Which AR should I get based on the following

Other than the ambidextrous controls...the Ruger SR556 seems to fit all your needs...and more! Lot of rifle for the money. If I'm not mistaken...they are pretty inexpensive now for a well featured rifle. I bought mine a year +/- a month ago and it was $1400 OTD. Great quality!!!

With an rifle that you are intending to trusting your life with vs target shooting, a good read is this very comprehensive comparison of all of the major AR manufacturers. You will see that there is a lot to read up on and all are NOT created equal. When I bought my first AR, I really wish I had researched things a little better and taken a little more time. Colt, Daniel Defense, Bravo Company, LMT, Noveske among others are great choices.

http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?p=1019457#post1019457

Take a look at a Daniel Defense DDM4V3 or Colt 6940.

I'm not sure why you are so dead set against putting one together. When you order a complete rifle kit, less lower receiver, all the parts are there and from the same manufacturer. I don't know about other companies, but PSA sells you the kit with an assembled and headspaced upper. All you have to do is put the parts in the lower, which takes 30-45 minuets and you have a complete gun.

PSA lower..................;..........................49.95
PSA M4 carbine complete kit less lower.....499.99
Shipping...............................................22.00
Rear sight.............................................35.00
__________________________________________
Total..................................................606.94

Because it comes from out of state, there is no sales tax. You save enough money to add all sorts of do-dads on it and still come out ahead. Also, in the case of PSA, the parts are all mil-spec and the barrels are made by FN (the US military contractor for AR's).

This is what you get when you are done: AR M4 carbine,


Or, if you prefer a more traditional look, you can build a AR15-A2. This is a rifle I built over 20 years ago and it still runs flawlessly,

Assembling an AR-15 from a parts kit is about as challenging as changing your car's oil or building a kid's Lego set, so long as you have some basic tools (mallet/hammer, punch, screwdriver, some kind of tape to protect the finish while punching roll pins) and the ability to watch a YouTube video and mimic what you see.

IMHO building (really 'assembling') is the only way to ensure you get *exactly* what you want, both in terms of features but also in terms of a quality/price point that suits your needs. No wasted parts to replace, no features that you don't need or want.

Palmetto State Armory is a great option as mentioned above, but there are plenty of other great companies that will suit the needs as you've outlined them. An evening or two reading AR15.com and M4carbine.net will give you plenty of opinions on any of those companies and their products.

If those were my priorities I'd get a colt 6920 and swap out a two piece rail for the standard hand guards down the road if I felt i needed them. Anymore they aren't expensive in the ar world and reliable is their reputation. They are the gold standard for a reason and would be where I start.

I like many of the rifles listed in this thread and would personally buy many of them but when the first real priority is reliability I'd spend my money on a colt.

Me personally, i want a complete Spike's Midlength upper and a RRA complete lower . I like their two stage trigger and hogue grip to boot.

Ghost Tracker said:

MistWolf, how do you activate that TLR1? Do you have to get your finger up/out to the toggle?

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I do not have one of these mounts yet, nor have I tried one but I'm giving serious thought to getting one. Here is a picture Stickman posted in a thread over at m4carbine.net. Just flick that switch with your thumb

http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=95251
It looks to be a well thought out mount

highpower said:

I'm not sure why you are so dead set against putting one together. When you order a complete rifle kit, less lower receiver, all the parts are there and from the same manufacturer. I don't know about other companies, but PSA sells you the kit with an assembled and headspaced upper. All you have to do is put the parts in the lower, which takes 30-45 minuets and you have a complete gun.

PSA lower..................;..........................49.95
PSA M4 carbine complete kit less lower.....499.99
Shipping...............................................22.00
Rear sight.............................................35.00
__________________________________________
Total..................................................606.94

Because it comes from out of state, there is no sales tax. You save enough money to add all sorts of do-dads on it and still come out ahead. Also, in the case of PSA, the parts are all mil-spec and the barrels are made by FN (the US military contractor for AR's)

Click to expand...

This is the route I took for my AR carbine, except I got the stainless steel barrel because they were out of the FN barrels in the configuration I wanted

Or, if you prefer a more traditional look, you can build a AR15-A2. This is a rifle I built over 20 years ago and it still runs flawlessly,
View attachment 589485

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Nice! The flat top A2 is my favorite AR

If you have decided that you must have an AR-type rifle, there are many to choose from. However, have you considered one of the AK variants? At the distances you're wanting to shoot, it should be fine. They're simple to use, ultra-reliable, cheap to buy, and cheap to feed. I'm not trying restart another AK vs AR thread war, just pointing out another possibility. Good luck with whatever you decide.

They're simple to use, ultra-reliable, cheap to buy, and cheap to feed. I'm not trying restart another AK vs AR thread war,

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Yes, you are. And the AK doesn't have a headlock on those qualities. The AR is equally adept. 'Nuf said.

For the basic premise involved, any M4gery would do. The best attributes of "HD" and "target shooting" are contradictory when viewed by the best examples of each. A tricked out CQB carbine, vs. a benchrest National Match 20" rifle.

Obviously, the defining features of both combined would make it look like a lot of other posted pics, the legendary sniper scoped bipod equipped 16" carbine with sling and flashlight as so often proudly displayed.

Home Defense is better handled with a pistol, you can even carry it during a barbecue party. Kinda awkward with an M4, which is too big to fit on the nightstand. HD with a rifle is about standoff anyway, reaching out to the perimeter of the property. That's the better application, and the "target shooting" aspect supports it in that role, vs a short stocked 12" barreled carbine trying to reach out 300m.

A 16" midlength with rifle handguards will be short enough for the house, long enough to reach out effectively, and still be fun enough to take to the range. With an FSB it's a dissipator, with a rifle length quad rail, a recce, and a lot more like what you see at a three gun match.

proven said:

but why do you need a red dot sight? the irons will be just fine at ten feet.

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I sorta disagree. I mean, yes, irons are plenty accurate, but they take a lot more time lining up to be accurate than, say, an EOTech. In an HD situation you often don't have the time.

Put another way, the reason for the soaring popularity of EOTechs (and similar sights) isn't accuracy, it's target acquisition.

Skribs said:

2Wheels, that's exactly why I want a RDS.

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Because I mostly wanted my AR for the same reasons you do, I bought the S&W M&P15 that doesn't come with any sights because the EOTech was very important to me. I accepted long before I bought it that the sight would cost a good 50% as much as the gun itself. Still totally worth it.

Mine:

I would say to simply buy the least expensive AR that you can find in 5.56 caliber and go from there. And PSA is about the best route available; I bought two of their lowers for $113 total in the door. And, of course, used is always better! The beauty of the AR is that Joe Bag 'O Doughnuts can build/accessorize it to any whim or desire with about 5 tools and a padded vise.

Skribs said:

For personal reasons, I will never buy a used gun.

2Wheels, from the prices I'm looking at in my local stores, S&W M&P15 Sport = $700, Aimpoint Micro H1 = $550. 78% the price.

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My M&P is the OR(Optics Ready)-MOE(Magpul Original Equipment) version. I paid $899 for the gun and $415 for an EOTech 512. So in my configuration it's a bit under 50%.

Coincidentally, I also have a Benelli SuperNova, though just stock ghost-ring sights.

you could buy an inexpensive rifle like the m&p sport and modify it to get what you want but, your going to probably be spending alot more by the time you buy a rail and possible tools needed to change it plus whatever ambi controls you change.
you would be better off buying a complete upper with the rail you want already installed like the one below with a YHM or MI rail.
http://www.palmettostatearmory.com/23938.php
add a complete lower or a stripped lower with lower build kit plus what ambi controls you want and you should be close to what you originally wanted.

Seriously, anything. Go to Brownells.com and order their free AR-15 parts catalog. You can do anything you wan tot any rifle you get.

Nevernind

a 40 dollar rail probably just replaces the stock handguards and no you dont need much maybe this tool some can get the handguards off without it but its not easy. to install a free floating rail you even need more tools.
http://www.palmettostatearmory.com/1843.php
the rail options on those upper kits are free floating and should give you the continues upper rail you wanted look up midwest industries and yankee hill machine if you want to know what they cost, plus they get rid of the front sight that will allow you to mount your rds lower on the rail.