Guide to Everything AR
Unless you assembled your upper and lower and plan to build your rifle from the ground up, chances are you purchased (or plan to purchase) a complete rifle, and with millions of used ARs on the market, it’s certainly reasonable to pick up a used rifle to save a few bucks. But how do you know that that new-to-you black rifle won’t fill your range sessions with woe?
Basic inspection and a little testing.
Here’s a rundown of the steps you can take to ensure your new AR is up to snuff.
Whether you’ve got your rifle home or have been ogling a new piece for your collection for weeks, the process looks the same:
- Visual inspection: disassemble the rifle and look at the components to ensure they’re where they should be.
- Mechanical check: manipulate the receivers, action, and controls to feel out the fit and finish.
- Range testing: Put some rounds through the thing and see what comes of it.
Provided you have a solid relationship with the LGS in your area, the visual and mechanical bits shouldn’t be a problem, but some gun shops might look at you sideways. Watching you disassemble a rifle while fielding customer questions, phone calls, running applications, processing payments, and gathering fingerprints can irritate the most patient shop owner. In those cases, don’t be surprised if you can’t get everything done at the counter.
Also, gun shows are a tough place to get everything inspected due to requirements around locking down actions with things like zip ties. You can still get a visual and a business card from the FFL, but don’t expect a callback if things go totally sideways.
These tips are less critical for those buying a new rifle, as you can lean on a manufacturer warranty should anything go awry, but it can’t hurt to at a minium rin through the first two. Besides, taking down a rifle is fun!
By Michael Crites
Michael Crites has served as executive editor of AmericanFirearms.org since 2016 and previously held positions as associate editor and range correspondent dating back to 2000. He discovered his passion for precision shooting at age 12 during his first visit to his grandfather's shooting range, eventually earning an Expert classification in three different shooting disciplines before age 18.
During his studies at University of Wyoming, he earned four varsity letters on the collegiate rifle and pistol teams, serving as team captain for three consecutive years. He became the first UW student to complete the NRA Range Safety Officer certification while maintaining full-time student status. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Communications.
His diverse career has included roles as Range Safety Coordinator for the National Rifle Championships in Camp Perry 2001; editor-in-chief, Precision Shooter Quarterly; series editor, Modern Firearms Handbook collection; managing editor, National Shooting Sports Foundation Newsletter; editor, Competitive Shooter Magazine; operations director for Western Arms & Ammunition Co.; senior editor for the Shooter's Reference Annual (Cheyenne); content director for The Firearms Report, published by the American Shooting Coalition in Billings, MT; firearms correspondent for Hunting & Shooting, produced by Outdoor Sports Media Group in Jackson, WY; and publisher for Wyoming Shooting Sports Journal in Casper. He has contributed as a regular columnist for American Rifleman (NRA Publications), technical editor for Precision, a publication of the National Bench Rest Shooters Association (Phoenix, AZ); and as firearms specialist for the Gun Owner's Annual.
As a digital content creator, he has written more than 400 articles on AmericanFirearms.org, developed shooting technique coverage for the Brownells Shooting Blog (Montezuma, IA) and Federal Premium "Range Notes" platform (Anoka, MN), and served as lead content strategist for International Defensive Pistol Association (Berryville, AR). Beyond Tactical Firearms, his current endeavors include content development for the Wyoming State Rifle Association (Cheyenne, WY) and technical manual production for High Plains Publishing of Laramie, WY.
He has contributed to the 12th, 13th, and 14th editions of Modern Sporting Rifles Guide and edited The Complete Guide to Tactical Shooting and Competitive Shooter's Reference Manual (Gun Digest Books).
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