HELP ME PICK OUT MY NEW ar-15

B

Boneyard

New member
OK, I've decided to get a Bushmaster, now which one? Should I get the 20" barrel?..the 16"?..should I get the A2 or the A3 reciever?...should I get the AK muzzle break?...How about the dissipator?..I plan to use the rifle for some hi-power matches..what can I use and can't use?
thanks in advance folks



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SOME PEOPLE ARE ALIVE ONLY BECAUSE IT IS ILLEGAL TO KILL THEM
 
My vote would be to get a 16-inch light barrel carbine with a flat top upper and NO muzzle brake just as a practical defense weapon.
I don't know what high power matches entail, but you can always get a 20-inch upper and switch them out for competition.
 
For "Service Rifle" match shooting it's gotta be a 20" A2, standard handguard profile, and don't think the AK break is allowed.

If your just looking for a fun gun I'd say go for a 16" heavy barrel w/pinned on GI A2 look-alike comp, CAR handguards (Dissipater looks to weird), A2 or A3 receiver (my preference is for the A2), and (assuming we're talking post-bans) an A1 butt stock because it's 1" shorter than the A2. -- Kernel
 
Boneyard - Not much to add here as RikWriter and Kernel have already given you solid advice.

I'd say go with the 16" barrel - a muzzle brake is not needed IMO... there's little recoil to begin with and the brakes are LOUD!

The feature of the Dissipator is a full length gas tube. Oddly, that design from what I have read, is the least reliable of the Bushy models.

Cliff
 
Decide if you want a 5.56mm or a .223 barrel. The 5.56mm will generally feed any ammo more reliably than the .223, but the .223 will generally be a bit more accurate than the 5.56mm.

Do the research for yourself. Don't listen to those who tell you that they are "exactly the same". They are not.
 
I may be mistaken, but I believe one of those people that said the 223 and 5.56 barrels ARE exactly the same was the Armalite representative on ar15.com.
 
I have a Dissapator with an AK brake on it. It is very reliable, very accurate and very loud. I'm thinking of having a Wilson brake put on it to keep "the look" and hopefully reduce the noise. I know " the look" is kind of superficial but an AR with a plain muzzle just bothers me. (except for the "sniper" versions)
My Dissapator has been a reliable as any other AR I have seen.
The AK brake does reduce some flash and does make a noticable difference for quick follow up shots. The muzzle barely moves.
When I first got the rifle I had the brake installed by a local smith who used set screws. During a night fire drill the set screw failed and the brake went flying downrange. I had to quit using the rifle because the muzzle flash was blinding. The brake reduces the flash to an acceptable level but increases noise significantly. I don't notice it much but the people shooting nexxt to me don't care for it much.
I had the brake reinstalled by Bushmaster using a pin and haven't had a problem since.
Many thousands of rounds later I am a satisfied owner.
 
I'd go with a 20inch barrell 1/9 twist rifle.

to brake or not to brake I think would be your option. The sights on the rifle as opposed to the carbine are much much better because you get a longer sight radius rather than the shortened one.

The carbines with the short sights are very very tough to do any kind of match shooting with.

The AK brake is effective on recoil. It may be noisy, but it feels like you are shooting a pea shooter. I can see why they put these things opn full auto ak-74s.

It would make a full auto rifle very controllable.

Orso
 
I'm with RikWriter in every sense. Unless you are shooting in long rnage competitions there is no need for a 20" barrel.

The 16" will be lighter and have much better maneuverability. Nix the muzzle brake.

The A3 receiver (flattop) gives the rifle unlimited versatility for iron sights and or optics.

Good choice on the Bushy.

CMOS

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NRA? Good. Now join the GOA!

The NRA is our shield, the GOA will be our sword.
 
RikWriter-

There are many people who are not aware of this. I have won 3 bets with "professional gun folks" who had no idea.

Check the specs. 5.56mm ammo is loaded to higher pressure levels than .223. The chamber of a mil-spec 5.56mm barrel will not be as tight as a .223 chamber. They are designed for reliablity under adverse conditions. A 5.56mm round may cause problems when it's higher pressure meets a .223 chamber. Many people have cycling problems when they use 5.56mm ammo in .223 barrels.

On paper, the barrels and chambers should be the same- but they are not.
 
Thanks for the advice and info guys...it never ceases to amaze me how much I learn here every day..thanks again

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SOME PEOPLE ARE ALIVE ONLY BECAUSE IT IS ILLEGAL TO KILL THEM
 
I would avoid that AK brake like the plague. I was in rifle school, a guy had one on his bushy, it sounded like a .308 going off. And I was towards the end of the relay, he was towards the front.
 
Get a 308! ;)

Dont know enought about AR'S to recomend but do know that 7.62x51 and .308 WIN are different so it wouldnt suprise me to leart that .223 and 5.56 are different as was said in an earlier post, but then again the barrels could be identical if made by the same manufacturer they would most likely use the 5.56 as it would have a slightly larger chamber and would cycle the 223 ok. The 223 stamp on barrel may be only because it is made for us civilians. Dont know for sure that is just my guess. I am sure RikWriter and Mountain Gun will both have more to say about this good luck.
 
If I were to buy a post-ban, since I couldn't have a telestock, I'd forget building a carbine. Instead, I'd go for a flattop with a freefloat forend and a 20" stainless match barrel, and put a good trigger in it. Go for serious accuracy instead.
 
I came to the conclusion that I was far more likely to benefit from the longer 20" barrel (while target shooting) than the shorter 16" barrel (while in close quarters combat). I went with the standard 20" A2 BM for my first AR.
 
One quick point...

I've gotta disagree with Cliff on the Dissapator. The Bushmaster Dissapator uses a specially designed CARBINE length gas tube thats under the handguard. This eliminates all the problems associated with the full handguard on the 16" barrel.

ALL OTHER AR-15 manufacturers that offer the full handguard on a 16" barrel use the full length gas tube, and it does cause problems. The gas tube is too close to the end of the barrel and doesn't always function reliably.

I've heard nothing but good things about the BM Dissipator.
 
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