AR-15

I recently went through the same proccess. Many will recomend the S&W M&P sport. It is suposed to be very accurate and reliable. Any known name manufactuer is going to have a decent product IMHO. I bought Rock River. You just need to decide what options are for you. Do you want iron sights? Optics only? Both? Railed front end? Stock configuration? Btw, the deal breaker on the s&w for me was no dust cover or forward assist, things that most folks would'nt miss.

Are you handy with tools and like to tinker with mechanics? If so buy a lower and a rifle or carbine kit; thumb through "Shotgun News", choices are vast.
If you are not too handy with tools or have no interest in the "build" then I suggest you buy one that has a warranty.

I have a Daniel Defense M4 V4, CMMG, and a S&W M&P 15 (post stag, but pre melonite). The Smith and Wesson is my favorite. There are many great AR's, Colt LE6920, Bushmaster MOE Midlength, LMT, and LaRue, I prefer the S&W M&P15. But that is just my own opinion. The main thing is find out which one suits you the best. Do lots of homework and find the options you want. Enjoy which ever you choose. They are fun rifles, I warn you, Black Rifle Fever is a real addiction. You cannot stop with just one...

depends on what you are shooting it for and how much you will be shooting it. My AR is a tool I need it to run in very bad conditions. I need mid-length gas system, mil-spec BCG, Cold Hammer Forged barrel 1:7twist. Not everybody is as hard as I am on a gun. Here are some good choices for around $1k (prices are from cheaperthandirt). I have my eye on a Sig Sauer M400 price from about $600-$800 it's your basic rifle with a lot of really tough parts in it. Bravo Company, CMMG, PSA, Spikes's tactical, Daniel Defense, Smith&Wesson, Bushmaster, Armalite all make great guns and you get what you pay for.

Rock River LAR-15 Mid-Length A4 Semi Auto
What it has going for it- Price, mid length gas system and two stage trigger
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/82078

Bushmaster MOE M4
What it has going for it- price, Magpul MOE furniture set, weight, back up rear sight.
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/63789

S&W M&P15 MOE Carbine
What it has going for it- Price, Magpul MOE furniture set, Weight 6.5lbs
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/58561

S&W M&P15 MOE Mid Magpul Spec Series
What it has going for it- Price, Mid length gas system, 1:8 5R barrel, flared magwellMagpul MOE furniture set.
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/80161

Bravo Company USA MID-16 Mod 0- Probably the best buy.
What it has going for it- Price, 1:7 Hammer forged barrel, mid length gas system, BravoCompany there's nothing they don’t touch on a rifle.
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/2-BCM750-121

CMMG AR-15 MOE
What it has going for it- Price, mid length gas system, 1:7 barrel, Magpul MOE furniture set, Good family owned American Company
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/7-G55A5244

Colt LE6920MPFDE M4
What it has going for it- Price, Mil Spec, 1:7, , Magpul MOE furniture set,
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/82397

If you are looking to "invest" in an AR-15 type rifle buy a complete rifle rather than build one. If you want to shoot it and have fun, building is fine (and a lot of fun). There are top tier rifles, mid tier rifles, and the rest. Where companies fall is a matter of opinion and highly subjective. However there are a few companies people generally agree on. Infidel gave a good rundown on top tier rifles. Go check out ar15.com and shop around a little.

mokin said:

If you are looking to "invest" in an AR-15 type rifle buy a complete rifle rather than build one. If you want to shoot it and have fun, building is fine (and a lot of fun). There are top tier rifles, mid tier rifles, and the rest. Where companies fall is a matter of opinion and highly subjective. However there are a few companies people generally agree on. Infidel gave a good rundown on top tier rifles. Go check out ar15.com and shop around a little.

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Very Good Point

I have three ARs, all lowers I put together and topped with factory uppers complete with same brand BCGs. The two best are BCM and Daniel Defense, both basically built as lightweight versions of the Bravo Company USA MID-16 Mod 0 that Infidel linked above. The third is ArmaLite which is good but not equal to BCM and DD. I've shot my buddy's Bushmaster and would put it in last place. Of course all this means nothing since we're talking a sample of one for each rifle.

ZK9292 said:

I have been looking to invest in an AR-15. There are so many choices I am not sure which one is the best choice. I would apprciate opions on any and all models you own or have shot. I primarily want to purchase one to have some fun target shooting.

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There is no best choice. Only those that fit your needs. What are your intended uses?

Plinking?
Hunting?
Soldier of fortune?

One, and only one, AR I will say to avoid: Mossberg. Not worth the price, not up to snuff. My uncle got one last weekend, and I'm not impressed for the price.

My suggestion: find out what gas length you want, barrel length, caliber, intended uses, and then fill in the blanks. All ARs are the same to me, unless they go downhill from there.

My ARs, past or present: Colt 6920 and two S&W Sports. Have shot, handled, and field stripped many more. My choice for the jack of all trades is the S&W Sport.

You will hear of many rifles, including the few I have intimate experience with. Wade through the BS, get tech specs, prices and availability. Go for the gold and get the one that strikes you.

I've heard that a lot from people about Bushmaster and I've shot a few that I didn't care for. Also I have a Bushmaster XM-15 I love it, my father in law has one that was built in Maine and it shoots awesome. The "carbon-15" made from plastic are really the ones to stay away from IMO.

Infidel4life11 said:

I've heard that a lot from people about Bushmaster and I've shot a few that I didn't care for. Also I have a Bushmaster XM-15 I love it, my father in law has one that was built in Maine and it shoots awesome. The "carbon-15" made from plastic are really the ones to stay away from IMO.

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Are they carbon fiber, polymer, or straight up plastic? It does matter.

It does matter.

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Not much though.

Whatever they were made from, which was supposed to be carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic, didn't work so hot.

Not because of the plastic, so much as the out of whack quality control by the company making them.

A good friends son bought one of the early ones, and it never did work right despite my best efforts to fix it for him.

He sent it back twice, then the company folded it's tent and stole off into the night.
He finally sold it and took his lumps without it ever making it through a full mag without a stoppage.

rc

How much can you spend? The more you spend, the better you get. From the perspective of being cost effective, the trick is to only buy as much as you need.

If you want a weekend plinker that you'll burn through a few hundred rounds a month with, the Smith Sport is pretty inexpensive and works. If you want something that you can run really hard, $200 to $300 more will buy you what you need. If you want to run it hard and have all or most of the bells and whistles, you'll be looking at $1K and up.

OP, what is your budget limit? If your budget-minded, a Smith&Wesson M&P would be a good choice. The M&P Sport usually can be had for $650-699.

As far as the one's I've shot, I've owned a Bushmaster XM15, Spikes Tactical, and PSA. All have been great and no issues.

rcmodel said:

Not much though.

Whatever they were made from, which was supposed to be carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic, didn't work so hot.

Not because of the plastic, so much as the out of whack quality control by the company making them.

A good friends son bought one of the early ones, and it never did work right despite my best efforts to fix it for him.

He sent it back twice, then the company folded it's tent and stole off into the night.
He finally sold it and took his lumps without it ever making it through a full mag without a stoppage.

rc

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Reason I ask: Heat is an issue, yes. However, carbon fiber is extremely strong, but brittle. Polymer is very strong, doesn't melt (deforms due to crystallization) but has flex, and plastic is, well, plastic.

Range buddies have the Carbon bushys, but I'm not privy to what material they truly are. As far as I know, they love them. I just can't wrap my mind around why anyone would go that route for an inexpensive rifle, when there are other made of aluminum that are just as inexpensive, but not "cheap". Conundrum indeed.

So...what is the intended use?

If you look through/search around in this sub forum you will probably see PLENTY of recent threads on this topic.