[TexasInsuranceHunter]

Sorry for the dup message! Trying to find my way around your board. Greetings to you guys at 68forums.com. Gunbrokers.com team recomended I browse here and ask a few questions.

I am in the market for my first AR-15 type gun and I am alot overwhelmed by what caliber, who to buy from and what to pay plus plus plus. Should I purchase the upper and lower seperatley or suck it up and buy a unit fully assembled then add my optics, light, etc? My agenda is whitetail deer hunting along with pig and predator hunting in the Texas Hill Country. Currently I shoot a 25.06 and 22.250. I want a setup that will allow me the ability to shoot pigs and predators at night. I crave good optics on my rifles and binoculars.

What I think I know is the following: The 6.8 cartridge is mo better than 223/5.56 in terms of kinetic energy and is very fast. Hence a superior round for killing deer and hogs? However, do I buy a lower which would give me the flexibility to switch out uppers in different calibers? At the range is the 223/5.56 more fun and cheaper to shoot than the 6.8? Does Barrett manufacture the best 6.8 or would I be paying for the name? I already know that I waited several months too late and that I am going to get price gouged on my purchase but I am prepared.

Sorry for all the questions and as you can see I confess my lack of knowledge clearly. Thanks in advance for your expert advice and recomendations.

Mark
NRA Life Member

 

[paulosantos]

Mark, I would get a separate lower with a nice stock like the Vltor E-Mod and a nice trigger such as the WOA tuned RRA or the Giselle SSA trigger. I would get on the list for one of the X-Treme uppers that Titan Arms/AR15Performance are coming out with. Save our money for ammo and a good optic.

 

[Clint]

Sorry for the dup message! Trying to find my way around your board. Greetings to you guys at 68forums.com. Gunbrokers.com team recomended I browse here and ask a few questions.

I am in the market for my first AR-15 type gun and I am alot overwhelmed by what caliber, who to buy from and what to pay plus plus plus.
It can be a lot of info, but spending some time here should straighten it all out!

Should I purchase the upper and lower seperatley or suck it up and buy a unit fully assembled then add my optics, light, etc?
The AR is practically designed to mix and match. I think its safe to say the Extreme will be almost without equal. It is however, only an upper, so for now you'll need to find a lower separately. This usually saves some money anyhow.

My agenda is whitetail deer hunting along with pig and predator hunting in the Texas Hill Country. Currently I shoot a 25.06 and 22.250. I want a setup that will allow me the ability to shoot pigs and predators at night. I crave good optics on my rifles and binoculars.

What I think I know is the following: The 6.8 cartridge is mo better than 223/5.56 in terms of kinetic energy and is very fast. Hence a superior round for killing deer and hogs? Absolutely!

However, do I buy a lower which would give me the flexibility to switch out uppers in different calibers?
Any AR15 lower will allow you to switch uppers. The 6.8 magazines are a little bigger INTERNALLY, but externally they are the same size as 556, to allow them to work in all lowers. Mine says 5.56mm, but if it bothers you there are lowers available that are marked "cal: MULTI"

At the range is the 223/5.56 more fun and cheaper to shoot than the 6.8?
Fun is how you define it. :lol: 556 is potentially cheaper, if you're into shooting cheap/crappy surplus/imported ammo. There is no super cheap 6.8 ammo option, but "plinking" ammo should be available in the spring. I imagine it will be less than the current lowest price of $14 a box. Personally, I'd like to see it <$10 a box

Does Barrett manufacture the best 6.8 or would I be paying for the name? I already know that I waited several months too late and that I am going to get price gouged on my purchase but I am prepared.
Can't speak firsthand for the Barrett, but I think it is a solid gun for a lot of money. There are probably better values out there, but its all about what you are looking for. I'll only have about $1050 into my setup, and that includes 6 mags but without sights/optics. Don't worry, there are still plenty of places to find parts without being gouged.

Sorry for all the questions and as you can see I confess my lack of knowledge clearly. Thanks in advance for your expert advice and recomendations.

Mark
NRA Life Member

 

[ArtFWTx]

Hello Mark, welcome to the group.

In the AR Platform you can have multiple calibers that use the same standard 5.56 dimensioned lower. So with your lower, you can push a couple pins out with your fingers, lift off one upper and replace it with another upper and push the pins back in. You just went through the AR caliber conversion. So you can mix and match uppers to your satisfaction. Eventually you'll end up buying another lower for the orphan uppers. Believe me, I know, these are addictive. 5.56, 6.8, 458 Socom, 50 Beowulf, 450 Bushmaster, 300 Whisper, 9mm, 45ACP, 40 SW (RRA), 22LR, 6.5 G, and so on.

Buy complete or buy separate components. There is a tax applied to assembled rifles. It's not a deal breaker, but you do save a little by buying a lower and upper separately. On the other hand, a complete rifle is ready to go shoot without waiting for other assemblies to show up. You can also get exactly what you want by purchasing individual components.

Right now the 6.8 industry is transitioning to different barrel specifications. Improved chambers like the DMR (AR15Performance.com and Titan Armory), and the SPC II are now industry standard for the most part. Companies are transitioning to the 1:11 or 1:12 slower barrel twist also. Ammo companies will start loading for these barrels which opens up more performance capabilities, like SSA already has. So in your search, I would recommend looking for a 1:11 or 1:12 twist barrel and the DMR or SPC II chamber.

Companies offering these barrels now include Noveske, AR15Performance.com, Titan Armory, White Oak Armament, Denny's Global Tactical Supply, and Stag Arms. They all offer ready to go uppers, and you can get complete rifles from Stag. Rock River Arms is testing 1:11 barrels and hopefully will have them available in the near future. CMMG just announced a new spec'd 6.8 barrel that will be shown at SHOT.

Check out the Xtreme upper being offered by two of our vendors. It is a quality spec'd 6.8 upper at an astounding price of $599.00 complete. That's the go to upper right now for our members. The new Noveske 1:12 twist uppers are getting lots of attention too, but at a higher entry price.

I'm not sure what part of TX you are in, but you can buy assembled lowers from Class 3 Weapons in the Houston area, Mooney's in the Austin area, Cheaper Than Dirt in the Fort Worth area, Lone Star Wholesale in the DFW area, and others. You can also order online and have it shipped to your local FFL for the transfer paperwork.

I'd consider something like a RRA lower that comes with their two-stage match trigger. LMT, Stag, Bushmaster, CMMG, and most other AR companies sell assembled lowers with different stocks.

There has been a panic buy after the election and prices have skyrocketed, so be patient and you'll save hundreds of dollars.

 

[TexasInsuranceHunter]

I certainly do appreciate all the solid and timely recomendations from this group! Based on your endorsement and after reading their website material I have emailed AR15performance.com and requested to purchase their 6.8 upper. I understand that availability could be February but this gives me xtra time to research my lower component as well as other extras. As for the Xtreme 6.8 upper decision which of the options below should I consider if any?

Thank you.

Mark

Options
Lothar Walther 11.25 twist polygonal barrel- add $150
YHM Diamond rail #9633-DX mid length- add $0
YHM Customizable rail #9432A rifle length- add $0
Daniel Defense M4 (black) mid rails- add $249
PRI Gen III (black) mid rails- add $249
Troy mid rails- add $200
YHM #9383 Lo Pro alum gas block - add $0
Koelbl railed alum GB- add $0--not available with Customizable float
YHM #9385a railed GB- add $26--not available with Customizable float
YHM #9395 flip front sight- add $35--not available with Customizable float
PRI flip front sight- add $135--not available with Customizable float
A2 flash- $0
YHM # 3080-5C1 Phantom comp/ flash - add $10
2 port brake- add $10
PWS FSC30 muzzle device- add $75
Upper receiver-$100----------These parts not available til Feb-Mar. 2009
Bolt/Carrier group-$145-- not sold separately Feb- Mar. 09
16" barrel-$250--Feb-Mar 09

 

[ArtFWTx]

AR15Performance is a wise choice. Actually, send a PM to Constructor (Harrison, owner of AR15Performance.com). Discuss your needs with him and you will receive what you need and are looking for. If you can visit with him on the phone even better.

The $599 Xtreme upper is loaded as is without any options and will be the most popular combination. You just choose between which handguard you want and wait for it to ship.

 

[TexasInsuranceHunter]

Are Magpul PMAG clips the best way to go? I like the window concept. Who offers the best prices? I see that Mooney's Firearms in Austin has 3 clip package with window for $90. I should probably purchase a truck load.

Thanks.

 

[marinesg1012]

PMAG magazines dont work for the 6.8, you have to purchase 6.8 specific mags either C products, PRI's, or Barretts. Many of the site sponsors have them, though probably not in stock right now.

 

[ArtFWTx]

There's a 68forums group buy on C-Products 6.8 mags.

Also, 3 PMags for $90 is high right now due to election panic. They were selling for under $20, sometimes $18 or less before the election. Once the manufacturers catch up with the demand, the prices will go back to normal. And the Pmags are a great choice for a 5.56, but are not 6.8 compatible as Marines mentioned.

Palmetto State Armory, one of our sponsors is a good place to visit for mags. They're sponsoring the group buy.

 

[Clint]

Are Magpul PMAG clips the best way to go?

it's not a big deal at all and I hate to even mention it,
but in case you didn't know, the proper term is magazine or mag :wink:
http://www.angelfire.com/art/enchanter/clip.html

Unfortunately we're all stuck with metal 6.8 mags for now...

 

[TexasInsuranceHunter]

Mags it is! I will get all forms of correct AR/weapons terminology down soon. I am on my way to becoming a proud AR owner soon as in 30-60 days. 6.8 upper on order from 6.8 Performance and my lower is also in the works. A local company here in Fredericksburg, TX where I live, http://www.knsprecisioninc.com is a machine shop and a Class 3 dealer. They manufacture AR parts (pins) and build guns from scratch. My jaw hit my chest when they showed me some of their completed weapons inventory! The lower is a stripped CMMG unit which will be built to my specs. Jewell 2 stage trigger, Vltor stock, ambidextrous safety, tactical sling and more. Jewell trigger comments welcome from the 68 Forums team. Let's hear it.............!

It appears that my investment in both upper and lower will be in the $1,100 range. Not sure what this means if anything. Next step will be optics and lighting. I have yet to cheat any of my bolt action hunting rifles on optics owning only Leopold and Zeiss so I won't do it with my AR either. However, I fear optics costs for the AR can run off the charts with such deep tactical options. Wide open for suggestions.

Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas to all of you.
Mark

 

[T.Rexford]

Good choices so far! Your going to love the caliber.

As for your optics choices you are starting out right! Don't ever skimp your bolt guns or your AR's. These are good words to live by.

There are plenty of choices all the way from 1x red dots up to unlimited magnification. In between that your looking at a pretty big range as well. Not knowing all your needs I'm just going to assume your looking for a magnified optic. The main players there are red-dots with magnifiers (EOtech and Aimpoint) and the variable low magnification scopes (1x-4x etc...). Theres a whole host of choices possible and people with all sorts of opinions. Personally I feel the variable is superior. As far as players in this game you have a lot of people. Trijicon, Millet, Nightforce, IOR valada, Schmidt & Bender, etc....

Anyways take some of these manufacturers and look at their websites and check out the optics forum on here and you'll be on your way to navigating through all the AR optic offerings.

Oh yeah, welcome aboard!

 

[ArtFWTx]

Sounds like you have a great build started. You went all out on the trigger didn't you? I think you'll be very happy with your selection.

One thing since you're new to AR's is buy a couple books on AR's if you're so inclined. "The Competitive AR15" by Glenn Zediker is a favorite of mine. "The Complete Book of the AR15" or something similar is a good one also.

 

[TexasInsuranceHunter]

Where would I begin my search for a stripped lower marked 6.8? While waiting for my upper to ship from AR 15 Performance I went ahead and purchased a 223/556 upper this week. I had a lower built early last month (marked 223/556) and wanted a ready EBR now. Since I have one complete gun already and a new upper on the way I want my next lower marked as a 6.8 if that is possible. Damn I already have the bug and never intended to own two of these rifles.

Baracula WhoseShame Obamba and AG Eric I Hate Guns Holder and thier liberal cronies have me on a buying spree!

Thanks.

 

[Jamesb74]

Where would I begin my search for a stripped lower marked 6.8? While waiting for my upper to ship from AR 15 Performance I went ahead and purchased a 223/556 upper this week. I had a lower built early last month (marked 223/556) and wanted a ready EBR now. Since I have one complete gun already and a new upper on the way I want my next lower marked as a 6.8 if that is possible. Damn I already have the bug and never intended to own two of these rifles.
Baracula WhoseShame Obamba and AG Eric I Hate Guns Holder and thier liberal cronies have me on a buying spree!

Thanks.

I am with you 6 months ago I never owned a black rifle now I own 2-1/2 and some parts. It is a disease although a better one than liberalism
:lol: :lol:

 

[Strawdawg]

I really like the stripped lowers from Essential

http://www.essentialarms.com/STRIPPEDLOWERS.html

6.8 marked units lower on the page.

I bought a couple recently altho I did not care about the 6.8 markings....might have bought a Multi but they are not offering one at the moment.

They are selling like hot cakes at the moment....and you may have to dial a few times to get an answer instead of the machine....very nice people and good service to go along with a good price.

Steve