On the fence between two AR's....

[PDXGS]

Care to elaborate?

Sure.
I'm not ex-military or LEO but I've been shooting ARs for about 20 years.
12 of those competitively.
I've shot a fair share of ARs including Colts, Noveske's, LMT, Bushmasters, DPMS, S&W, Next Generation and a slew of home built franken-guns.
The only ones that felt better in my hands and that I actually shot better with were the LMT and Next Gen... just my luck that they're both pretty spendy. I think that how a gun feels is definately secondary to how well I shoot with it but the LMT and Next Gen rifles just felt better.
I had a chance to talk to several Next Gen owners and was impressed with their experiences- so I decided to support a local enterprise and got a Patrol two years ago. I've put it through some nasty Practical Rifle winter matches in the mud soup without a hitch. I'm impressed with how easy it is to clean, how well it has held up to the abuse. One last benefit that I'll atribute to the ceramic coating is a vastly cooler operating temperature. I still find it pretty hard to believe but my bolt temps are nowhere near as high as other AR's Ive shot.
Just my $.02....on the internet...worth everything you've paid for it...

 

[crosse]

i notice that the patriot models are noted for having match grade barrels. Does anyone know what barrel profile the earlier patriot/minutemen rifles had? Government? Medium Contour? Heavy Barrel?

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

The patriot rifles had the M-4 contour barrel which we bought from a Colt contract shop. The Colt barrels shoot well but the most accurate barrels we know of are the Noveske barrels and we put those on our high end guns. Occasionally we would put a heavy barrel on the guns. It just depended on what we could get during the great gun parts rush just after the election. For a plinking gun though you can't beat the patriot and minuteman.

 

[keith66044]

Well,
Thanks for all the input everbody... I'm pretty sure I'll pick up a next generation when I get a chance. It should be lot's of fun. If anyone has a great flashlight or other accessory they have good luck with let me know. I'll probably want to put a few bells and whistles on it and it's nice to get a recommendation from all of you...

 

[Bam]

it is a hit or miss with the SR-556... mine after 1000 rounds is showing really bad wear from carrier tilt. Both the upper and lower receivers are showing it, about ready to send it back to Ruger.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

The AR-15 platform was not designed to operate from a piston design. All other piston designs ride on receiver rails. The AK-47, Galil, and FAL all have internal rails to prevent the carrier tilt problem. You must suspend the tilting movement of the bolt in order to eliminate the damage it can cause. I believe that the piston designs are going to go through many more modifications before they can be as good as the D.I. system.

 

[Celtic Armory]

Here's what I have to say about ARs. Most are about the same as any other. The key factors you should look for in an AR (if you want to use it for more than just shooting a few soda cans and paper targets once a year).

#1: Twist rate 1:7
#2: 4140-4150 steel for the barrel
#3: Chrome lined barrel
#4: Rated (and marked) for 5.56 not just .223 (there is a difference)

The receivers are all about the same and the rest is just aesthetics. You can change out the stock, trigger group, carry handle, charging handle, flash hider, front sight, rear sight, optics, hand guards, pistol grips, magazine latch, safety, bolt release latch and even the coatings. But those 4 things above are the key to having a rifle that is a combat capable tool.

I would say try and find an AR as cheap as possible, then order a CMMG barrel that matches the 4 criteria. Then you can piece together all the other parts that you really like. It may cost a bit more in the end, but you will have a great rifle that is custom fit to you.