time and apply what you think is right from a ton of info out there! All of my AR's are direct impingement so it eats where it poops! Because of that I use nickel boron BCGs as they are so much easier to clean up! i run mine medium wet not too much but definitely not dry! Have fun, experiment with add on dodads, don't buy cheap mags! Be safe shoot safe!
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Old November 18, 2017, 02:45 AM   #12
gshayd
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Clean it and then relube it. I use SLIP 2000 EWL to lube it and SLIP Carbon Killer to clean it. The SLIP 2000 Carbon Killer will strip all the carbon and old lube and grime from it. It will have to be re-lubed after the Carbon Killer is used. A little bit of lube goes a long way. Then practice practice and practice.
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Old November 18, 2017, 07:41 AM   #13
Mobuck
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"the planned used of the rifle is home defense/fun gun with the occasional deer hunting trip maybe. "

I don't want to restart the ".223 ain't enough" argument but if you really want to hunt deer with your AR, please take a look at a 6.8 upper.
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Old November 18, 2017, 09:14 AM   #14
berettaprofessor
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Quote:
Make space for more... even if you swear that you’re only owning one
All hail Rickyrick for speaking the plain truth! I bought one only just prior to November 2008 because I didn't want to miss out in case the new administration went gun control crazy. Previously had a Mini14, which I've since sold because it couldn't match the accuracy of any AR. And now I've built 5 or 6, giving a couple away and holding onto others. Originally, I didn't like "black gun" looks and stayed away. Lately, I'm thinking my most recent build, a Stag-AR10, is the most "beautiful" gun I've ever seen. Go figure.

Quote:
but if you really want to hunt deer with your AR, please take a look at a 6.8 upper.
Or a 300BO or similar.
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Old November 18, 2017, 04:01 PM   #15
marine6680
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Unfortunately... I would say that defense use, and deer hunting are mutually exclusive. Unless you are fine hunting with non magnified optics.

When it comes to optics, I recommend red dots for home defense... And only red dots...

Most who hunt want at least some magnification, and I do not see magnified optics as suitable on a defensive rifle.

Not even the low power variable scopes... They are a compromise optic, and in home defense, there is no need for compromising. You are only needing quick shots at 25yds and under.


For deer hunting, I would suggest 62-69gr softpoint, or ammo designed for medium game.
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Old November 18, 2017, 08:01 PM   #16
bspillman
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I believe they make magnifiers to add to your red dots.
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Old November 18, 2017, 08:32 PM   #17
Rangerrich99
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bspillman View Post
I got my first AR15 the other day. I picked up a Double Star Star 15 556 rifle. I don’t have much training with one and what little I do have I got years ago in the police academy. I was never issued one while I was on patrol. Any way, do you experienced AR folks have any tips or secrets that you wouldn’t mind sharing to help me master the rifle or at least be more efficient. Thanks.
Don't run steel-cased ammo through your AR! At least not for the first 1,000 rds or so. Steel-case or bi-metal cases can get stuck in the chamber and are a real pain to remove. Once your gun is well-broken in and you also have a decent amount of experience with the platform, if you want to try steel, that's on you. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with little to no experience. Too easy to accidentally make things worse.
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Old November 19, 2017, 02:11 AM   #18
armoredman
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I keep wanting one at the insane low prices I see, then something else will break - washing machine was last month, car is this month. God does not want me buying an AR...
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Old November 19, 2017, 08:36 AM   #19
Nathan
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Quote:
I believe they make magnifiers to add to your red dots.
They do, but the do gets bigger too. So, if you have a 2 MOA dot, with a 4x magnifier, you have an 8 MOA dot. Is an 8" dot at 100 yds good enough for aiming? 16" at 200 yds? You see how that becomes less than ideal.

Then throw in that magnifier + Dot Sight + mounts that work and you are looking at $1000 plus. Probably just get another AR, if it were me!

Have fun working through this stuff.
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Old November 19, 2017, 08:39 AM   #20
Nathan
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Quote:
Don't run steel-cased ammo through your AR! At least not for the first 1,000 rds or so. Steel-case or bi-metal cases can get stuck in the chamber and are a real pain to remove. Once your gun is well-broken in and you also have a decent amount of experience with the platform, if you want to try steel, that's on you. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with little to no experience. Too easy to accidentally make things worse.
Can you explain? I really don't know why you are saying that.

I shoot brass case xm193 or similar as it is lowest cost and provides me reloading brass.
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Old November 19, 2017, 12:56 PM   #21
marine6680
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Magnifiers do not turn a red dot into a scope.

A magnified makes everything look bigger, including the red dot you are aiming with. You gain no precision, you only gain a magnified view... You are literally just holding a magnifying glass up to the red dot.
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Old November 19, 2017, 01:40 PM   #22
rickyrick
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Well, ‘tis the time of ARs a plenty and you could pickup another complete upper without dipping into the king’s gold to do so.
You can hunt with .223 if you keep yourself disciplined with your shots.
Many locations have restrictions on how small a caliber you can use. Some have .24 caliber minimum, so you would need 6.35mm or above in many states.
6.8 and 6.5 will work.
I have 2-3 uppers for each of my lowers now. Inlcluding 6.8 and 300aac just for when I return to hunting. I haven’t hunted in a good while now. All of my AR possessions are for fun.
You can make your one AR into anything you want at home... that is what’s pretty cool about them.
Each of mine has a niche (at least mentally) so they are plain on their own. Personally, I don’t like cluttered ARs, but I have done it a time or two.
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Old November 19, 2017, 03:24 PM   #23
Rangerrich99
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nathan View Post
Can you explain? I really don't know why you are saying that.

I shoot brass case xm193 or similar as it is lowest cost and provides me reloading brass.

After re-reading my post, I realize that I didn't explain myself very well, so here goes again.

Steel/bi-metal cases can get stuck in the chamber. I've read various reasons for why this happens, and yes, I've had it happen in my ARs more than once. The reasons are academic. The point is, when they do get stuck, now you have to figure out how to get them out.

One type of situation is when the case gets stuck, but the extractor somehow slips off the rim of the case, allowing the bolt to retract and then try to feed another round into the still-occupied chamber. This requires the user to lock the bolt back, remove the mag, clear the action of the offending round (if it's a ballistic-tip it's probably now sporting a mangled tip), and now attempt to remove the stuck case. This may require a dowel rod and a mallet.

Another situation is when the extractor doesn't slip off the rim, and now the bolt is stuck in the closed position, possibly requiring the operator to "mortar" the rifle. The user must remember to put the buttstock (assuming it's variable position) in its shortest position, and then take hold of the charging handle with one hand, while the other hand holds onto the forearm of the rifle. Now the user must firmly but carefully bang the buttstock against the ground or the shooting bench, while simultaneously pulling on the charging handle until the stuck case pops out. Hopefully. If the operator forgets to shorten the buttstock there is a chance that mortaring can actually break the buffer tube. The charging handle can be bent during the process. The buttstock can be damaged.

Yet another situation is when the case does extract, but drags so badly that it never gets ejected, instead remaining inside the action, and then the bolt tries to feed a new round, which gets partially blocked by the spent case still inside (the live round often is partially crushed by the bolt which may make it unsafe as well). If the spent case gets stuck above the second live round, removal may require crushing the live round to create enough room for removal, depending on the relative position of the spent case, and whether it can be crushed or not.

All of these things have happened to my ARs while trying to shoot steel cased ammo, which is a principle reason I don't use steel-cased anymore.

I do have buddies that use steel/bi-metal cased ammo in their ARs, but most experienced some trouble as described above until they'd put several hundred rounds through their guns.

Therefore, my standard recommendation is to avoid using steel-cased/bi-metal cased ammunition in a brand-new AR-15, with extra emphasis if the user is also new to the AR-15 platform.

Last edited by Rangerrich99; November 20, 2017 at 03:04 PM. Reason: Misnomer
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Old November 20, 2017, 10:55 AM   #24
bfoosh006
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Watch the 6 parts of these videos... IMHO... very good info.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n62_ukH4Hik
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