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I know right now isn't necessarily the best time for a person to be picking up their first AR/AK/Rifle of Choice with prices rising at ludicrous speeds, but I know some are out actively looking and will pick up something if it is at a good price. But sometimes good prices are seriously what you pay for. Take this as an example:
Had Sharpshooter give me a call looking for an AR stock wrench the other day. I have one, he described problem, sounded like an easy fix...maybe. Started describing more into the problem which was when I realized the problems went far deeper than just a simple torque of the castle nut and replacement of the buffer detent and spring. Sounded suspicious from what he described and we met up a couple of days later.
Come to find out, not only was the castle nut loose, the entire receiver plate was missing, the buffer detent (the pin that holds the buffer in the tube) was bent from repeated cycles of the bolt carrier group going over the top and the spring was bent since neither was held in by the extension, action spring was out of spec/too short, rear take down pin spring and detent was glued in instead of being held in place by the missing receiver plate, receiver extension (buffer tube) was out of spec and wouldn't allow for collapsing of the stock, stock was hot garbage and pin wouldn't retract all the way to allow to remove, trigger and fire control group pins were out of spec/falling out which would have caused a fire on release after initial trigger pull, flash suppressor was taken off with two fingers, gas block rattled and gas port was probably misaligned...
These are just the problems I identified in the half hour of cursing my way through what I could fix with some of the parts I had. Ended up replacing the receiver extension and stock, adding the receiver plate/torque and staked it in, fixed FCG pins as best as I could (didn't have any spares), tightened the suppressor and gas block. Gave instructions to owner to have competent gunsmith inspect gas system and replace parts as needed.
So...where did he buy it? "From a friend who built it for me while I was deployed." And got robbed frankly. Anyway, on to the point of the post...
When looking at buying an AR or even an AK or pretty much any evil type rifle, be very, very, very wary of anything that says "parts kit gun." I don't care if you know them and they are the God parent to your children, unless they happen to be a certified armorer, get a full and complete inspection done by a competent gunsmith prior to handing over any cash. Now I know some companies that use parts kits in assembling rifles and when dealing with them you tend to be able to take it back and say "it sucks, fix your work" especially when they are a licensed manufacturer. However, if you happen to see someone who's selling parts kits guns from "Billy Bob's Live Bait Shop, Real Estate and Hair Care Parlor" you might want to be careful in your dealings.
Right now, folks are slapping together anything that comes in anodized black and goes bang because they are commanding a premium price. Folks have been tinkering around in their basement for years with ARs and finally decided to sell off a few since the price is more than right these days. But might have been putting together something wrong for years. Maybe not noticing, maybe on purpose since they are slapping whatever they have on hand together quickly and not installing correct parts in order to make that 200% profit while the getting is good. So how do you avoid the pitfalls?
Buy from an established gun store. They tend to be able to send back firearms that are not up to spec and get replacements if you desire. And some have gunsmiths on hand to do inspections if you find something on the consignment rack. Go ahead and pay the extra to have it looked over before buying. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. You might spend a bit less on a rifle from a private seller and be able to find it right now, but you have no idea just how well that thing was treated prior to you picking it up. Could have shot out barrels, failing parts, high round count bolts, parts replaced with lesser quality (a common trick these days is to replace a good bolt carrier group with something of less quality, turn around and flip said good carrier for pocket full of cash) or any number of problems like missing a receiver plate...anyway.
Case in point, had a troop show me a rifle they were looking at buying. Owner said "only thirty rounds shot and parts are all top quality." Exterior looked good minus a few points that wouldn't stop the world from turning, but got real nervous when I started pulling it apart and looking over the insides. More like a few thousand with minimal cleanings and parts were mid level quality. Overall very worn. Saved troop a few hundred by telling private seller they were full of Feinstein and finding them a used Rock River in good shape. Seller probably moved on to other unknowing customer and got the price he was asking, but troop got what they wanted without getting robbed. Anyway, gun stores are held to an accountable standard unlike private sales are and you are generally safe with buying from them.
Buy an established, reputable manufacturer i.e. Windham, DPMS, Colt, Rock River, Armalite, etc. Or at least the complete receiver groups from a reputable company that will fix their parts like Bravo Company, Palmetto State, Rifle Gear, Rainier Arms, etc. If you have a mix and match gun, like a Bushmaster lower with a Palmetto upper, chances are it's okay. Each individual part is good from the manufacturer, but have it checked over just in case.
If you have no idea what to look for, grab a friend that does. Caveat to that though...just because someone is in the military/police doesn't automatically mean they know what to look for. I know plenty of folks in the .mil that knows Richard all about what makes an AR go bang. They can shoot the lights out of a target all day long but once you get into technical details, clueless is a good word to use. So grab a friend that knows what to look for and can be objective about your purchase. I'm an AR snob personally, I have brands I know are dependable and those which are borderline and I don't care for. But it doesn't stop me from being able to look over a potential purchase and say "yeah, I hate the name on the lower receiver, but it's good to go."
And frankly, if a person doesn't want you breaking it down to inspect, give them a polite smile and walk away. I mean, if you are buying a used car and the seller doesn't want you popping the hood or even getting in the driver's seat? That would get your curiosity raised just a tad. Same with firearms. Now I have seen some folks that had no clue how to disassemble and could have/would have damaged parts, so ask the seller to break it down for you so there is no fuss. If seller refuses or starts questioning "why, don't you trust me?" smile politely and answer "no." If they get all miffed, walk away. Inspect after breakdown or have knowledgeable friend check firearm for functionality and serious wear and tear. And if push comes to shove, have them do the talking with seller. I'm not afraid to jump straight into someone's behind and inform them their weapon sucks and is an overpriced piece of crap. Right now, chances are they'll find a gullible buyer in less than ten minutes while I'll help buyer find something of better quality.
So to recap through my meandering, buy from a reputable gun shop, avoid parts kit guns unless fully inspected by a competent gunsmith, buy established known brands, inspect or have a friend inspect.
And for crying out loud, don't pay what folks are asking these days...wait it out a couple more months until credit card bills come due and the panic dies down. Prices will drop.
Had Sharpshooter give me a call looking for an AR stock wrench the other day. I have one, he described problem, sounded like an easy fix...maybe. Started describing more into the problem which was when I realized the problems went far deeper than just a simple torque of the castle nut and replacement of the buffer detent and spring. Sounded suspicious from what he described and we met up a couple of days later.
Come to find out, not only was the castle nut loose, the entire receiver plate was missing, the buffer detent (the pin that holds the buffer in the tube) was bent from repeated cycles of the bolt carrier group going over the top and the spring was bent since neither was held in by the extension, action spring was out of spec/too short, rear take down pin spring and detent was glued in instead of being held in place by the missing receiver plate, receiver extension (buffer tube) was out of spec and wouldn't allow for collapsing of the stock, stock was hot garbage and pin wouldn't retract all the way to allow to remove, trigger and fire control group pins were out of spec/falling out which would have caused a fire on release after initial trigger pull, flash suppressor was taken off with two fingers, gas block rattled and gas port was probably misaligned...
These are just the problems I identified in the half hour of cursing my way through what I could fix with some of the parts I had. Ended up replacing the receiver extension and stock, adding the receiver plate/torque and staked it in, fixed FCG pins as best as I could (didn't have any spares), tightened the suppressor and gas block. Gave instructions to owner to have competent gunsmith inspect gas system and replace parts as needed.
So...where did he buy it? "From a friend who built it for me while I was deployed." And got robbed frankly. Anyway, on to the point of the post...
When looking at buying an AR or even an AK or pretty much any evil type rifle, be very, very, very wary of anything that says "parts kit gun." I don't care if you know them and they are the God parent to your children, unless they happen to be a certified armorer, get a full and complete inspection done by a competent gunsmith prior to handing over any cash. Now I know some companies that use parts kits in assembling rifles and when dealing with them you tend to be able to take it back and say "it sucks, fix your work" especially when they are a licensed manufacturer. However, if you happen to see someone who's selling parts kits guns from "Billy Bob's Live Bait Shop, Real Estate and Hair Care Parlor" you might want to be careful in your dealings.
Right now, folks are slapping together anything that comes in anodized black and goes bang because they are commanding a premium price. Folks have been tinkering around in their basement for years with ARs and finally decided to sell off a few since the price is more than right these days. But might have been putting together something wrong for years. Maybe not noticing, maybe on purpose since they are slapping whatever they have on hand together quickly and not installing correct parts in order to make that 200% profit while the getting is good. So how do you avoid the pitfalls?
Buy from an established gun store. They tend to be able to send back firearms that are not up to spec and get replacements if you desire. And some have gunsmiths on hand to do inspections if you find something on the consignment rack. Go ahead and pay the extra to have it looked over before buying. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. You might spend a bit less on a rifle from a private seller and be able to find it right now, but you have no idea just how well that thing was treated prior to you picking it up. Could have shot out barrels, failing parts, high round count bolts, parts replaced with lesser quality (a common trick these days is to replace a good bolt carrier group with something of less quality, turn around and flip said good carrier for pocket full of cash) or any number of problems like missing a receiver plate...anyway.
Case in point, had a troop show me a rifle they were looking at buying. Owner said "only thirty rounds shot and parts are all top quality." Exterior looked good minus a few points that wouldn't stop the world from turning, but got real nervous when I started pulling it apart and looking over the insides. More like a few thousand with minimal cleanings and parts were mid level quality. Overall very worn. Saved troop a few hundred by telling private seller they were full of Feinstein and finding them a used Rock River in good shape. Seller probably moved on to other unknowing customer and got the price he was asking, but troop got what they wanted without getting robbed. Anyway, gun stores are held to an accountable standard unlike private sales are and you are generally safe with buying from them.
Buy an established, reputable manufacturer i.e. Windham, DPMS, Colt, Rock River, Armalite, etc. Or at least the complete receiver groups from a reputable company that will fix their parts like Bravo Company, Palmetto State, Rifle Gear, Rainier Arms, etc. If you have a mix and match gun, like a Bushmaster lower with a Palmetto upper, chances are it's okay. Each individual part is good from the manufacturer, but have it checked over just in case.
If you have no idea what to look for, grab a friend that does. Caveat to that though...just because someone is in the military/police doesn't automatically mean they know what to look for. I know plenty of folks in the .mil that knows Richard all about what makes an AR go bang. They can shoot the lights out of a target all day long but once you get into technical details, clueless is a good word to use. So grab a friend that knows what to look for and can be objective about your purchase. I'm an AR snob personally, I have brands I know are dependable and those which are borderline and I don't care for. But it doesn't stop me from being able to look over a potential purchase and say "yeah, I hate the name on the lower receiver, but it's good to go."
And frankly, if a person doesn't want you breaking it down to inspect, give them a polite smile and walk away. I mean, if you are buying a used car and the seller doesn't want you popping the hood or even getting in the driver's seat? That would get your curiosity raised just a tad. Same with firearms. Now I have seen some folks that had no clue how to disassemble and could have/would have damaged parts, so ask the seller to break it down for you so there is no fuss. If seller refuses or starts questioning "why, don't you trust me?" smile politely and answer "no." If they get all miffed, walk away. Inspect after breakdown or have knowledgeable friend check firearm for functionality and serious wear and tear. And if push comes to shove, have them do the talking with seller. I'm not afraid to jump straight into someone's behind and inform them their weapon sucks and is an overpriced piece of crap. Right now, chances are they'll find a gullible buyer in less than ten minutes while I'll help buyer find something of better quality.
So to recap through my meandering, buy from a reputable gun shop, avoid parts kit guns unless fully inspected by a competent gunsmith, buy established known brands, inspect or have a friend inspect.
And for crying out loud, don't pay what folks are asking these days...wait it out a couple more months until credit card bills come due and the panic dies down. Prices will drop.
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