First Time AR-15 buyer, price check

Hey UTDave,

I am doing the same thing you are, but I have been researching the actual rifle for about 4 months. Sabre is a good gun, but you can acquire a new rifle (Olympics, etc) of moderate/average quality for $658 in an A2 version. Saw that price today.

For a DPMS, in an A3 - flat top, which I prefer (can attach a handle if you want one and it only raises the profile of the top of the handle by a centimeter or 2), and this "brand" is above average you can expect to pay in the area of the Sabre.

My favorite is the LesBaer. You can occasionally find these in a private sale for $1500 - $1800, but they are worth every cent.

The best advice I can give you is to buy the VERY BEST basic rifle that you can afford. The basic nuts and bolts rifle (minus the railed forearm, custom grips, a $600 stock, etc), you know - just the rifle (I know, heresy!) is what you are really spending your money. It is what will or won't hold its value, and it is what will or won't perform over the long term. You can always add the ACOG (that I am looking at, damn me!) that costs $800+, or the NV that costs $3000 and what ever else you want as an accessory later.

I am not saying do not consider the value of the accessories that come with the rifle - by all means, get the goods if they come with a great rifle.

But the rifle is what sends the bullet. Send your cash into a quality rifle.

Grit your teeth and double the $$ into the rifle, but (IF POSSIBLE) buy it from someone you either know - or - from someone that is refered to you by someone you trust. That is just a little insurance. It never hurts.

"Sabre Defence Industries (SDI), in Nashville, TN. is relatively new to the commercial AR15 market. However, they are known to fighting forces around the world for the superior quality of their .50 cal Browning A2 machine gun and M134 7.62mm mini-gun barrels. SDI equipment with US forces around the world stand on the front lines in the War Against Terrorism. Sabre Defence is a leading supplier of military equipment to the US Department of Defense as well as other military organizations around the world.

For Sabre Defence Ind., manufacturing quality is more important than manufacturing cost. SDI does not use the cheaper 4140 steel used by competitors. All Sabre Mil-B-1159F Vandium Alloy barrels rate up to 10 RC points harder than the competition. For the SDI customer, this means a higher quality, longer lasting, and more accurate rifle for their investment. As a registered ISO 9001:2000 compliant manufacturer, the quality of all Sabre Defence products is assured."

Here is some info they have have on the company. I personally don't have any experience with this platform. But, with all the reviews on it and the quality of materials used, it sounds like a deal.

http://www.mountsplus.com/miva/merchant.mvc? Here are some ideas on some mounts.

I know you're just starting out but if price is a big deal, buy the lower and the upper separately and you'll get a better deal. You can buy a completely assembled lower for less than $300. From most of the big player companies. http://www.lonestarwholesale.com/2.html. Then you can buy a completely assembled upper anywhere you want. I've used a couple of different guys. Doing it this way can save you 100-200 dollars on the 800-900 dollar ar's. The lower has to go to your FFL dealer so don't forget the transferral fee. The upper can be mailed directly to your house.

you really have to ask yourself how much you plan on running the gun and how may rds in a given time is gonna be going down range. this is the first question that i ask people. i you are gonna shoot every once in a while maybe 1-2k rds a year than a oly arms, dpms will do you just fine and you can save by buying one of these and still have money left over for teh goodies that you want to add or might want to add in the future.

btw i prefer the a3 models, which allows me to mout my eotech and buis etc. i originally has an a2 but sold it to buy an a3. that is the most versitile and wil give you the most options.

where was i .... now if you decided that you are gonna attend training courses, where you are puttig 1k down range in a 2 day time or 4k in a 5 day time span etc, then you will need to get a bushmaster, stag, colt etc in my opinion.

i prefer bushmaster, but i would have no qualms about havig and shooting a stag by no means. you shoudl check them out they run and run and run for a long time to come and they can be had at a great price.

if i was to reccomend a bushmaster i would either recommed the patrolmans carbine, the izzy carbine which i have or my favorite the modular carbine, which comes with a 16" flutted barrel, bayonet lug, birdcage flash suppresor, rail system, rail covers, ergo grip, collapsiable stock, and front and rear flip up sights. so for someone like me i would add an eotechand go have fun.

let us know what you decided. there are alot of options out there and one can be swamped with the choices they have to make, take it form the people that use them and use them alot and you should be good to go.

That's a great deal. If it were a righty, I'd be mad I didn't find one for that price.

Oh how I covet my stimulus check...

If you can buy a Sabre Defense rifle for $850 that's a great deal. They are one of the more expensive brands. Make sure the upper is also Sabre. You can buy complete Sabre lowers for around $280 and then put another brand upper on it. All the lowers are made by a handful of companies so they are basically the same price. The real price difference is in the upper.

Grab that Sabre Defense rifle while you still can- it's at a good price.

congrats on the stag. they are well made, and highly reliable, btw a couple hundread rds is nothing and it might as well be new.great choice, btw you may or may not have issues with the mags that it came with, either way you should pick up some us gi mags, and or some p mags.