Looking at at laser sights.  A rail with PR labeled I'm guessing it's Picaninnity?....(spell check not working?)

you mean laser sight like a red dot

RUGER

I mean  a laser as in a "pointer" not a dot in the scope.  Something that shines a beam like a flashlight.  Hunting wild pigs in the dense trees of Hawaii a scope with adjustments are not very effective.  Pigs and dogs running=little time for a shot.  Need a laser dot on the target.  I have a blue laser that projects very far but no mount.  Im guessing the best option is to buy one made to mount.

Again, how do I know which mounting style?  "PR" on the rail are the only markings. 

the 'best' is debatable. wilson combat and daniel defense make good stuff as dose bravo company machineing. noveske makes good stuff to.
i get my parts from palmetto state armory and it fits my needs mostly being inexpensive and i know they will function.
just so everyone is aware......i have no affiliation with ruger the firearm company. its been my offroad nickname fer a long time.

as fer finding a conceal carry pistol. fn makes good stuff but find something that fits you and what you are comfortable with. mines a glock 19 gen 2(9mm) and have carried it fer years. with my full size springfield xd 45 it prints to bad to carry. wife carries a ruger sp101 357 snubby(carrys 38s in it due to no benefit of the 357 or +p because to the short barrel). also think about carrying an extra mag/speed loader since bad guys usually have buddies.
i was thinking of getting something smaller like the sig 365 that would be more concealable. its just another excuse to buy another right haha. but having big hands dont know if a smaller pistol would be a right choice fer me.

RUGER

dont ferget about shotguns. they are very versatile. you can shoot buckshot/slugs and birdshot. since you have no ambition to hunt they make some with a short barrel that hold more shells. if yer looking at having a target less then 50 yards this is good option. also the rack of a pump shotgun could be used as a deterrent as well.

RUGER

The Marine that made rifle said 223 Remington.  The barrel is labelled 5.56 however.  Does that mean the barrel can use 5.56 but possibly the lower is only milled for a 223?

I have to ask the Marine.  My lower is custom made on a CNC

the lower should not be caliber specific, only the upper. personally for the money look into the .223 wylde chamber. it will shoot 223 rem and 5.56 nato but more accurate than the nato chambering.

I personally love my bushmaster ORC 308 but it is a heavy gun and not the most fun to hike long distances.  the 308 AR platform is also not s standardized as the AR15 platform so if you plan on building a large frame AR make sure and do your research.  I have 2 stripped lowers to build at the moment and have had good luck with Palmento state armory rifle kits if cost is a factor for you.

Some Guns (pistols, Rifles, Shotguns) are finicky on what ammo they like.

If its a shotgun (Auto Loader/Semi Auto) and you are having issues it probably has something to do with the type of shell being used. Some auto loading shotguns like High Brass some like low brass, some are adjustable. It is my understanding the High Brass shells are usually a higher quality round (and Usually More Expensive). As far as shotguns go if you want reliability the Remington 870 Pump is inexpensive and I have fired thousands of rounds and never had a fail to fire fail to eject or any other issue. Doesn't matter high brass, low brass it just works. The design is simple and can be easily disassembled.

If you are talking pistols the actual bullet shape and size can play a role with feeding issues. Some hollow points don't feed well into some feed ramps going into the chamber. Also Grip can play a major role in functionality. On most pistols you need to hold them firmly or it will jam. They call this Limp Wrist Failure. This means the slide doesn't go back all the way and doesn't allow the next round to chamber properly.

The AR15 can have numerous issues. Misaligned Gas Block, Wrong Buffer Spring for Gas tube length, Cheap Ammo, if it is equipped with an adjustable gas block it needs to be tuned properly, Improper gas port size in the barrel, dirty unfinished chambers from the factory, improper extractor finish just to name all I can think of right now.

That's why it is important to purchase high quality parts if you plan to assemble yourself. The high end/ high reliability AR makers of the world take a lot of time and effort to remove tooling marks for a perfectly smooth finish which will help eliminate potential issues, they make sure everything is fitted perfectly, and function test every rifle that leaves their facilities. Some will even give you a accuracy guarantee, For instance Larue Tactical says it it doesn't shoot under 1" at 100 yards it doesn't get shipped to the customer. Their rifles and components are top notch but that comes with a higher price as well.

Sometimes you have to try different types of Ammo/bullets in order to see what your rifle or pistol likes. Joe Blow's rilfe may like/ shoot more reliably with Hornady Black ammo but mine may like or shoot the Hornady SST better. There are a lot of factors and you will probably have to experiment with several types before you pick one and start stock piling ammo. I know people that shoot very little and have literally thousands of rounds stockpiled, but if it wont function in your rifle or pistol you may as well have a sling shot ready!

Sorry for the long post

during the 'ammo shortage' a few years back shotgun shells were easy to find and in every flavor you wanted. i was able to get buck and slugs when other ammo was hard to get(even though warehouses had pallets of rounds that were 'not fer sale').
i picked up another 870 fer fairly cheap as well. i recommend the wingmaster since its the cadallac of the 870 with deep blueing and better finish, the standard 870 express is pecerised and it will rust just looking at it but they function great. i dont have a wingmaster buy my ex dose and it was nice.
the mav 88 came later which i bought as a combo(field barrel and shorty) it might not have a barrel long mag tube but it works fer home defense and also can swap the barrel and go hunt or trap/clay shoot. there is a company that makes a rubber ramp so you can cycle short shells(1 3/4") in the moss/mav to up yer firepower with less recoil.

RUGER

The Marine friend of mine is deployed I can't bother him with my questions unless he calls me.  How do figure this:

What does all this mean to you? Quite simply, it means firing a 5.56mm NATO round through a gun not designed for that round is very dangerous. Your gun needs to have a NATO or MIL-SPEC chamber, which features a longer leade. For those interested, leade is the distance between the mouth of the cartridge and the point where the rifling touches the bullet.

like I said before, had told me 223 Remington when I got.  The reason i was curious was because the barrel says 5.56

I don't want to make mistake.  I'll for him to get back and clarify the specs.

Gnarly4x buy that question is why was confused and started this thread.

From everything I've read and been told over the years. If your barrel is stamped 556 you can shoot .223 safely. Also, if it stamped .223 Wylde it is safe to shoot both. If it just stamped .223 then stick with that.

So, If your Barrel is stamped 556 shoot whatever bullet you want and feel confident in doing so. A lot of people use the numbers 223/556 interchangeably but the pressure is higher in the 556 than the 223...

Wainiha, not to get off your interesting AR thread, what are your favorite 9mm pistols and why?

I've been asking questions and gathering opinions.

So far I'm leaning heavily to a Glock 17.


Any other thoughts or experiences?

Gnarls.

Yes. I have 2 Glock 17s  They seem to fire and last longer in the conditions where live. I'm no murder but if people use semi autos you better load your clips with gloves or pick up your casings.  Or use a revolver.

The G17 is a workhorse of a Pistol. I keep one in the Tundra with 1- 30 round mag and 4-5 17 rounders. It fits well in in my hands and has plenty of capacity. It is the very simple to disassemble and it will shoot most ammo you load into it. I have never had mine fail to function. I think mine is a GEN2 with the rail bit no removable backstrap. If you get one, it should do everything you have mentioned and be very reliable.

If however you are looking for shear Knockdown power look at the Glock G40 10mm MOS (not for Every Day Carry). It has 6" barrel and allows you to add a holographic red dot. It's a good bit bigger in the hand due to the longer length/diameter in cartridge. The 10MM is basically a Longer .40 Caliber. It has 15 round magazine and is one of the most powerful autoloaders in a pistol. I think its is similar in ballistics to the 41 MAGNUM that is Usually only seen in revolvers. I think there is a G20 (my dad has one) that has 15 round capacity and the same barrel length as the G17. I got my G40 to try and kill a deer/pig within 50 yards, but I haven't hunted with it yet.

The 26 is a subcompact double stack 9mm but will accept the G17, magazine. They make an adapter that will cover up the gap while using a 17 round mag. It does help with the extra length of the Magazine but is kind of awkward and too loose for my liking.