Semi-auto shotguns for home defense?

I was asked this question recently. (Nov 2010). 

"Should I consider using a semi-auto shotgun for home defense/self defense? I keep hearing that  I should only consider using a pump shotgun from the majority of folks on the gun forums because semi-autos have more moving parts and they can malfunction more than a pump shotgun."

I think this is a very good question because I own both semi-auto and pump shotguns and if SHTF today...which one would I choose? If this question was asked 10 years ago, I'd probably say hands down yes that a pump shotgun should be considered over a semi-auto for home defense.

Fortunately times have changed and the modern semi-auto tactical/combat/fighting shotgun has arrived. Why would I consider a semi-auto shotgun for home defense now? Well, in large part its the fact that the military such as the the US Marines and several police departments have both adopted semi-auto shotguns. They have been using semi-auto shotguns for some time now. 

I am going to focus on tube fed semi-autos for this topic. I know the Russian Saiga 12 is another popular semi-auto shotgun that is actually magazine fed but that is a whole other platform in my opinion that deserves its own dedicated blog. Plus U.S. military and police don't use the Saiga and that's the core of my semi-auto argument.

The Marines have adopted the Benelli M4 (M1014) over 10 years ago back in 1999. A decade of reliability and effectiveness has been well documented. The Marines have proven that modern semi-auto shotguns are durable, reliable and fit for combat duty. If it wasn't, the Marines would have dropped it like a bad habit.

Many police dept.s have adopted the Remington 1187P (Police) and the FN-SLP (self loading police) semi-auto shotgun. While the pump shotgun is still the king of patrol duty many SWAT teams opt for the semi-auto shotgun for 12 gauge duty when clearing a house or building.

The Marines and police would not adopt a weapon that does not do its job reliably. They have tested these modern semi-auto shotguns above and beyond the conditions that an average civilian would ever put them through, for home defense.

I understand that the reputation of the old unreliable semi-auto shotguns of the past is hard to forget but times do change. (if you remember it at all, lol.) Almost everything on Earth has benefited from technological advancements and so has the semi-auto shotgun. 

Now, I have to admit, no matter how many facts you throw at me about how reliable a semi-auto shotgun is (or any firearms for that matter), I demand a personal test before I can feel confident using a firearm to protect myself or my family. I like to run at least a 500 round test before I can have confidence in a gun for home defense/self defense. That may sound like overkill but that's just me. In reality, 100 rounds of flawless functioning might be enough to build confidence in a firearm for the average person.

As for the reputation of pump action shotguns being more reliable, that may not be 100% true? Why would I say such a blasphemous thing? I say this because I talked to a 10 year competition shotgun shooter who said he saw more competitors experience "short stroke" malfunctions with pump action shotguns than a semi-auto malfunction. How ironic?

This is probably due to the fact that, when subjected to stress and adrenaline, the shooters failed to properly work the action. Logically, this phenomenon could carry over to a home defense situation, especially when you add fear along with stress and adrenaline. Again, this is not the firearms fault. Its the shooters fault but the reality is that its still a concern in the grand scheme of things. 

   

Now, I am not saying semi-autos are better and should replace pump shotguns. What I am saying is that modern tactical semi-auto shotguns should not be ignored for home defense/self defense anymore. With both types of shotguns, you must do your part for the gun to properly do its part.

Some of the pro's of a semi-auto...

- Super fast follow up shots.

- Softer recoil than a pump due to the gas system and recoil spring.

- Logic would dictate that if if semi-autos have a softer recoil that accuracy should increase. 

- Modern semi-autos are durable and reliable.

- Semi-autos load exactly the same as pumps.

- Semi-autos can be unloaded just as easily and safely as a pump.

Some of the con's of a semi-auto...

- Semi-autos by the design of being semi-automatic, can suffer from a malfunction in the cycling action more so than a pump. That doesn't mean pumps cant be manipulated into a malfunction by the operator which is actually very common. (aka the pump action "short stroke") 

- The faster it shoots, the faster it will run out of ammo.

- Semi-autos have a reciprocating charging handle that can get hung up on obstacles or personal gear and can cause a malfunction.

- Semi-autos as well as pumps both suffer from slow reloads compared to any magazine fed firearm. Of course there are semi-auto shotguns that can be modified to accept shot shell magazine speed loaders but they are more for competition, not self defense or combat.

- Semi auto-shotguns are often significantly more expensive than pump shotguns. On average they are about double in price.

So as you can see a modern semi-auto shotgun can be just as reliable as a pump shotgun for home defense if you train to use it properly. Ironically, for all its legendary power and versatility, the real weakness in the shotgun platform (whether pump or semi-auto), it's the person shooting it that is its worst enemy. Most folks rarely dedicate any real time to train in the intricacies of running a shotgun effectively.


So, to answer the question...would I use my Mossberg 930 SPX to defend my family and my home? Absolutely! It has passed the 1000 round mark flawlessly for me and I have 100% confidence in it. Would I use every semi-auto shotgun for the same job? No. Not until I tested my self.

Regardless what type of shotgun you choose to defend your life, just make sure you train yourself on the proper way to use it. Just buying a shotgun and putting it under your bed or in the closet, doesn't mean you are prepared and ready. Oh and making an intimidating sound like racking a pump shotgun is not something you want to trust your life to. Hell, it might even give your position away and you'll loose one of the best assets you have...the element of surprise. Just a thought?

Stay safe.

Why do some AR15's cost so much more than others?

For the record, I do not claim to be a firearms expert or industry insider. I am just an average Joe gun guy. That being said this information may or may not be current or accurate. It is just data I found during my own personal search for information to help myself understand what I was buying before I bought it. It’s really up to you to ensure your knowledge is accurate before you go shopping for a gun. Don’t just take my word for it because I am nobody in the grand scheme of things. Ok so here is what I learned before I bought my AR15. I highly recommend doing at least a months’ worth of homework before you buy.

100% in house manufacturing. Many manufacturers sub contract forging and machine work on their receivers to third party companies. Not having in house control can leave a part subject to a weak link in quality control. If the manufacturer forges and machines their own receivers in house, you can bet you will be paying a premium for that level of quality control.

Individual HPT (high pressure tested) & individual MPI (magnetic particle inspected) vs batch testing. Top tier manufacturers will HPT & MPI certain parts for metallurgical integrity. Less expensive AR’s will often batch test parts to save of costs. (for example 1 of a batch of 100 get tested and inspected vs each individually.)

7075 T-6 aluminum vs 6061 aluminum. Basically, without going into the technical intricacies, T-6 aluminum is stronger. 6061 aluminum is less expensive and is less damaging to the manufacturers tooling machines due to it being slightly softer than T-6 aluminum, but the 6061 final product is not as strong as the more expensive T-6 product.

Forged vs Cast. A cheap budget AR15 may use a “casting” process when manufacturing a lower receiver. This subject can get extremely technical. Just know that casting is less expensive for the manufacturer and in general is not as strong as forging because casting involves pouring hot liquid metal into a mold and can suffer from solidification issues such porosity (holes), shrinkage and cracks.

Forging involves shaping solid metal with great force to align the molecules in the same direction resulting in higher strength. I am no metallurgist expert but that’s how I understand it basically. Forging is expensive due to the massive equipment needed so expect to pay more if your gun has forged parts vs cast parts.

Wire EDM. Some manufacturers employ wire EDM (electronic discharge machining) techniques to machine parts such as a lower receiver. Basically it’s a $100k machine that uses high power electricity between two electrodes submerged in a dielectrode liquid to cut an extremely smooth and precise shape such as a true 90 degree angle inside of a magwell. This is even more expensive than broach cutting a magwell which is also considered a high quality technique. If it’s expensive for the company to do, you can bet it will drive the cost up at retail.

ISO 9000-2008 certification. The ISO 9000 (the International Standardization Organization) is basically a high level quality management system with extremely high standards a company must meet before qualifying for certification. Google it for more details.

TDP’s (technical data package). TDP’s are government owned information that specifies all the critical dimensions for every military firearm which are closely guarded for national security. I only know of 3 companies that have TPD’s to build M4 carbine’s and M16’s. Colt, FNH and most recently Sabre Defense.

Air Gauge. This is a measuring tool that uses pneumatic pressure and flow to measure and sort dimensional attributes. They provide a high degree of speed and accuracy in high-volume production environments

CMM. (coordinate measuring machine) This is a measuring device that is capable of measuring down to 4.5 microns. (fyi, a human hair is 100 microns wide.)

Shot peening. Shot peening is basically a technique used to relieve metal of stress obtained during the machining process. It involves impacting the surface with shot (round metallic, glass or ceramic particles) similar to a ball-peen hammer. I am sure there is a better explanation of this but that’s how I understand it.

ion-bond DLC. (diamond like coating) Some manufacturers feature this coating to give their product a Rockwell hardness of 70 and make it corrosion and carbon resistant.

Upper receiver. T-marked for military modularity and compatibility, Forged 7075 T-6 aluminum that has been hardcoat anodized: MIL-A-8625F, Type III, Class 2

Lower receiver. Forged 7075 T-6 that has been hardcoat anodized: MIL-A-8625F, Type III, Class 2

Tensioning screw. Some manufacturers offer a built in upper tensioning screw that eliminates any “slop” between the upper and lower receivers. This slop is often associated with a slight loss in accuracy. I have seen mid-tier AR’s that had zero slop and I have heard of top tier guns with slop so this issue is not just unique to less expensive manufacturers only. It’s probably more of a symptom of the AR design in general since its basically two halves pinned together.

Integrated trigger guard machined into the lower receiver. Some manufacturers offer lowers that have a trigger guard that is designed into the lower at the machining stage as one solid integrated piece. This is said to make the lower stronger compared to a pinned removable trigger guard. They are often enlarged or “winterized” to allow for a gloved finger to fit inside the trigger well.

Non-rotating hammer and trigger pins. Traditional steel hammer and trigger pins in an aluminum receiver can rotate over time and sometimes be related to subtle loose tolerances that result in slight trigger creep that may affect accuracy. Some manufacturers even offer stainless steel pins that ride on stainless steel receiver bushings threaded into the receiver so there is less steel on aluminum deformation.

M4 feed ramps cut into 7075 T-6 receiver extension. M4 feed ramps helps "select fire" and "full auto" rifles feed reliably. Less expensive AR’s will have rifle feed ramps. Semi-auto AR15’s cannot shoot fast enough to realize the true benefits of M4 feed ramps but if you are going to pay top dollar then your gun better have M4 feed ramps whether you need them or not.

Barrel that is cold hammer forged 4150 chromoly vanadium vs 4140 chromoly. Mil-spec 4150 CMV steel is mil-spec per MIL-B-11595E, it will be chromed lined bore, will be chambered in NATO 5.56, and finished in manganese phosphate even under the FSB. Vanadium withstands the heat build up from select fire burst or full auto. Less expensive AR’s often have barrels made of 4140 steel with no vanadium. They may also finish the barrel with the FSB already installed which leaves that area under the FSB uncoated and essentially unprotected.

Barrel with 1:7 twist rifling vs 1:9 twist. 1:7 twist rifling is often used to properly stabilize the heavier 75, 77, 80-or 90 grain bullets which are commonly used for longer distance shooting that the military often deals with. Less expensive AR’s often have 1:9 twist rifling which is common in the civilian market since civilians often use cheaper, lighter 50 to 69 grain ammo in general. There are several other twist rates but for now I am just focusing on these two since they are the most popular.

5.56 chamber. Mil-spec chambering is 5.56x45mm which allows the use of the higher power loads of mil-spec ammo usually M855 FMJ ball ammo in general. Less expensive AR’s are often chambered in the civilian .223 caliber which is basically slightly less powerful and has smaller subtle differences in chamber measurements. .223 ammo can be fired out of a 5.56 chamber but its not recommended to try the opposite.

Chrome lined bore and chamber. Chrome lining resists the corrosive properties of the residual carbon fouling left from the burnt gun powder. It also extends (some say doubles) the life of the barrel.

Bolt made of carpenter #158 steel, individual HPT & MPI, shot peened. Less expensive AR’s often batch test their bolts to save on costs.

Bolt carrier group made of carpenter #158 steel, chrome lined, shot peened, with a chrome lined gas key, mil-spec hardened, grade 8 hardened fasteners, mil-spec staked gas key, tool steel extractor, “black extractor insert and mil-spec O-rings.

H-buffer, USGI tungsten weight. Less expensive AR’s will often have a commercial buffer not mil-spec.

F marked front sight block, that is forged and is taper double pinned. F marked basically means it will be a certain height required by the military in general. Civilian AR’s that aren’t F marked may vary in height from company to company? Taper pins are stronger than straight pins and are less likely to drift out of position under heavy duty use.

Broach cut magwells will have sharp 90 degree angles in the inside corners of the magwell. Non mil-spec magwells may have round corners on the inside corners due to a round machine tool bit cutting the material away. As mentioned above, the wire EDM technique takes this process even further and is more expensive.

Properly staked gas key and castle nut to mil spec standards to prevent these parts from backing out of place under heavy duty/combat use. Commercial AR’s may not stake these parts exactly the same way the mil-spec standards require. This could lead to gas key screws and castle nuts to drift out under certain conditions.


Triggers. Some manufactures offer custom triggers such as two stage match or competition adjustable trigger packs. Of course they aren't cheap.

D.I. vs gas piston. Another factor that may influence the price is if the AR15 is a gas piston system vs the traditional direct impingement gas system? That is a whole other can of worms that deserves its own blog topic! Just know that currently (as of 2010) gas piston AR15’s are usually more expensive. We will talk about the pro’s & con’s of gas piston systems later.

So as you can see there are a lot of reasons why one AR15 may cost significantly more than another one that looks just like it. It’s what you don’t see that dictates the value and price of an AR15.


The hard part now is going to be how to figure out how many of these features your favorite AR15 on your wish list has? Keep in mind just because you gun doesnt have all these features, doesnt mean your rifle is crap and isnt fit for your level of intended use. 


Most shootouts only last just a few minutes so most mid tier AR15's can last a few minutes without breaking or failing. Know your abilities and limits. Although it seems like everyone on the internet is a SWAT cop or military operator...the truth is, most of the gun community are not as high speed-low drag as we think they are and in reality the average guy doesnt need a $2000 AR15. (key word is the average guy)

I hope this helps.

I wish I could remember exactly where I got every bit of information so I could give credit where credit is due. I can tell you that I did spend a lot of time reading posts on forums such as M4carbine.net, Lightfighter.net, weaponevolution.com, AR15.com, GlockTalk.com, Calguns.net, S&Wforums, firearmstalk.com, policelink, gun&ammo, guns & weapons for law enforcement, black guns, SWAT magazine, and I cant even count how many company websites? If you feel some of this info was borrowed from your source and I did not give you credit, I do apologize. I am not trying to plagiarize someone elses work. I am just trying to report the full picture of what I experienced in my search to understand the mysterious AR15.

Thanks for reading. 

Why I chose the S&W M&P 40 full size handgun

People often ask me why I chose the M&P and why I chose it in 40cal? Here are my top 3 reasons.

1. I chose 40cal because my dept. gives me free ammo in 40cal only. If I want free ammo, its a no brainer what caliber gun I am going to choose. If I go with a 1911 in 45acp or some other gun in 9mm...I have to pay for my own ammo.

2. I chose 40cal for the usual 40cal reasons...bigger than a 9mm. Faster than a 45acp and can hold more capacity than 45acp. Add bonded jacketed hollow points in +P and the 40cal is a great performing round. If you dont agree that 40cal offers any real significance over 9mm or 45acp...oh well. I made my choice and I am comfortable with it. 

3. I chose the M&P platform because of its superior ergonomics. It feels better in my hand than my Glocks and pretty much any other polymer handgun I ever held. Plus the Crimson Trace Laser grips fit the M&P better than any other gun I have ever seen them on.

Here are the basic features and specs that also sold me.

Gunstore price $550  (website shows $719 msrp)

40 cal

Single action only, striker fired

15+1 capacity

Weight – 24.25 ounces

Width – 1.2”

4.25” barrel length

Trigger pull – 6.5 pounds

Low bore axis. Compared to the Springfield XDm which has a higher bore axis. The lower the bore axis, the lower the recoil will be. (in theory anyway)

Front and rear sights are steel and dovetailed in. Rear sights have a cocking shoulder design. Very good for one handed reloads and clearing one handed malfunctions. My Glocks sights are plastic and have broken off under heavy use during one handed drills.

Snake scale style, slanted slide serrations. Reminds me of custom guns. These things grip extremely well under wet conditions.

Extended beaver tail that prevents slide bite. My Glocks have bit my fat hands before but it wasn't a problem over all.Just pointing out that M&P cant bite you.

Loaded chamber indicator (a simple but effective hole in the top of the chamber)

Melonite finish - 68 Rockwell hardness scale  (hardened steel tools are often HRC 62)

Changeable back straps (small, medium, large) These grips are legendary by now. I would argue to say they are the best grips on a polymer gun right now. Yes they are that good in my opinion.

Frame tool – built into frame. After a few months I learned that I dont even need to use the tool to field strip the gun. Here is the video to prove it.

Reversible steel mag release button, with stippling

Ambidextrous slide lock lever, slightly raised. Again my Glocks dont have ambi slide lock levers.

I chose the model with No mag disconnect, No thumb safety, No internal gun lock. I have my reasons and here is the video that explains why in detail.

Sear deactivation lever allows field stripping without the need to pull the trigger (this is a huge selling point for me)

True 1913 picatinny rail on the dust cover. If you have ever owned a gun with a proprietary rail then you know how irritating it is to have to buy an adapter for a light. i.e. HKUSP and S&W Sigma to name a few.

Easy rotating take down lever. very SIG like.

Backed by S&W’s lifetime service policy

Made in the USA. That still means something to me as far as guns go.

Why I passed on the Ruger SR556

When I was in the market for a new gas piston AR15 I did about a month of serious research. I quickly learned that the gas piston craze was in full effect and that I had a wide range of options.

I could go with a top-tier mil-spec (or as close to mil-spec as a piston AR can get) piston AR.

I could go with a mid-tier gas piston AR15.

I could go with a gas piston retrofit kit.    

One of the hottest gas piston AR15’s on the market right now is the Ruger SR556 & SR556c (compact). It was definitely on my short list and for the record, I love Ruger firearms. My father taught me to shoot with his old Ruger 10/22 back when I was just a little boy back in the early 1980’s. 

In addition, as soon as I asked what gas piston AR15 I should buy, I would often get folks telling me to get the SR556 with no real explanation why? If you tell me its the best bang for the buck, I am the kind of guy that needs you to back it up with facts. $1500 is alot of money to just spend it on some anonymous guys fact-less opinion.

I really wanted to love the Ruger SR556 but sadly, as I looked deeper into the SR556 details and features, I began to find certain things that made it a deal breaker for me personally.

To be fair, just because I did not want to buy a Ruger SR556, that does not mean that it is not a great gun. No gun is perfect for every person so you just have to figure out what your own deal breakers are. Here are some of my personal deal breakers that I found on the Ruger SR556.

1.       Gun Store prices, brand new? At the time of this blog posting it’s about $1500 not including tax and background check fees as of mid-2010. Lately, I have seen used ones for a few hundred less. My budget was $1000. With budget cuts at my day job and with another baby on the way, every penny counted for me.

2.       The SR556 is somewhat front heavy at 7.94 lbs empty. Add a light and vertical grip and optic and even the die-hard fans admit it is a significantly front heavy gun. The newest model SR556c has been trimmed down slightly to 7.40 lbs but you can’t remove/change the flash hider which is a whole other issue.

3.       The hand guards. The proprietary Troy rail system touches the barrel making the quad rail extremely hot. It has been reported that it gets so hot that the Troy rail covers have actually melted and popped off by themselves. Of course you can always wear gloves but I don’t like to wear gloves if I don’t have to. I live in the desert so gloves just aren’t comfortable.

The Troy hang guards are held on with “roll pins”. Roll pins are not as strong as a taper pin or even a straight pin. While roll pins work, it makes disassembly hard and after pounding roll pins out of aluminum more than 2-3 times, you will find that the pins no longer grip and can work their way out overtime.

You cannot go with any other handguard other than the Troy 10” handguards. If you like the thinner profile, lighter weight LaRue free floats handguards or Magpul MOE handgaurds, you are out of luck.

Here is a statement taken directly from the Ruger website FAQ section…

How do I access the transfer rod on my SR-556?
You don't need to. They are made to outlast the barrel. The transfer rod is coated with Nickel-Teflon®, and the return spring is made of stainless steel. Our testing has shown that even without cleaning or lubrication, the transfer rod and spring will outlast the barrel.

4.       The bolt is built with an unshrouded firing pin aka commercial not mil-spec. Whats the difference between unshrouded & shrouded? It allows for wear on the firing pin, this can also lead to the firing pin retaining pin getting bent and possibly failing. This is why none of the top tier makers build their bolts unshrouded. I don’t know why Ruger chose this older design for their BCG? At this time I do not know of any aftermarket shrouded gas piston BCG that you can swap in place of the Ruger BCG?

5.       There is no warranty stated on the Ruger website? Does it have a 1 year warranty? Is it a lifetime warranty? There are AR15 makers that clearly offer a lifetime warranty. I am sure Ruger has a great warranty but they do not post it on their website for some reason? This was not a huge factor for me but still a factor none the less in the grand scheme of things.

6.       The new SR556c was designed to address the weight issues that were reported back to Ruger with the original 16” SR556. So in response, they fluted the barrel and reduced the barrel length to a true 16”s by milling the muzzle break/flash hider into the barrel. While this did lighten and shorted the rifle, it created new issues.

Now you can’t remove and change your muzzle break/flash hider. What if you wanted to run a specific suppressor? You cant. I would rather Ruger had just left the standard 16” barrel with a 28x1/2” threaded muzzle since the SR556c is only about 5 ounces lighter than the original.

7.       It has a 1:9 twist rifling. 1:9 rifling twist is not an issue to me since I only shoot 62 to 69gr lighter weight ammo inside of 300 yards. Heavier 75gr ammo is suited for longer distance shooting which my self-defense AR15 is not intended to be used for. My AR is a close range rifle. My issue with 1:9 twist on the SR556 is that if I am going to pay $1500+ for an AR15 I’d rather have it come with the mil-spec 1:7 twist.

So as you can see I found a lot of deal breakers for me personally. In my opinion, If I am going to spend $1500+ on a gas piston AR15 then it is going to have to fit me and my criteria a little better. The SR556 has some stiff competition since there are other gas piston AR15’s to choose from like the Stag model 8 and the S&W M&P15PS that are lighter, better balanced, cost less and have less overall negatives on my list.

If you own a Ruger SR556/SR556c and you are happy with it and it runs reliable for you…I am 100% happy for you and support you all the way. This is just my own opinion that some may agree with or may not agree with. I feel it’s always good to educate yourself on the pro’s as well as the con’s of any product. I still think the Ruger SR556 is a SEXY gun and I would love to own one if I could get one for a really good low price.

My blog allows for me to give my honest opinion and this is just my opinion based on the facts that I found. If some of my facts are not accurate then please point them out and I will stand corrected.

I hope this was helpful? Stay Safe.

Stag Arms - facts and opinions

Stag Arms is a well known brand nowadays. If you are left handed then chances are you looked into buying a Stag or Stag rifles were recommended to you. The left handed AR15 upper is Stags claim to fame and is what sets them apart from a sea of AR15 manufacturers nowadays.

Many police officers use Stag AR15's as their patrol duty rifle, yet many people still don't know much about them. As a matter of fact there are folks on gun forums that actually talk bad about Stag without any personal experience with their products? Its often guys just repeating negative info that they don't really know anything about personally. You probably know these types of folks. They are the guys that often think if you don't own "brand X", then your gun is junk and will fall apart the 1st time you shoot it.

I am writing this blog to clear up some of the mis-information that is put out there.

I own a Stag Arms AR15 (the model 8) and I did a lot of homework before I bought it. I have compiled a few facts for those of you who may be interested in buying a Stag Arms AR15. Keep in mind I am not a hard core shooter who attends lots of carbine courses or plans on outfitting myself for combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. If you fall into that category then by all means buy a top-tier rifle. But if you are on a tight budget and are perfectly fine with a mid-tier quality AR15 then here are some facts and opinions on the Stag Arms family of AR15's.

I think the most important thing to know if you are thinking of buying a Stag Arms AR15 is that its a mid tier AR. Its not top tier like BCM, Spikes, Noveske, Sabre Defense, LMT, LWRC, KAC, ect ect. This means it is slightly less mil-spec as the top tier guns. 

The question is...do you "need" mil-spec to do what you need to do with your AR15? What do you plan to do with it? If you are a hard core carbine course shooter or an operator outfitting yourself for combat overseas or you just want the very best...then pass on a Stag and get top tier AR15. With the AR market leveling off now, you can get a BCM or Spikes for $1000 which isnt much more than a Stag nowadays. Keep in mind you can always upgrade the heart of any AR15 with a mil-spec bolt and bolt carrier group later on down the road when your budget allows.


Don't expect to get a lot of respect from the top-tier elite when you display your Stag at the gun range. The AR15 community can be very...how can I put this? Snobbish? A lot of guys read a tactical magazine chock full of $2000 guns advertised in it and think they NEED those guns to be an effective shooter. The reality is that formal training and practice, practice, practice...makes you a better shooter. My opinion is its about 90% the shooter and 10% the gun.

If you need a patrol rifle or a home defense rifle then a mid-tier AR15 will do what you need it to do since patrol and home defense often does not involve hard core shooting. Stag AR15's are not mil-spec nor do they need to be for its core customer. Home defense handguns and shotguns are not mil-spec nor do they need to be for the type of duty they will be subjected to. A mid-tier AR15 is more than capable of performing under the stresses of a 5 minute firefight, which is about the length of the average home defense or patrol firefight. 

Talk to 10 patrol cops and you'd be surprised how many have actually shot their AR15 in the line of duty. The numbers are extremely low, and the ones that did shoot...ask them how many rounds they fired? The numbers are extremely low which is why many dept.s are perfectly ok with equipping officers with Stag or M&P15 or Rock River Arms (mid-tier) AR15's.

Now if I had to buy my own combat rifle for duty in Iraq or Afghanistan and I expect  to be in combat for a year or more, then of course I’d recommend a top tier, as close to mil-spec firearm as possible. 

Talk to 10 combat troops and you will learn exactly why they demand mil-spec guns. Their intensity and duration of trigger time in combat and potential lack of time to maintain the gun is far different than that of a police officer in America.

Now don't get me wrong, I fully support the mindset of "buy once, cry once" and to buy the very best if you can, even if you don't need it. I also know many folks who simply refuse to trust their life to anything but the best. I agree with that 100%. All I am saying is that if you do choose a mid-tier AR15...you still have a good defensive tool in the grand scheme of things for the average citizen.

A little history on Stag Arms - Stag is owned by Mark Malkowski. He is the son of Ted Malkowski who is the owner of Continental Machine & Tool (CMT) which has been making M16/AR15 parts for the military and civilian market since the Vietnam War. Stag was even contracted to make the initial run of M&P15's for S&W before S&W got going full speed on them?

Stag offers a lifetime warranty. This is by far the biggest selling point for choosing a Stag Arms product. What other mid-tier AR manufacturer offers this? If you are going to be a mid-tier gun maker what better way to offset the lack of individually tested & inspected higher end parts then to back up your product with a lifetime warranty.

Many law enforcement agencies use Stag rifles for patrol duty. Police depts. Often operate with strict budgets and they can’t justify buying the most expensive guns on the market with tax payers money like the military does. Police Depts. on limited or restricted budgets probably go with Stag because of their decent price point and decent quality and lifetime warranty? The fact is cops don’t subject their guns to the same abuse as a combat soldier so a Stag Arms rifle just makes sense as a patrol rifle. 

Stag uses 4140 chromoly steel barrels, not 4150 chromoly vanadium steel barrels. Do you need a vanadium steel barrel? If you own a select fire lower, then yes since vanadium is what resists heat stress in a barrel being shot under select fire. I can’t pull a semi auto trigger fast enough to melt a 4140 steel barrel and I don’t know anyone who has. Of course mil-spec 4150 CMV steel barrels are nice to have but not absolutely needed on a semi-auto rifle in my opinion. Do I want a 4150 CMV barrel? Of course I do but I am not fooling myself into thinking I absolutely need it at my level of use.

Stag’s have standard rifle feed ramps, not M4 feed ramps. Do you need them? If you shoot an M4 with burst or full auto...then yes. If you have a semi-auto AR then no you don’t need them. Rifle feed ramps work perfect with semi auto rifles and some military M16’s in service still have standard rifle feed ramps today. Full auto/burst rifles cycle their bolts so dang fast that they experienced feed issues. So the engineers added M4 feed ramps to help with the fast cycling M4 bcg's. Do you need them? No. Do I still want them? Yes, but the reality is, most civilians don’t need them. 

On the flip side, M4 feed ramps are not difficult to ad so all the top-tier manufacturers include them. Also, if you don’t have them and for whatever reason, you feel you just gotta have them…you can have a competent gunsmith grind them in for you for a small fee. Or you can even dremel them in yourself if you have the guts and skill. Just make sure you parkerize or protect the newly exposed metal.

Stag batch tests their barrels, BCG's and bolts, not individually. Individual high pressure testing and magnetic particle inspecting each part is the best option for building these types of firearm parts but the process is very "expensive" on large scale productions. Since Stag knows its market (average joes and cops) so they batch test as a cost savings and back it up with a lifetime warranty to offset this feature. This might be a deal breaker for the hard core shooter and I dont blame them at all. If it becomes an issue you can always swap in a mil-spec HPT/MPI bolt and BCG for a few bucks later down the road? Or you can just pass on Stag from the beginning and buy an affordable top tier AR like BCM or Spikes or Daniel Defense etc. etc. for a few hundred bucks more?

So as you can see Stag Arms is a good company with its fair share of pro's & con's. It all depends on what your realistic wants and needs are. I personally went with Stag for their gas piston model 8 AR15. Why? Because a top tier gas piston AR15 costs on average $1500 to $2000+ whereas Stag’s model 8 gas piston was only $1000 and does everything the expensive gas pistons do at my level of shooting. Why I went with a piston AR15 is a whole other blog topic that I am already working on.

Update - As of the summer of 2011 you can now buy a Stag AR15 with top tier features for only $100 extra dollars which is a very good deal. This makes it every bit as good as a basic BCM, Spikes or Daniel Defense AR15.

Good luck...Stay safe.