Posts
I will give rare thanks to Kim DuToit for planting the idea that every American should be a rifleman.
And to Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku for the line about Americans having a rifle hidden behind every blade of grass.
Not everyone has the money for a top shelf AR.
Oftentimes, a top shelf AR is more gun than they need as well.
Shooting past a very short distance is a difficult sale legally, but if it's minute of bad guy at 100 yards and goes bang every time; good enough.
Being affordable is a requirement.
Thus the BEBoG idea has sprung.
There's DIY to save further money, but the assembly of the lower is simple and doesn't need much in the way of tools. Americans, in addition to being riflemen, should also be mechanically inclined. We're tool using mammals, after all.
The parts list, at present, is quite short. Some items are on sale in this list.
From Brownell's:
KE Arms KP-15 stripped lower; $109.99 (plus $10 handling and an FFL transfer fee near your house).
KE Arms KP-15 lower parts kit; $62.99 with purchase of a lower.
Magpul rear MBUS; $55.99.
From Palmetto State Armory:
16" Midlength, 1:7, nitride flat-top upper; $309.99.
With shipping and everything: $585.91.
All you need after that is magazines and ammo. I prefer the Magpul M3 PMAGs, they're readily available and affordable. They also work, that's important.
That's not the only magazine option, just one I've had luck with.
Later, you can add glass to get more reach, or to speed up shooting depending on what kind of glass.
This is an entry level gun; once you're no longer an entry level shooter, you can certainly upgrade.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the installation of the various parts in an AR-15 lower receiver, it occurs to me that performing the tasks inside a sufficiently-roomy tent, with a bathtub floor and no-see-um mesh screening, might help keep wayward springs and other small parts from escaping.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent comment, but... anon rule.
DeleteAs has been noted on this blog before... Many years ago the Mini-14 was the poor man's rifle in .223. Cheap and you could find them everywhere including places like Wal-Mart and sporting goods stores. ARs were extremely pricey and a lot of places didn't carry them because they were too "military". Now new Mini's are expensive and a lot of those places don't even sell guns anymore and you see few Minis on the rack anywhere that sells guns. Well, these days you see relatively little on the rack at all, but that is a different story. Nowdays you can build a surprising decent AR for relatively little money. Especially when you consider inflation since the old days. Some parts are in short supply and expensive compared to what they were a year or two ago, mainly bolt carrier groups and barrels. Sometimes upper receivers can be hard to find. But still... If you are patient and shop around you can still do pretty well.
ReplyDeleteAnd as far as DIY, back in the old days there was a fair amount of tacti-cool add-ons for Minis... Folding stocks, muzzle brakes, etc. But the aftermarket around ARs these days is incredibly more rich. Of course part of that is that there are literally dozens of companies that make ARs vs. one Ruger. There are 80% 10/22 receivers you can buy, but I've yet to see an 80% Mini 14 receiver.