Got some range time with my AR15 today.

Didn't stay too long, but I ran 40 rounds of Wolf .223 ammunition through it, one in my 20 rnd magazine and another 20 in my 30 rnd Magpul magazine. Out of those 40 rounds 3 rounds FTF (Failed to Feed) and I get the feeling it was due to user error and was not the fault of the magazine or the rifle. When loading the rounds into the magazines I don't think I seated them well, where they're flush with the rear wall of the magazine, thus causing a malfunction when trying to feed the rounds. The reason I suspect this is because I then tossed in 20 rounds of PMC brass into the same 20 rnd magazine but made sure they were flush with the rear wall of the magazine and I had no problems whatsoever.

On with the shooting, the first practice shots were at 50 yards at a 12" black target circle, it took about 5 rounds to zero the irons in and I was keeping my groupings within two inches of each other (Sorry no pictures sadly). After I figured out how to adjust for elevation I set my irons out to 300 yards at some 2' steel plate targets and was surprised to find that after only 3 shots I was pegging the target consistently for the next 10 rounds. Roughly, from the ones that I was able to actually hear the report from the steel targets I managed to hit the target at 300 yards with irons about 20 out of 37 rounds give or take. Considering this is my first time with the rifle to the range, I say that's not all that bad.

The rifle has virtually no recoil and you could easily go through hundreds of rounds without kicking the snot out of your shoulder. I am thoroughly pleased with the rifle and I would highly recommend Stag Arms if you are looking for an AR15 that is of quality make but at a price that won't break the bank. I'm currently looking at some optics for the rifle, and may invest into a nice RDS down the line if funds permit.

Cheers guys, just thought I'd give you the report from the range

Sounds like good fun. I've never been to a firing range; around here, we just go to a pit in the woods, where everybody goes. Just called "Boggs Pit", and everybody brings computers, washing machines, etc. to shoot at. Every few years there'll be something in the newspaper, and there'll be small, community even to clean it up. I miss my Saiga 7.62; that thing was a blast to shoot. I saved up, and purchased it and 500 rounds when I first bought it. I had only 150 or so rounds left when I traded it for my Benelli Nova (for turkey hunting). I wish I didn't have to trade it in for money

That sounds pretty awesome.

I think when I turn 18 im going to buy some sort of firearm. Ar15 sounds sweet, do you need any special training/certification to own one?

I don't think you need special training of any kind to own one. AR-15 platforms are usually on the expensive side, but also VERY customizable, come with various cartridges (usually .223/5.56x45 or .308/7.62x51, but they do come in just about anything you can think of, if you look hard enough), and are usually delightful to shoot. Also, they're patriotic to boot!

I do love my shotgun though; it's hard to go wrong with one. A good, 12 ga., pump-action shotgun is usually only 200-400 dollars, and will kill just about anything you point it at (with appropriate ammunition, of course)

Restrictions vary from state to state, in Arizona as long as you're 18 years of age you can own a rifle and you must have a clean record of course.

My AR15 after everything was said and done cost me roughly a grand if you include 500 rounds of ammunition. My suggestion to you zillah, if you've never fired a rifle before, get a dinky little Ruger 10/22 .22 caliber rifle to practice on. It's cheap and the ammunition is even cheaper, excellent to learn the basics of marksmanship on.

If you're still set on an AR15, I suggest that you ask yourself what exactly you want to do with the rifle. Is it just a range plinker or are you going to use it for home defense, do you want a lot of modifications or just a KISS (Keep It Sweet and Simple) rifle? All these will effect the price of the rifle. I went the KISS route and I plan to upgrade it later with optics and so on and so forth.

I actually have an old .22. It was my grampas in the 1940's but now me and my dad have it. Occasionally we'll go out to this place on the missouri river and unload 100's of rounds into driftwood (shots are like $0.01 a piece)

I would probably get a gun for recreational use though, wether it be at a range or anywhere. (im not sure if an assault rifle is the best choice for home defense)

A good carbine makes for a good home defense gun. I'd recommend an AR15 with a 16" barrel, that's essentially an M4 style AR15 or even a nice AK47/74. You can get a good SBR rifle from red jacket off of Atlantic firearms.com for a little under 700 bucks I think. If not that a Romanian Draco AK wouldn't be too bad for home defense and is a blast at the range apparently. The video below features the Draco, and you will have to make some modifications to it to make it a possible candidate for a home defense rifle, but it's cheap and the ammo is cheap as well.

The reason I mention carbines is because of the flexibility of the platform, sure youll spend more money, but you can use that firearm in a much broader range of situations than if you were to get a handgun or a shotgun, close range or medium to long range, a carbine is a jack of all trades really.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Da1r_quLMA&feature=youtube_gdata_player