Building an AR-15: My experience.

I have put together two AR-15s so far, and I am going to share my thoughts on the experience of buying and building both of them. I did a lot of things wrong before I did something right. Maybe this will help someone who is interested in  building their own.

I am a massive supporter of building your own AR-15. It saves money in the long run and you get exactly what you want. I am not the only one that shares this sentiment. This YouTube video explains it perfectly:

When I build my first one, I was in college and I was just starting to get into guns. I was probably 19 or 20 years old and I could neither afford to buy one outright nor was I old enough to legally be allowed to buy one. I was, however, allowed to buy everything for an AR-15 except the Lower Receiver (the part that is legally considered the gun) and wait until I was 21 to buy it. I kept my eye out for parts that I needed and hoped they were on sale.

I was building this just after the Sandy Hook tragedy, so finding parts for a decent price proved to be difficult. Once they started threatening to ban all ARs, people started buying ARs left, right and sideways. I also didn't know which companies had better or worse quality, it was basically all about price.

So, I knew I wanted an AR, but I didnt have anything in mind about EXACTLY what kind of AR I wanted.
The AR-15 is quite multifaceted  depending on how you set it up. Because I knew nothing, I decided I wanted it to do EVERYTHING!!!! This turned out to be the worst idea ever...

I had no idea where to start looking for AR parts... I had about four friends who were all trying to help me and they were about as useless as help could possibly get. they gave me a bunch of different websites that they used, but most of them were kinda... meh... I primarily purchased all of my parts from three different websites. MidwayUSA, Brownells, and Amazon.

Amazon? really? yeah... what did I know? they had the stuff I needed, and it was cheap. I would do it again if I had to do it over... I found a 7 inch quad rail on amazon for about $50 and anywhere else was over $200. It had no brand, but it had decent reviews and it allowed me to keep my cost down.

The next thing I picked up was the charging handle. Remember when I said my friends were less than helpful? I had a friend who build a few ARs and he told me "make sure you buy a good charging handle. I have see those things break. You don't want to skimp out on it." So what does an impressionable young man like myself do? I buy a $70 charging handle with the extended grip on it. It has BCM engraved into it and you can tell it is high quality. I am really happy with it, but let's be real here. I have a lot more experience with ARs now, and I have never ever heard of anyone's charging handle breaking. the extended handle does make it a bit more comfortable, but it is definitely not needed. If you are building an AR for the first time, just get the cheap $20 dollar ones. It is all you need.


I was also told not to cheap out on a barrel, and that the pencil barrels you get on cheap ARs are not very accurate and they wear out a lot faster. So I bought a heavy barrel on Amazon and didn't think anything of it. my barrel had a carbine length gas system, so I grabbed the stuff I needed for that. I didn't like the full time iron sights/gas block/barrel combos, so I got a gas block with a rail on it. my quad rail fit just before the gas block started, and I was hoping that both rails would be the same height, but no such luck. The gas block I got was only about twenty bucks anyhow, so I decided to just live with it.

On the end of the barrel, I didn't want to be lame and just have the standard AR flash hider. I also heard that compensators help to reduce recoil, so I picked up a cool stainless steel compensator that had spikes on the front. whenever I wasnt shooting it, I had to protect the case and my walls by putting a red rubber cap over the spikes... yeah, I shot that cap off the second time I went out shooting... as cool as it is to say "yeah! I got spikes on the end!" it is really less cool the older you get. They were really sharp spikes too, and they just got stuck on everything, and pricked everyone. I ended up getting rid of it.

Working my way back, I had picked up the cheapest upper receiver I could find. There weren't really any issues with it until I finally paired it with my lower receiver and tried to put the pivot and takedown pins in. For some reason they did not match up quite perfectly, and it took a bit of shaving to get them to snap together. I want to say "make sure you buy your upper and lower as a set" but I did that for my next one, and it didn't help that much. Getting those pins out is still a bitch. if you are lucky, it will fit well... if you are normal, it may take some fitting...

I bought that upper receiver stripped, which means it didn't come with any of the little parts that are normally attached, such as the forward assist button thing, and the dust flap. I hated assembling these parts. First off, it was a waste of shipping to buy all of these things separate. I couldn't find anyone who would sell all of them. I also wanted a dust flap that had cool words on it, so I ended up buying the forward assists assembly by itself, then the dust flap, and last the spring that keeps the dust flap open. I did all of them wrong. They are unusually hard to install, so I recommend not wasting the time, and just spending the extra money on one that is assembled. Also, forget about the cool graphics on the dust flap. No one cares what you think, and it makes you look like a tool. Trust me. I looked like a tool.

I was told that a nickle plated bolt carrier group was the way to go, because it reduced friction. Thankfully, I didn't have the money for that shit and I was smart enough to go with the regular bolt carrier group. No one needs the nickle plated stuff. It is cool, but unnecessary.

I picked up a lower receiver parts kit for about $100 that included the trigger and hammer assemblies, the trigger, the pistol grip, the carbine buffer tube, recoil spring and standard plastic GI style stock. All of these parts worked okay, and it was about all I could find at the time, so I lived with it. I ended up switching out the pistol grip, because I hated the GI pistol grip.

I ended up getting a Magpul pistol grip because it had three different thicknesses, two different front panels to either allow for a finger notch, or to have a smooth front, and it also had a secret compartment in the grip which I used to store exactly three rounds of ammo. The grip was everything it was supposed to be. I had no idea what I liked, so I wanted something that would do everything. I found out that I do not like the finger notch and I like a slightly thinner grip, because I feel like I have more control. I also found out that I do not like how plastic this grip felt. Magpul has come out with some grips which are sorta rubbery, and those may be better, but mine felt like very cheap plastic. On my AR, I found out I like a "grippier" pistol grip (it's a real word... just trust me... Don't look it up... just know that I am right).

I also found out that I hated the standard trigger on my AR. They are cheap, and that is great, but they are heavy, gritty, and generally unpleasant. I wouldn't have done it for that first AR, because I just wanted the gun to be done, but I now prefer a much more polished trigger.

alright, so that is the basic parts of the gun, now lets get on to accessories! This is where it really gets interesting. If you ever heard of a "Mall Ninja" then you will understand... If not, here is a decently funny video:

Basically, the Mall Ninja is someone who puts every accessory they can find on their guns. It looks tacky and that is exactly what my gun looked like..

Lets start with optics... I was told to always have iron sights on your gun, in case your other other optic breaks. This is pretty decent advise... but I also saw cool videos of people who had canted sights on their guns! I also saw people with flip up sights! ARG! I cant decide, but I don't want to spend more money than I have to! I am going to do canted, flip up, Iron sights that I bought on Amazon for about $20! Considering other sets by actual companies were about $200 for the set, I thought I was doing pretty good! but I found that I hated using Iron sights. it blocks your vision too much... so I bought a red dot sight.


I was told not to get a cheap red dot sight, because it will just break. so I feel like I did a pretty good job in picking up a Vortex red dot. It actually has turned out to be a really nice red dot It even came with a magnifier that could be screwed on to make it 2x power. which was great, but it reduced the field of view and didn't provide enough magnification for me to really care all that much.

But what if I wanted to shoot long range with it? I picked up a $100 tasco scope to slap on the top of this too! That was crap! the glass on a scope that cheap is so fuzzy and dim. I do not recommend it at all. "but wait, you just said you put a red dot on your rifle. How do you also have a scope?" That is a good question, imaginary question asker! I decided that since I had canted irot sights, that I could also get a canted rail section, and stick my red dot on that, so that I could Co-Witness the sights. That is when you can line up the iron sights through the red dot sights you have in between them. Not a bad idea, unless your red dot sight and your iron sights are canted at slightly different angles... This is what you get when you buy crappy stuff... On top of that, the head of the bolt that held my canted rail in place got stripped the moment I put any pressure on it. No matter how much I try, I cannot get it detached from the rail. That is what you get from a $15 part though. lack of quality.

The quad rail obviously has a bottom rail, so I wanted to put something there. Most people would use a vertical grip, but I was not most people. I heard that the Magpul Angled Foregrip was the next big thing, and I wanted to be a part of , so I picked one up. They are pretty cool, but most people don't know how to use them. They try to grab onto the grip, and only the grip, as if they are grabbing onto a vertical grip, but that is not it. It is designed to be used with your four fingers going along the face, and your thumb wraping around the top of the hand guard. You need to stick your elbow out to the side to hold it this way, but that is how all of the competition shooters support their guns already, just without the angled foregrip. The foregrip just allows your hand to be at a less weird angle, and makes it a bit more ergonomic to support the rifle offhand.

I also decided I wanted a sling, but There are at least two different types of slings and I didn't know what I magpul made a sling that can be both a one point and a two point sling. Pretty cool. The sling works pretty well, but I found that I never use the one point sling. anyhow, I picked up a sling attachment point and put that on the front of my rifle, then I got a new buffer plate that had a swivel sling point. It was pretty alright too.
wanted (are you picking up on the theme here?). I did a bit of research and found that

After all of this, my rifle weight a ton. It did everything poorly and did nothing well. I was happy with it for a while, until I started seeing other people's rifles. their rifles were sleek and lacked scratches... They were simple and sometimes had a minimalist feel to it. They always weighed much less than my rifle and they always had a specific purpose to them. I am not going to lie... I was a bit jealous... I wanted a rifle that I could be proud of and that I could brag about... so I had to do a bit of soul searching to find out what I liked best in rifles and what purpose I wanted my next rifle to have.

Finally, I came up with a set of requirements. I wanted my rifle to be:

-Fast
-Light
-Comfortable
-Quality

Gone were the days of cheap items. I would spare no expense on this new AR because I was tired of people asking me "what brand is Bla Bla Bla?" and having to respond with "uh... generic... I don't know... It was cheap..." It just made me look and feel like a tool.  I knew this was going to be more expensive, and I still wanted to find good deals where I could get them, but I refused to get another brand-less knockoff.

I am a big fan of 3-Gun Competitions, and despite not living anywhere near any, I still have an ambition to take part in 3-Gun matches some time in the future. A good 3-gun rifle has reduced recoil, and decreased lock time after firing. This allowed you to get back on target faster, and allowed for faster followup shots. This is done by doing a few different things. First, you want to stop the bolt from slamming into the back of the buffer tube to reduce the felt recoil and the overall shock you felt when firing the rifle. I got a low profile adjustable Gas block from JP Enterprises. This allowed me to reduce the amount of gas that was thrown back into the bolt. tune this just right, you can get the bolt to slide back just far enough to eject the spent round and strip the next one off the top of the magazine without ever touching the back of the buffer tube. There is a small margin of error there, so it takes a while...

I also was planning to get a lightweight bolt carrier group, but they are stupidly expensive, hard to find in-stock, and don't reduce the weight enough to make that much of a difference... So I am probably going to give up on that... I also added a Geissele trigger for added speed and just an overall better feel. they claim a slightly faster lock time, but even if it doesn't help speed at all, it feels amazing. It is about a 3.5 lb trigger pull and is as smooth as a trigger can get. much better than the stock triggers.

Everything else I did was to make my gun as light as possible, while still looking good, and feeling good. I saw people online who went to "extreme weight loss" and they started drilling holes in anything that wasn't essential. That looked awful and I hated it. I wasn't going to spend money on something just to ruin it like that. no thank you. I decided to just look for regular parts that were specifically designed to be lightweight. My upper and lower combo were made by Mag Tactical (who doesn't seem to exist anymore), and had some sort of aluminum/titanium alloy that made it much lighter. I found a barrel from Voodoo Innovations which weighed about a pound and a half. The hand guard was a Troy Alpha rail. I
wanted a 7inch to reduce weight, but I had a friend who didn't want his 9 inch, and he sold it to me at a good deal. meh... what's a few ounces, right? I found a compensator that was made from aluminum and was very light. I couldn't find any pistol grips that claimed it was lightweight, and I wanted something nice and rubbery, so I chose a ergo pistol grip, and I love it.

When I started building this rifle, there weren't any adjustable stocks on the market that claimed to be lightweight. I picked up a cheap Magpul stock at first, but was not very happy with it. The stock worked as advertised, but I had some friends who had chosen to buy more expensive versions of that stock, and I was a bit jealous of them. They were able to lock their stocks in place, to keep them from jiggling around and making noise. I waited a bit and very recently ATI came out with a lightweight adjustable stock. It was very minimalist, in that all it did was adjust, but they material they used on the inside of the tube was slicker than normal, so they could afford to mold them almost perfectly to the size of the buffer tube. It made it tough to move, but it also took out any wiggle or jiggle. They have a grip pad inset into the butt of the stock as well, so it doesn't slip off your shoulder. I was very very happy with it. It was exactly what I wanted for this rifle.

One of the heaviest parts of your rifle can be the optics. I still want to use this gun for 3 gun competitions (if I ever move to an area of the country that has them) and they often require a low power scope and a red dot. I do not compete yet, so I knew I would not shoot it out past 100yds. High quality red dot sights are lighter and cheaper than high quality scopes anyhow, so I felt it was a better financial decision. I chose to use a Burris Fast Fire, because it was one of the lighter weight red dot's I could find, and I know Burris makes quality glass.

My rifle weighs in at a slender 5.1 lbs. I bet if I got that light weight bolt carrier group, it would be under 5lbs.

I tried to leave all other accessories off the rifle. I think I have a sling point, just to give me that option, but most of the time, I do not use a sling with it. Even though I think having extra iron sights is a good idea, I have not done it on this rifle. I don't expect this rifle would be used in any sort of survival circumstance. It is sort of like a corvette... I could use it in a demolition derby... but it would not do very well...

So far, some of the issues I have run into are with changing ammo. The ammo I used when I tuned it was just some normal federal FMJ ammo. I tuned the gas block to allow juuuuuuust enough gas through to do the work it needs. This means that any time I go to the cheap steel cased ammo which has less charge, the gun will eject the spent casing, but not strip the next round. I keep meaning to reload my own .223 ammo, so I can control the velocity and get a bit more consistency, but reloading .223 is such a hassle that I haven't gotten into it. No point if I am just shooting for fun.
 All of these items were purchased online as well. I got the upper and lower combo directly from Mag Tactical's website (Which, again, no longer seems to exist). After I put them together with the pivot and take-down pins, they were really really stiff. Despite ordering them as a set, it was next to impossible to take out the pins to take them apart. It broke in a bit better after a while, but it is still very difficult to get them taken out. I thought about getting extended pins, but that would add weight, and is not strictly needed.

Anyhow, that is about it. That is what it was like building my two different AR-15s. Any questions? comments? similar experiences? tips? tricks? Tell me about Your AR, or your plan to build one.

first firearm

Alright, so you have been reading my posts, and I make it sound like guns are pretty cool. You decide you want to get your first gun, but you are not sure what you want. There are hundreds, if not thousands of guns to choose from. How could you possibly choose the right one?

The short answer is that there is no wrong gun, but I am going to talk about guns that I think are good for people just starting out.

Gun #1

Mosin Nagant

 Every one is at a different position in their lives, and depending on your age and social status, this could be the perfect gun. This was my first gun, so I would be remiss not putting it on the list!

When I bought this gun, I was a Junior in college. I was about 20 years old, and was just starting to figure myself out. I knew I wanted a gun, but I had no money, and no idea about guns. my friends told me "stay away from Highpoints" and that was about it... I was too young to buy a pistol (you must be 21 years of age) so I knew I needed a rifle of some sort. I also didn't want to look like less of a man for getting a small gun, so I decided I wanted a big gun, that did not cost very much money, and this is what I came up with.

I was able to buy mine online for about $100 and I found an FFL near me who charged about $25 for a
transfer fee, making about $125 by the time it was mine. This is a rifle that the russians made back in WWII and it shoots a 7.62x54r cartridge. For anyone who can't convert that to standard (yeah, I couldn't either) that is about the Russian equivalent of a .308 or a 30-06.

Being Russian, it obviously had some quirks. Like being covered in Cosmoline when it arrived. Cosmoline is a gooey, slimy substance that the Russians used to preserve the firearms in case they were ever needed again in the future. The issue is that they had been sitting in this stuff since the end of WWII and it had soaked DEEP into the wood stock. In order to get it into shooting condition, I had to first learn to take the gun apart, so I could separate the wood stock from the rest of the gun. I then needed to buy a heat gun, and a massive box of shop rags. I spent a good two weeks of my spare time going over every inch of that wood, heating up with the heat gun, watching the Cosmoline boil out of it and wiping it off.

Once I got it shooting though, it was exactly what I wanted. It made a very big boom, and shot a large projectile very quickly. You load the magazine from the top, and you had to make sure you loaded it so that the rims on the brass would not catch on each other, and jam the gun when cycling the bolt, but other than that, it was about as reliable as guns come.  And never use the safety. That has got to be one of the most dangerous safeties I have ever seen. You have to pull back that knob on the back of the bolt and twist it counter clockwise. The issue is that the spring fighting against you is actually taken from the coil springs that hold up their cars (not really, that's a joke). You are liable to kill someone just by engaging the safety.

It was exactly what you would expect from a Russian WWII rifle. It was bit, and long, and cumbersome. It was ugly, uncomfortable, simple and it kicked like a frickin mule. This was a rifle that would work through

any conditions you could think to put it through. Many of them show markings stating they have done just that! 

There is a proud history with these rifles and tons of information on the stamps and markings they put all over the gun. It is also considered a fence post by many, simply because they are so plentiful and uncomfortable. Purists will say the gun is perfect the way it is, and normal people will not give two shits if you decide to put some work into it. They make many aftermarket items for this gun. I got a new stock on mine, as well as a bent bolt handle. They make scope mounts and quad rails for them as well. Do with it what you want.

Now that the US has a ban on Russian imports, the price of the gun has gone up a bit to about $190 online, which obviously doesn't include the local FFL transfer fee. You can find them at just about any local gun store as well. Even though the price has gone up, it is still one of the cheapest guns you can find, and if you are younger than 21 and have very little income, this may be the perfect choice.

Gun #2

Ruger 10/22

 This is a great first gun for any age. Ruger 10/22s have been around for decades, and have always made a pretty decent firearm. They fire a .22lr cartridge, which is pretty inexpensive, and used to be pretty hard to find for a while (thanks obama) but now is more easily acquired in large boxes of up to 550 rounds. They are

still a bit more expensive than before, but you can carry 550 rounds for less money than just about any other caliber weapon.

The Ruger 10/22s have been selling at around $300 for a base model and can be purchased just about anywhere. This has to be one of the best selling rifles of the modern age. So easy a 10 year old could use it (and if I ever have children, they will probably get one at 10 years old) but so fun it can be used by literally anyone. It is hard to beat the fun of a Semi-Auto rifle that has so little recoil and noise.

10/22s are among the most modified guns out there and there are many aftermarket Accessories and upgrades for it. Anything from better trigger groups, to barrels, to stocks. Just about every part of this gun has some sort of aftermarket part you can buy for it. Some things are cheap, like an extended magazine release, and some are a bit more expensive, like a new trigger group or barrel.

I have one of these rifles and I purchased an electric blue boyds stock for it, mounted a scope to it, give it an extended mag release, bought a BX-25 magazine, and added a softer buffer bar. I still want to upgrade the trigger and the barrel for it at least. I have made it into a pretty accurate 50 yard target rifle.

Along these same lines, Ruger has recently come out with the Ruger American Rimfire, which is a bolt action .22lr rifle. My wife has one of those, and it is still pretty nice. even slightly more accurate than my 10/22 at this point. Still takes the 10 round Ruger rotary mags, as well as the 25 round BX-25 mags that I mentioned earlier. They both cost about the same, the biggest difference is that one is bolt action and one is Semi-Auto.

Gun #3

 Smith and Wesson J-Frame Revolver.

If you are over 21 years of age, you can purchase hand guns. If you haven't gotten a gun until after you are 21, this is a very popular choice. Revolvers in general are fantastic guns to own. Many people use them in self defense situations and to concealed carry on their person. Unlike Pistols, revolvers do not have a magazine. Instead, they have multiple chambers in which to carry rounds. This is a very important distinction

because it basically means that a revolver will never jam up on you. 

Guns are used to save lives in many situations, and the last thing you need is for your gun to malfunction. If you want to reduce the chance of that ever happening, you get a revolver. If you are going to get a revolver, you may as well get a Smith and Wesson. Smith and Wesson was competing with Colt when revolvers were still a pretty new thing. They would take a design Colt had, and improve upon it in their own way. You buy Colt for the name, but you buy Smith and Wesson for the quality. No one makes them better and more reliable. 

Why this specific revolver? The J-Frame is a smaller framed revolver. They make many different versions which may include features like a frame mounted laser, Hammer-less operation, and sometimes even fiber optic sights. The most common caliber is .38 special, but it looks like you can get them in .357 magnum and .22 magnum as well. All three of which are good for self defense, although that is another debate altogether. There are plenty of after market items for them as well. you should not have any problems finding a holster to fit your needs.

If this is your first gun ever, I would probably recommend the .38 special. Even for men, the .357 magnum can be a tough load to handle if you are not experienced. The .38 is much more manageable, and would provide a good stepping stone for any future
guns. 

I don't personally have one of these, although I do have a Smith and Wesson 586. For me, the looks of a gun are almost as important as it's function. As a young guy, I want something sort of flashy or edgy. J-Frames look awkward to my eye, so I went with something long and pretty, like the 586. 

Gun #4

Glock 17, 9mm pistol

I know, I just talked about how revolvers don't jam like pistols do, but revolvers aren't for everyone. Despite there being a higher chance of pistols jamming, if you get the right pistol, the increased risk is so miniscule that it doesn't even matter. There are many pistols that fall under this category, but I would say this is one of the most popular.

The Glock line of pistols have a polymer frame with a striker fire system. This was very revolutionary, and very controversial back in the 80's when this pistol first came out. Now, Most firearm manufacturers have at least one model of pistol that follows this idea. The three most popular are Glocks, Smith and Wesson M&Ps, and Springfield XDs.

Despite these pistols being made with plastic, instead of traditional metals, they have built a reputation for being tough, reliable, and almost unbreakable pistols. They are the definition of a modern pistol, and the Glock line has been leading the way.

Glock has many different versions of this famed pistol, the differences being the size of frame and barrel, size of the magazine, and the caliber it is offered in.  Because they are striker fire pistols, there is no external safety. Instead, the firearms employ a few internals safeties, including a drop safety and a trigger safety. As I mentioned in previous posts, you should never rely on the safety connected to the firearm. The only safety you really need is between your ears.

I mention the Glock 17 just because it is the most average of all Glocks, it seems. It is chambered in 9mm, which is a good cartridge, it holds 17 rounds and is generally of average size. Great if you are just getting into Glocks.

The truth is, there is almost no way to go wrong here. I am more of a fan of the Smith and Wesson M&P 9, but I bought a Canik 55 TP-9 when I was 21 and that is a Turkish copy of the Walther P99. Despite no one ever hearing of Canik 55, they made an absolutely solid gun. I have never had a jamming issue, no matter what ammo I ran through it. While I wouldn't compete with it, I would trust it with my life. Just because I mention Glock as the most popular choice, doesn't make it the best or the only choice.

Gun #5

AR-15, .223/5.56 or AK-47

I am a big fan of both of these rifles, and I know they are very popular among both gun owners and non-gun owners. Both of these guns are featured in countless movies and television shows and are just generally really AK-47 for around $500-$600, and a low end AR-15 will run you about the same price, depending on where you look. In North Dakota, where I live, I was required to be 21 to purchase an AR-15. I don't know if that is a federal law or a state law, but make sure you know the laws in your area.
cool. Depending on the market, you can get into an

When I started buying guns, I didn't have the money to just drop $600 on the rifle I wanted, so I decided to start with an AR-15, because I could buy it piece by piece and get exactly what I wanted. This ended up being more expensive than the $600 you could spend on one outright, but less expensive than if I spent $600 on one, and then bought all of the aftermarket parts I wanted to switch out on the gun.

If you just want your first gun, and you don't know what you like, you can always buy one outright. Most gun shops have ARs and AKs in stock, or can order them. You can also buy them online and have them sent to
an FFL to pick up.

ARs are almost the stereotypical American rifle. Obviously our military uses a Fully-Auto version of this rifle, and as civilians we can get the Semi-auto version, but this is basically the same rifle they use. It was a beautifully designed rifle with interchangeable parts and a massive quantity of aftermarket accessories. I don't think there is a rifle in history that has as many customization options as the AR-15. There are entire companies, like Magpul, who make a profit on just creating and selling their own accessories. you can change calibers, sights, stocks, hand guards, triggers, pistol grips, muzzle breaks/compensators/flash hiders, barrels, gas blocks, bolt carrier groups, dust flaps, upper receivers, lower receivers and even recoil springs (thanks JP Enterprises).

The AK-47 is a beautiful piece of design work in it's own right. The AK was made to be manufactured

simply as possible and to be as reliable as possible. The AK will work at any time, in any environment, whether it is clean, dirty, wet, muddy, sandy or dusty. In fact, it often works better when it hasn't been cleaned in five years. The controls are simple and the recoil is mild. It is the iconic "bad guy's" weapon in movies. You wont find a more awe inspiring weapon. You can give this gun to anyone in the world and they will know exactly what it is. If this is your first gun, You are one lucky son of a bitch. Of first guns, this is one of the coolest you can possibly pick up, as well as one of the most diverse.

The AK has had some issues in the past with aftermarket items, due to import restrictions, but there are still a ton of aftermarket items available, and there are more and more US made AKs recently. You can get a scope rail that mounts to the side of the receiver. There are quad rail hand guards you can get as well as
plastic and wood stocks, pistol grips, and now there are some aftermarket triggers.

AKs can be used for fun, home defense, and even hunting (if you get a small enough magazine). The round is fairly large and packs a pretty good punch, but is not overpowering for small and medium sized game. The guns is fairly accurate and like I mentioned before, it will always run.

Gun #6

Benelli Nova pump 12 gauge Shotgun

Just like with the Glocks, just because I am saying this specific gun, doesn't mean this is the only option. If you want a pump action shotgun, do your research and pick one that you like the best. There is no right answer here, as everyone's  preference changes.

I chose the Benelli because I find them to be one of the best shotgun manufacturers in the world. They are more well known for their auto-loading shotguns, but they make a fantastic pump shotgun as well. The price

rivals that of any other pump shotgun, and I am pretty happy with some of the features it offers. I am not much of a shotgun guy. I needed a gun for duck hunting and this met all of my needs and more. I like shooting rifles better, and it always threw me off just having the one bead at the end of the barrel to aim with. Rifles always have a front and rear sight, and Benelli uses a front bead as well as a rear bead to line up. The also have a button on the pump that, when pressed, will allow you to eject one round without loading the next round. 

I wanted to make sure that my gun could be cleaned pretty easily too, and the Benelli is really simple to take down and clean. The only tool you really need is the magazine cap. you unscrew the cap, and use the tip of the cap to pop out the two pins from the receiver. with the cap off, you can take off the barrel, and then the pump. with the pins out, you can clean the trigger group and take out the bolt to be cleaned. 

I lent my gun to someone going duck hunting for the first time, and as he was wading through the pond, he tripped. He fell down and the first thing he dunked in the pond was my gun... Kept the ammo dry... but dunked the gun... seriously? we brought hundreds of rounds of ammo... dunk the ammo, save the gun! But anyhow, he dunked my gun straight to the bottom of the pond and it was soaked in dirt and filth. When the gun dried it was as stiff as a dead body. It still worked, but pumping the action was something of a chore... I was able to take it apart in the field, pour some drinking water on it, cover it in diesel engine oil, and it was just like new!

I have mentioned this in previous posts, but shotguns are very versatile firearms. They can be used for hunting, self defense, and for fun shooting clay pidgins. They can fire a variety of ammo from bird shot to slugs. If you want something that does just about everything, the shotgun is the way to go. It is much easier to get into a pump shotgun than an Auto-Loader. Auto loaders are normally more expensive, and a lot of the time they are less reliable. Benelli makes a lot of them, but they are about twice as expensive as the Nova.

Gun #7
(Almost) Literally any gun in the world.

I am always excited when someone becomes a new gun owner. I have my own opinions about guns, but I try to keep an open mind. Getting someone hooked on the joys of firearms is more important to me than what firearms they get hooked on. If all you can afford is a Highpoint, then buy it. If you have the money for a Kriss Vector and you want that to be your first gun, then go for it. As long as you are a law abiding and responsible citizen, you are more than welcome to buy just about any gun you want.

The guns that I provided above are going to be your safest bets, in my opinion. The guns above are a quality product that a lot of people really enjoy, but there are other options that will be just as good if not better for you, depending on what you want. Like I mentioned above, my first pistol was a Turkish made, off brand pistol, and I have no regrets with what I chose.

Well, that is about it. Just my thoughts. What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? What was your first gun? If you could go back and do it all over again, what would you want your first gun to be? if you are new to firearms, what do you think you might want your first gun to be?

introducing people to firearms

This is an important subject for me. If you have not ready my post on Gun Safety, I would definitely recommend doing that really quick. Any time you introduce someone to the world of firearms, you must first teach them safety.

I hate hearing the stories about the boyfriends who take their girlfriends shooting. The boyfriend is really into guns, and wants to show off. The girlfriend has never gone shooting before or even handled a firearm, so they think it would be a great date. They go out to some empty field some place, forget the ear protection, and hand their girlfriend a 357 magnum revolver to fire as her first gun. Girl takes the shot and drops the gun because the noise and recoil was too much and all she wants to do is cover her now bleeding ears. She decides that guns are awful, and never wants anything to do with them ever again.

This is the worst. I hate this. One of my least favorite stories ever.

Whether you are introducing a child, a woman, or a man to firearms, there are some things you just don't do. If you actually want them to like guns, there is a certain way you need to go about introducing them.

First things first, Any time you are taking someone shooting who has never been shooting, you always want to make sure they know the five basic rules of handling a firearm. Imagine how they are going to feel about guns if they accidentally shoot their foot off... The gun community seems to have this stigma of being drunk republican hill-billies, and that couldn't be further from the truth. Those people give us other gun owners a bad rap, just because they don't have a brain. Don't be THAT GUY!

Show newcomers that gun owners are responsible, safe individuals by starting off with the five rules. Make sure they understand them and enforce them while you are at the range.

Second, I recommend going to a range that you pay for. While we don't like paying money to be a range member, ranges you pay for will most likely be nicer and cleaner. If you go to a random field, or a free range, it is going to be dirty, messy, and informal. It does not lend well to the stigma that is already put on gun owners. Take newcomers to a nice range. They will feel safer, and it will make you look like you are more professional and like you know what you are talking about.

Communicate with the newcomer about how the trip is going. Check in with them and ask them if they are having a good time. Is there anything that is making them uncomfortable? How do they like the guns? Ask for their feedback. Every newcomer is going to be slightly different and we want to make sure they have a good time and get hooked on firearms, just like we did.

Always give them ear protection. The biggest thing that turns people away from firearms is the noise. more
than the recoil or anything, it is the noise. I like only having the "in-ear" ear protection, but for newcomers, double it up. give them in-ear and over-ear protection. They may feel dumb having both, but it will be a much better experience. They may even come back to you and say "I don't need this over-ear protection, I will be comfortable with just one" and that is perfectly okay. That means the noise doesn't bother them as much as others. Many people will like the double protection.

Don't give them the largest rifle or hand gun in your arsenal. Start them off with your smallest caliber, and work your way up throughout the day. Women and children will definitely appreciate this. I brought my younger brother and sister shooting recently, and did this. My sister is 100lbs soaking wet and we started with the .22s to get her started off. She looked at me after shooting and was like... "that was it?" Yes! That is the exact reaction you want. they were expecting a big bang and a massive kick. What they got was something that felt like an airgun. They were hooked right then. "If that is what guns are about, I could totally get into that."

We were able to move up to my AR and AK, which have pretty light recoil, but create a lot more noise. they loved them. We moved up to my polymer 9mm pistol and they loved that as well. My Cannik 55 TP-9 is a great gun, but has a lot of muzzle flip. If we had started with that, they would have hated it. If I had started with my 30-06, they wouldn't have wanted anything to do with guns at all. Start small to hook them into the fun. Any time you move up, explain to them what to expect from this new gun, in comparison to the last one.

The worst true story that I have heard so far is very similar to the example I gave you above. Boyfriend was into guns, and girlfriend had never shot a gun in her life. As a Christmas gift, he got her a hunting rifle. She has never shot a gun, and he gave her a hunting rifle. He doesn't even know if she is going to like guns, and he gave her a hunting rifle. He felt that she should know how to shoot her hunting rifle, so he took her out to a field, did not give her ear protection, and had her shoot her rifle.

The girl I know is about the most skittish person I have ever met. She gets nervous driving to work every day. She doesn't like loud noises or anything. This whole thing was a bad idea, because she decided that she hated guns after that.

Thankfully, I was able to convince her to go shooting with me. I followed all of the things above and took her

out to my range. She knew how to handle a gun safely, we gave her ear protection, we went to the range that I am a member of, we started small with the .22s. I wanted to make sure that she had a good time going shooting. Even if she decided she still didn't like guns, she at least saw that the entire gun world is not what her boyfriend showed her.

As law abiding Americans, we have the right to own firearms. This is a large part of the American culture and we have to do everything we can to preserve it. Allowing everyone to think that gun owners are the stereotypical dumbass who likes big booms and large beers is not is not going to get that done. Do it right, or don't do it at all. Not everyone needs to like guns, but if you are the reason someone doesn't like guns, then you should be ashamed of yourself. That is about all I have to say on that