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Before you buy anything, see if you can find a Ruger SR556 piston gun to try. I dont think you will look much farther.
You should install a Geissle SSA-E trigger though. Ruger puts too heavy of triggers in them

Other than that a Colt HBar.
I feel the Ruger surpasses the HBar by a great deal.
 
I'm not going to tell you what rifle to buy, but I will tell you what rifles to look at:

First: STAG - I have always been VERY impressed with these rifles, fit and finish on them is always good, and while they usually have some teething issues when new (frequent mis-feeds) this is due to the parts being tight. Apply lubricant and don't worry if it's picky on ammo, it will pass once you get through about 300 rounds. I have 3 stag uppers on a number of different lowers.

Smith and Wesson - The M&P-15 is a very good gun, and easily competes with the likes of colt and the others, however they did a much better job of cleaning it up.

DPMS - while I will be the first to admit that DPMS is the taco bell of AR makers, it's still a cheap consumable product, what they sell isn't the nicest AR out there, but they're decent and budget priced. The big thing with DPMS is they really cheap out on the furniture, that horrible foregrip and the cheap stock.

Del-Ton - Their stuff is a little better than DPMS, but they don't have quite the eye for detail DPMS does, they use all "mil-spec" parts however they skimp on some of the fit and finish that DPMS tends to get right.

Colt - Frankly, I've not been impressed with anything colt has done in a number of years, quality is usually good, but it seems once they stamp the pony on the side and make sure it's an even tone of black they simply stop caring, and with the prices they ask for the guns it seems most of the premium on these guns is due simply to the stamp on the side. Not that they've done anything great.

Ruger - As I mentioned on another thread, I am quite leery of any of their products, yea I know they are trying to reinvent themselves but after buying and then dumping two Mk2's that just wouldn't cycle reliably, and some experience I have repairing the SR-556, I wouldn't touch one of these with a 10 foot pole. Maybe if you could shoot it first.

Wyndham Weaponry - These are the guys who used to be Bushmaster when BM got bought out by freedom group, they stopped producing AR's for a while as part of the terms of their non-compete clause. However about 2 years ago started making AR's again. Worth a look if nothing else.
That said, here is what I look for in an AR:

Details - when the upper and lower are formed, they are made by smashing a slightly molten chunk of aluminum between two dies in a drop forge. In order to make sure the aluminum completely fills the dies the chunk of aluminum is too big, this leaves a parting line where the extra aluminum is squeezed out. Most quality manufacturers remove this, either by milling or by grinding, I don't really care which is done, as long as there is no parting line left. Feel for the parting line along the back-strap, inside the trigger guard, and along the front of the mag well. Del-Ton and Colt seem to be the two biggest offenders in this regard. I regularly use Del-Ton parts to build uppers, but usually stay away from their lowers.

The next thing I look for is the air-gap between the upper and lower. Hold the rifle up to the light, you should see light between the two. Make sure the light is even and the lines are straight. (note: you should see the hammer and the BHO, these will block light coming through) When you pull the rear takedown pin on the rifle, it should be tight, but not require more than perhaps the end of a pen to push the pin in. If it requires a hammer and a punch the gun is too tight and may have other problems.

Rattle: pick the gun up and shake it, you should get some slight rattling from the stock (M4 collapsible style stock) and the sling swivel. If it's much more than just some light sounds of the bolt moving back and forth the gun is too loose. (the noisier it is the worse it is)

Looseness between the upper and lower: because of the way AR's are put together (two captive pins) you should check the alignment and tolerance of the studs, holding the lower in one hand and the handgrip in the other twist the upper back and forth, if you get more than a few thousands of an inch of twist, the gun is out of tolerance (remember, this only gets worse over time). Also, push the upper receiver side to side, again if it's more than a few thousands the gun is not in the condition you want.

Trigger - Stock AR triggers are nothing to write home about, but they should operate properly. First pull back on the charging handle to cock the hammer (also to be sure there is no round in there) While letting the bolt move forward hold the trigger down. Once the bolt is closed, slowly release the trigger, you should hear a "clunk" where the trigger resets, however if you hear a "snap" the disconnector is out of alignment and you do not want this gun. Once the trigger resets, try the trigger out by pulling slowly. Make sure it's something you can live with.

Forward Assist - if the gun is equipped with one, try it out. Pull the bolt back and then slowly inch it forward until it's almost closed (most brand new AR's will not go all the way into battery under these circumstances), smack the forward assist button and make sure it pushes the bolt forward. Also pull the bolt all the way back, push in the forward assist and then slowly let the bolt ride forward. You should hear the ratchet mechanism clicking.

There are a few things I really prefer in an AR:

M4 barrel profile (if it's short)
Chrome lined bore
F-marked front sight base
A3 style upper w/detachable carry handle.

I am sure there are dozens of other great AR makers out there that not everyone has experience with. Just because they are not mentioned in this thread doesn't mean they're junk. However I highly recommend using the buyers guide above when you're trying to figure it out.
 
That said, here is what I look for in an AR:

Details - when the upper and lower are formed, they are made by smashing a slightly molten chunk of aluminum between two dies in a drop forge. In order to make sure the aluminum completely fills the dies the chunk of aluminum is too big, this leaves a parting line where the extra aluminum is squeezed out. Most quality manufacturers remove this, either by milling or by grinding, I don't really care which is done, as long as there is no parting line left. Feel for the parting line along the back-strap, inside the trigger guard, and along the front of the mag well. Del-Ton and Colt seem to be the two biggest offenders in this regard. I regularly use Del-Ton parts to build uppers, but usually stay away from their lowers.

The next thing I look for is the air-gap between the upper and lower. Hold the rifle up to the light, you should see light between the two. Make sure the light is even and the lines are straight. (note: you should see the hammer and the BHO, these will block light coming through) When you pull the rear takedown pin on the rifle, it should be tight, but not require more than perhaps the end of a pen to push the pin in. If it requires a hammer and a punch the gun is too tight and may have other problems.

Rattle: pick the gun up and shake it, you should get some slight rattling from the stock (M4 collapsible style stock) and the sling swivel. If it's much more than just some light sounds of the bolt moving back and forth the gun is too loose. (the noisier it is the worse it is)

Looseness between the upper and lower: because of the way AR's are put together (two captive pins) you should check the alignment and tolerance of the studs, holding the lower in one hand and the handgrip in the other twist the upper back and forth, if you get more than a few thousands of an inch of twist, the gun is out of tolerance (remember, this only gets worse over time). Also, push the upper receiver side to side, again if it's more than a few thousands the gun is not in the condition you want.

Trigger - Stock AR triggers are nothing to write home about, but they should operate properly. First pull back on the charging handle to cock the hammer (also to be sure there is no round in there) While letting the bolt move forward hold the trigger down. Once the bolt is closed, slowly release the trigger, you should hear a "clunk" where the trigger resets, however if you hear a "snap" the disconnector is out of alignment and you do not want this gun. Once the trigger resets, try the trigger out by pulling slowly. Make sure it's something you can live with.

Forward Assist - if the gun is equipped with one, try it out. Pull the bolt back and then slowly inch it forward until it's almost closed (most brand new AR's will not go all the way into battery under these circumstances), smack the forward assist button and make sure it pushes the bolt forward. Also pull the bolt all the way back, push in the forward assist and then slowly let the bolt ride forward. You should hear the ratchet mechanism clicking.

There are a few things I really prefer in an AR:

M4 barrel profile (if it's short)
Chrome lined bore
F-marked front sight base
A3 style upper w/detachable carry handle.

I am sure there are dozens of other great AR makers out there that not everyone has experience with. Just because they are not mentioned in this thread doesn't mean they're junk. However I highly recommend using the buyers guide above when you're trying to figure it out.

oh my... wut?? You obviously work in a gun shop.

I omitted the "what rifles to look at" part, for time. I really seriously try to do this without being a total prick about it, but the above is just such a load of crap, there's really no way to refute it without calling "bullsh!t." It would be one thing if you offered this with a disclaimer and said "I don't really know that much about these guns, but this is what I do," but you're laying it all out like this is cannon and then closing with "However I highly recommend using the buyers guide above when you're trying to figure it out." You're BSing, so I'm calling.

Forge-flash is the term you're looking for, with regard to forging receivers. If you want a pretty receiver set, there are manufacturers that cater to pretty. It doesn't affect function at all, however, and if function is the primary concern, you're likely to sacrifice it for aesthetics with lower-cost rifles. Want high quality aesthetics AND perfect function? Buy a Noveske (for $2000+).

Tightness or looseness between receivers is completely irrelevant. Some of the best receivers in the industry are really tight at first, then break in. Ever used a Vltor MUR? They fit EVERYTHING tight- takedown pins, barrel extensions, receiver extensions, carrier, etc. In all my years custom building, fixing, and shooting with other tactical shooters, I've never seen a single out-of-spec MUR receiver. This is no indicator of whether or not a gun is quality.

First of all, bolts don't move. You're not hearing the bolt, you're hearing the reciprocating buffer weights clacking against the carrier. Don't believe me? Take the upper off the lower and rock the upper by itself. Let us then segway into the buffer itself- which is the single rattliest thing on these guns, which you make no mention of. Rattle is absolutely no indicator of anything, except maybe a bubblegumty stock.

Forward assist.... If you want to waste time on this, I guess go for it. I don't see how scratching up a carrier and dulling the spine on the assist is going to do anything except scratch the carrier and dull the spine of the assist, though. I've seen a couple forward-assists break on hard-use guns over the years, but it's certainly not a common problem, nor are they likely to come from the factory not working. So unless the stars and planets align and the forward assist happens to be broken, this isn't a useful indicator of anything.

The M4 barrel profile is fast becoming one of the least desirable profiles on the commercial market- skinny closer to the chamber and fatter after the port is the exact opposite it should be for high rate of fire durability, barrel harmonics, and user fatigue.

There ARE some things you can look for on a rifle that WILL tell you something about it's construction, but to describe them here would require more time than anyone has to devote to this thread. Staking, carrier profile, proof-markings, chambering, buffer weights, and more are all things you can research up on if you really want to be able to inspect a gun and have any idea of it's proper assembly and quality. If you're interested, OP, I can dig up some links. Factual, tangible, verifiable, real criteria.
 
Buy once and cry once Colt, BCM or Daniel defense are the best quality ARs on the market . Read the whole link about the features and build quality as parts aren't parts . <broken link removed> Daniel Defense and Colt have similar build quality.
 

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