Timbonez

They look like a newer company, and the PTR 91 is a HK G3/41/91 clone. I have no experience with the rifle, but there are a few things to note based on the info on their website: 1. Barrels are not chrome lined. Chrome lining will increase the life of your barrel and it is easier to clean; the downside is you give up a little accuracy. Reference our M4s and M16s, they're all chrome lined. 2. There is no mention of what kind of steel is used in the barrel. They may have the original HK tooling, but companies can espouse mil-spec this and mil-spec that without it meeting those standards. I'm not saying they aren't using quality steel, but it's definitely something to research. 3. They don't recommend using most of the milsurp ammunition available. That's huge (sts) because that is going to be your least expensive ammo, and battle rifles like the G3 were designed for that. Their website says that military surplus ammo isn't made to exact specifications (no shit), but fail to note that there are certain controls that have to be met by military surplus ammo, especially NATO stuff. If they say that milsurp ammo isn't recommended for their rifles, then the rifle is not worth it. 4. 1 year warranty. Granted a lot of firearm manufacturers only offer 1-3 year warranties, but the ones worth your time will offer a lifetime warranty. If they won't put a lifetime warranty on their own product, why even make it? It's like you're saying you don't trust it. 5. One of the owners has extensive experience (50 years) in medical and aircraft components, but there is no mention of firearm experience. He could be a mechanical genius, but that doesn't necessarily translate into firearm know how. Some reviews of the PTR-91: https://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-156716.html https://www.hkpro.com/forum/showthread.php?110771-PTR-91-Inc.-PTR-91-vs.-JLD-Enterprises-PTR-91-vs.-Heckler-amp-Koch-HK-91 If it were me, I'd stay away from it because of it's inability to work correctly with surplus ammo. EDIT: Look at the CETME and HK91s.

What a great gift for your son. Speaking of gifts, I'm currently looking for a pistol for the wife. I was thinking a SIG P225, as it's a 9mm and it's a single stack (girl hands). If she could handle the .45 ACP more consistently I'd get her a 1911, but I don't see that happening. Maybe a revolver; she shot my S&W Model 19 w/2.5" bbl pretty well.

12% buyer's fee and state tax regardless of origin? You're better off at Gun Broker or Guns America.

Haha, don't be jealous, M2. Spoo just thinks I have better tastes in the 1911 realm... just kidding. That being said, however, I only own 3 1911s that cost under $1,000; my 4 others were all near or over $2k. I have no personal experience with the Springfield Loaded and limited experience with the Kimber. A friend of mine (he was my range buddy back in P'cola) has a Kimber Custom II, and it shot very well every time I used it. Kimber makes a fine production handgun. On the other hand, I've never heard anything bad about SA 1911s. They're probably one of the most popular production 1911 manufacturers, and for good reason. If I remember correctly, the frames are made in Brazil, but everything else is made and assembled in the US. A few of the other firearms forums I frequent have a lot of people singing the Springfield TRPs praises. That's their flagship model and can be found brand new on gunbroker for just under $1400 for the rail-less version. Anyway, I'll defer to M2 since he actually owns several SA 1911s. I'll never own a Colt AR-15, but I will own their 1911s. I have their flagship Special Combat Government Carry as well as an old Combat Commander I had built. I also own their Series 70 repro. If it were me, and I could only own a single 1911, and it had to be a production gun I'd get a Colt Series 70. I'd also look at Colt's XSE line, which is under $1,000. I don't care for the grip safety they use on them. It's more of a duckbill rather than an upswept beavertail; this theoretically limits how high of a grip you can get on the 1911. They just added a new model to the XSE line called the rail gun, which has a rail on the dust cover. It also uses a beavertail safety, and has a flat mainspring housing which is more common that the arched one (like on M2's GI .45 in the top left). I'm not really a fan of rails on 1911s, but this one looks sharp; if only I could find a blued one. If you save your pennies a little longer you can get a Dan Wesson or STI production gun. The Springfield Armory TRP that I mentioned before is pretty sweet too. You can also find used Les Baer's (they're a semi-custom manufacturer) for around the same price range. Many of the new Les Baer's are in the $1700-$1800 range. I love my production 1911s, but when put up against a semi-custom they just don't compare. There is a noticeable difference in fit and finish. The action is smoother, and the whole gun is tuned at a different level. You don't notice the finer details unless you really compare the two. I can only imagine what a true custom 1911 is like, but I don't have $5K or $6K to spend on one, and at that point I think your just paying for the look of the firearm. If this is your first 1911, stick with a production 1911 from the two manufacturers you were looking at. I'd look at Colt too. If this isn't your first 1911, I'd think about saving a little more and looking at a semi-custom (Nighthawk, Les Baer, Ed Brown, and Wilson Combat). I hope I answered your question. EDIT: Colt's Dan Wesson STI Nighthawk Custom I have a Talon IV. I also have a Talon II and Enforcer on the way; 10% mil direct from the manufacturer Les Baer Ed Brown Wilson Combat

Between the two BigFreddie mentioned, Bravo Company (BCM) is the better choice. They use better steel in their barrels and a 1:7 twist rate. BCM makes very good ARs; I have two of their uppers and three of their bolt carrier groups. Another very good choice that has a great price point is Spike's Tactical. Their standard M4 style AR-15 meets most of the mil-spec items on "The Chart". I'm not sure if they pressure test their bolts or barrels, but it has everything else. That link gives a good explanation of each item and also provides it's own links for those who need more information. Just know that the chart only compares the standard M4 style AR by each company. Those items listed on the chart, however, are almost universal to each company's AR product line. Sometimes one of the companies on the right side of the chart (Bushmaster and Rock River specifically) will do limited runs on rifles that give them more checks on the chart (i.e. 1:7 twist). With the exception of HPT and MPI on both the barrel and bolt, most of the items on the chart are easily changed by the end user. Personally, I wouldn't change anything if I had a rifle on the right side of the chart unless it failed. Relatively speaking, there are only a handful of people that are going to shoot their rifles so much that they are going to run into problems. All that being said, I would trust my life with anything from Rock River through Colt. Spikes ST-15 M4 Carbine and Spike's ST-15 M4 LE Carbine. The only difference between the two is the non-LE rifle has a cold hammer forged barrel, which commands a higher price. So if that's not important to you, you can have a top of the line AR-15 for $800. Spend the rest on accessories and ammo. You can even buy a drop in rail (free float even).

Hoss, that's a nice rifle and I see it doesn't have the foolish M4 cut for an M203. That's totally useless nowadays, and even more so if you don't have a grenade launcher. Bushmaster makes a good rifle. Some of the parts, however, aren't mil-spec. As I mentioned earlier I wouldn't be too worried about changing any of those parts unless they fail (which I doubt they will). It's just something to be aware of. Buy an optic and a backup iron sight. As for the thong... strictly a comfort thing, right? Again, congrats on an awesome gift. Vertigo, if it doesn't have the features you're looking for, I wouldn't bother buying it. There are so many options on how to modify an AR-15 and what to modify on it. So you want to buy an AR-15, huh? This has a lot of good information on what to look for in an AR-15. The guy also recommends certain AR-15s, but I'd ignore those. Some of the info is outdated, but not enough to make a huge difference. Keep in mind that the author wrote that thread for law enforcement/door kicker types. As a regular Joe, you may feel that certain features aren't that important to you. Remember that he is looking at mil-spec features. Those are a minimum required by the military, and in some cases some manufacturer's exceed those requirements. Others ignore them and cut corners (but this doesn't necessarily make them a bad rifle) to save on production. You have to ask yourself what you want as a base rifle. Once you figure that out you can pretty much do what you want with it. Personally, there are certain parts of the rifle that I want to meet/exceed mil-spec: barrel/barrel extension (type of steel and twist rate), bolt, bolt carrier, front sight base (if you choose to have the standard A frame), chrome lining, buffer, and receiver extension. AR-15.com AR Discussion also has good information. If you want you can even build your own lower receiver with minimal tools. I've built 3 lowers for my AR-15s. All you need is a stripped lower, a lower parts kit (they usually come with triggers), and a buttstock kit (this will come with the receiver extension, buttstock, buffer, and buffer spring; you can buy these all separately too). You can also build the upper yourself as well, but you need some specific tools and a vise.

Bushmaster isn't a bad rifle. What's the twist rate? It should say on top of the barrel, forward of the front sight. 99% of Bushmasters are 1/9 twist (mil-spec is 1/7), which means bullets over 69 grains will most likely not stabilize (right now the military mostly uses a 62 grain steel penetrator). Sometimes a 1/9 barrel will stabilize the heavier bullets, but you'll have to test that yourself. A 1/9 twist is fine for most people. As long as you don't run into any problems, I wouldn't bother changing any of the internals (BCG, buffer, etc.). If you do, let us know and we'll steer you in the right direction. If you're interested in changing the stock, make sure you get one designed for a commercial receiver extension and not a mil-spec extension. Buy an optic for it: Aimpoint, Trijicon, EoTech. Congrats on your new rifle. Pics?

Price? What do you plan on doing with this rifle? I can go in depth about the features you want in an AR-15, but if it's just going to be a plinker that you take to the range once a month then get it if the price is good. There are plenty of better manufacturers out there, however, that build mil-spec rifles (or better than mil-spec). For your standard Direct Impingement systems (i.e. not gas piston) look at Colt, BCM, Noveske, Lewis Machine Tool (LMT), Spike's Tactical. That being said, I would have no problem buying one of their stripped lowers and building a rifle off of that.

Those are some pretty good deals on FN products. The SCAR is overrated and overpriced, IMO. The LMT MWS looks pretty awesome.

M2, thanks a lot. The Combat Commander is going to my dad as he gave me the slide assembly while I bought the frame and frame parts. I had a smith fit the parts that I couldn't, and I just thought I'd give it back to my dad. I'm thinking about selling the Series 70 Colt, but my wife thinks I should have 7 1911s because it's a lucky number. That means I'll have to buy a new one to replace the Combat Commander. Schokie, I totally agree that the SIG P229 is a fine firearm. I have a SIG P220 carry and I love it; it's one of the pistols in my rotation for carry.

You're probably talking about Mec-Gar magazines. Point is it was designed as a 13rd magazine and then they changed the follower/spring to fit 2 extra cartridges. On a related note SIG just came out with their E2 (enhanced ergonomics) P226 and P229. The P229 9mm version uses their .40 S&W frame which allows for 15 round magazines that were designed for it. I was thinking about getting the wife one since she has trouble holding my Beretta. SIG P226 E2 SIG P229 E2 I got bored yesterday so I took a picture of my 1911s. I technically have 7, but two of them are being built by Nighthawk Custom (a Talon II and an Enforcer). Smith & Wesson 1911, Colt Special Combat Government Carry, Nighthawk Custom Talon IV, Colt Series 70, and Colt Combat Commander. I got OD green gator grips for my Enforcer The frame on my Talon II is a titanium blue w/black controls and slide

Guess I didn't think about that one.

The P228 is no longer made; it's been replaced by the P229 (essentially the same) which comes standard with the rail. The mil never procured these weapons as all M11s are P228s. I'd still prefer the M9 as it's 15+1 over 13+1, and size is not an issue (sts) when carrying for the government. That being said, if they issued P220s or 1911s I'd prefer those. EDIT: Did not see Vertigo's response.

He owned that guy; old man strength at its best. I had to watch the original video after that.

That's cool. I'm assuming this is for open carry? I like how this was an amendment to the Credit Card Accountability Act; politics at it's best.

You mean besides the one that crashed two years ago? I know most likely unrelated...

What HU&W said. At the very least get a dedicated AR .22 upper. It will drop right on to your standard AR-15 lower, but will only fire .22LR. .22LR is optimized for a 1/16 barrel twist. The most common .223/5.56 AR barrels have a twist rate of 1/7, 1/8, or 1/9. You'll lose stability (read: accuracy) past 50 yards and probably even closer. Plus a dedicated .22 upper or complete .22 AR is designed to function with the finicky .22 anyway. EDIT: Added "yards"

You sure about that?

Yeah I guess I should have mentioned they would continue to sell firearms accessories; all those funky colors for ARs and whatnot. They're also going to continue to sell their medical packs. It's the actual lowers that are going to be produced by another company. The stripped lower is considered the firearm by the ATF and is the only serial numbered part. You can have uppers, BCGs, lower parts, etc. mailed directly to your doorstep. One of these days you'll see the error in your ways and buy a black rifle... haha.

I know some of you asked about Cavalry Arms AR-15 lowers a while back; their polymer. It appears that on 10 Feb, CAV Arms had a press release saying that they would be closing their FFL. They've had a well known, ongoing battle with the ATF for the last two years over some "violations." It's a shame because they made some good firearm accessories and an awesome polymer lower. Anyway, it looks like they are going to sell the rights to it to some other company so the lowers can continue to be made. And for those of us that already own one, they will be negotiating with the new company to take responsibility for service/support. It sucks when a good, AMERICAN company gets shit on by its own government, especially by an agency that looks to limit our second amendment rights. Cavalry Arms Not my images.

ZING! Well played.

This almost made it to the second page. This needs to be pinned like the gun forum.

That's kind of lame. It sucks when companies make buying/selling guns more restrictive when it doesn't have to be. Since I'm still waiting on that Nighthawk Talon II, I decided to buy two more 1911s: Smith & Wesson 1911 Colt Special Combat Government Carry The ones pictured are not mine.

Definitely the onside kick and the interception are what ended it for the Colts.

I disagree. The civil sector may not have necessarily needed any of those things, but once they saw their benefits they wanted it. Necessity is the mother of invention. It was a matter of need for the government/space program, and I would bet that a lot of those things that are commonplace to us due to the space program wouldn't be here because their wasn't a need in the civil sector.