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About LinkBacksFor quality lmt is my pick, though lots other good ones mentioned. For a plinker coctailer will hook it up. Still good guns, just not as good as lmt/bcm etc.
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For quality lmt is my pick, though lots other good ones mentioned. For a plinker coctailer will hook it up. Still good guns, just not as good as lmt/bcm etc.
It boils down to you get what you pay for. Cheap rifles do not meet mil-spec and have more quality control issues. Mid price rifles are close too or meet mil-spec and have better quality control. High end rifles exceed mil-spec, normally have the best quality control and customer service.
Do your research before you buy. Prices on rifles and parts are in free fall because of the glut and poor economy. For your first AR buy a factory assembled rifle.
Don't drink the fan boy kool-aid.
I haven't posted on NWFA in forever but figured I'd give this one a go...
The guys who are recommending companies like BCM and DD have got it 100% right, the reasons to choose a top tier company have been beaten to death on this forum and others so I won't go over it all over again. Suffice it to say there's a reason to buy rifles from the left side of "the chart".
If you're really looking to learn about ARs the suggestion to check out M4Carbine.net is a good one, much better signal to noise ratio over there with lots of input from end users who actually run their guns hard. There is no shortage of folks that will tell you that their cheaper brand-X rifle is totally great and works fine, most of them however have never actually run them hard.
Maybe your del-ton or DPMS or rock river or bushy will run fine for thousands of rounds at a high tempo without cleaning or lube - maybe... (though I doubt it and no way I'd EVER trust my life to one), but I can pretty much guarantee a BCM, DD, Colt, LMT, Noveske or what have you WILL, consistently... Having run guns from both end of the spectrum doing everything from range day plinking to high round count classes I can definitively say that you get what you pay for and the "top tier" brands are most definitely worth it in the end.
For a price difference that is, perhaps, equal to a cheap case of ammo (a pittance if you plan on actually learning to use your rifle competently and to maintain that skill level) you can go with a system that based on the reviews of MANY skilled and experienced shooters will not let you down.
One good recommendation would be a BCM Midlength. Why? The "Filthy 14" is a great example of why Bravo's products are among the best.
Figured I'd see what a new build would cost right now, lo and behold right in your price range:
BCM Standard 16" Midlength Upper reciever group + Bolt Carrier and Charging handle - $520
Magpul Mbus Rear sight - $55.05
Magpul midlength MOE handguards - $33.20
BCM Blemished (you wont be able to tell what the "blemish" is most likely) lower reciever from G&R (here) with MOE furniture - $346
That's a rock solid setup for $958 before shipping and the transfer fee for the lower... Just push the pins on the lower and you have a complete rifle. You will be hard pressed to find a better deal on a finer weapon.
Smargunner also has an AWESOME deal on custom DD uppers with rails here
Lightweight midlength upper WITH a rail for about $550, but you'd still need to add a BCG and BUIS which will put you a little over 1K along with the lower.
My two cents, your mileage may vary, etc. but take it from a guy who has tens of thousands of rounds downrange through the AR platform (or guys like Pat Rogers, Larry Vickers, Costa & Haley, etc...) - buy quality the first time around and you won't regret it.
Thank you for all the advice everyone. I'm going to look at the offerings from BCM, DD & LMT and make my decision from there. If I have to spend a few extra bucks so be it.
Seeing any trends yet? BTW be sure to check out that "filthy 14" article.Originally Posted by Dutchy556
You won’t regret it.
2nding this.
Also SmartGunner.com has an awesome deal on DD uppers if you don't mind waiting a month for it to ship lol. Basically, quality equal to BCM with a free DD rail.
EDIT: oh... I got beat lol
Smart man.
All three of those are excellent choices and none of them really cost a significant amount more than the "bargain" choices.
M4, M16 and 5.65mm NATO cartridge: A Disgrace?, found this morning while reading Chuck Hawks site, interesting read.
Maybe, but it looks like it belongs in one of those "does the AR-15 suck?" or "AK-47 vs AR-15" threads, not here.
The author of that paper (and the papers he cited) seem pretty ill-informed though.
Buy a Del-Ton or a M&P and the rest of the money can go towards ammo, mags and accessories.
I love LMT and Noveke too but the money you're going to spend versus a S&W M&P isn't going to get you anything for your use. So, with that being the case you're just spending money on the logo.
I'd also recommend Addax Tactical or Rainier Arms over BCM for the money.
You are obviously insane.
Rainier Arms makes some really kick-*** accessories, their new XTC comp is pretty sweet. I have not used any of their ARs but they look pretty damn nice. Plus they are local (WA) which is cool.
I haven't used anything by Addax so I don't know anything about them.
Del-Tons are actually surprisingly decent for the money, shot peened bolt and individually MP inspected bolts and barrels. They don't do high pressure testing yet but they say it is in the works. You get a lot for your money with DTI, they are one of the best as far as budget ARs go. Their customer service is also top-notch.
That said, if the difference between getting a DTI and a DD/BCM is waiting 2 weeks for your next paycheck, well, I'd rather get the top-tier gun. Also if you're like me and are a huge nerd who wants to customize it your rifle a lot to your vision of a perfect AR-15, getting the budget gun isn't that much different in price in the end anyway because the DTIs and the like usually only come as stock m4geries. E.g., the one I'm building now will have a 14.5" pencil-profile mid-length gas system barrel and a low-profile gas block pinned to the barrel. For me, it may even be cheaper to get one from Daniel Defense where they will make it custom exactly to your specs from the factory rather than starting with a stock DTI M4 and upgrading.
Where did you get your 14.5" light weight middy? I have been waiting on BCM foreeeevvvvveeeeeerrrr.
Daniel Defense. I was going to go with BCM originally, but then I saw the smartgunner.com deal. They had what I wanted in stock and it ended up saving me over $200 since BCM does not offer (at this time anyway) a pencil barrel 14.5" middy with a low-pro gas block and 12.0 DD rail. Just gotta wait a month for it to ship LOL. Plus it comes with a CHF barrel which is... unnecessary imo but now I can be like all the cool kids.A little bit of bonus cheesy goodness I guess.
Word is they are taking a break on taking orders for January though to get caught up and get something set up so they can pin flash hiders to 14.5" uppers again, so you're out of luck for at least a month.
I may have to go with DD too. Did you get the whole upper group or just barrel? I hear you on the CHF barrel and agree, but like you said nothing wrong with a little extra cheese.
If it was my money, it would only be one of these:
Colt 6940 or 6920
Smith & Wesson M&P15
LMT Defender
...and my money have bought them.
Whole upper
Dude I could be just lame but I’m not seeing any complete upper groups on SmartGunner. Am I missing something?
You're not.
This was posted on the 30th:Word is they are taking a break on taking orders for January though to get caught up and get something set up so they can pin flash hiders to 14.5" uppers again, so you're out of luck for at least a month.
Shipping Time? - Page 2 - AR15.COM
Gotcha, thanks.
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