salukipv1

What setup would you go with?

Is there an economical way to build one cheap? or buy one used and replace a barrel or something?

I see Remington has the R-15 which I forget who makes it? Bushmaster?

Rock River Arms is local to IL...

I like that the remington is camo, but this isn't a deal breaker.

Quite certain I want a .223rem.

22" barrel sounds good, but not sure if I want stainless? heavy? 20-24" is probably ideal.

or who makes a good economical ar15 new? that will still shoot well, good quality.

I really don't want a Ruger Mini do I?


btw why doesn't a browning BAR come in .223rem? they make a shortrac in .243win.

stapher1

Did you look at DPMS? Not as pricey as Remmys' or Bushys'.
You can check out http://www.del-ton.com/, i think they give discounts to guys with a C&R license too.

Major Woods

I have the Remimgton in .223 with 22' barrel.
Got it for <1k, shoots and looks great. I'm sure that with a bit of reasearch you could find one cheaper but I liked the factory camo that came standard with the gun.

Nomercy448

Comparing the Mini and the AR might seem straight forward, but in practice, it's very subjective. On paper, or objectively, there won't be much difference between the two. Rate of fire, weight, price, accuracy (for factory, non-match AR's at least), reliability, durability, etc etc, they're basically the same.

But when it comes to personal preference, things get sketchy.

Obviously, the AR-15 wins for "upgrade" availability, modularity, and the ability to "home gunsmith". There's a LOT out there for the Mini, but not nearly to the extent as the AR, and most of the Mini upgrades just "look cool", rather than functional improvements (like triggers, match barrels, free floaters, etc).

The balance/feel/handling is the most substantial difference, for me at least, and it's all up to the end user which he decides feels better. The Mini feels "longer" than the AR because the balance point is more forward. Mini's feel more like bolt guns or shotguns, which is more familiar for most shooters. AR's take a little getting used to. AR's tend to be faster handling, but they don't have quite as much muzzle weight to help steady your shot. The AR is also more 2 dimensional, which takes a little getting used to.

Personally, I'd recommend an AR over a Mini, but I've been shooting AR's for a long time. I also dumped a LOT of money into my Mini-14 10yrs ago when their accuracy was poor to bring it up to how well it shoots today.

As for barrel lengths on AR's, 24" will give you the highest muzzle velocity and best long range accuracy, but it'll also weigh more and be the least weildly for length. 16-18" barrels are great for handling, but they'll run about 350-400fps slower than a 24" barrel. To compensate, I run two AR's for coyotes, one a 16.5", and the other a 24". If I only had ONE AR coyote rig, I'd be getting a 20-22" heavy match grade barrel with a .750" block. The full heavy barrels with .936" or .875" blocks are great for bench rifles, but they make for a dang heavy coyote rig. I definitely prefer the longer range option of a longer barrel, but portability on run and gun sets is pretty important.

As for brands, Ruger, Remington, Bushy, DPMS, RRA, they all make very respectable rifles. They all also come with their individual ups and downs. Bushy's might cost more, but they'll have more of the internal refinements off the bat, whereas a DPMS might cost less, but will DESPERATELY need a new trigger on day one. Ruger's obviously cost the most, but they also run a piston drive, which is a $250 upgrade (or more) to any of the others. The Remingtons ARE bushmasters, but they come with the camo dip already done, which in general would be a $75-100 upgrade.

If you consider building your own, then build around the CHEAPEST components you can, then splurge on the barrel and trigger. A CHEAP AR with a good barrel and trigger will shoot every bit as good as a $2000 AR with the same barrel and trigger.

If I were to build an ideal Coyote AR that would be my ONLY rig, it'd be a 22" fluted heavy match Shilen or Krieger with a 1:8" or 1:9" and a .750" block, rifle length GS, A2 buttstock and single point sling adapter, Fat palm swell pistol grip with grip stop, Geisselle match 2 stage, Aluminum free float handguard sitting on a pair of 9-13" and 13-17" Harris pods, piston drive, A3/A4 flattop WITH forward assist and M4 ramps, Leupold VX-3 LRT Mil-dot 6.5-22x50mm. Finished in "Coyote tan" or "prairie grass".

Oh, and throw in a "gold" TiNi coated bolt carrier, just for a little something extra!

Sheridan

For me when I think AR-15 coyote rig, I am going to want to use it as a "walking stick" (so it needs to be as lite as possible).


I have plenty of bolt guns to make "stands" with (those can even be fairly heavy).


I would buy a complete upper & complete lower, slap it together, and then make up-grades to it as I could afford them.

New trigger would be the first thing - single stage.

jeepkid

Same trigger that I have and I LOVE it! Nothing wrong with it at all!

But to the Obamalamadingdong lover (Salukipv1), I'd recommend staying away from anything over a .22 rimfire

Sheridan

JP Enterprise trigger - never look back !

http://www.jprifles.com/1.4.8.1_ezt.php


Even the Geissele's take a back seat IMO.

http://geissele.com/

Nomercy448

The JP trigger is a great option. I definitely wouldn't say it's a better trigger than the Geissele, but the JP DOES run less than half the price of a Geissele, so if you're talking about a HUNTING rifle, it's probably the better option (I spend the extra $$$ to put Geis's in my hunting rifles because I run them in my match rifles).

An even more budget friendly option is to get a JP spring kit. If you have a crisp trigger, but too heavy, then a simple spring swap goes a long ways. It won't really fix a sloppy (rough or creeping) trigger, but if your trigger is crisp, it WILL lighten it. My brother in law put a spring kit in his DPMS lo-pro classic that had a 9.8lb trigger pull (they let a heavy barrel rifle leave the factory with a 9.8lb trigger pull ). Dropped it down to a bit over 3lbs, and MAJORLY improved his groups.

Sheridan

Use to have a Daniel Defense 2 stage trigger & could not stand the take-up before it broke (even though it broke at 3lbs.).

I understand the safety issue for a 2 stage trigger in a tactical rig, but I hunt with mine (single stage trigger is where it's at IMO).

Nomercy448

I suppose it depends on personal taste ultimately. On the other hand, a long take up is a poor design. When my bro-in-law first shot my Geis, he had no idea it was a 2 stage. He shot about 100rnds before he commented on how nice the trigger was, "but it has a little creep". I asked him, "really, I've always thought the 1st stage was super smooth, and the break couldn't bend an eyelash"...

"What? you mean it's a 2 stage?"...