So your interested in the AR-15 platform, but you don’t know very much and need a place to start. Thats what I will be discussing in this article. Now before you read further, this is for novices who do not know very much. I will be discussing specifics on certain topics in future articles.
Lets start with the very basic, what is an upper and lower?
The AR-15 Rifle was designed to split apart for easy cleaning, there are 2 pins in the rifle that when pushed out (they will not fall out) split the rifle in two. The lower part of the rifle creatively called the “lower receiver” and the upper part called the “upper receiver“. The lower receiver has the serial number that has to be registered with a licensed dealer. the upper on the other hand, has no serial number and can be purchased online with no background check and can be sent to your house. As well all the parts for the lower receiver. When stripped down, just the empty lower receiver with the serial number is considered by ATF the weapon.
Why is AR-15’s so popular and why do I want one?
The AR-15 Rifle is an extremely customizable weapon. Think of it as Legos for adults. The platform and be made into a rifle or pistol; it can be almost any caliber; you can make it with a completely customized look that no one else has; with advances in Coating technologies and anodizing, you can make any part whatever color you want at an affordable price. With over 2 million different configurations possible on just our website alone. There is also a ton of after market parts and manufactures for this platform making it the best selling rifle in the United States.
Its really fun to shoot. Anybody who is even curious about the AR-15 platform should go shoot one first. Most people have a friend or two with an AR-15 already. If not or you are in hang out in anti-gun circles; you can rent one at most for-profit shooting ranges. Its best to have a friend or instructor with you for the first time shooting. Its not very difficult to learn and safety is one of the most important things to learn about the AR-15.
There are so many brands for the AR-15, which one should I get?
There are a lot of manufactures for the AR-15. Some good, some really bad. Most of the shoot just fine, but the big difference is quality. We are big on quality control at Veriforce Tactical, but not all companies are. The biggest place you will see the difference is your groupings at the range. Our AR-15 barrels shoot under 1 MOA. Which basically mean at 100 yards, your groupings will be at under 1″. Your reputable brands starting line is about 1-3″ grouping. The poor quality AR-15s will shoot 12-20″ groupings at 100 yards. This is because they cut corners on manufacturing just to make parts cheaper. We do not do that! You can guess which ones are doing it. If you wondered why the XYZ’s company rifle is $300 less then reputable brands, you now know why. Do your research and look for reviews.
My friend said I need to spend at least $1500-$3000 to get a good rifle and only buy high end.
You friend is what we call a gun snob. No matter what is proven to them or when you out shoot them, their AR-15 is superior. Everyone has that friend and he loves to tell you how to spend your money. Truth is there is a lot of amazing manufactures and parts dealers that make high end parts at affordable prices. Veriforce Tactical being one of the best *cough* *shameless plug*…The big boys that make high end AR-15’s, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising and branding. They have to get their money back some how and make a profit. So they sell their high end rifle for 3-4x the cost to make it. But when you don’t spend that money on advertising you can offer a really high end rifle and AR-15 upper for an amazing price. Thats how we have been doing it and letting word of mouth do our advertising. When it comes down to it; its your money. I