Building an AR Platform Rifle
While browsing various AR parts dealers online, I see that I have a lot to choose from. Not only are there several configuration variations for the AR platform (A2, M4, A3, etc.), but there are a wide variety of calibers available.
The first thing I have to do is decide on what kind of rifle I want to build. Do I want a general defensive rifle, that will take the very easy to find 5.56mm/.223 cartridge, or do I want a heavier-hitting .308? Likewise, I could opt for a 9mm carbine or the slow but heavy .450 Hornady.
Money doesn’t grow on trees in my yard, so it would probably make sense to get something that could be considered all-purpose. The .223 AR is a leading candidate for that. The problem with that round is that I hunt deer. While a .223 can kill a 150 – 200 pound animal, there’s little room for error. A more powerful cartridge would be better.
If I go up to a .308 or larger, the ammo starts to get more expensive. So practice with the rifle would be pricey. However, the .308 is a great all-around cartridge, suitable for a wide array of uses.
If I move up to the 6.8 SPC, I’ll get plenty of deer-hunting power, and have a rifle chambered in a round that is picking up popularity fast. So what do I do? 5.56mm, 6.8 SPC, .308, or one of the other chamberings? I could always buy a complete rifle and then buy different uppers and magazines, each one suitable to a particular purpose. But I don’t know if that’s what I really want to do.
The question is whether I want a rifle I can use for anything, or if I want to purchase rifles that were designed for a particular task. Should I build a 5.56/.223 AR for a defensive weapon and buy a rifle designed for hunting, or should I get one weapon for all seasons?
I need to decide that before I decide exactly what I want to build. I do plan on buying hunting-specific rifles, but having something all-purpose really appeals to me.
First off you have to ask yourself what are you going to be useing your rifle for? The Lever action is a repeater and can fire almost as fast as a AR-15. Is it as good of a battle rifle as a AR-15? Not in expert hands, put a AR-15 in a novices hands and a 30-30 in a experts hands and I know expert could hold his own. The 30-30 lever action has been used by law enforcement officers. The 30-30 you talked about can serve both functions. A AR-15 in 223 caliber is not legal for hunting deer size animals in some states. Talk with some of the vets who have used the 223 in combat and you may find that the people who have been wounded with it were back in the fight. The 30-30 on the other hand shoots a larger caliber and heavier up to 150, 160 or 170 grains soft nose bullet vs a 55 grain FMJ surplus ammo in 223. The bottom line is inside 200 yard a 30-30 with Williams peep sights is less expensive than a AR-15 by about half, and if you look long enough by maybe a third. Ammo can also be had for about $10.00 to $15.00 a box if you wait for a sale, and 30-30 ammo is avaiable in most that sell ammo and you don’t need any of the fancy new stuff, a box of Remington or Winchester will do fine. So ask yourself are you going into combat like a soldier? Then a AR-15 would be a better choice has a higher rate of fire ammunition weights is less so you can carry a larger amount of ammunition. For primative conditions where keeping your weapon clean may be difficult a lever action has fewer problems with jamming than a semi automatic. For survval situations when hunting the spring life in the magazines can be saved by shooting your rifle like a single shot, this will require you to make a decision about how safe this would be? One other consideration for me is a AR-15 going to be legal to own where I live or travel. What about different calibers in the AR, right now the different calibers have different problems some are reliability to availablity of ammo. The bottom line is stick with 223 or 308 in the AR this may change as different calibers have problems worked out. The Lever Actions are proven in the other calibers 357 magnum lever acions can also shoot 38 specials, this has the added advantage of being able to have a revolver in the same caliber as your lever action, other calibers are 44 magnum which will also shoot 44 specials or you can also shoot 45 colt in a rifle and revolver.
thanks for the info. great that I’ve come across with this. and mt guide, better enhancement there too. keep it up