Looking to buy a new AR15

[brewbrew04]

I am looking for a new AR15 in 5.56 or .223 cal. I dont have a whole lot of experience in the area of "SPORT RIFLES" so i am looking for some advice. I would rather buy a complete AR for my first one and once i learn the "in's and out's" of the weapon i plan to build one from scratch at a later date. I have been doing some online research and all the reviews i have read are pretty biased as far as "Colt is the only option" I would love to get one but not really looking to spend that much when maybe i can get a different brand and get the same reliability. In any case any info can help. I am not going to do anything special with it just some shooting on weekends and maybe add some sights no competitions or hunting just "plinking".

Thanks for Looking.
JB

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[SnackCracker]

What's your budget?


"The Chart" <broken link removed>

The chart shows the differences in the different maker's features. This is by no means a "must have" list, but at least you can make an educated decision to determine WHAT you should look for depending on HOW you will use the gun.

There is a BIG leap in the "you get what you pay for" return on investment for an additional couple hundred dollars.

Example... You can get a RRA, CMMG, Bushmaster for ~800. Any of these will serve you well for your needs. (although I would probably pass on a Bushy... do some research to learn why for yourself).
But for "only" $100 more, you can get an M&P which is considered "better" by most of the AR "experts".

For $1,000 you get into the realm of BCM (Bravo Company) and get a top tier AR-15.

Colt is "the standard" to which everything is measured - simply because it is the producer for the military and has been making them the longest. However, that doesn't make Col THE BEST... there are other AR-15 manufacturers that actually surpass Colt with their products.

This write up has a wealth of information: "So you want to buy an AR":
http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81462



QUALITY research can be found here: www.m4carbine.net Those guys USE their AR's. Sure you don't NEED to rely on your AR like they do, but at least you can make a TRULY informed decision prior to laying down your hard earned cash.

 

[SnackCracker]

FWIW I just built my first AR. I'd never owned one and spent MONTHS researching, reading, handling and pricing every single AR on the market.

I ended up building a Noveske Recce Mid Length with Magpul furniture for $1140. That is COMPLETE, FFL fees etc. I now have a gun that will outperform and outlast my needs. My belief is buy once, buy right.

I have the confidence in knowing I have a top tier rifle that is accurate as H***, and runs like a sewing machine. If I ever decide to do 3gun, or we have a SHTF Zombie Apocalypse, I have a rifle that will do it all.

The extra $300 was worth it to me for that peace of mind and confidence. And... resale value!

 

[safehaven]

It might help if you had an idea of any specific features that you will be looking for. Rifle or carbine or SBR, A2 stock or collapsible stock, A2 upper or A4 flattop, etc. For all the information you could ever hope for on the AR15, go to AR15.com. There is an overload of information there.

In my opinion, the best deal on a AR at the moment is from Spikes. They are generally considered to be on par with Colt in regards to quality and functionality. Spike is one of the upper tier AR's and at $800, it really cannot be beat.

<broken link removed>

Upper Specs-

-Spike's Tactical M4 flat top upper receiver, Machined from a 7075 T6 Mil-Spec Forging with Mil-Spec Type III Hardcoat Anodized finish, T-markings, our logo and M4 feed ramps. Mil-Spec Dryfilm lube on the inside.

-Barrel is 4150 Chromoly Vanadium Alloy, M4 barrel extention, Chrome chamber and bore, 5.56mm Nato chamber, 1:7 Twist, Magnetic particle testing on every barrel, Phosphate finish.

-M4 profile with Carbine-length gas system.

-Barrel is Phosphate finished under the F marked A2 front sight base.

-F marked A2 front sight base is taper pinned to the barrel.

-The M16 carriers are Chrome lined with a Mil-Spec phosphate finish.

-Forged Mil-Spec carrier key, Chrome lined, attached with Grade 8 hardware and Properly staked.

-MP tested bolt, Each extractor is fitted with a Mil-Spec black insert and Mil-Spec Viton o-ring.

-Forged Mil-Spec charging handle.

-Double heat shield M4 hand guards.

-A2 Flash Hider.

Lower Specs-

-Spike's Tactical Lower, Machined from a 7075 T6 Mil-Spec Forging with Mil-Spec Type III Hardcoat Anodized finish.

-Mil-Spec lower parts kit.

-Stainless steel trigger and hammer pins with Black Oxide finish.

-6 Position Mil-Spec buffer tube, castle nut and Properly staked latch plate.

-ST-T2 Tungsten Heavy buffer.

-Mil-Spec 17-4 stainless steel buffer spring.

-Spike's Tactical M4 stock.

Accessories-

-Detachable Mil-Spec Forged A2 Carry handle

-Magpul 30rd Pmag

**All of our products carry a LIFETIME Warranty**

 

[CVMustang]

DPMS Sportical, I got one last year brand new for $599, perfect for plinking, 700 rounds so far, 100% perfect.

 

[The B]

anything but DPMS.

BCM truly does make the "best" ar, and happen to be one of the cheaper options. you can get something for $800-$900, but it'll be vastly inferior to a BCM- which meets or exceeds TDP in every known category, for only one more weeks worth of saving? its a given.

buy good the first time. you never know where you'll end up- could be you'll love your AR so much that you'll decide to get into serious tactical shooting, or competition. and for home defense, quality is a MUST. you want to trust your life to a questionable gun? the AR is a rock solid platform, SO LONG AS all the minimum quality control requirements are met. most of these cheaper manufacters DO NOT meet those minimums.

 

[James1300]

I prefer the term 'Sport Rifle'.

 

[Riot]

What's your budget?


"The Chart" <broken link removed>
The chart shows the differences in the different maker's features. This is by no means a "must have" list, but at least you can make an educated decision to determine WHAT you should look for depending on HOW you will use the gun.

There is a BIG leap in the "you get what you pay for" return on investment for an additional couple hundred dollars.

Example... You can get a RRA, CMMG, Bushmaster for ~800. Any of these will serve you well for your needs. (although I would probably pass on a Bushy... do some research to learn why for yourself).
But for "only" $100 more, you can get an M&P which is considered "better" by most of the AR "experts".

For $1,000 you get into the realm of BCM (Bravo Company) and get a top tier AR-15.

Colt is "the standard" to which everything is measured - simply because it is the producer for the military and has been making them the longest. However, that doesn't make Col THE BEST... there are other AR-15 manufacturers that actually surpass Colt with their products.

This write up has a wealth of information: "So you want to buy an AR":
http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81462

"The Chart" <broken link removed>
The chart shows the differences in the different maker's features. This is by no means a "must have" list, but at least you can make an educated decision to determine WHAT you should look for depending on HOW you will use the gun.


QUALITY research can be found here: www.m4carbine.net Those guys USE their AR's. Sure you don't NEED to rely on your AR like they do, but at least you can make a TRULY informed decision prior to laying down your hard earned cash.

Best advice right there...

 

[PDX]

The <broken link removed> doesnt work... opens up to a blank page... anywhere else to find this?

 

[turq]

Try doing a 'build' at J&t Distributing they are dependable and a great site to start your pricing survey.
I built my kit thru them in 1998? They are still doin' it. Rest my case.

 

[The B]

Try doing a 'build' at J&t Distributing they are dependable and a great site to start your pricing survey.
I built my kit thru them in 1998? They are still doin' it. Rest my case.

vulcan/hesse has been making guns forever too.

 

[MountainBear]

vulcan/hesse has been making guns forever too.

The difference is that J&T has been doing it RIGHT for all that time.

Avoid all the fanboys in their mother's basements who say you absolutely HAVE to have any particular brands. Some of the manufacturers are better that others in terms of fit and finish, but a lot of them buy their parts from the same places. I have owned and shot AR's from a lot of manufacturers. I have built some, and am a certified Colt factory armorer. There are a few manufacturers I would avoid, however, most will get the job done for the casual shooter.

 

[nixuser]

PLEASE STOP USING THAT TERM "assualt rifles"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_rifle
assault rifle is loosely defined as a selective fire rifle

 

[Riot]

PLEASE STOP USING THAT TERM "assualt rifles"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_rifle
assault rifle is loosely defined as a selective fire rifle

It's a blanket term that won't go away for ARs...I can knock on people for calling a magazine a "clip", but in the end everyone will default to the following phrase...

"He had a high-powered, AK-47 assault rifle with several high-capacity clips and cop killer shells."

All us gun-nuts cringe at "high-powered", "assault rifle", "high-capacity", "clips", "cop killer" and even "shells". Everything about this statement is farse...yet we hear at least one of these words mentioned to describe a firearm in a lime light by our bias media.

People who have little experience within the gun community will occassionally use these words as well in their incorrect form because of what they hear from the news...so what can we do? Well, we should educate rather than be-little and banter against those that don't know any better.

If we jumped down everyone's throat that used these terms incorrectly we would make more foes than friends for our cause.

Just my two cents...

 

[The B]

The difference is that J&T has been doing it RIGHT for all that time.

Avoid all the fanboys in their mother's basements who say you absolutely HAVE to have any particular brands. Some of the manufacturers are better that others in terms of fit and finish, but a lot of them buy their parts from the same places. I have owned and shot AR's from a lot of manufacturers. I have built some, and am a certified Colt factory armorer. There are a few manufacturers I would avoid, however, most will get the job done for the casual shooter.

how is there any connection between recognizing quality and living in someone's basement? do you not feel you cant argue a point without stigmatizing your opposition? and don't be passive about it- who exactly are you referring to? i don't see anyone stating he must buy any particular brand.

 

[nixuser]

i said PLEASE didnt i

 

[SnackCracker]

I fixed the broken link above....

<broken link removed>

This is the VERY informational write up and complete breakdown for AR manufacturers and what to look for in a rifle. At least you will have all the information to made an EDUCATED decision. I'm not playing "fan boy" here... I'm simply giving you the information so you can make your own INFORMED decision.

I think some people get butt hurt to find out their Bushmaster or DPMS isn't "all they thought it was" when compared to other rifles. And then they would rather live in denial than admit they may have made a poor and uneducated purchase.

Like I said before... You probably don't NEED a top tier rifle, but the cost isn't that much more. That is a decision only you can make. They will ALL throw lead down range... the question becomes reliability in 15K rounds, accuracy, twist rates for the ammo you shoot etc.

 

[MountainBear]

PLEASE STOP USING THAT TERM "assualt rifles"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_rifle
assault rifle is loosely defined as a selective fire rifle

Might as well get over it, its not going anywhere...

how is there any connection between recognizing quality and living in someone's basement? do you not feel you cant argue a point without stigmatizing your opposition? and don't be passive about it- who exactly are you referring to? i don't see anyone stating he must buy any particular brand.
Yesterday 08:54 PM

How did you know I was referring to you? Are you a bit self-conscious?

There are several good options, and honestly there is no one best option. Several good companies make very good rifles, almost all make serviceable rifles. Most of us who are not hard core operators, which most of us are not, will not be able to tell the differences between a $3000 gun or a $750 gun. J&T/Doublestar, DPMS, Shrubmaster, Colt, BCM, LaRue, NextGen, etc. all make very good rifles...

 

[Blitzkrieg]

What's your budget?


"The Chart" <broken link removed>

The chart shows the differences in the different maker's features. This is by no means a "must have" list, but at least you can make an educated decision to determine WHAT you should look for depending on HOW you will use the gun.

There is a BIG leap in the "you get what you pay for" return on investment for an additional couple hundred dollars.

Example... You can get a RRA, CMMG, Bushmaster for ~800. Any of these will serve you well for your needs. (although I would probably pass on a Bushy... do some research to learn why for yourself).
But for "only" $100 more, you can get an M&P which is considered "better" by most of the AR "experts".

For $1,000 you get into the realm of BCM (Bravo Company) and get a top tier AR-15.

Colt is "the standard" to which everything is measured - simply because it is the producer for the military and has been making them the longest. However, that doesn't make Col THE BEST... there are other AR-15 manufacturers that actually surpass Colt with their products.

This write up has a wealth of information: "So you want to buy an AR":
http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81462



QUALITY research can be found here: www.m4carbine.net Those guys USE their AR's. Sure you don't NEED to rely on your AR like they do, but at least you can make a TRULY informed decision prior to laying down your hard earned cash.

I don't understand the knocking of the Bushmaster.. I have several and they are flawless. I like my Olympic Arms, too, and they get slammed a lot. I guess it's the 1&#37; -ers, but every manufacturer has lemons

I'm building one right now on a RRAs lower, not sure what upper/barrel I'll use, it's for my wife

 

[Selftest]

I swore I would never do this again....


Just do yourself a big favor and listen to SnackCracker and BKB.

I'll liken it to this: You have two cars in front of you. Car A is a Pinto, brand new, never been driven. It costs $10,000. Right next to it is Car B, a 1969 Mustang. Brand new. Never been driven. Car B costs $11,000. Now, you know that Car A has enough of a failure rate to be suspect. You KNOW this, based on your research and stories and anecdotes you've heard over the years. Is it worth saving the trivial sum of money?

BCM, Noveske, Colt, Daniel Defense, S&W. The BCM costs about the same as the Smith or the Daniel Defense, I would go with the BCM.