AR15 questions

J

jnsn

New member
My local gunstore is running a promotion on Bushmasters. I happen to have enough money so it looks like I am doomed. I would like any input about the difference/your preference between:

A1 and A2 sights (I have no idea!)

Length of barrel( the choices are shorty carbine, shorty AK, 20" heavy)

I am trying to get my wife interested in long guns, and I thought having one around that is easy shooting would help. It would hopefully be her TSHTF gun. And of course maybe I would fall for it too and leave my AK behind.

Thanks for any input.
 
Start with the A2 - 20 inch 1 in 9 twist heavy barrel (or fluted if ou want to save 4 oz) . For your 2nd (who buys just one? :) ) buy a 16 inch.
 
Jnsn,
I chose the Shorty "plain" barrel. It is a wonderfully accurate rifle!
The AK brake was louder and the 20 inch didn't fit behind the front seats of my truck. However, you'll probably be happy with your Bushmaster, no matter what model you choose. Get the one that looks best to you.

Will

------------------
Mendacity is the system we live in.
 
First of all, A2 sight system. Much easier to adjust for distance and windage.

I'm very happy with my 16" bbl'd weapon. Handy, light, and versatile. Accurate enough to shoot competetively.

My feeling is the extra "accuracy" and velocity gained from another 4" of bbl. is negligable. The 16" bbl will probably be accurate enough for you.

That being stated, the one drawback of the short barrel is the reduced sight radius. Shorter sight length can lead to poor shot placement if your aren't careful.

So my suggestion would be to get the "Dissipator" barrel, which is a 16" bbl with a full length, or nearly so, sight radius. Best of both worlds! Item #PCWA2S 16D

Hope that helps.

Regards,
--
Brian
 
jnsn,
You need to decide what the primary use of the weapon is to be. If it's for your wife as a TSHTF weapon I'd recommend the shorty carbine with A1 sights. I like the A1 sights in this application because they won't accidentally get bumped out of adjustment as is possible with the A2 sights. The spring loaded detent that holds them in place prevents this. The optimum iron sight for this application is the A1 sights with an A2 aperature installed. The A2 aperature gives you the bigger ghost ring (0-2 on the A2 sight) for CQB type shooting.

The 16" barrel is a very handy length for this type of shooting. I would by an M4 contour barrel on the shorty, you won't have the extra weight of the heavy barrel (you aren't going to be shooting varmints at 400 yards with this rifle after all). This will bring overall weight down to about 6.5 pounds. The AK muzzle brake is loud and the blast is uncomfortable for those around you (although it's not noticeable to the shooter. Since you won't be shooting full auto, the brake is not really needed. The 5.56 mm round is controllable in semi auto fire without any type of muzzle brake.

Now if you are going to get into DCM competition or longer range varmint shooting go with the 20" HBAR with A2 sights. It's at these longer ranges where the A2 sights really shine. They permit you to "dial in" your range and hold dead on at ranges past 300 meters. if most of your shooting will be at ranges less then that I think the simpler A1 sights are better. It's interesting to note that when the Canadian Army adopted the M16 as their service weapon (the C7) they took all of the A2 features except for the 3 round burst and the A2 sights. This is because the A2 sights are more usefull on the KD range or in competition then they are on the battlefield.

Welcome to the world of the AR15. You'll find that unlike the AK, it's truly a system. It's modular nature will let you use the same rifle for a lot of different application with the simple expedient of putting on a different upper receiver.
Jeff
 
IMHO the soldered on muzzel brakes screw up the concept of the AR. With that permanently attached brake you cannot remove the front sight to freefloat the hand grip

Buy a Bushie then ask for a preban for christmas!

dZ
 
Wow thans for all the info so far! I am impressed with all the different options and set-ups everybody has. It seems the AR can be configured for a large range of missions. Does this mean I will be buying more than one?.

Why didn't I choose a cheaper hobby?
 
Yeah, I think it's safe to assume you'll be buying more uppers :) I have two lowers (pre-ban) and four uppers myself, a .45ACP upper, two 11.5/4.5 upppers and a 20" upper. On my current wish list is another lower and a 24" stainless bull barrel upper.
 
jnsn,
Well, you start with one :) then you get another upper, maybe pistol caliber to shoot at the local indoor range. Then maybe a 24" free floated bull barrel with a flattop and 10X scope for varmint hunting.

The next thing you know, you are buying a lower so you don't have to swap uppers. This is how ARs multiply in your safe :) Start with one and a couple of different uppers and in a couple years, you have 3 ARs. I know, I now have six of various configurations in my safe.

Jeff
 
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