Looking to buy an AR and need advice

[horatio 515]

So i had planned on buying an ar rifle in a few years, but given everything thats happened, i think moving that project up is the most sensible course i can take. much like odd man's thread, i'm looking for something that can fit a specific criteria. initially i had planned on going on a ar forum, but i think there are enough ar shooters here to get some good advice.

 

so anyways, im looking for an ar that fits the following

 

1. takes 556

2.direct impingement, not piston

3. highest reliability possible

4 i'd like to keep the cost at 1500 (before panic buying pricing)

 

i usually research a project i'm doing for 3-4 months before i start asking questions, and i try to find one that i can shoot somewhere before i start forming an opinion, but with my schedule, that whole process from start to finish usually takes me just over a year, and i'd like to shorten that a bit, so forgive me if i have noobish ar ideas.

 

also, i'm already set on this particular style of rifle for this project. i'm not discrediting x39 ak's, saiga 223, veprs, 308 or a myriad of other useful calibers and styles. they definetly have there uses, i'm just looking for help with thisparticular format.

 

i know i should have posted this in the non ak section, but it doesn't receive the traffic this section does and i was hoping to have a good basis to start research by the end of the weekend. any advice is welcome, and thanks in advance for your help

[schultze13 354]

If you want a AR before the panic starts I would buy a couple lowers for around $120 to $150 each then get the rest as you can. The lower is the gun the rest of it you can buy without a FFL.

[horatio 515]

that though had crossed my mind. one former coworker put his own ar together, but he complained that the accuracy suffered. Has anyone else heard of something similiar? Any suggestions on good quality lowers?

[GREYLUPO 358]

This is easy man. A COLT 6920, basic, mil spec and one of the best you can buy. You can buy them between 1000-1200. If you want rails buy the COLT 6920 Socom, comes with Knights Armament rail system and Matech BUIS and can be had between 1400-1600. Both are Excellent.

 

Also look onto Daniel Defense.

 

COLT and DD are the only ARs I recommend

[Spartacus 1,619]

A buddy of mine is looking at a Kel-Tec SU-16C.

 

It's not a Stoner rifle, and it is a piston design, but it takes normal AR mags.

It is also a under folder that fires when folded and is very light.

 

And it can be moded to look like an AR.

 

I know it doesn't quite fit your wish list, but to me it seems like the perfect "AR".

 

 

Edited December 15, 2012 by Spartacus

[horatio 515]

i'll have to check on the colts, don't know much about them. i had heard good things about daniel defense and the sigs.supposedly someone has a sig ar torture test on youtube i've been meaning to look for. they put it through sand and water etc and supposedly does rather well. i suppose with hostess now out of business AR's everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief as there are no more twinkies to be had.

 

i'll check the keltec also. they do make some nice stuff. hopefully they're more available than the sub2000. and the rfb. and their new shotgun....

[jbanzai 113]

Stag arms is very good. My Stag upper and BCG are at least as good as the Bravo company I had. They are known to cycle steel ammo like a champ. They have great customer service, and most importantly, they're in stock. They quoted me a 6 week lead time, but it shipped in less than a week. I've had it for 2 weeks now, and I wasn't expecting it for another 2.

[dayofruin 425]

I want, and will have, a Colt. I have a DPMS that I've owned since 07/08 and have never had a problem with it at all. I have a PSA with mid length gas system that seems pretty solid. Both are as accurate as I am. My 9mm is built from several companies.

 

Building is a great way to get to know the rifle in and out. Plus you aren't replacing parts. Off the shelf for that money.... I'd go colt.

[RedChallenger 149]

EASY.

1) get in car. 2) go to Walmart. 3) buy colt LE6920 4) smile and go home or to range.

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Colt-LE6920-Carbine-Semi-Auto-Rifle-223-Rem-5.56-NATO/21677322

 

I got the Sig M400 from Walmart and like it a lot.

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sig-Sauer-M400-Enhanced-Carbine-ODG-with-Rifle-Bag/21677318

Edited December 15, 2012 by RedChallenger

[supertex 242]

EASY.

1) get in car. 2) go to Walmart. 3) buy colt LE6920 4) smile and go home or to range.

 

http://www.walmart.c...6-NATO/21677322

 

I got the Sig M400 from Walmart and like it a lot.

 

http://www.walmart.c...le-Bag/21677318

where is this Walmart? thanks

[nlacy 692]

I've been happy with my M&P 15 and M&P 15 T. Both run flawlessly and eat anything I give them. Can't say the same for my BCM upper which is pretty high ended but tuned to only like the good stuff when it comes to ammo.

 

Questions: Do you want a project or buy all together?

 

If you're looking for lowers Detroit Gun Works makes good ones and you can get them for under $100 when they're in stock.

[RedChallenger 149]

EASY.

1) get in car. 2) go to Walmart. 3) buy colt LE6920 4) smile and go home or to range.

 

http://www.walmart.c...6-NATO/21677322

 

I got the Sig M400 from Walmart and like it a lot.

 

http://www.walmart.c...le-Bag/21677318

where is this Walmart? thanks

Went to the one by my house. I'm in Texas but the sales guy said they carried them in N.M. Also.

[sccritterkiller 473]

 

Questions: Do you want a project or buy all together?

 

 

I would answer this question first. I would also recommend a free floating barrel which ever way you go.

[Voltia 375]

I like my Colt law enforcement carbine very much. I want to build a rifle length one next.

[RedChallenger 149]

Don't over think it. Just go get a AR (see my above post).

AR's are like Legos, very modular. You can do whatever you want to a rifle, once you have it.

[mostholycerebus 415]

I would buy 20 NFA poly lowers, 10 aluminum lowers, and sell off most of the NFA lowers when they double in price in a few months. Then use the cash to build a few good rifles in the $700 range.

 

The easy and safe way is, as above, get a colt. They are excellent rifles, decently priced, hold value, popular.

[SwissyJim 117]

love love LOVE my Colt 6920 MOE edition. But also going to go the lower route, and build an AR from the ground up, most likely in .300BLK, short barreled and suppressed.

[Long Shot 1,287]

The thing about "AR-15 Rifles" is that any mil spec set up will meet your stated criteria. If the gun is truly mil spec it has to meet a certain standard of quality control.

 

Do a quick search for military M-4 contractors and any one of those will do just fine. After that it becomes a price game.

 

Colt

Smith & Wesson M&P

Bushmaster

Armalite

Stag

 

Just to name a few. I like Smith,Armalite and Colt just for the name recognition but there are at least a dozen contractors out there. I look for crome lined barrel, nitride coated bolt and carrier, flat top optics ready upper and mil spec lower.

 

Fire Control Group ( FCG ) is a decision in and of itself. If you decide to build a lower receiver the options are wide open, if not you can always get a drop-in FCG later if you decide to change it out.

 

I would avoid the new so called "Sporter" version uppers unless you don't care about resale value. Also DPMS and a few high volume economy producers are selling guns they claim to be mil spec but if you read the fine print they left some components out of standard. I avoid those guys on principle. (Although I have a DPMS LR-308 Panther that is my favorite shooter.) In reality there is probably nothing wrong with their stuff, I just don't like the marketing ploy of using the term "mil spec" until you read the fine print.

 

The beauty of these things is the modular design. You can mix and match interchangeable pats til the prairie dogs stop sticking their heads up.

 

 

Be careful cause this shit is addicting. One is too much and a hundred not enough.

 

Lastly; Ignore the mall ninja, nob slobbin, elitist douche bags on arfcom. The folks here seem to have a much tighter grip on reality. I believe most of the people that post over there have a lot of time reading all about the platform on the interwebz but very little time on the trigger. From what I can see from those guys if you didn't pay way to much for a rifle it aint shit.

 

Hope this helps and doesn't just add to the noise.

 

Good luck and happy shooting.

[horatio 515]

thanks again for all the suggestions guys- i appreciate it

short version since today got busy as hell

 

jbanzai- stag lowers look sweet- saw a couple etched ones on GB- i'll check them out some more

 

colt seems to be ranking high, which is cool- i'd all but given up on them except i was hoping to buy a python in the next year.

the M&p seems to have alot of fans, i'll check them out as well

 

mizombiekilla- i still have detriotgunworks on my radar from before- maybe i'll actually have to get off my ass and call them

 

mostholycerebrus- the more i learn, the more i think just buying an ar is a bad idea. i need an ar AND maybe 2 extra lowers to build on.

 

longshot- thanksfor info- defintely not adding to the noise, it was very useful

 

swissyjim. you can own suppressors. i hate you ( just kidding, i've been following you on the RJF zombie 22 and i'm almost as excited as you. the 300blk is cool looking)

 

 

one other question- anybody tried a Rock river arms? the tend to rate very highly around these parts

[Lone Eagle 839]

I built my lower for less than $200, and the upper would have cost me around $600 shipped at the time.

 

Lower: Surplus Arms and Ammo Multi-cal lower with Bushmaster parts kit. I did swap my LPK for the Essential Arms stuff from my 6.8SPC lower because the FCG had a factory polish job, and was butter smooth. I went with the Magpul MOE stock because 3 different shooters use this gun.

 

Upper: Palmetto State Armory 5.56 1:7 twist middy with FN barrel/BCG and Magpul forearm. Chrome lined from chamber to tip, and accurate as heck with 55gr or better ammo. Barrel is basically a M249 chopped to 16", so no grenade launcher cut.

 

I topped it with a carry handle sight reset for RIBZ and Leapers 4x20mm scope. I also have a NcStar 2-6x30mm Rangefinder for it. Both are great out to 200 yds.

 

 

Accuracy? It's combat approved, and then some.

 

25 yd sight in target. Look dead center:

 

I didn't run the rear sight to the 100 yd setting, but here's a 100 yd group, offhand rapid fire(right target). Backer is 16"x20" with a 7" party plate in the center:

 

Last 10 were on the plate after I compensated. I thought I'd run it 6 clicks, but only had it at 5. These were off-hand just as fast as I could pump the trigger. Arsenal was rockin' until the barrel got hot....lol.

 

ETA: Here's my upper. A member on another forum wanted my Stag 6.8SPC for ferral hogs, and ordered me one of these NIB with the BCG. It was $559 shipped to my door.

 

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/ar-15-05/complete-uppers/psa-16-hammer-forged-midlength-upperpper.html

Edited December 16, 2012 by Lone Eagle

[GREYLUPO 358]

All ARs are not created equal, even the ones claiming "milspec"

 

You need this, then spend the rest on mags and ammo.

 

 

 

[vulcan16 971]

The original Bushmaster guys are now producing AR's under the Windham Weaponry name with a lifetime warranty. Very nice rifle.

Bushmaster only gives a one year warranty on their products.

[well2160 42]

Utah's Walmart also caries some AR's. I have a DPMS that has given me no issues though I didn't like the hand guards it came with. One of my buddies got a Stag for about the same price as my DPMS at the same time and on close inspection I could see no difference in parts aside from the brand name stamp. Heard good things about Rock River too. I've also shot a Bushmaster that seemed well built. My opinion: If you get a decent brand there is very little difference. Good luck with deciding and buying or building.

[thebuns1 4,323]

Im not big into the AR platform since the service, but I'll have to give my props to Colt or DD for direct impingement guns. The only downside I see with the AR is that there are far too many makers out there now and it can be confusing trying to decifer between them. I know several prolly do make a good one, but Id stick to the ones that have been around a while with a well know rep and you'll be good to go.

[22_Shooter 1,560]

Generally, I'm a fan of, and always advocate, assembling a stripped lower and then buying a complete upper to slap on it. You can save money that way and still end up with the same quality of $1K+ AR's, assuming you pick quality parts.

 

That being said, with the current state of parts availability since the election, and now the CT school shooting sparking more gun control debate than I have ever seen............I'm going to hop onto the Colt train, and recommed that route. Since you can pick them up immediately at most Walmarts for a price that actually competes with online pricing, on top of everything else already mentioned.

[JoshAston 39]

Colt is the only provider of M4s to both the US military and civilian market. There are other makers that make ARs that are just as good or better, not many though. Daniel Defense, Noveske, LaRue, Bravo Company, maybe a few others.

[mostholycerebus 415]

All ARs are not created equal, even the ones claiming "milspec"

 

You need this, then spend the rest on mags and ammo

 

This may or may not be true, but alot of people feel this way regardless, which is why the Colt or M&P are a good choice if you ever think you may resell it.

 

I built my rifle with a PSA CHF barrel, the same barrel that FN provides to the top tier manufacturers. I saved maybe a few hundo over buying one, but its still a frankenstein gun with little resale value as a package, no matter how well it shoots. Im happy with it, but I probably would have been just as happy with a nice colt or S&W.

[honkytonk 30]

My first AR is a complete Spike's Tactical mid-length and it is a great gun that I paid around $800 bucks for.. For my wife's AR I wanted to build one so I went with a Spike's lower and a Palmetto State Armory carbine length upper, also a good gun and easy on the wallet, around $650-700 bucks for. My next AR will probably be a Colt though. Take a look at the Spike's rifle and read up about them, could save a few hundred bucks and get a nice optic. Good luck!

[jbanzai 113]

I would stay away from spikes unless you don't mind waiting until next summer for your rifle. Spiders and pirates make for a very popular AR apparently.

[honkytonk 30]

I would stay away from spikes unless you don't mind waiting until next summer for your rifle. Spiders and pirates make for a very popular AR apparently.

 

Haha, that part is true. They do tend to have a long wait period for their rifles. I like to think it is due to the price/quality over the want for spiders or pirates. FYI, I bought the punisher version, haha!