My .223's worth...
Couple of good things to know.
- Go to ar15.com and read up/join up.
- AR-15's are the Turbo Buicks of the gun world, when it comes to upgrades and becoming a disease. You can't own just one.
- Bushy's are very popular, most all over the counter AR-15 companies have their uppers and lowers produced by the same manufacturer. It's the internal components, fit and finish that generally set the companies apart. Some others have specialty niches that set them apart from others. Such as Stag Arms with their left handed models. Then you also have gas piston model companies, which tend to be a lot more pricey than your standard gas operated ARs.
- Magazines are becoming plentiful again, but people get nervous whenever the man starts talking about taking our rights away. So stock up.
- 5.56 is the preferred chambering due to being able to run 5.56 Nato or .223 through it without any issues. Never run 5.56 Nato through a .223 cal only barrel. Plenty of articles on ar15.com that talk about this. This leads to an ugly situation.
- Shop around, deals are to be had out there, especially on gunbroker.com and other places.
- Brownells and Midway USA have good selections of bolt ons.
- Most AR companies and Bolt on companies are getting stuff back in stock. There was a huge run on these back at the beginning of the year. Feb was nuts, as far as demand.
- If you purchase an AR, read up about this companies products. "Failzero ar-15 basic kit" Google it up. You will be astounded and I highly recommend it if you plan on a lot of range visits, or want the ultimate in reliability.
- Ammo prices are slowly coming back to reality. A good deal is in the neighborhood of .39 to .50 cents per round. I have seen PMC .223 at Gander for $7.99 a box of 20, which for plinking/sighting in, is a good buy. PMC is a little dirty compared to say Winchester white box tho. To me, $13.99 for a box of 20 is too much for me on basic plinking stuff. But decent for anything Hornady or a serious hunting ammo. I do not care for Wolf steel case ammo in ARs. Especially with the glue that they use on the primers. It can melt and cause gumming up issues when shooting for long periods of time. IMHO, Wolf ammo is only for AK47s. At least that's all I use in my AK with never a miss fire or issue.
- If the upper to lower fit seems loose, pick up an accuwedge at the same time. Most competent gun shops will know exactly what you mean. I actually installed one in my 24" Bushy Varminter this past weekend.
Bushmaster - Hunting Rifles
Here is the official link to the Bushy ORC.
Bushmaster - Home Defense & Recreation Rifles
Your 16" barrel length with 1-9 twist rate is not particularly known for high accuracy at long range, but for 100 yard plinking, it would work very nicely with a nice set of optics.
Nice looking AR. I'm on my 3rd one now. When it comes to over the counter gas impenged ARs, Bushy, Olympic Arms, Rock River Arms, DPMS and Stag Arms are all fine firearms. It all comes down to personal choice. You will find that not all of them share the same finish either.
Hope this helps.
Patrick