AR-15

This week, on adventures in amateur gunsmithing, we acquired a basic M4 Carbine-style AR kit for a DIY AR build project. The kit comes with a complete upper receiver and a lower parts kit. All you need to supply is a lower receiver.So, come with us on this DIY journey on home building our own AR!

Many factors go into how a weapon functions and the ballistics of your chosen projectile. 5.56 is absolutely fine as a combat cartridge. As long as you can move the bullet fast enough. But, is there a better option for all the other situations?

When it comes down to it, the AR is a highly established and popular design. But, that does not mean there is no room for improvement. And if you can do that and still make it affordable, then all the better. The new an improved M-Lok MMR might just fit that bill.

One of the most popular replacement AR triggers on the market comes from the good folks at Geissele. They have been building some of the best triggers available since 2004 and show no signs of letting up, and one of their more popular (and affordable, priced at $165) triggers is the G2S.

Based on sales figures and some good, old-fashioned SWAG math, there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 million AR-15 rifles floating around the country, give or take a couple of million. And guess where all that AR popularity started? Armalite.

While it seems like just about everybody is making the AR, the name Colt still carries a lot of weight when it comes to this design. They were the “first” in the minds of many civilian shooters, and the company has a long history of producing the design’s martial sibling for the U.S. military. And now, with the M4 Expanse, Colt is offering a great gun at a great price.

Today, everyone in the industry is aware of the 300 BLACKOUT cartridge. Indeed, firearms and ammunition in 300 BLK are readily available from most major manufacturers. However, many readers may have forgotten, or never heard, the origins of the cartridge. And the company that developed has its own AR designed to fire it.

The FN15 as configured is an excellent choice for a hunting or home defense gun. And I for one think we are going to see further evolution of the AR platform under the FN banner. For one thing, only they can truly call upon the spirit of Saint John Moses Browning.

EraThr3 delivers a fresh take on “tactical” firearms. It makes guns that are fun and effective, and the Grunt is a great example of this. It is ultralight at 4.7 pounds and just plain looks cool.