I've been wanting to buy my own rifle since I turned 18 last spring, and I now have the funds to allow it. I want a semi-auto rifle that I can use for target shooting and maybe occasional hunting, although I have a .30-06 bolt gun for deer/elk. I've been looking at building myself a nice AR variation or buying a FAL, but I've run into a few problems.
My first question is about cost; I want to spend no more than $1000, including rifle and 2-3 magazines. A FAL is hard to fit in this category, but I can do it a lot easier with an AR especially if I build it myself. Are there any other rifles I should consider? I believe M1As cost considerably more than my price range. I really like my Dad's M1 Garand, but I haven't been able to find surplus .30-06 anywhere lately
The second is a legal question. I'm currently an Arizona resident going to school at UT Austin as a non-resident student. I carry an AZ driver's license and I am a registered AZ voter. I don't know my gun trafficking laws very well, but can I buy a rifle in the state of Texas, or do I need to buy it in AZ? For instance, I may well order a spike's tactical AR lower, can I ship it to an FFL in Austin and pick it up from them, or do I need to ship it to an FFL in Tucson and get it when I'm there over summer break?
Cliffnotes:
1. Recommendations for a rifle: semi-auto rifle <$1000 that makes for good target shooting. NO AKs.
2. Can I as an AZ resident buy a gun in Texas if I am living there?
You can build a very nice AR for well under $1000. You might want to head over to http://www.firearmstalk.com/ to see what others have done on a budget. It's not hard to fit a stock, grip and recoil buffer to a lower and even install your own trigger group, and fit an upper to a lower. Buying an AR in pieces like that saves a lot of money!
As for the legal issues, your best bet is to contact either the sheriff of the county you're living in. Tell them your age, your status (student in Texas but an Arizona resident), and ask about the legality of owning a rifle. If they say no, call the sheriff of your home county in Arizona and confirm you can own a rifle at your age. You can always arrange to have the upper, stock, LPK, buffer, grip, etc. shipped to your home and the lower shipped to an FFL back home and the next time you're home, go pick it up. (Tell the FFL when you expect to be home next of course.)
Another thing...I don't know if you're living on campus or not, but many schools have a strict no-weapons policy which would mean you can't keep a firearm in your dorm room. That may not be an issue at UT, but it's something to consider and if you live on campus, you'd be smart to check into it before bringing a rifle on campus.
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You can build a very nice AR for well under $1000. You might want to head over to http://www.firearmstalk.com/ to see what others have done on a budget. It's not hard to fit a stock, grip and recoil buffer to a lower and even install your own trigger group, and fit an upper to a lower. Buying an AR in pieces like that saves a lot of money!
As for the legal issues, your best bet is to contact either the sheriff of the county you're living in. Tell them your age, your status (student in Texas but an Arizona resident), and ask about the legality of owning a rifle. If they say no, call the sheriff of your home county in Arizona and confirm you can own a rifle at your age. You can always arrange to have the upper, stock, LPK, buffer, grip, etc. shipped to your home and the lower shipped to an FFL back home and the next time you're home, go pick it up. (Tell the FFL when you expect to be home next of course.)
Another thing...I don't know if you're living on campus or not, but many schools have a strict no-weapons policy which would mean you can't keep a firearm in your dorm room. That may not be an issue at UT, but it's something to consider and if you live on campus, you'd be smart to check into it before bringing a rifle on campus.
Thanks for the reply. I know I can build an AR under my budget, but I would really rather have a larger caliber rifle. The AR is my second choice in the event that I can't find a FAL or other rifle for less than $1000. Some more background, I built my Dad 2 ARs over Christmas break; we built an M4 type carbine (BCM upper/Aero precision lower/Stag LPK) and a semi M16 (Aero lower/M16 surplus upper/Stag LPK). I believe the Surplus M16 build cost less than $700 finished.
I know I can own the rifle regardless of where I buy it. What I don't know is if a Texas FFL can sell me the lower since I'm an AZ resident. I think it might be easier to just hold off until I go home for the summer and build the rifle then.
My plan if I were to build my rifle now is to mail everything to a friend's house off campus and keep it there until I go home for the summer. Next fall I'm staying off campus so ownership won't be an issue then.
Thanks for the response, and calling the sherrif is a great idea.
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