Help me choose my first AR15?

[Ravenzero]

Hey all!

Looking to buy my first AR15. This AR will be for home defense. I know I want a MLok rail for a front grip, and I dont want a FSB because I want an optic, but I want to keep Iron sights as a backup.

All of these meet my critiera, anyone have any opinions on these? Any help is appreciated.

Note: I own a hand me down mini 14, a P320, and an XDS, so I am not a complete noob, but I would still love your opinions!

Anyway, my list below!

Aero Precision

• Upper: M4E1 Enhanced 16" 5.56 Mid-Length Barrel Quantum Handguard Complete Upper ReceiverProduct Sku: APAR640104M7
  M4E1 Enhanced 16" 5.56 Mid-Length Barrel Quantum Handguard Complete Upper Receiver
• Lower: AR15 Complete Lower Receiver, Standard - Anodized BlackProduct Sku: APAR501111
  AR15 Complete Lower Receiver, Standard - Anodized Black

Palmetto State Armory

• Upper: PSA 16" MIDLENGTH 5.56 NATO 1:7 NITRIDE 13.5" LIGHTWEIGHT M-LOK UPPER WITH BCG, CH, & MBUS SIGHT SET
  PSA 16" Midlength 5.56 NATO 1:7 Nitride 13.5" Lightweight M-Lok Upper With BCG, CH, & MBUS Sight Set
• Lower: PSA AR-15 COMPLETE CLASSIC LOWER - NO MAGAZINE – 7244
  PSA AR-15 Complete Classic Lower - No Magazine - 7244

Smith and Wesson

• M&P®15T TACTICAL WITH M-LOK®
  M&P®15T Tactical with M-LOK® | Smith & Wesson

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[Joe13]

Just buy a used one for less

 

[Ravenzero]

Just buy a used one for less

I check armlist, but I never see any good deals or models I want. Where else can I look (other then this forum of course)

 

[bolus]

I just bought that exact Aero Upper as a gift for a coworker. Fit and finish is very nice (though they sent key-mod instead of M-lok that I ordered). Their customer support was very quick to respond though I didnt end up exchanging it (the person getting it did not care)

The Aero upper does not come with a BCG. So you will be paying another $150+ for an Aero one if you go that way. The PSA one comes with the BCG.

Personally, I'd buy separate parts for the lower rather than complete so I could throw in an after market trigger and replace the buttstock, but that is a personal preference.

If you wanted to build your own lower Red Barn has a "build you own lower kit" but this can be a bit daunting as there are 5 options to choose parts for and up to 80 sub-options. I dont remember my math well enough, but I think the total number of possible combinations is a number with 20 decimal places. Overwhelming is an understatement (welcome to the world of AR-15 where the number of unique part combinations numbers more than the atom's in the universe

Build your own AR15 LPK (Lower Parts Kit) - Red Barn Armory

 

[Sandaholic]

Just buy a used one for less

Agree, kinda. Prices are very reasonable right now. New prices are actually more reasonable in some instances because guys remember how much their AR cost them to either build or buy years ago and now that prices have come down they don't always reflect that. I just quickly went through the rifles part if the classified section and saw a few decent deals on the very first page.

All of the new options you have listed look fine to me as well. Just depends on how much you want to spend. I personally like to build them as otherwise I just end up with parts I'm not thrilled with. Anyhow lots of deals out there.

Now I'll give you my .02 you didn't ask for. When it comes to home defense our ARs are not the first firearms I would grab in a HD situation. If the front or back door were kicked in I'd probably grab the AR as I would expect at least a couple attackers. If I just hear a bump in the night I grab my suppressed pistol. Not sure what its like in the area you live but where I'm at I definitely hesitate to grab an AR as my first choice. I don't really relish the thought of these sort of rounds zipping through my neighborhood.

So while suppressor (silencer) prices seem to be completely bottomed out I would opt for a can (silencer). YHM Turbo 556 You already have a Mini14 if the SHTF so you aren't too awful worried about that. So you have time to get a can coming while you fiddle fart around about what AR you want.

 

[Certaindeaf]

A good way to pick one of three is to click on an online random number generator with an n of 3 and spin it.
done
there are other ways but that'll do er

 

[bbbass]

Yup, I use a 10.5" AR with a KAK stabilizer. As was said, it's not the first thing I'd grab, but way more useful for house clearing that a 16" with a full stock. You come around a corner with that, I'm taking it from you and beating you to death with it!!! That said, if you have to go outside, it might be a good option. But not in a crowded neighborhood... get a shotgun with an optic and sight in your slugs for 100yds. Use #5, #6, or #8 for inside the house.

 

[DirectDrive]

I dont want a FSB because I want an optic

This is an old wive's tale that will live on in cyberspace forever.
Lower 1/3 co-witness is one way to do it.
Co-Witness Explained: Absolute vs Lower 1/3 Cowitness on AR's

 

[powermad]

I ordered a kit from PSA and picked up an Anderson lower from Keiths.
About $525 for both, no mag.
PSA 16" M4 5.56 NATO 1:7 Nitride 13.5" Lightweight M-Lok MOE EPT Rifle Kit w/ MBUS Sight Set
Never fiddled with an AR and it took me about an hour to assemble the lower with common hand tools I already had.

It's been a good bang for the buck so far.

 

[11Charlie]

Roll your own that way you get exactly what you want. my .02

 

[Bones2586]

Hard to beat the Smith & Wesson for a starter AR. Think there is currently a rebate on them too, if I remember Right?

Take notes on what you like/dislike as you get used to it, and modify for your personal preference. Win Win!

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

@Ravenzero The PSA kit you listed is good, but here's a better option:
PSA 16" 5.56 NATO 1:7 Midlength Nitride 13.5" Lightweight M-Lok MOE EPT Rifle Kit w/ MBUS Sight Set

This is similar to the one Powermad built, with the exception of being mid-length and having a full top rail.

It comes with everything you need except the lower receiver, and includes Magpul furniture as well as their EPT trigger.

Add a lower, and you're looking at a $500 rifle that's practically ready to go out of the box. I have a few different PSA rifles, as well as their EPT triggers, and I personally think this is one of the best starter kits available.

I actually have the keymod version hiding in my closet at the moment, so let me know if you want to swap handguards...

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

This is an old wive's tale that will live on in cyberspace forever.
Lower 1/3 co-witness is one way to do it.
Co-Witness Explained: Absolute vs Lower 1/3 Cowitness on AR's

Agreed!

I like lower 1/3 cowitness for a fixed FSB, and absolute cowitness for flip-up sights.

Additionally, with magnified optics you won't even notice the FSB due to parallax. With a 4x scope, i can just barely see a ghostly outline of the FSB, but it does not hamper the sight picture at all.

Basically, free float is nice, but don't feel that a fixed FSB should be a deal breaker.

 

[Raidingtime]

An AR pistol will be better for Home defense. This maybe out of your price range but I strongly encourage you to build it right the first time rather than making a range toy first then having to replace everything down the road to make a reputable firearm.

PSA 10.5" CHF 5.56 NATO 1/7 12" Slanted Upper Without BCG or CH - 5165448688

Chrome lined and cold hammer forged FN barrels will lay a solid foundation on a build. PSA has good deals on bolt carrier groups. If you're lucky and or have patience you can wait for a BLEM sale. The blemished items are good to go. Id recommend matching the lower and upper for cosmetic reasons because the finishes, while some other company's claim is the same finish, may vary due to a variety of factors.

Also, the front sight post will not block an optic. I use a 4x acog on my colt 6920 and you can't notice the sight post in the sight picture. The military runs magnificent and unmagnified optics on rifles with front sight post gas blocks without any problem.

If you want a more cheap and still excellent option go with this:

PSA 16" Carbine Length CHF M4 5.56 1:7 Rifle Kit - 505097

It's a 16" Barrel which isn't ideal for CQB stuff. However, the Navy didn't seem to think that a 16" Barrel was a poor choice for clearing tight spaces onboard ships. If you're scrappy you can figure out how a 16" Barrel will work for cqb.

Good luck on the build

 

[Boboclown]

A front sight CAN be seen in the optic... At 3x it'll be a small shadow, at 1.5 you will see more of it. At about 3.5-4x it disappears completely.

But a fixed front sight isn't really an issue anyways, as people with red dots cowitness the sights and folks with scopes tend to have enough magnification that the front sight isn't a concern.