good AR-15

[TrustInFew]

So, i am looking into purchasing my first AR. I have been thinking about just building my own, but i don't know any thing about AR's. So that is not going to happen..... at least not until i have some experience with them.

So, my questions is..... What is a good AR-15 for a first time owner? Ive read about the bushmasters and colts. More negative than positive. but i cant rule them out. Since i have never owned one. I'm looking to my fellow gun lovers for their advice. What do you recommend? i am open to all input since I'm sure that there are a lot of people with a boat load of knowledge of the AR.

So help me out. Mainly purchasing it because my wife wants one as well. I gave her the option of an AR or a saiga. she chose AR so i will get my self the saiga. But i still want a good AR that i will be happy with and that she will enjoy shooting, not a ar22. i want the real deal but entry level until i have learned enough about them and feel good enough to build my own.

Lets have it.

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[Texfisher33]

I am by no means an expert. I have personally never heard anything bad about a colt other than the price. That being said, it is my experience that most major name AR's are pretty well build. DPMS, Del-ton, BCM, Noveske, Spikes, etc. are all good names and it depends on how many frills you want and your budget. I've heard a lot of good things about Del-ton. They are entry level, well priced, and reliable (all second hand based). That's what i'd be looking at if I was going to buy one.

I decided to build my own a few years ago. It was my first AR and I am not good mechanically. I had no problems putting one together and enjoyed the process. It now has the parts that I want and I didn't "waste" money upgrading parts I didn't want. ARFCOM has a good tutorial on building a lower which is the hardest part in my opinion.

Whatever you end up doing i'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

[trainsktg]

Colts are the benchmark that other lesser and greater ARs are measured against. A Colt 6920, at slightly over $1,000 at NW Armory, Wally World, or Curt's, is a good first time AR. Colts also maintain a higher resale value than other comparable priced ARs.

If you are on a more restrictive budget, other brands will serve you well...PSA comes to mind, but I think they have a huge backlog. Windham has been getting good marks too.

Keith

 

[trainsktg]

Also, look here for further good advice :

Typical gun forum advice - YouTube

Keith ( )

 

[tacticalgunner]

You know, I have a bushmaster and it's tighter than my noveske. It's a 2010 build so I don't know of the last 3 years going to crap,but I really like my bm.

 

[cpy911]

Palmetto State Armory aka "PSA" seems to be a good value. Especially with their FN made barrels.

 

[TacticalMark]

I would look at Colt, BCM (Bravo Company), DD (Daniel Defense) and LMT ( Lewis Machine Tool). I would stay clear of DPMS, Bushmaster, Delton ect. PSA is decent if your on a tight budget

 

[TacticalMark]

Bushmaster

 

[TapRackNGo]

COLT 6920 $995.00 If you are going to spend $800, spend $200 more and buy the Colt 6920. Parts are MPI tested which is more than quite a few other manufactures out there. There is a lot of crap out there, lots of out of spec guns, uppers, lowers, parts kits, bolts, etc...

 

[TwinStick]

My first AR was a Noveske and honestly, I wish I would have started with a Stag, Spikes, BCM, PSA, etc. that way I would have been practicing with a $800 rifle instead of worrying about one that cost a lot more. A Colt's Manufacturing AR is a lifetime gun for sure, but you can have boatloads of fun with a $700 rifle kit from PSA. Then later on down the road, when you decide what you really want in an AR, spend the extra money.

BTW, if you do decide to assemble an AR, it's really pretty easy. Make sure you get a complete upper and all you'll have to worry about is installing the LPK into the lower. There are great instructions out there, and once you're done you'll know a lot more about how your new rifle works.

 

[Brutus57]

I knew squat about ARs, still only know a smidge compared to most. But I built my own during the panic and it shoots, pretty darn good. I had fun building it and learned a lot. Basic did it on the kitchen table and only needed one extra pair of hands for final assembly with basic assembly.

Build or buy.
ARs are the tits!

brutus out

 

[trainsktg]

ARs are the tits!

brutus out

Good job getting past the Bubblegum censor Brutus .

Keith

 

[tacticalgunner]

Bushmaster

That sucks, did they fix it? Is that the polymer lower?

 

[Jarhead0093]

Honestly, building an AR is very simple. YouTube is your friend. If I were new to the world of the black rifle, I would shop around. Watch YouTube videos, handle as many as you can to get an idea of what you like. Building an AR is very satisfying. And you can shop around for different deals. When I bought my first it was a plain Jane Shrubmaster. It shot pretty well. But I then proceeded to change out most of the parts on it for things I wanted. If you build one you'll get exactly what you want. I just finished building an all Noveske build. This was my first complete build and I'll tell you what, you learn all about the inner workings of an AR.

 

[hotSAUCE]

I started off with a DPMS panther lite 16" and glsd I went cheap as I ran it snd loved it. I slowly upgraded parts, and converted it to a Rainier Arms...

All the dpms parts went to make a dedicated AR15-22

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[TacticalMark]

That sucks, did they fix it? Is that the polymer lower?

That is not my rifle, I used the picture as a example. It was a factory Bushmaster Carbon15 which is a poly lower/upper pos.

 

[The B]

My first AR was a Noveske and honestly, I wish I would have started with a Stag, Spikes, BCM, PSA, etc. that way I would have been practicing with a $800 rifle instead of worrying about one that cost a lot more. A Colt's Manufacturing AR is a lifetime gun for sure, but you can have boatloads of fun with a $700 rifle kit from PSA. Then later on down the road, when you decide what you really want in an AR, spend the extra money.

BTW, if you do decide to assemble an AR, it's really pretty easy. Make sure you get a complete upper and all you'll have to worry about is installing the LPK into the lower. There are great instructions out there, and once you're done you'll know a lot more about how your new rifle works.

Why were you "worried" about it? They're intended to get the bubblegum stomped out of them.

 

[2ndtimer]

i want the real deal but entry level until i have learned enough about them and feel good enough to build my own.

When I bought mine, I had the same sentiment. I went with a S&W M&P 15 Sport and have no regrets. I was fortunate to pick mine up right before the panic and got it for $599 at a local store. It came with a 1 in 8" twist 5R barrel and is very accurate and reliable. The Sports are now being manufactured with a 1 in 9" twist barrel, as S&W finally figured out they should use the better quality barrels on their more expensive models, but I still believe they represent good quality at a once again affordable price. They lack the forward assist and dust cover but certainly don't lack the reliability and quality for the price.

 

[simon99]

AR-15 platforms are pretty much the same parts with just different names. I have my share of AR's that I've bought off the rack and those that I've built. A basic mil-spec lower, an mil-spec upper, which usually means it has a forward assist and a dust cover are the main components of an AR-15. These, regardless of what you read are all nearly identical. What makes AR's different and more expensive is the additional parts, triggers, barrels, BCG's, special coatings, nickel boron, controls, forearms, stocks and furniture, optics and sights, etc.
Most of the posters have mentioned the Colt or Bushmaster. Both are awesome rifles that come with everything you need to enjoy and get into shooting AR's but also make a great platform if you want to change things down the road.
Have fun...

 

[Oro]

One thing I caution is, if possible, get one with a Lightweigth (aka, "original") barrel, especially if your wife is involved. The added weight on the "M4-geries" is really annoying over time - being out there at the pendulum end of the barrel so it's a drag whenever handling it.

I have a Colt LW sporter carbine from the late 80s and love it. Currently they make a LW version called the 6720. A little harder to find than a 6920, but worth it to me. Some day I'll likely find one used to play with. Here's a talk on that:

Colt Defense 6720 or 6920

Another option I like, and why I'm not chasing a 6729, is the S&W Magpul Spec Mid. I traded off my S&W Sport and got one. LW barrel, upgraded flash hider, semi-custom lower, and mid-gas system. Plus 5r rifling, melonited. All the things I really wanted w/o going custom. About the price of a 6920. BTW, a great lower price entry option is a S&W Sport. Great gun; I've had two before upgrading to others. But I'd get another in a hearbeat if I needed another AR.

On the S&W Magpul/Mid gas, I did't care for Magpul furniture so I fixed that: