Anybody know of any super-durable and reliable AR-15s?

[Positivity]

Not in the market for any, just curious, so price is of no concern. Anybody know of any super durable and reliable AR-15s?

Like, roll over it in a tank after burying it in a foot of mud, dig it out, then still have it fire kind of durable? Well, maybe not that durable, but one that could have very large amounts of rounds put through it without cleaning or very minimal cleaning and still fire, and be able to put up with harsh treatment in extreme heat, cold, rain, snow, sand, etc.

 

[Welding Rod]

Any of the service oriented guns should be pretty good about taking poor maintenance. The ARs that are more known for producing small groups due to their minimal chamber/headspace dimensions and match triggers probably won't be quite as tolerant.

But no matter how you slice it, the AR is a precisely built machine and as such isn't apt to like having sand and pea gravel shovelled into its guts any more than your power drill would.

 

[TonyAngel]

Any well built AR will do what you're talking about.

My AR is a franken rifle. Daniel Defense upper, Spike's lower, Spike's buffer, Bravo Company bolt group and a Bushmaster 14.5" barrel. 6000 rounds since its last cleaning and still running the way it should. I don't get much snow where I am, but it's seen a lot of rain, mud and sand.

 

[ugaarguy]

Colt, BCM, Daniel Defense, LMT, and Noveske would be my top 5. Google "Filthy 14" if you want to see what a BCM AR-15 will take.

 

[firesky101]

dropped 1000 rounds of silverbear through a Model 1 Sales kit in a weekend. 0 failures to fire, lots of black goo in the receiver when I went to clean it.

 

[madcratebuilder]

The roll marks have little to do with reliability. Proper maintenance and knowledge of the platform is more important.

 

[fatcat4620]

Sounds like you want an AK rifle in 5.56

 

[Robert]

Sounds like you want an AK rifle in 5.56

Or just a standard AR from a reputable manufacturer.

I clean my AR every couple of thousand rounds or at the end of the competition season, whichever comes first. I shoot in a very, very dry and dusty area, dirt like baby powder, and have yet to have an issue. I keep my rifle well oiled and it keeps right on working, even when it is filthy.

 

[JimStC]

I agree completely with Robert. Any decent AR will run as long as you keep it lubed. Also, I don't see a drop off in accuracy when my AR's are dirty unlike my bolt rifles

 

[dom1104]

Any good AR15 will do what you ask, as well as any other rifle.

 

[SwissArmyDad]

Myself and others are getting good results from Palmetto state armory. Little bit less expensive, but many are finding that there is a very high level of quality for the $$.

I specifically wanted to build mine, wanted a midlength, wanted MOE handguards, wanted a good barrel, wanted a normal F-stamped A2 style front sight, and honestly PSA had the best price on one.

Just took it out for the first time yesterday and it funtioned 100% with just Rem Oil. I'll probably upgrade to something a bit more specific to the AR platform, but Rem Oil is what I've always used and was what I had on hand. No problems.

I also run a PSA lower parts kit with MOE grip and stock, all inside a JD machine lower. Good products so far!

 

[Shadow 7D]

Any of them as long as they are built to spec. out of quality and appropriate materials.

 

[Capybara]

I have a Windham Weaponry SRC. The fit, finish and reliability are outstanding for a sub-$800.00 rifle. Also comes with a lifetime, transferable warranty. In case you are not aware, if you build your own AR, you will have limited to no warranty. Sure, the individual components will have some kind of warranty but it can often be difficult to immediately troubleshoot an AR as far as which component is causing a problem.

After saying all of that, if you truly want a weapon that can stand up to being thrown in mud, sand, gravel and keep firing without cleaning and maintenance, IMHO, you would be better off with an AK. I own two ARs, love them, but I baby them, clean them after every session. If was to buy a beater/survival/combat weapon, I would buy an AK.

Sure, you can get a 5.56 AK, but I would also consider getting one in 5.62 or 5.45 caliber, simply because of ammo costs. the 5.45 ammo is almost half the cost of good brass 5.56. I would rather than twice as much ammo for the same cost personally. XM193 is getting stinking expensive, too expensive and I don't know if it will ever come down in cost again after the guns/ammo run is over.

 

[JimStC]

Cap,
You don't need to baby your AR's. I can go thousands of rounds and have zero problems. All it takes is a syringe (no needle, obviously) of Kano Kroil in my pockect. Actually that is seldom necessary. My point is that an AR is as good or better than an AK and a better rifle design. Just my personal preference. Don't mean to be speaking as an expert.......
Nonetheless, your comments on ammo costs are good advice.

Jim

 

[Cosmoline]

The Colts are excellent.

AR reliability issues are primarily related to poor quality magazines, not with the gas system. If you're going to be rolling in the mud, just close the dust cover.

 

[cyclopsshooter]

Shoot, a $700 Olympic will do all that for you too. Mine just go and go and go.. I have let my cheaper plinker go quite a bit without cleaning just to see how it would really do. Even threw a bit of fine soil in it.. (Excessive lube probably woulda gummed it up) But good ammo in a good rifle will only require a minimum of lube.

 

[SpeedAKL]

A quality AR will run just fine in tough conditions with proper cleaning and maintenance. If you are worried about reliability under a high round count, look for manufacturers that adhere to or mostly adhere to the TDP issued by the military for the M4 Carbine. Standards important to a high-reliability gun include:

• Bolt and barrel made with proper grade streel
• Bolt carrier key properly staked
• Chamber cut correctly to 5.56mm NATO specs
• Barrel and bolt assembly individually tested by manufacturer using HP and MPI procedures (helps detect material flaws)
• M16-style full auto bolt carrier group (heavier, reduces recoil impulse and stress on components)
• M4-style extended feedramps in chamber (improves feeding, particularly for longer bullets)

Check out www.m4carbine.net and look for the sticky thread "Comparison of AR brands". This compares M4-pattern guns from various manufacturers according to some criteria that are important for the gun to run reliably under stress.

Brands I recommend for a "hard use" gun include Colt, Daniel Defense, Lewis Machine Tool, Bravo Compancy (BCM), Noveske, and Knight Armament ($$$$). Spikes, Palmetto State Armory, and S&W are pretty solid too. This doesn't mean that ARs from other brands (Bushy, RRA, Stag, Oly, DPMS, etc) will crap out on you when it counts. It just means that some manufacturers adhere to quality standards that make a crap-out less likely.

 

[thefamcnaj]

I've learned my ar will run filthy but not dry. I don't clean it after every session but I oil it before each range trip. I've had no problems with mine. Its not a top tier ar 15 but I've ran it dirty a lot. Its a sig sauer m400 enhanced model. So if a mid tier rifle properly runs dirty but oiled I'm sure all the big boys (ie: colt, bcm, dd etc.) will do the same.

 

[SpeedAKL]

I'll also some other users re: issues outside the manufacturer's control. Always use high-quality magazines. There are tons of crappy mags out there that will have your AR playing jam-o-matic. Magpul's PMAGs are very good in my experience, and are relatively affordable.

Keep your AR lubed, particularly high-stress areas like the bolt carrier group. An AR does not need meticulous cleaning - that is a myth fermented by bad military instructions from back in the day. It does run best when lubricated well, however.

Use a 1:7 twist barrel if you plan to shoot heavier bullets. Also, make sure your chamber really is 5.56mm NATO as advertised. Not all manufacturers who stamp their receivers as 5.56mm NATO cut their chambers appropriately. There is no way to verify this other than by using a chamber reamer, but enough anecodtal evidence and sampling exists online to know that some manufacturers are more up to spec here than others. This is one reason to stick with the higher-quality brands.

 

[JimStC]

I know that this is redundant based on what has already been said but here it goes. I have LMT/Noveske in three calibers: .223 .204 Ruger and 6.8 Rem SPC. They just don't fail. I have owned some much more expensive AR's built for competition and no recoil and have sold them. The AR platform is a solid as it gets until you start trying to make it what it is not.

 

[KeithR]

Came across this on youtube(zombietactics) and the M&P 15. This is abuse, but it still functioned!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwXhm45x3WM&feature=relmfu

 

[RyeDaddy]

I own a few AR's, and all have been reliable. Stupid reliable really, I can't remember any malfunctions.

That said if I had to pick one for a mud fight and taking abuse, run it over with a truck kind of beating I'd go with my POF. Piston driven, NP3 coated internals so lube is optional, and a rail system I've seen pics of a truck parked on top of with no damage.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Robert is right.

I have a Colt and so far my only malfunctions (2 in a row) were operator induced in 3200 or so rounds. But even 'good' guns can hiccup or break when you run them alot.

 

[10thMtn]

Barnes Precision is the most well-made AR I've ever inspected. You'll find it has more SOF recommendations than anything else out there.

 

[pat701]

Look at a Sig 556 the bugs are out of them now for over a year. It fits your needs.