Ok, so... If you could have one rifle, and it has to be an AR...

[prelaw09]

EDIT: I am new to shooting. I have shot a lot of guns, but have not owned one. this will be my first (and only for a while) gun and will need to be a jack of all trades.

Hi all
I am seeking your wisdom. If you had to have only one rifle (maybe even just one gun) and it had to be an AR, what would you choose? I ask because I have a complete AR15 lower and am a broke A$$ student. I have about $1500 that I can spend on an upper, mags, optics, ammo, training, etc. It will mainly be a target/ fun gun, but of course, it will have to serve HD/SD SHTF duty. Now, I am not that concerned with optics. What would you choose for caliber, barrel length, rails, etc. Keep in mind that I am in PRNJ and am limited to 15 round mags and no bayonet lugs or flash hiders (although muzzle brakes are OK).

I have looked at the "other" calibers and on paper, really like the 6.5 Grendel, but ammo is expensive. The 6.8 is promising, but it too has its drawbacks. the .223/5.56 is tried and true (well, sort of) and is pretty cheap, but lacks in other areas.

So, what would be your one gun solution?

P.s. Please no "just get an AK" or anything like that. I like the AR and already have the lower.

Thanks,

PL

 

[Gunther]

Colt Upper 16 in barrel 223/556

 

[.45FMJoe]

Colt 6920 upper.

 

[XTerminator]

I love my 450 Bushmaster carbine. Anything .223 is just so boring by comparison.
Factory ammo is spendy, but if you reload it's not so bad, uses cheap pistol bullets for plinking and target shooting. Great for hunting inside 200yds too.
And then there's that satisfying "Thump"

Steve

 

[gondorian]

Just fyi grendel ammo can be had for not to much here and here but sportsmansguide is out of stock at the moment.

 

[Troy308]

Armalite AR-10

 

[gondorian]

Troy308, he has an ar-15 lower already and really he is wondering what kind of upper he should get. The questions the OP is really asking are; 1. What caliber should my upper be? 2. What brand of upper would you recommend for me to purchase? and 3. What extra doodads should I get?
Is that correct prelaw09?

 

[prelaw09]

gondorian... you are correct, sir

you are correct. The lower that I have is an AR15 lower (223 length). Thanks for the good catch

 

[cottonmouth]

DPMS or Bushmaster 16 inch light weight 223 M4.

J.B.

 

[flyboy1788]

OP, you will get a million different answers. If I was you I would wait and get a BCM upper with BCM bcg without hesitation, I would then get a DD omega rail and customize to my liking. But if you dont want to wait for them(bcg uppers) to come in stock, Colt, LMT, are other top quality options. I have a smith and wesson m&p which I like a lot and happened to come with an LMT bcg with all the goodies that one wants to find in a bcg (black insert, o ring, mp tested, properly staked) but it seems that the more recent S&Ws have not been quite as nicely equipped in certain instances, so I hesitate to recommend them for now. As you can tell my caliber of choice is 5.56. I personally only shoot 55 and 62 grn projectiles so my 1/9 twist barrel suits my needs, but any of the brands I mentioned besides s&w use 1/7 twist which is capable of stabilizing the heavier(77grn + projectiles), some of which have absolutely devestating terminal ballistics.

 

[kwelz]

Since you are just looking for an upper you have a few different options. As always I suggest a top tier manufacturer. LMT has some nice options that won't break the bank. A colt upper would be optimal but you are going to pay a lot more in general for one.

Frankly I could go into a lot more detail but Flyboy covered most of it.

 

[ugaarguy]

PreLaw, BCM and LMT uppers are not significantly more costly than any other major name brand. Their quality, particularly with their BCGs, is absolutely a cut above most of the other major players. S&W's M&P-15 uppers are very nice as well, but Flyboy has already covered the recent BCG issue. Colt still makes a great upper, but you'll pay a Colt price tag for a minor features not found on an LMT or BCM upper. I'd be patient and get an LMT or BCM upper unless a screaming deal on another major brand came along.

If you must have it sooner a Bushmaster upper with 1/9 chrome lined bbl, CMMG upper with 1/9 or 1/7 chrome lined bbl, or RRA upper with 1/9 or 1/7 chrome lined bbl; plus a BCM or LMT bolt carrier group would be my next choices.

I wouldn't rule out S&W either. If you don't end up getting an MPI BCG in an S&W upper it's still just as good as (if not better than) the Bushmaster / RRA / CMMG uppers, and you could simply add a BCM or LMT BCG like you would on the others.

Last, DPMS is not in the same league as the companies listed above for your stated uses. Most of their barrels are not hard chrome lined, and I've seen way too many with tight .223 chambers; or .223 chambers on 5.56 marked barrels. Now, if you were wanting a target or recreational only gun DPMS does that very well, at a very reasonable price. They make some very accurate shooting barrels. Those are just my observations from working with AR-15s, and yes, I have owned and used a DPMS AR.

 

[sarduy]

P.s. Please no "just get an AK" or anything like that. I like the AR and already have the lower.

ok, don't get an AK, get an upper in 7.62x39