Irrational desire for pre-ban AR-15?

S

SA Scott

New member
I've wanted an AR-15 for a while, but haven't had the nerve to part with the cash.

I'm interested in a carbine, because I already have an M1A giving me long-range capability, and a Mossberg 590 for home defense. Probable uses include plinking, rural home defense & SHTF scenarios, and to have because "they" don't want me to.

I'm a purist, and I've wanted a pre-ban rifle, almost entirely for the authentic flash suppressor (the collapsible stock is cute but unnecessary in my mind). I suppose this is the part where I question my sanity. The still-rational core of my brain knows that I can get an equivalent post-ban rifle for a little more than half pre-ban cost (here in San Antonio).

So please, to beat a dead horse a bit further, convince me that there are other advantages to a pre-ban rifle, or that I can live with a naked muzzle or ugly muzzle brake, and spend the extra money on ammo and accessories.

Thanks,

SA Scott

[This message has been edited by SA Scott (edited October 09, 2000).]
 
Bush master AK Shortly.......Oh I was suposed to talk you into a pre ban one...oh well umm.......Yeah you do need to spend the extra cash on a pre ban one. Yeah thats it.....
 
I've got a couple of pre-ban guns that sit in the safe gathering dust because I don't want to lessen their value by shooting them. Do yourself a favor and buy a post-ban AR instead.
 
Keep your eyes open and you can find good deals on prebans, particularly if you don't insist on Colt or Bushmaster. I see Essential Arms and PWA for under a thousand all the time. You can also find preban Colt SP1s for around or even under a thousand if you keep your eyes open. A good way to find them is to look online at www.subguns.com on the Non-NFA Ad Boards and at www.sturmgewehr.com on the SemiAuto Ad Boards.
Check those out a few times a day and you will find a preban for under a grand, which is not that much more than a postban.
 
Thanks, gentlemen.

RikWriter:

Thanks for the links. I guess that begs the next question. Given variations among individual weapons, is an Eagle or Essential or OlyArms or PWA worth buying? I guess I've bought into the quality scare which suggests that Colts or Bushmasters are worth the extra money.

I'm looking for a shooter. Benchrest accuracy isn't an issue. Reliability/durability and parts interchangeability are concerns. I know this issue has been really hashed here, but any further thoughts?

SA Scott
 
Scott,
The thing is, durability, reliability, accuracy, all these things are functions of the upper. You buy a preban EA or PWA, toss the upper and put a quality preban upper from someone like Gunsmoke Enterprises http://www.gunsmokeinc.com/contact.htm (for $350 w/o bolt or charging handle for a Bushmaster upper) on the lower. And Voila! you have an accurate, reliable preban AR. You can even sell off the upper that came with the gun and recoup some of that money.
Basically, the only reason to go with a Colt or Bushmaster lower is collectability---except for a very few cases of poorly cast lowers, a lower is a lower.
 
RikWriter:

Bless you for explaining that so succinctly and simply. It's easy to get lost in the terminology and alphabet soup.

SA Scott
 
The good news is that preban AR prices keep dropping this year. There have been quite a number of AR15.com guys reporting that they have been able to pick up Colt and BM prebans for $900-$1000.
 
Thanks for all the feedback, guys.

If you know anyone who's got a "church on Sunday" :) pre-ban rifle they're looking to sell, drop me an e-mail. Meantime I'll keep checking the boards.

SA Scott
 
I have some post-bans but no pre-ban. The only thing that would really tempt me to pay the extra for a pre-ban is the collapsible stock. If you don't want that, why not just get a post-ban and add (or make) a muzzle break that looks like a flash suppressor (or you could probably have a real flash-suppressor fitted with a permanent sleeve to block the holes-I assume this would be legal). Of course, this would only be for looks, but I assume that's what you are after. On the other hand, if you really want a pre-ban, why not.

Doug
 
I too was thinking of buying an AR before the PRK banished them. Problem was, I already had an M1A just like you. My other option was to buy a Dillon Reloader and reload for my .308 and say forget the mouse gun. That is what I ended up doing.

Consider the knock down power of a .308 vs the .223 at range. They just don't compare, sure the M1A is bigger and bulkier for close in battles, but do you really want to get into a close quarters battle?

My suggestion, if you do not already have a Dillon RL 550B, spend that big chunk of change on the reloader and all of its wonderful accessories instead of some expensive AR that doesn't quite have the performance that the M1A has. Then you can shoot your M1A at incredible savings and reload for any of your handguns at great savings and practice on those closer in shots. Just my unsolicited 2 cents. I am very glad I made the choice to buy a reloader instead of another batttle rifle that I really didn't need.
 
RikRiter, you've probably been around guns a lot more than I have. But I kept my Colt lower, swapped around some uppers until I found one that worked well, added a Milazzo/Krieger trigger. I now have a rifle that, with the 9x scope, I've put four out of five shots into one hole with factory ammo. Other groups are always under 1/2". Did I get lucky?

Dick
Want to send a message to Bush? Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/monk/petition.html and forward the link to every gun owner you know.
 
Monkey, assuming you're shooting at 100 yards, those groups are very good, comparable to what I get with Colt Match HBARs. ARs have the potential for incredible accuracy.
 
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