First ar
Posted by Sybm_eli@reddit | Firearms | View on Reddit | 19 comments
I Just turned 19 and decided to buy my first ar for my birthday for $300 bucks chambered in 556 . Is this a good start for a beginner? And can someone tell me what the scope is called is it a decent scope I should keep on or should I buy a new one?
homemadeammo42@reddit
I love how people buy expensive things (for them) and then ask if it was a good purchase. It really doesn't matter now. You cant take it back.
Emandpee42069@reddit
Keep the lower, try to sell that upper to partially fund something halfway decent w a halfway decent optic (not that Amazon garbage). Welcome!
ProDefenseSolutions@reddit
Well, your lower is going to be a classic soon, so there's that. You're going to think long and hard about spending the money to buy an optic that is worth more than your gun, but they are absolutely worth it.
irierider@reddit
Looks like many of our first ARs!
Hold_Left_Edge@reddit
I feel like everyone starts with an Anderson. They are decent rifles for the price that's paid. Don't expect to put it through hard use but it should perform well enough when it's broken in.
You'll also notice fit and finish issues but nothing that can't be overcome.
My philosophy with these kinds of rifle has always been, "cheap rifle is better than no rifle". If give you something while you work on building out something more custom and better in the long run. Slowly upgrade and buy parts to improve the Anderson. Save your old parts and when you're ready to upgrade into something better, you can use those parts to build from and convert the Andersom back to factory.
As far as that dot, get rid of it, it's junk. Look at some of the following: - Sig Romeo 8 - Holosun HS403C - Bushnell T25 - Vortex Crossfire - Primary Arms GLX/SLX
There are definitely more expensive options but these will get you going better than airsoft optics and pricepoints between $80-$250
As for upgrades, look at the Magpul K2+ grip. Immediate quality of life improvement.
Look for a decent 2 point sling. - Haley Strategic - Blue Force Gear - Ferro Concepts
From there if you are feeling foggy:
Trigger: -La Rue MBT-2s
Stock: - Bravo B5 SOPMOD
Foregrip: - Something free float and low profile adjustable gas block. - Midwest Industries.
Administrative-Owl41@reddit
GET RID OF THE OPTIC over anything else. It is an airsoft optic that will not hold zero(the dot won't stay where it should) sig romeo 5/ holosun are great budget options.
snuffy_bodacious@reddit
It's a start.
People are giving you crap about the low-end nature of your purchase. They generally have a point, but don't let that get you down. Take time, with a budget, and invest in some upgrades.
...and train, train, train.
ervin_pervin@reddit
A good start but I'd just take off that optic and put on a set of magpul back up sights. Or just a rear magpul sight if that's a FSB barrel.
Good thing about ARs is you can just about swap out any subpar part. Bad thing is the money you'll be dropping on upgrading said parts and seeing what you like.
A radian charging handle here, a magpul grip there, CTR buttstock, a bundle of pmags, mlok drop in handguard, larue 2 stage trigger, microbest bcg, etc... and that's not even mention the optics you're gonna wanna try before you commit to them.
Cheapest gun outta the box, but most expensive piece when "complete".
MasterWarChief@reddit
Having a cheap firearm is better than having no firearm.
Anderson is a perfectly fine lower, I am going to assume the upper is Anderson as well which is fine.
The Optic or scope as you said doesn't have any markings from what I can tell. It's something you would want to upgrade. There are plenty of brands that make good optics. Sig, Primary Arms, Holoson and lots more.
Sig Romeo 5 is a very popular option.
Others have said enjoy it, over time you can upgrade the trigger or handgaurd, stock, grip literally just about anything on the rifle and do what you want with it.
ManOf1000Usernames@reddit
This is an ok entry level gun that you can swap out some stuff you do not like over time.
Take it out to the range before you change anything, you should see how it actually feels before spending money on stuff. There are people here who are not happy unless they spend thousands of dollars on a gun, when AR15s are basically a commodity now.
That said, the sight is a cheap chinese red dot, there are a bunch of sales now this week for fourth of july for better optics. Best bang for the buck would be primary arms. Check out gun.deals and ammoseek for deals.
The handguard's main shortcoming is that the older A2 style handguards lack mounting points for stuff. If you intend to use this for a home defense gun, it would be worth swapping out the handguard for a more modern one. Look at youtube videos for how to move the friction ring back, as it is a three hand job without using a tool (you can use the grips of a pair of channel locks). Eyeballing it, it should be a [carbine handguard(https://external-preview.redd.it/NhYE8G_yp0M-ATCwKjagfos8fhe5vqoGL_UzqM0rOf8.png?auto=webp&s=952976eb6e2f37734c8a393341750384ae61eb66)], but double check the length with the linked photo as a guide. A midlength would be a bit more ideal for a 16inch gun, but it will still run.
Potential_Goal_7603@reddit
Anderson is officially done making firearms. Might have to pick up an AM-15 lower.
High_Af_Osrs@reddit
Huh, I did not know that. Articles posted today say Ruger bought Anderson.
Potential_Goal_7603@reddit
They did but they also said they will not be continuing Anderson products. They pretty much just bought up the building & equipment.
High_Af_Osrs@reddit
Get a modern handguard, and some Magpul Pmags!
Observed-observer@reddit
I had an Anderson lower and the trigger that came with it was trash. I swapped it out for a better trigger and it's been fine ever since. There are some preference things here I would change but for $300 that's not bad. Idk what that optic is but I've had great results with vortex and sig optics.
Sybm_eli@reddit (OP)
I’m still getting new to guns but when you say trash trigger do you mean heavy trigger pull?
Observed-observer@reddit
It was really rough and gritty. Hung up on the reset a few times. You can work that out if you have that issue but I had a spare so I just changed it.
goshathegreat@reddit
That red dot is some cheap trash, the first thing you should do is replace it with a Holosun 403/Sig Romeo 5 or if you want an LPVO I’d suggest the Vortex Venom. You can spend a lot more on an Aimpoint, Eotech, or higher end scopes like Nightforce but that would be a waste to put on a $300 rifle.
bmh26@reddit
Sig and Holosun are good entry level red dots. The one you have looks like a cheap Amazon red dot. Most of us have had Anderson lowers as our first ARs. Shoot it and enjoy it. Upgraded it over time and you’ll be happy.