I hesitate to mention it, but there is good technical information available in the technical fora on arfcom, although site-wide the signal-to-noise ratio is... low. Very low, in some cases.
The "How to assemble x, y, z components" posts and threads are very good.
(Also, anecdotal evidence says "Speak not disparagingly of paid sponsors lest ye be ban-hammered.")
Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
“It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
Glenn Reynolds
Take a long hot bath after you spend portions of your life on Barfcom...you'll be dirty.
Good advice on Kyle's book and Mike Pannone's book. If you can get in a Dean Caputo diagnostics course and if you take a Pat Rogers class, you'll gain more knowledge in a short time than lots of wasted time on the Internet. Buy top quality up front and you'll be better off. I am one of the Colt Armorer instructors and will be glad to help you off line with resources and information. One last piece of advice: please don't start asking for information from serious professionals (which describes MANY of the folks on this forum) about what to buy and then waste their time trying to save money by purchasing the crap they told you to avoid. To steal a Pat Rogers saying, "you can have high quality, inexpensive and quick delivery...pick which two"
Regional Government Sales Manager for Aimpoint, Inc. USA
Co-owner Hardwired Tactical Shooting (HiTS)
I liked Green Eyes and Black Rifles; I lent it to a friend considering AR's.
A lot of good information.
Some of the information on things like rails, etc. will probably be out of date in those books (not their application but specific model recommendations). However, I'd echo the recommendations of others on which guns, magazines, and sights, etc. to use, and I'd avoid things like lights, rails, or other large dollar items until you have a workable knowledge about the guns.
I'd offer either a Colt 6920 or BCM Mid Length/Carbine Rifle like the others. I'd also recommend BCM because it's what I have the most direct experience with, and I've never had a malfunction or failure in a BCM rifle except maybe 2-3 rounds that were attributed to an old military tilting green follower. I replaced the followers with Magpul anti-tilt followers I haven't had an issue since, and that was 2009 so 6 years ago and thousands of rounds later across about 4 rifles. The military has also switched to anti-tilt followers (detailed in the article below).
I like the Magpul followers, and speaking of Mike Pannone. Here's an article (that I think Chuck posted in a different thread) on magazines by Mike Pannone.
http://soldiersystems.net/2015/06/20...ke-pannone-28/
He's pretty thorough, and extremely knowledgeable.
Take Wayne Dobbs up on his offer to learn from him. Mike Pannone is the other guy you want to learn the AR platform from. Either of these two will cover pretty much any information you'll need. Anyone else is you get info from is an added benefit.
Chris
Thanks for all the great advice and suggestions everyone. I do greatly appreciate it and am following up with each suggestion.
Wayne I especially appreciate your offer and would love to take you up on it. On the note of equipment, I am the type that buys quality once and be done with it. I've been looking at the BCM Reece-16 model currently. All of this knowledge I'm gathering from you guys is helping me to understand the nuances between different rifles and components.
Thanks again everyone
If you want to learn the names of parts, and operation cycle, pick up a copy of 'Gun Disassembly 2'. It lets you digitally assemble and disassemble the rifle, names all the parts, and animates the firing cycle. The M16 model isn't free, but there are a few sample models provided so you can get the gist of how the program works. Absolutely worth a look.
I would also recommend Vuurwapen Blog. Andrew Touhy doesn't post much, but he knows his stuff.
I would totally be up for an armorer's class in the D/FW area. The ones I've looked at aren't open enrollment.Originally Posted by Wayne Dobbs
"Sapiens dicit: 'Ignoscere divinum est, sed noli pretium plenum pro pizza sero allata solvere.'" - Michelangelo
If you buy a BCM rifle you'll be very well set. I like their 16" mid-length guns a great deal and Paul Buffoni (the owner) is a stellar guy.
Regional Government Sales Manager for Aimpoint, Inc. USA
Co-owner Hardwired Tactical Shooting (HiTS)
"just buy a BCM" is solid advice.
#RESIST
Excellent article by Mike Pannone.
http://www.defensereview.com/the-big...m4-unreliable/
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