AR-15 Value?

**Kaltbluter** · 12-16-2010, 09:38 AM

A friend of mine in another state asked me what I thought his AR was worth in a private sale. I'm not much of an AR guy so I thought I'd post his question here for some input from the experts.

This is his description as he emailed it to me:

Rock River Lower
2 stage trigger
Hogue guard
Wilson upper w/ chrome lined barrel
Yankee Hill rail
Breach barrel
$200.00 flashlight and mount
Walmart red dot scope
Single point w/ strap
6 position stock
6 magazines (4) military and (2) Magpul
Tactical bag
Front grip

So, what do you guys think this is worth?

Thanks.

**madcratebuilder** · 12-17-2010, 04:51 AM

The AR market is on a downward spiral because of the glut of rifles and parts on the market. The fouled up economy does not help either.

Sell the accessories separate and hope to get $700 for the rifle.

**cyclesarge** · 12-17-2010, 05:11 AM

Originally Posted by madcratebuilder

The AR market is on a downward spiral because of the glut of rifles and parts on the market. The fouled up economy does not help either.

Sell the accessories separate and hope to get $700 for the rifle.

Exactly the same thing I was thinking.

**iamme** · 12-17-2010, 07:48 AM

Originally Posted by madcratebuilder

The AR market is on a downward spiral because of the glut of rifles and parts on the market. The fouled up economy does not help either.

Sell the accessories separate and hope to get $700 for the rifle.

Ding. The WC parts may bump you up some with the right buyer, but AR's have tanked pretty good.

**mjbskwim** · 12-18-2010, 02:53 PM

Gee,how much for the "Walmart" red dot?

**bkb0000** · 12-18-2010, 03:39 PM

i'd definitely take the "red dot" off the gun before trying to sell.. that's likely to tell your customer you're a cheapskate or an idiot, or both, and make the whole build look less attractive.

**itgoesboom** · 12-18-2010, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Kaltbluter

A friend of mine in another state asked me what I thought his AR was worth in a private sale. I'm not much of an AR guy so I thought I'd post his question here for some input from the experts.

This is his description as he emailed it to me:

Rock River Lower
2 stage trigger
Hogue guard
Wilson upper w/ chrome lined barrel
Yankee Hill rail
Breach barrel
$200.00 flashlight and mount
Walmart red dot scope
Single point w/ strap
6 position stock
6 magazines (4) military and (2) Magpul
Tactical bag
Front grip

So, what do you guys think this is worth?

Thanks.

Part of the issue is that some of the components are hard to identify as to specifics, some of what your friend said doesn't really make sense and part of the value he identifies is pure fantasy.

Start with the rifle. RRA is a decent Mfg of lowers, and it has the 2-stage trigger, but no round count which is important since the RRA 2-stage triggers tend to fail after a fair amount of use. Figure $300 for the lower half including the stock.

There really isn't much info to go off on the upper, and since most companies don't mark their uppers, it's hard to verify mfg. Also the twist rate will all help decide the value. Also never heard of a "breach barrel", so that's a bit confusing. If he is meaning the muzzle attachment, nope thats a standard A2 flash hider, nothing special. Figure probably about $250-$300 for the upper including the rail. More if the YHM rail is a free float but it doesn't appear to be and a free float YHM isn't worth too much extra. Also there is no way from the info given to ID the BCG to see if it's even a decent make. He says it's a Wilson, but does he mean the whole upper group, or just the upper? Doesn't look like a Wilson setup though. If it was just a Wilson upper that he had a barrel mounted in, that does nothing to add to the value. Also no mention of round count, or how it's chambered.

The "$200 flashlight and mount" is really a $30-$60 flashlight, when new (some version of a surefire G2, specific model will decide the cost), and a Viking tactics mount which is a good piece of gear, but cost $25 when new.

The magpul mags cost $14.20 each NIB, aluminum mags cost about $8-10 new in the wrapper.

Hogue grip really doesn't add much more than a couple bucks, and neither does the sling.

The front grip isn't shown, so the specific make value can't be determined, same with the "tactical case".

The wal-mart sight is junk, so that adds no value either.

IF I was trying to sell that, I figure I would be lucky to get a total of $700 out of it. I might try for $800 or so, but I would plan on being talked down. Low end components just don't hold their value well so you can't count of the quantity of extras to really bump up the value.

If you are looking to purchase that rifle, I would recommend you get pictures of the barrel markings, any markings on the upper, better pics of the lower (something looks a bit off on the left side with the safety).

If you decide to purchase it, offer $650. The market for AR's is depressed right now and there is nothing really special about that AR. Many of the components would get tossed in the end anyways.