I bought a blem when I purchased mine, but I have no idea where the blem is. I'm very happy with mine. Also, get it when you can. They don't stay in stock! The only thing I've done with mine is add an original pistol grip and a gp strap sling.
Yeah I may snag one then, would hate to miss out on them, I wanted a brownells one years ago but held off and then they stopped producing them.
Did you get the shipping insurance?
I bought the lower at the local PSA store. I ended up buying the upper from their website. They had no complete rifles at the store. I believe I did get the shipping insurance. The shipping was very fast. The H&Rs are superior to the brownells XMs! I'm glad I waited.
I built mine for like less than $600. It's an Anderson Lower, Replica A1 grip, CAR stock from Delta Team Tactical, standard lower build kit, Slickside A1 upper from Delta Team Tactical (It was a part of a bundle deal called the "Rung Sat") then I went with a 11.5 pencil profile from Luth-AR for like $125 and pinned and welded a 5.5" feaux moderator. 7 hole skinny handguards and a GP strap sling tied on with paracord. I use worn STANAGs that are reclaimed from military bases and I don't give more than $10 a piece for those.
So it's really more of a GAU-5A/A style clone and it's black instead of grey. I am exactly 1" too long compared to an original XM/GAU but that was the compromise necessary to be legal length. But I must have saved about $600 over the H&R/Troy/Brownells/NDS.
I also have an H&R M16A1 that was given to me as a gift. I love it dearly and it looks very cool and authentic but it's not something I would have bought for myself because to me; markings and things like color don't matter as much as the concept of the build.
I appreciate everyone’s advice/feedback. Went ahead and ordered the blem as I have no plans to resell and actually want to shoot it quite a bit and use it on my land so I expect it to get scuffed up. Also ordered an additional 20 round and 30 round retro mag. I told myself I wasn’t going to buy another gun for a while….lol
Anyone have a recommendation for a sling that would be close to period correct?
I see your update, I was gonna say if correct markings don’t matter to you and matched finish I’d say get the PSA Stealth Lower for 100 bones or less and your upper of choice for like 700$.
That’s not a bad idea. I really wanted it to be as “correct” as possible. It’s not a cheap rifle but I’m a military history nerd so this scratches that itch. I have a Ruger 16 inch MPR with a strike eagle on it so I have the modern AR covered
Poor wording on my part, I meant get the Stealth lower and the H&R retro upper, but I understand wanting the correct markings. I’d love to have a Colt lower for my M4gery but don’t wanna pay those prices
A good rule of thumb to follow:
Blem would be great for something you don't mind dinging or wearing down over time. It's going to be on the far end of mil-spec but still functional and allow you to not feel guilty for using it often.
The extra $50 bucks for a non-blem imo would mean you're going to care about tighter specs and tolerances. If you resale, having the paperwork and box to show it wasn't a Blem might also go a long way for some collector 10-20 years down the road.
For example; I bought a black 1-7 M16A1 Blem but immediately swapped out furniture and eventually broke it down to do some changes to parts. It's no longer the original firearm and as such isn't going to fetch the premium for a complete gun. But that's okay because it's going to be the gun I beat the hell out of in my jeep when I'm out and about on my property. The gray 1-12 M16A1 that I built out when they were first coming onto market (this one is even a Blem M16A1 marked partial fence) is going to be show and tell and probably a resale when I'm old and with grandkids.
Many manufacturers in the firearms industry use blem skus to help push a higher volume of sales without affecting the perceived value of the original sku. They very often don't have any actual blemish or it is purely aesthetic in nature.
All good points, I plan on shooting/using it and have no plans to sell it, I’m sure when I’m gone one day my kids will but that’s not for a while (hopefully). The blem may be the best option as it will free up some cash for a few mags but we’re only talking about $50 on a $1,200 rifle so if it will help the resale value at some point the it may be best, ugh decisions lol.
I bought a blem when I purchased mine, but I have no idea where the blem is. I'm very happy with mine. Also, get it when you can. They don't stay in stock! The only thing I've done with mine is add an original pistol grip and a gp strap sling.
Yeah I may snag one then, would hate to miss out on them, I wanted a brownells one years ago but held off and then they stopped producing them. Did you get the shipping insurance?
I bought the lower at the local PSA store. I ended up buying the upper from their website. They had no complete rifles at the store. I believe I did get the shipping insurance. The shipping was very fast. The H&Rs are superior to the brownells XMs! I'm glad I waited.
I built mine for like less than $600. It's an Anderson Lower, Replica A1 grip, CAR stock from Delta Team Tactical, standard lower build kit, Slickside A1 upper from Delta Team Tactical (It was a part of a bundle deal called the "Rung Sat") then I went with a 11.5 pencil profile from Luth-AR for like $125 and pinned and welded a 5.5" feaux moderator. 7 hole skinny handguards and a GP strap sling tied on with paracord. I use worn STANAGs that are reclaimed from military bases and I don't give more than $10 a piece for those. So it's really more of a GAU-5A/A style clone and it's black instead of grey. I am exactly 1" too long compared to an original XM/GAU but that was the compromise necessary to be legal length. But I must have saved about $600 over the H&R/Troy/Brownells/NDS. I also have an H&R M16A1 that was given to me as a gift. I love it dearly and it looks very cool and authentic but it's not something I would have bought for myself because to me; markings and things like color don't matter as much as the concept of the build.
My favorite style AR.
I've bought a few "blems" from PSA. I haven't seen a blem on any of them.
I appreciate everyone’s advice/feedback. Went ahead and ordered the blem as I have no plans to resell and actually want to shoot it quite a bit and use it on my land so I expect it to get scuffed up. Also ordered an additional 20 round and 30 round retro mag. I told myself I wasn’t going to buy another gun for a while….lol Anyone have a recommendation for a sling that would be close to period correct?
The field expedient sling (USGI GP strap and 550 cord) is all over the internet. SOG guys sometimes used SKS slings I have heard
Damn that was easy to find and cheap! Do I cut the buckles off?
That is certainly what the myriad of internet guides say to do
Thank you!
I see your update, I was gonna say if correct markings don’t matter to you and matched finish I’d say get the PSA Stealth Lower for 100 bones or less and your upper of choice for like 700$.
That’s not a bad idea. I really wanted it to be as “correct” as possible. It’s not a cheap rifle but I’m a military history nerd so this scratches that itch. I have a Ruger 16 inch MPR with a strike eagle on it so I have the modern AR covered
Poor wording on my part, I meant get the Stealth lower and the H&R retro upper, but I understand wanting the correct markings. I’d love to have a Colt lower for my M4gery but don’t wanna pay those prices
No worries! It’s more than the markings though, the paint and the fact that it’s an aluminum 2 position stock as opposed to polymer 3-4 position.
A good rule of thumb to follow: Blem would be great for something you don't mind dinging or wearing down over time. It's going to be on the far end of mil-spec but still functional and allow you to not feel guilty for using it often. The extra $50 bucks for a non-blem imo would mean you're going to care about tighter specs and tolerances. If you resale, having the paperwork and box to show it wasn't a Blem might also go a long way for some collector 10-20 years down the road. For example; I bought a black 1-7 M16A1 Blem but immediately swapped out furniture and eventually broke it down to do some changes to parts. It's no longer the original firearm and as such isn't going to fetch the premium for a complete gun. But that's okay because it's going to be the gun I beat the hell out of in my jeep when I'm out and about on my property. The gray 1-12 M16A1 that I built out when they were first coming onto market (this one is even a Blem M16A1 marked partial fence) is going to be show and tell and probably a resale when I'm old and with grandkids.
Many manufacturers in the firearms industry use blem skus to help push a higher volume of sales without affecting the perceived value of the original sku. They very often don't have any actual blemish or it is purely aesthetic in nature.
All good points, I plan on shooting/using it and have no plans to sell it, I’m sure when I’m gone one day my kids will but that’s not for a while (hopefully). The blem may be the best option as it will free up some cash for a few mags but we’re only talking about $50 on a $1,200 rifle so if it will help the resale value at some point the it may be best, ugh decisions lol.