School me on AR's!

**Wesley** · 21-04-2023, 12:08

Originally Posted by ferty

Agreed, motivation is another thing entirely.

Totally understand on ammo costs, whilst way more expensive than 9mm, I just think it satisfies a different category of shooting. Maybe I'm wrong?

Not at all. That is 100% correct.

**Stevendr** · 21-04-2023, 12:32

During a training session earlier this year I saw a DM4 and Truvelo fail too many times on the line. From failure to load to failure to extract. It got so bad that the guy gave up on his training. The one ran S&B and the one Barnual ammo. It was not an ammo problem because I test the ammo in mine and it ran like butter.

When I got into "wanting" and SLR I was told that you take your base gun price x3 (back in 2017). That is probably where you will be at in the first two years taking everything into consideration from setup, ammo, reloading, own range time, attending training courses, etc. I can promise you now that the costs will not stop, but the investment is priceless. And be prepared to take the time - this rabbit hole can get very deep, but you will enjoy every moment.

Buy once, cry once apply. And stay away from gunshops who want to sell you gimmicks & BS. Spend time on the range with guys with AR's and take note of what their basic setups look like. Once you have gone through your first 8hr training session you will quickly realise how heavy that AR become and how your ability to run it deteriorate as the day passes.

Happy shopping - and remember, it is easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission - applies to SWAMBO...

**ferty** · 21-04-2023, 13:10

Steven, thanks for the in depth reply! Pity about the Truvelo as it really looks like it ticks all the boxes per say.

Two friends of mine have 16" suppressed AR's. One the S&W and other the Ruger, and we put hundreds of rounds through them both the other day. Not a single failure between the two. And I understand what you say about the weight of the guns after shooting for a while, totally agree. This is also the reason I would be looking for a shorter barrel as their won't be as much weight so far forward.

**Stevendr** · 21-04-2023, 13:31

Originally Posted by ferty

Steven, thanks for the in depth reply! Pity about the Truvelo as it really looks like it ticks all the boxes per say.

Two friends of mine have 16" suppressed AR's. One the S&W and other the Ruger, and we put hundreds of rounds through them both the other day. Not a single failure between the two. And I understand what you say about the weight of the guns after shooting for a while, totally agree. This is also the reason I would be looking for a shorter barrel as their won't be as much weight so far forward.

Look, It might be that on that day (and during previous sessions) it was just bad luck for those SLR's. On GS there are so many that have a ton more experience with the various makes & models in the market. Their opinions should be highly regarded - they have seen a lot more.

**camouflage762** · 21-04-2023, 14:00

@ Ferty: contact me: camo@thequartermaster.co.za and I will try get you a good deal on an AR

**ferty** · 21-04-2023, 14:24

Originally Posted by camouflage762

@ Ferty: contact me: camo@thequartermaster.co.za and I will try get you a good deal on an AR

Camo thanks for the offer! Not quite ready to buy yet, so wouldn't want to waste your time. I just wanted to tap into the knowledge pool of the forum to get an idea of which rifles I could potentially look at and which to stay away from.

I may just call on you in the future when I am ready though!

**Mark357** · 21-04-2023, 14:33

The Truvello range gun here seemed nice at first, but then kept being sent in for repairs and then seemed to disappear

Get a quick on off suppressor fitting
Then you can shoot unsuppressed at the range all day without the weight or extra stress on the gun components. Refit the suppressor at home for your security/CQB needs.
Point of impact shift is hardly noticeable with the good .223 suppressors

Just watch out, the SIG's have a tapered barrel end and require a special SIG Taper adapter to properly fit a non-SIG suppressor.
These are not easy to get in SA

**AK-Gunner** · 21-04-2023, 15:33

Intrigued: why do you want an AR? For competition? Self defence? For shits and giggles? And in what kind of an environment will you be needing the rifle, if it's for self defence: urban, rural or both, at sea, on a desert. Do you want to have optics from the day one, or is open sights OK for you in the beginning? Need weapon mounted light and laser options, or is on daylight only use OK for you? Do you need to upgrade the rifle with a suppressor or buy one with the gun?

Those parameters will define details like barrel length, calibre, sights etc.

For an AR I don't recommend any other calibre than .223/5.56 NATO unless you have a specific need for say 9 mm (competition) or .300 Blackout (you are thinking about a career as an urban assassin). With either of these calibres you will lose some of the positive attributes of an industry standard firearm, like high power rifle killing energy and range. Even with a 14.5" barrel you can end someone's dreams of his future from 500 metres after one or two days of proper training, but with a pistol calibre or even .300 BLK this is quite hard unless you rely on lucky shots. And if you are in harms way and you are running short on ammo, but you are the only one carrying .300 Blackout rifle, you are way out of luck that day.

Edit: I do not recommend buying a 9 mm rifle just because the ammo is cheaper and you will have more money for training: if you train with a pistol calibre weapon, you don't really learn how to shoot with a rifle. Better get a Roni or a similar system for your pistol and play with that until you get in terms with the higher cost of learning the art of the rifle.