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Does anyone else feel the same way? Not knowing what parts, and guns are good or bad.

Start reading.

I don't know that much either, but my biggest problem is I always want what is out of my price range.

have a friend or ask here.

What are you interested in?

Ar15's. I'm trying to find a good one for range use, shooting thousands of rounds, awhile later i'll look into competition, but i'm looking for a flat top.

x007x wrote:Ar15's. I'm trying to find a good one for range use, shooting thousands of rounds, awhile later i'll look into competition, but i'm looking for a flat top.

Budget?

I'm finally getting my taxes Tuesday..Good amount. I'd say max 1700.

If I was new to computers, I would buy something off the shelf. Middle of the road, not barebones but not top of the line either. I definitely wouldn't build my own or pay big bucks for someone else to do a custom build for me. Maybe I'm too conservative.

...OldCannon, AndyC, TAM...they know that stuff...

With that budget I would certainly build my own. You might not know much now but you will if you take the time to build your own AR you will know a lot when your done.

Get the Colt see page 41 here: http://site.cdnninvestments.com/CDNN2012-1/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I bought my first AR15 fully assembled. I built 3 more after that. In hindsight, I could have built the first one. It really isn't that hard. Truly it isn't. But from the perspective of a novice, it seems like a daunting task. But basically, it is just buying parts that snap together like an adult LEGO set.

Pros & Cons:

If you buy it fully assembled, it comes with a warranty, and you can make the manufacturer fix any problems that are their fault. On the downside, you have to wait for them to fix it, and they have their own agenda.....which doesn't necessarily include your convenience as a factor.

If you build it, you know what went into it how it works, and how to fix it if something goes wrong. Those things that you may not be equipped to do (mating a barrel to an upper receiver, for instance) can be done by your local gun store for a minimal amount of money. And by the way, mating a barrel to a receiver isn't that big of a deal

At the cheap end, it probably isn't any cheaper to build one yourself than to buy a cheap carbine fully assembled. Remember, gun makers buy/make parts by the thousands. The economies of scale work in their favor. However, if you have a budget of $1,700.00, you almost certainly can build a very nice AR15 using high end parts for a considerable savings over buying a high end AR already assembled. That's an enviable position to be in.

If you buy an assembled rifle, cheap or expensive, you'll never know the satisfaction of having built it yourself. It really is surprisingly satisfying to know that you built your own gun. I would imagine that people who build their own 1911s experience a similar satisfaction. In fact, building ARs got my son interested in gunsmithing, and now that he has built a half dozen or so ARs, he now wants to get a kit and build his own 1911....custom fitting and all. He just detail stripped (meaning down to every last pin and spring) one of his 1911s and reassembled it. He did the same thing for his fiancé's brother's Taurus PT92 Beretta clone. He's done superb trigger jobs on my 5" 1911, and on a Ruger bolt rifle he sold just today. And it all started with deciding to build his own AR15.

Thank you very much for that info everyone. I do plan on building my own rifle. I'm just not sure where to start. I don't know what would be a good lower receive to chose, and i have a somewhat clue on the upper. I did check out http://www.ar15builder.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and learned pretty quick about the AR15. I made a rifle, but like I said i don't know from experience on what parts have good rep or bad. Also, if its a good quality brand and part.

I've also been looking into gunsmithing, but did not find any schools in the Houston area.

I say build one yourself. You will have the rifle exactly how you want it from the beginning and be very familiar with how it works from the inside out. Also, you won't have to buy a rifle, swap out the parts you don't want, and have a box of factory extras. If you have all the parts to build an upper and lower from scratch, the tools (punches, hammer, needle nose pliers, and an armorer's wrench), and a vice; a novice can assemble a rifle in 2 hours. I'm in Houston and have built several PM me if you have questions.

I always suggest a 22 rimfire for a first rifle. Single shot or bolt action for kids, but a semiauto like a Ruger 10/22 or Marlin 60 is fine for adults who already shoot handguns and know gun safety. The $100 to $200 spent on a 22 rifle will pay big dividends when they get a centerfire rifle and continues to be an affordable way to practice fundamentals. You can even go to an Appleseed with the 22 to learn to shoot a rifle.