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Man I'm cruising the classifieds,looking at the AR "build" prices and it looks like Hilary is running. Or did we have another shooting?
Sorry guys,AR prices are kinda low and your frankengun is not worth 1300 bucks.
There are new ARs out there for around the $700-800 mark. That puts the frankenguns about the same or lower.
And give the details of what parts you installed. Oh it has a stainless barrel. What's the twist? Who made it?

OK I'm done

Mike
 
I agree. Used AR prices are very high compared to new rifles on the shelf. I guess those selling $1300 rifles also sell $60 bricks of Thunderblanks.
 
Heck man overpriced goods are everywhere and not just firearms. Some folks have a hard time believing that depreciation occurs. The second you walked out of the dealers shop with your new toy the price dropped. The second you put the first of the only 20 rounds you fired through it, the price dropped. Just because you wiped it down with a diaper and only shot it on good weather Sunday's doesn't make it a lump of gold.
 
But the frankenguns,home builds, are just that,home builds.Not done by a professional in a shop with others to double check your work.Shops with expensive machines and micrometers.
When I build an AR,I understand that the value in the expensive parts is for me and when I sell it,it will be worth what the medium/low priced ARs are worth.
So I try to shoot the heck out of them before I sell!
 
It's a combo of people who bought during the panic and are trying to get as much of their money back as they can and or delusional people who think there is still a panic and people are willing to pay high prices.
 
But the frankenguns,home builds, are just that,home builds.Not done by a professional in a shop with others to double check your work. Shops with expensive machines and micrometers.

Having been in some of the brand name shops and seen those rifles assembled, it is surprising to hear the level of trust you have in their employees. This concept that there's magic going on in these shops with their special elves and their expensive machines is kind of funny.

One of the shops I visited had 18 and 19 year old guys fresh out of high school assembling AR-15 rifles. I'm not knocking their work as they did know what they were doing and did do a good job, but their builds were certainly limited by the company's selection of parts.

The thing about going with a brand name is that one gets a known quantity and consistency. It does not mean that it's better than any so-called "frankengun" or home build. -Viewing all home builds as on par with lower tier AR rifles is a mistake. In a lot of cases, the AR-15 rifles assembled at home are essentially custom built rifles that reflect the owner's preferences.

One of the differences with a brand name shop and an individual doing a home build is that the shop has to produce a rifle that fits a price point and preserves the profit margin. The person assembling an AR for himself does not. If the person doing his own build wants a Geissele trigger, he just spends the money and adds it. If a shop wants to do that, it can make an entire line not profitable for its price point.

Assuming that good quality parts are used, knowledgeable people can assemble home built AR rifles that are as good as and sometimes better than what the brand name shops are assembling.

When I build an AR, I understand that the value in the expensive parts is for me and when I sell it, it will be worth what the medium/low priced ARs are worth.

While a person is not entitled to the new retail prices for the various expensive high-end parts that went into his build, he can produce a much better AR than a mid or lower tier AR. This is why the person can get more than the going price for a new, lower tier AR.
 
While a person is not entitled to the new retail prices for the various expensive high-end parts that went into his build, he can produce a much better AR than a mid or lower tier AR. This is why the person can get more than the going price for a new, lower tier AR.

Outrider,the idea I was getting at is if you don't know much about ARs and you don't know the person who built the gun, are you going to buy new or the home built? Even though I do know a little about them,having assembled around 10,I have to know who built the AR before I will buy a home brew.
I said nothing about the QUALITY of the home built,just the value for the general public.
And I'm sure those 19yo kids have better machinery at their disposal than most home builders do and I was always mechanically inclined so I'm sure there are plenty of 19yo kids who breeze thru a AR build

 
We all pays our money and takes our chances. Unless I knew a builder personally and approved the components, I would be very slow in purchasing a rifle not made by companies equal to the standards kept by LaRue, Rock River, or Colt and their peers.

In a worst case situation where the Repubs run another individual like The Mittster, (who by the way, led a ban on assault weapons and pioneered Romney Care in his own state) and Hillary is elected, then should DiFi and Carolyn McCarthy all get on the BanWagon, and boom, we're back into an AW ban, what rifle do you want hanging on your wall as the last AR you'll be able to buy for years? A LaRue or a Jimmy's-brother--in-Eugene?

What good will the $600 we "saved" in the Jimmy model, if the rifle fails and the receiver is bunged up?

If we're talking one of many, sure, buy some stuff which does not have to work every time, and run it to death, I see nothing wrong in that.

But if we're looking for the "there are many like it but this one is MINE" gun, my vote is for the ones that have been shooting since 1969 and are still in service somewhere.
 
Ya, but ya gotta take in account that it may be, LNIB, never fired, "this is how much I invested" and rare...:eek:
It is just like guys who put 40K invested in a rat rod or old camero and it's still worth only 10K ..building it can be fun, cost a bunch of cash and time, but in the end you still just have an AR15 (Just like the ad below...)

FOR SALE 1923 BUCKET-T Show Car...BUILT-UP 355 4 Bolt Main 11.1 Comp,...202 Fillies With Case Hardened Seats...Competition Cams, Roller Tip Rockers, 292 Competition Cam, High Volume- High Pressure Oil Pump, Tunnel Ram w/2 Edelbrook Carbs, Approxment 600 Horsepower High Flow Polished Aluminum Water Pump, Turbo 350 Trans w/ 2800 Stall, Early 70's Dodge Rear End...Lots Of Crome Work,This T has over 60K invested...NOW SELLING For $20,000 CASH...This T Is A Trophy Winner...For More Info Please Call.
 
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I have noticed lately in Accessories and Parts there have been some items priced quite a bit over what you can buy them for new, just about anywhere. People get insulted if you point that out, but on the other hand, their items for sale never move and they probably wonder why. Do your research before you set a price.
If you paid too much initially, I feel your pain, but you can't expect the next guy to want to make you feel better by paying too much for a used item that he could get new for the same money.
 
If I want to buy a gun on this board - especially a used one - I open up buds gunshop and compare it to a new one. If the used gun is more expsensive than Buds new price - there is no way I will even consider it.
 

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