I need suggestions on an AR15

I'll make it easy for you.

$1000 budget, Colt 6920. WalMart, believe it or not.

$650 budget, S&W Sport.

Now that being said, having owned a Sport for a trouble-free year, I am now re-thinking the carbine and would probably rather have a standard A2 rifle. Less recoil, longer sight radius and being a history buff...it just looks right.

Most AR's are chambered in 5.56 and will also shoot 223's. It's the original caliber and the most widely available.

Sights...well, everyone has their own opinion. Just depends on what you want to use it for. General plinking, a red dot is nice or 1-4x28 scope. I was actually looking at a fixed 4x for mine.

Careful though, it can get uber expensive very quickly. You'll 'tacticool' out your 7# rifle to the point it weighs the same as a Garand.

What is your budget?

Being that you are completely new to the rifle, I would not recommend building one from a stripped lower and a parts kits, which you mentioned. I'd get a rifle that fits within your budget, and plenty of ammo so you can familiarize yourself with the weapon. Start with open sights. The flat tops have better options for optics than the carry handle style uppers.

I'd recommend, regardless of budget, the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport. It doesn't have a forward assist or a dust cover, but they are darn good rifles for the money, and they hold their value if you decide to upgrade. They are optics friendly.

As far as optics go, that's personal preference. My AR is currently wearing a fixed 4x40 Bushnell. I do have plans to mount 45 degree offset iron sights, for quick transitions from long range to close range targets. The holographic sights and red dot sights are popular, but I find them lacking for longer ranges.

Something else to consider is barrel length. The original length was 20", and they are available in 18" and 16" as well. If you live in a state that allows short barrel rifles, you can go much shorter.

I have to agree you should go with the 5.56x45 chamber. That is the cartridge the rifle was designed for, and you get the added bonus of also shooting the .223 Remington cartridge.

I don't know how familiar you are with rifles/ carbines in general, or how much you have to spend, so the Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport for $650, give or take, is often considered the best entry level ready built rifle on the market.

The dust cover is a spring hinged flap that covers the ejection port on the AR-15. It's supposed to keep dust, dirt, etc from getting into the action.

The forward assist is a button on the side of the receiver that allows you to press the bolt into battery if it did not fully seat a round.

Not knowing what they are... you'd never miss them. For $1000, I'd go with the S&W M&P 15 sport, a stack of mags, a case of ammo and the optic of your choice.

You could go with a higher end AR for $1000, but what use is a $1000 rifle if you don't have a pile of ammo to shoot?

ETA: I can't say what your needs are. This is an off the cuff, basic entry level recommendation. There are other ARs in the sub-$1k range, but none with as good a record as Smith & Wesson. DPMS and Bushmaster come to mind. Both are decent rifles in their own right, and both come with the forward assist and dust cover.

What are you wanting to do with it? Just plinking big targets at 100 yards and less and just blasting through cheap ammo , long distance precision, self defense, deer hunting?

Hell, if you are looking for an inexpensive range plinker, how about an AR15 in .22LR?

On the right side where the round ejects there is a flap that you flip up to cover the ejection port. Whenever the bolt is racked back or released forward the cover will spring open and stay there until you close it. Unless you really run an AR through it's paces, will not need this. The Forward Assist is farther back from the ejection port and it's a little button you can push if the bolt doesn't completely lock forward. Again if you don't put an AR through it's paces, you won't need it. The only time I've ever used it was when I didn't pull the bolt far back enough. Personally, if there is something the keeps it from locking that's not from being dirty, I don't want to try to jam it in there.

Both of these guys give good advice. In your situation, I would probably go with the Sport or a Palmetto State Rifle so you can have a little extra $ to buy ammo and/or an optic, unless you are wanting to use Iron Sights. The PSA rifle comes with a lot of features for a good price, but are probably not as readily available as the Colt. You might have to scour a few Gun Stores to find one, but PSA's can be found for around $700. It would still give you some money to buy an optic. All depends on your budget. If it's in your budget, a Colt is a great rifle, some say the Gold Standard of AR's, some say paying extra for the name, but at the end of the day it's what you want. Happy hunting and you will enjoy whatever AR you get.

For economics a .22 is the way to go. The S&W 15-22 looks real good for $449.

If you can get a Colt 6920 for $1000 get it. Count on paying $.40 a round. I knew nothing about AR15. The 6940 appealed to me and I bought it however a basic S&W would have been fine.

If you would decide on a .22 LR I don't think there is much point in getting an AR style rifle... get something like a Ruger 10/22. Your blowing your money. The only real benny in the.22 LR AR is cheap practice for shooting an AR.

The basic AR type rifle as recommended by others is the way to go. An ordinary AR with no features added to it costs around $700, even to build. Add a special handguard and a couple extra do-dads and the cost will be a grand. Get really fancy and you'll be pushing 3 grand. Choices R good. Maybe the only choice you need concern yourself with to start is a very basic rifle for around $700 or one with some enhancement added for around $1000. In the latter case a Colt would be great... no, you are not paying a bunch of $$$ for the name... they are competitively priced at Walmart and would likely hold their value better than others.

One of the enhancements you should watch out for are sights. On an AR flat top they are sometimes optional and will set you back $125 or more. For versatility and the potential of home defense I recommend something light, and optics of a low or nil magnification if any. Red dots are great, faster than iron sights, and fun. You do not want to have a long heavy weapon with a high magnification scope in the dark in close quarters. Some red dots come with a 2x or 3x magnifier screw on lens. Then there are low power variable scopes with a lighted reticle, such as the popular 1x-4x. With a scope a person can do without iron sights, but consideration can be made to having the ability to have a backup iron sight (BUIS) setup. This can be done with using both iron and optic concurrently with a red dot, or having a quick detach mount on a scope. If you are using it for fun you can mess around with stuff, but if you will depend upon it for defense at all you had better make it quick, simple and foolproof. I wouldn't mix the two. Que the shotgun. =o)

The ammo will be .223 or 5.56 NATO (military) and can be gotten cheap, especially in 55gr bulk, if you can find it. They are wonderful guns to shoot and easy to maintain. I suggest you just get yourself a basic rifle, Colt, S&W or PSA, with iron sights and then add on the optics after you have gotten the thing broke in and decide which way you want to go.

have a ball =o)

USAF_Vet said:

Not knowing what they are... you'd never miss them. For $1000, I'd go with the S&W M&P 15 sport, a stack of mags, a case of ammo and the optic of your choice.

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This. For a grand, you could set the Sport up wearing an Eotech right off the bat.

Lessee...you want an entire $1k-ish basic, but solid AR15 for fun, target shooting (possibly long range), and possibly HD in a pinch, but not hunting. You want iron sights, but the flexibility of adding optics in the future. Right?

If so, I'd say your best bet is something like a Rock River NM A4 or Colt MT6700. They're good & accurate enough to be used as entry-level rifles High Power Service Rifle competition, while the detachable carry handle gives you the option of mounting optics.

MrBorland said:

Lessee...you want an entire $1k-ish basic, but solid AR15 for fun, target shooting (possibly long range), and possibly HD in a pinch, but not hunting. You want iron sights, but the flexibility of adding optics in the future. Right?

If so, I'd say your best bet is something like a Rock River NM A4 or Colt MT6700. They're good & accurate enough to be used as entry-level rifles High Power Service Rifle competition, while the detachable carry handle gives you the option of mounting optics.

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Both blow out his $1k budget just on the rifle alone. A rifle without ammo to shoot, or mags to shoot from, is a club. And in the case of the AR-15, a pretty weak club.

Blues, if you are going for iron sights, there are options galore. the M&P comes standard with Magpul Back Up Iron Sights (MBUIS) which flip down and lock out of the way for easy use of optics. They are decent. I don't remember exactly, but I think the M&P has the standard A-frame gas block and front sight. If that is the case, and I'm 80% sure it is, then all you need is a rear sight. Also available are the detachable carry handle with GI style rear sight. It attaches to your rail, and looks just like the integrated carry handle on the classic M-16. For a rear sight, you can spend anywhere from $25 to a couple hundred. As it stands, they are pretty much the same functionally. You'll pay more for different brands, or different materials. But unless you're dragging your AR through some far away battle field, the plastic $25 Magpul sights work just fine.

For your first AR, I highly recommend the Smith and Wesson M&P15 Sport that many have mentioned. For around $650, you will get a very capable and well-built AR15 to start with, and have a few hundred bucks for ammo and a good optic.

My recommendation is to buy a case of 5.56/.223 ammo; for around $200 or less you can get about 500rds. Practice shooting with iron sights and get familiar with the AR in its stock form. Its important to know the rifle first before you plunk for money down for optics and other accesories.

later on you can add a good red dot like a Vortex Strikefire or Bushnell TRS-25, and other Magpul goodies. Good luck!

The sw 15 sounds like a good option for you.

No, the Forward Assist still comes standard on most AR15 rifles. The M&P sport does not have any kind of forward assist, but you very likely won't need it. The M&P 15 does have the assist, so that review that said it had one may have been on that M&P 15.

chris in va said:

I'll make it easy for you.

$1000 budget, Colt 6920. WalMart, believe it or not.

$650 budget, S&W Sport.

Now that being said, having owned a Sport for a trouble-free year, I am now re-thinking the carbine and would probably rather have a standard A2 rifle. Less recoil, longer sight radius and being a history buff...it just looks right.

Click to expand...

This

Being that you are completely new to the rifle, I would not recommend building one from a stripped lower and a parts kits

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Why not? Unless one has palsy or dystonia or some other crippling disease that leaves you unable manipulate small parts, putting a parts kit in a lower is a cake walk.

If one is not concerned about warranty, save some money and/or build a better rifle than what you can buy within your budget.

I will use it primarily for target shooting. (hence the desire for the cheapest ammo by caliber) and maybe a bit for home defense, although I much prefer a shotgun for that. maybe some long distance precision shooting, but thats not its primary focus at all. but maybe just for fun.

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If accuracy is your goal, a bull barrel model with NM or adjustable trigger is the way to go. However, the same rifle that works well for precision shooting at distance is not going to be particularly suitable for home defense. You could compromise with something like a 16" or 18" bull or match grade heavy barrel, but I'd want 20"+ for distance. I have multiple ARs for different purposes. You can always just have two different uppers, though.

Pretty close to your budget and definitely an accurate unit that comes with a lifetime warranty is the Armalite M15(T):



Or..........

You could build a rifle with a CMMG free floated bull barrel upper (16", 18" or 20") and assemble a lower yourself with an NM or adjustable target trigger to save about $200, if you don't mind not having the warranty.