First Gun: Ideas from the crowd wanted

B00ger said:
Decided to pull the trigger on the above, but in mid length. That and a PSA rifle case to store it in.


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should be a solid kit that would outshoot most of us.
Now you just gotta point him to the romeo5 deals that either come with mags or ammo
 
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I will be taking a young lady squirrel hunting soon. She's never hunted or shot. My choice is a single shot .22 because then she can say that she learned to shoot and hunt with a single shot .22 rifle. Shooting a 10/22 first and a single shot afterwards isn't the same at all.

I like your approach very much, but you are late... he's 18 already! You shoulda got him a single shot .22 when he was 12. Anyway, why not present a 10/22 first, and shoot that with him. Then, the AR.

I like the idea of taking him to Appleseed as well. Don't just get him a rifle. Make him a Rifleman!
 
MacEntyre said:
I will be taking a young lady squirrel hunting soon. She's never hunted or shot. My choice is a single shot .22 because then she can say that she learned to shoot and hunt with a single shot .22 rifle. Shooting a 10/22 first and a single shot afterwards isn't the same at all.

I like your approach very much, but you are late... he's 18 already! You shoulda got him a single shot .22 when he was 12. Anyway, why not present a 10/22 first, and shoot that with him. Then, the AR.

I like the idea of taking him to Appleseed as well. Don't just get him a rifle. Make him a Rifleman!
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I would have, but I didnā€™t meet him till he was around 14 when he came into the care of his grandmother, my wifeā€™s aunt.


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Geezer said:
@B00ger, as promised, I will send you two 30 round magazines for the young man's rifle. Thank you for doing this for him. He'll never forget it, or you.
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Thanks brother! He will really appreciate it. As usual, I have been contacted by some other extremely generous members to help out. As far as telling him about it, I of course haven't. But I have talked to him >in general< about what color/style he likes. Under the guise of "I am wanting something different" so I have his input and he was the one that wanted the OD green. I told him I ordered it last night and asked him if he wanted to come over and help assemble it when it came and he of course said yes. Then this morning I got another enthusiastic email asking when. So, he is excited just knowing he is going to get to "watch".

Little does he know...
 
B00ger said:
As usual, I have been contacted by some other extremely generous members to help out.
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I am not at all surprised by this.

After the build, have him sign up on the forum. Show him this thread so he can see for himself the thoughts, ideas , and planning that went into his first gun.
 
already have a lower?

still going to engrave it?

Offer still stands for me to cover that portion. Iā€™d recommend THSF, but doesnā€™t matter to me.
 
BigWaylon said:
already have a lower?

still going to engrave it?

Offer still stands for me to cover that portion. Iā€™d recommend THSF, but doesnā€™t matter to me.
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Yup, already have the lower. I do want to get it engraved, but THSF is a bit of a distance for me, so I am looking into places closer to the Triad.
 
I'm considering something similar. Son loves my SR22 for some reason. Favorite to him. He saw the us flag version and keeps commenting on how cool it is. He graduates this year so most likely will have this a la a gift from dad.

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B00ger said:
Yup, already have the lower. I do want to get it engraved, but THSF is a bit of a distance for me, so I am looking into places closer to the Triad.
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Thereā€™s a guy over my way that works for Burlington PD that does engraving. Trying to get him on the forum.
We need a down to earth, non cocky engraver...
 
Burt Gummer said:
Thereā€™s a guy over my way that works for Burlington PD that does engraving. Trying to get him on the forum.
We need a down to earth, non cocky engraver...
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All right fellas time for an upside. Had the lad come over today and we put it all together and headed over to Proshots to try it out.

I broke the news to him when he finished a magazine and was trying to hand the rifle back...I handed him a fresh mag and just said something like ā€œYou keep shooting, itā€™s yours after all.ā€ He was shocked and thrilled.

The build went well, but it does have an issue with the mags wanting to not seat well and drop out. In the time I had it I couldnā€™t fix it. I told him he could research it and then give it back and Iā€™d take it to a smith to work on. As per his usual attitude, he didnā€™t mind at all and looked forward to ā€œhaving something to work onā€.

As for those still sending me things, it is greatly appreciated. He was blessed, I was blessed, and I hope you all understand how much all the help was appreciated.



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B00ger said:
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All right fellas time for an upside. Had the lad come over today and we put it all together and headed over to Proshots to try it out.

I broke the news to him when he finished a magazine and was trying to hand the rifle back...I handed him a fresh mag and just said something like ā€œYou keep shooting, itā€™s yours after all.ā€ He was shocked and thrilled.

The build went well, but it does have an issue with the mags wanting to not seat well and drop out. In the time I had it I couldnā€™t fix it. I told him he could research it and then give it back and Iā€™d take it to a smith to work on. As per his usual attitude, he didnā€™t mind at all and looked forward to ā€œhaving something to work onā€.

As for those still sending me things, it is greatly appreciated. He was blessed, I was blessed, and I hope you all understand how much all the help was appreciated.



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Awesome. I didnā€™t get to post office Friday but I will Tuesday when they open back up
 
Checked tracking and the ammo I sent will be there tomorrow. Very very cool of you man.

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B00ger said:
The build went well, but it does have an issue with the mags wanting to not seat well and drop out. In the time I had it I couldnā€™t fix it. I told him he could research it and then give it back and Iā€™d take it to a smith to work on. As per his usual attitude, he didnā€™t mind at all and looked forward to ā€œhaving something to work onā€.
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One too few turns on the mag release. use the flat back surface of a bic pen and jam that sucker hard out the left side, turn it until it starts pushing back on the pen.
It's easy to be one or two turns short - it LOOK like it's okay, but it's not.
 
DrScaryGuy said:
One too few turns on the mag release. use the flat back surface of a bic pen and jam that sucker hard out the left side, turn it until it starts pushing back on the pen.
It's easy to be one or two turns short - it LOOK like it's okay, but it's not.
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Yeah, I turned it so many times that the bolt was sticking out of the mag release button by a good bit. Thatā€™s something Iā€™d check again when I have more time though.


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Well, I joined the forum. It is I, the young man from the photos, and wow... I've never seen that much kindness from people I've never met. Just reading all the comments helping B00ger with the rifle, really does make you think you're cutting onions. I really can't say how grateful I am from all of this, so thank you all! I'm really grateful for the man who helped and showed me how to put it together, and the amazing gift he gave me, thanks B00ger!
 
Brannock said:
Well, I joined the forum. It is I, the young man from the photos, and wow... I've never seen that much kindness from people I've never met. Just reading all the comments helping B00ger with the rifle, really does make you think you're cutting onions. I really can't say how grateful I am from all of this, so thank you all! I'm really grateful for the man who helped and showed me how to put it together, and the amazing gift he gave me, thanks B00ger!
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Welcome aboard and enjoy the new blaster.
 
Brannock said:
Well, I joined the forum. It is I, the young man from the photos, and wow... I've never seen that much kindness from people I've never met. Just reading all the comments helping B00ger with the rifle, really does make you think you're cutting onions. I really can't say how grateful I am from all of this, so thank you all! I'm really grateful for the man who helped and showed me how to put it together, and the amazing gift he gave me, thanks B00ger!
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Welcome!
 
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Brannock said:
Well, I joined the forum. It is I, the young man from the photos, and wow... I've never seen that much kindness from people I've never met. Just reading all the comments helping B00ger with the rifle, really does make you think you're cutting onions. I really can't say how grateful I am from all of this, so thank you all! I'm really grateful for the man who helped and showed me how to put it together, and the amazing gift he gave me, thanks B00ger!
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Now you're also a terrorist because you like evil black assault weapons that are only good for mass murdering crowds and killing babies. I hope you're ashamed of yourself.
Welcome to the club!
 
Thanks for all the welcomes! I'm still having some trouble with the magazine. It'll lock in but very minimal amount of force will unlock (say picking it up to fast). I've been fiddling with the mag catch all morning to no avail. Any suggestions?
 
Brannock said:
Well, I joined the forum. It is I, the young man from the photos, and wow... I've never seen that much kindness from people I've never met. Just reading all the comments helping B00ger with the rifle, really does make you think you're cutting onions. I really can't say how grateful I am from all of this, so thank you all! I'm really grateful for the man who helped and showed me how to put it together, and the amazing gift he gave me, thanks B00ger!
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You will be cussing him before long when you see how the things multiply. All jokes aside good to have you and enjoy the rifle.
 
Brannock said:
Well, I joined the forum. It is I, the young man from the photos, and wow... I've never seen that much kindness from people I've never met. Just reading all the comments helping B00ger with the rifle, really does make you think you're cutting onions. I really can't say how grateful I am from all of this, so thank you all! I'm really grateful for the man who helped and showed me how to put it together, and the amazing gift he gave me, thanks B00ger!
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Keep a good head on your shoulders. Enjoy the world of firearms. There is much to do and learn. Save your brass. One day you can learn to reload. You may not save any money but you get to shoot more.

By joining here you have become a member of the best darn group of people you can ever be associated with. We may fight and bicker about things but know this, people will have your back when you need help.

Walk the narrow path. You're a man. Someone who works hard. Someone who keeps keeps his word. Someone who is dependable. Someone others can count on.

Glad you're here.

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Brannock said:
Thanks for all the welcomes! I'm still having some trouble with the magazine. It'll lock in but very minimal amount of force will unlock (say picking it up to fast). I've been fiddling with the mag catch all morning to no avail. Any suggestions?
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Are you using an empty magazine, or a fully loaded mag? a lot of times a loaded mag "feels" like it's in, but it's not.
Are you sure you have the proper number of turns on the magazine catch? The post that comes through should be pretty flush with the button. Too few turns (post isn't far enough out) and you won't have enough tension. Too many turns (post sticking out) and you may be holding the mag with friction instead of actually catching like it should. That pic posted above looks like you might be able to back it out a turn or two.

Lock the bolt back, try using an empty magazine. tug on it. pull the mag out, send the bolt forward, insert a fully mag loaded with 25 (use dummy rounds or empty brass for the top 2 or 3 cartridges for safety reasons) and see if you can easily insert and have it lock. tug on it. try again with 30.
Repeat with different magazines.
Building your own ar15 can be a bit of trouble shooting, but you can come away with a pretty good understanding of how it works once you see a few problems and fix them.

Worst case scenario, you need a new magazine catch, button, and spring. That's about a $10 fix.
 
DrScaryGuy said:
Are you using an empty magazine, or a fully loaded mag? a lot of times a loaded mag "feels" like it's in, but it's not.
Are you sure you have the proper number of turns on the magazine catch? The post that comes through should be pretty flush with the button. Too few turns (post isn't far enough out) and you won't have enough tension. Too many turns (post sticking out) and you may be holding the mag with friction instead of actually catching like it should. That pic posted above looks like you might be able to back it out a turn or two.

Lock the bolt back, try using an empty magazine. tug on it. pull the mag out, send the bolt forward, insert a fully mag loaded with 25 (use dummy rounds or empty brass for the top 2 or 3 cartridges for safety reasons) and see if you can easily insert and have it lock. tug on it. try again with 30.
Repeat with different magazines.
Building your own ar15 can be a bit of trouble shooting, but you can come away with a pretty good understanding of how it works once you see a few problems and fix them.

Worst case scenario, you need a new magazine catch, button, and spring. That's about a $10 fix.
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Like he and I discussed, a fun (and at times frustrating) part of firearm ownership is learning to fix them or work on them. While I really wish this wasnā€™t an issue with one I helped him get (and will see it fixed) it is a fun way to learn how it works and is a non-safety issue.


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Next phase ... proper cleaning and maintenance

The cleaning, especially the barrel, can do more damage than regular wear and tear so thatā€™s the next big step. Iā€™ve seen more barrels, especially the crowns, ruined from improper use of a rod and tip. Various firearms require different techniques so check out proper AR techniques and tools. Learn where and with what to clean and lube youā€™re AR for reliable functioning and life.

Cleaning and maintenance regularly will make a quality firearm last a lifetime and serve you well.
 
Just a brief follow up:

The magazine catch was buggered. Wouldnā€™t hold a mag. Purchased a CMMG kit that had a replacement, dropped it in and it worked fine. So he is up and running.

Got home and put the buggered one on another lower, and same problem. I >think< the issue is the mag catch bar is supposed to be at like a 90 degree angle, or slightly less. I think his was around 92 degrees. Just to see, I took a pair of pliers and squeezed the mag bar to where itā€™s now around 88 degrees, put it back in and now it works fine. Since I did my redneck ā€œbend it backā€ Gun smithing on it, Iā€™ll probably just reserve it as a spare for parts.

But, that was what I feel was the issue, a very slightly out of spec mag catch bar.


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