I need some advice on prices and what to buy. I’m active duty Army, but just a lowly support MOS. I’d be using the weapon for 25 meter scaled targets and maybe some CQM drills. Basic stuff out of FM 3-22.9.
How much would a look-a-like used M16A2 or A4 cost? Or am I better off getting a LE6920? I’d like to keep it as mil spec as possible, so the training can be realistic.
I’d like to keep it under $1000, I’m only an E4 and that’s half my monthly pay.
At the PX they have the Bushmaster Carbon 15 for $650, but I’m not so sure it would last though 5000 rounds a year for very long.
Skip buying guns at the PX. They are pretty close to retail, and they don’t dicker on price. In most cases you will do better at a local gun store, even with taxes. As far as accessories go, the PX is also limited on what you can buy. No stocks for the AR’s, or rail systems.
I do buy my P-mags there, as the price is well below off base stores, and there is no tax.
Skip the carbon 15.
If you are looking for a complete gun, the Colt is obviously a top choice, as would be a set up from several of the other better companies.
Are you looking for a gun with a rail system? Ifso, I don’t know if you can reach your price point…
What about optics? I don’t know anything about what the army is doing, so if you have to qualify with a RDS, that is another cost factor.
Look around on the web, but remember that you have to add in shipping and a transfer fee to the cost of the gun, which sometimes negates not buying it from a local store…
As for your budget, I would go for the colt 6920, but don’t try and buy it out of a single pay period. save or a couple months. what’s the rush? after all, the army will give you a rifle when it wants you to train or needs you to train. so this rifle is for extra training on personal time…admirable, but puts less of a rush on things.
Did you read the fine print? Price reflects 3% discount for cash, check, MO. So it’s $1029, plus $30 for shipping and $25 for the transfer…
So, $1084. Can you beat that locally?
DSG Arms has the 6920 for $995, and not at a cash discount. Not sure what shipping is.
Greetings, welcome to M4C, and thank you for your service. If you look around the site a bit, you’ll find a number of threads that address first-carbine purchases, tech aspects of their manufacture, various specific makes and models, and the like. Many have crossed the bridge you are now and shared their experiences. Some very useful threads are already stickied in the various sub forums.
You can also search for others. Search terms you’ll find productive are “first carbine”, “rifle/carbine for military training”, “training carbine/rifle”, “active duty training rifle”, etc.
There are a number of quality options available to you from various vendors, at and under $1000.00, in both rifle and carbine configurations… A 6920 is likely to be a safe, value-packed, and overall excellent choice for your needs. No BM Carbon 15. Not ever.
Fill your beverage, settle in, and enjoy hours of reading about nearly everything you could want to know about your quest.
Yup, sign up for the DSG mil discount. Order the 6920 from them along with 10 of their aluminum magazines w/ Magpul followers for $85.
Then save up some more and you can add an Aimpoint PRO, sling and light. That would make for a great setup and great for training since an M4 with CCO is standard issue.
Another vote for the 6920, I could not ever in good conscience tell someone to get a carbon 15. The 6920 is a solid weapon, and are being sold in some local Wallmarts for around $1000, which gives you another option. Personally I would support DSGArms, they are good guys.
Getting an M4 type carbine to practice for qual is like buying a car to sit in the driver’s seat and make “vroom vroom” noises.
If you want to practice fundamental marksmanship at 25 meters, get an S&W 15-22, and shoot .22 lr all day long out of it. You will get profoundly more out of it than you will some POS “good as” carbine, and will save a lot of $$ doing it.
If you want a serious carbine, for high-density training and to stake lives to, get something that’s truly made for it.
Typos brought to you via Tapatalk and autocorrect.
What is a “lowly support MOS”? The hunters and shbooters can’t do S*** if there is nobody to fix and supply their toys!!!
Sorry, dude, you to are essential part of the military team.
As the son of Vehicle recovery NCO, and the Brother of a Logistics Officer it pizzes me off to hear combat arms demean “support elements”, don’t sell yourself short. If somebody doesn’t keep the beans and bullets coming and the weapon systems functioning then combat arms are SOL.
This is great advice, IMO, the same I gave to my son just a few weeks ago. (USAF, A1C.) He actually went with a Ruger 10/22 because you can get them even cheaper than the reputable brand AR-styled .22LR rifles. (And the 10/22 is a solid choice, IME, we have one in our gun cab here at home.) The form factor may not be ‘the same,’ but fundamentals are fundamentals for the most part.
In this day and age, there is a huge difference between being able to afford a rifle vs. affording to shoot said rifle. With 5.56 ammo being relatively stupid expensive right now, and probably going to get worse, you can shoot .22LR for months on the same budget 5.56 will do you for a weekend or two. There is also the added bonus that a lot of indoor ranges will allow .22LR rifles, giving you more latitude on where you can shoot.
Sorry about the last post being off topic, i just don’t like soldiers demeaning their own service to the nation. On topic,Look around in gunshops, the A2 equivalent AR-15 has lost it’s “Chicks dig it” factor and as guys look to go get their ultimate “Tacticool” M-4 type they are trading in the Ar-15A2 rifles and they can be had for less than $500, or if you prefer new, check out Armalite for a A2/A3-4 type 20 inch fixed stock gun.
Military configuration M4gery, check Colt’s offerings or the Windham Weaponry “MPC” carbine.(When batteries and electronic whiz bangs fail, simple still works!!)
the other makers seem to be getting “Way out there” beyong military configuration in their zeal to out do each other or start a new fad.