Well, you guys have bumped this thing so many times I guess I'm going to have to buy one. Seriously, too good to pass up.

PP,
Thanx for clearing that up. Learn something new everyday.

Kramer,
Check out the Used Equipment Exchange on Arfcom to sell yours That will be your best bet to sell yours and find an A4. There is also a new section if you don't want to by a used A4.

Great. They just upped the price to 570 and dropped the hand select option. I wonder what that means? I sent an email to ask about it. We'll see what they say. I wanted one with a decent finish on it. Might be too late.

Edit: I guess I should have waited for them to finish updating the site. It now says the following.

"All rifles currently in inventory are handselect-This is where the $20 increase has come from. We will add the option of non-handselcet when they become available again."

[This message has been edited by 91Ags_ (edited 11/14/2007 9:25a).]

Ok, last q i think.

if i get one of the bargain bin rifles, could i buy a fully dressed upper chambered for the 6.8mm and just swap them back and forth as i please? This this technical work? Everyone talks about 'building' an AR and that makes me think there's a lot to these things...

If you get a complete 6.8mm upper switching between the two is very quick and easy. Only two pins hold the upper and lower receivers together. Slide those out and the old comes off, slip the new one on and replace the pins.

Edited to add 6.8 FAQ
http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=218

[This message has been edited by lexofer (edited 11/14/2007 11:09a).]

Lexofer is correct.

PP

Well, you guys finally pushed me into it.

damit..i really want one of these, but there is no way I can sell my mini-14 fast enough to turn around and buy one.

I doubt this deal is going anywhere very quickly. It's been up for almost 2 months.

I got tired of taking the chance, especially with Christmas and the democrats closing in.

I didn't want to be the guy saying "I should have."

BQ,
why sell the mini? no interest in the Tapco stock? Unless you are shooting long range targets or varmints is there an advantage to the AR?

Nah, probably not, except for the ease of swapping uppers or barrels and shooting different calibers. It would be nice to be able to swap to a 6.8spc upper or something if I wanted to plug a deer with it.

I'm not sure I'd do it, but if I can get an AR so cheap, the thought does cross my mind.

[This message has been edited by MouthBQ98 (edited 11/14/2007 4:08p).]

neches,
This is gonna come out rude but that's not the goal. Comparing a Mini-14 to AR15 is like saying why sell a a Camaro to buy a Corvette b/c they both get you from point A to point B.

FYI,

What could I bring down for a ruger ranch mini-14, old style rear sight, late 1990s blue w/ walnut stock, no scratches, about 1000 rounds fired, plus 1 five round mag, 2x20 round steel mags and a 30 round steel mag, and the original ruger scope rings, plus an aftermarket rear sight? If I could get enough for the mini, I might seriously consider selling it to buy one of these.

tou che

Hmmm... only hand select now? Wonder what they did with the rest. My Guess is that the hand select ones were the only ones they were selling...

It sounds like they sold out of non hand select, and now only have handselect available. They were all preboxed as either handselect or not.

What is such a big deal about hand select?

I don't know, but I bought a hand select one. I'll report my findings when I get it.

BTW, I'm using Champion in CS for my FFL. Anybody have experience with them as an FFL?

handselect just helps you get one that looks better. You get one with fewer blemishes. Mine looks perfect.

Kramer,
What are they charging you?

I have heard they can be steep.

"Funny how justice often smells like gunsmoke." Mauser101 from arfcom

"Give me a gay republican anyday over the total dumbassery that is the Democratic party." hrcAg

I believe it's $25.

Confirmed: $25

[This message has been edited by Kramer (edited 11/15/2007 1:55p).]

That's fair.

I'm pretty sure Gander Mtn in CS is only $15. I know one of the guys in the gun department.

Lots of good advice here so far. I've been really busy with the job change, so I haven't had a chance to chime in. I encourage anyone that is even possibly thinking about one of these to go ahead and somehow make it happen. You won't be sorry. AR's are great guns.

BRD is real. I built my own M4gery. Then I built an A1. Now I am working on both a 653 clone and a RECCE. Kind of like LEGO's for grownups.

We really need some pics on this thread.

They now have some available with chromelined barrels and 1/7 twist. How important is a chrome lined barrel?

also, with the 1/7 twist do you have to be careful what grain ammo you use?

They now have some available with chromelined barrels and 1/7 twist. How important is a chrome lined barrel?

easier to clean, less chance of corrosion

also, with the 1/7 twist do you have to be careful what grain ammo you use?

stay above 50 grs

Wow this thread has exploded!

Note on chromelined:
If you are looking for superb accuracy, non-chrome lined is more accurate. Of course, if you shoot steel case all the time or WWB, then no worries!

I would stay with a 1:9 twist, as it is most versatile and most bulk cheap ammo is 55 gr.

Bushmaster V-Match Carbine with Phantom FH and Leupold CQ/T

Lower has a RRA 2 stage trigger



Bushmaster Varminter Upper with Springfield 5.56 scope

Chrome makes the barrel almost maintenance free...after 100-200 rounds of break-in, you can clean it with 3-4 wet patches and a couple of dry ones. Use Break Free or Rem oil to clean a chrome bore...some/most solvents will react with the chrome and cause it to corrode...not good.

Also the chrome is softer than barrel steel, so dont use a metal bore brush. Thats the great thing about chrome...no brush at all is required. Just a few wet patches...

Chrome is technically less accurate because the chrome is not a uniform thickness along the length of the barrel. In fact, this is easier to theorize than to prove. Many chrome bores shoot VERY well. Better than most shooters...so the difference is tiny, but the rewards are great. Ease of cleaning, MUCH longer barrel life, and much higher round count cycles before cleaning is required. YMMV.

My match rifle is a chrome 1-7 Colt barrel cut to 18". It shoots 55 grn FMJ into .8". I will admit that is a bit better than most...thats why I have not replaced it. I intended to, but havent because its running well. It also shoots 45's into an inch. Again no biggee. If you find a 1-7 buy it. It will let you shoot any bullet out there...

That said, a 1-9 will on average shoot 55's better (1-12 is ideal) and will still shoot heavy bullets well...each tube is an individual. The hot ticket is the 1-8 with a Wylde chamber. These are mostly competition barrels, but they are out there... The chamber, IMHO, is more of a factor for accuracy than the twist.

I need to take some new pics of the family to post...

PP

[This message has been edited by Puryear Playboy (edited 11/16/2007 12:04a).]

PP,
Have you shot anything lighter than 45gr out of the 1/7? Any issues with flyers? I read that the 1:7 barrel spins a bullet about 300,000 rpms. It just worries me about bullet failure.

Never had an issue. I have heard of light bullets blowing in some of the faster 22's, but never in a .223 rem.

Over-rotation will cause some instability, but you really have to get the velocities up to cause a bullet to rupture. Over spin also degrades accuracy because it will accentuate any non-concentric flaws in the individual projectile.

You are more likely to encounter accuracy issues with the round jumping lands and excessive copper fouling.

Somewhere online is a rotation calculator used by longe range shooters to determine down range spin stabilization rates. Over spun rounds will settle down to a stabile rate very quickly, but under-stabilized projectiles will only continue to degrade...

PP

[This message has been edited by Puryear Playboy (edited 11/16/2007 12:07a).]

I just noticed that that CMMG bunch is designated A3 ARs. As far as I can tell the only difference between the a3 and a4 is the type of picatinny rail. Is this a major issue for mounting different flip ups and/or scopes?

Basically I'm either going to take the deal for the A3 or build my own RRA A4.