AR-15 purchsing poll

Factors that influence an AR purchase

  • Brand

    Votes: 8 7.1%

  • Looks

    Votes: 3 2.7%

  • Price

    Votes: 18 16.1%

  • Quality

    Votes: 46 41.1%

  • Reliability

    Votes: 37 33.0%
  • Total voters
    112
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I think all of these factors are important to a potential buyer. Reliability/quality/brand typically go hand in hand depending on how hard you run your guns.
 
For me, its value and specific features. My go to gun is four or five different brands.

No, its not built out of top shelf parts, but they've worked together well so far.
 
To me if it is not reliable then it is lacking in quality. Reliability is an element of quality. I want a quality gun. Certain brands produce higher quality guns. I don't care about brands for there own sake but certain brands are known for quality. I'd buy ACME brand if I though it was truly as good as Noveske et al.

Price for me factors in when you start getting to the point of diminishing returns. You can always spend more and get something that is in fact nicer but at a certain point the improvements are small enough and the price high enough that it doesn't warrant it to me. I do believe in buying once and buying right. I'd rather spend hundreds more to get something that will perform the way I want.
 
To me if it is not reliable then it is lacking in quality. Reliability is an element of quality.
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I though that at first too. But I guess you could have a gun that had a not so great finish (remember the purpleish anodized Bushmaster parts), visible tool marks or molding lines, maybe lower quality furniture, but it could still be reliable. I guess it depends on just how low the quality is.

Reliability is tops with me. Everything else is secondary. The prettiest, most accurate gun in the world is useless if it jams regularly.

That said, you can have reliability, quality, looks and a decent price in today's AR15 market.

Or you could have the other poll option and get a Colt. :evil:

(Just kidding)
 
RELIABILITY

If I am paying around a grand for a rifle, I expect it to go bang when the trigger is pulled.

My cheap Hi Point does so I see no reason why an AR shouldn't.
 
I voted for reliability, but there is no way to know if an individual rifle is reliable until it proves itself, so I would go with a BRAND known to be of consistent high QUALITY over time. These three are tied together.

If I buy a complete AR15 anytime soon, it will probably be a Colt LE model, because that brand is known to be reliable among folks I know, plus my pencil-barrel AR15A2 Govt Carbine was flawlessly reliable over time. I sold it because I got to where I couldn't focus on the too-close front sight any more, and wanted a different version of AR to help remedy that. Originally, I wanted something with a longer sight radius, but when my command staff (PD) decided to let us use optical sights, my goal has changed to a model that facilitates optics, and may or may not be a carbine-length weapon.

OTOH, I am not a Colt snob, and may go with another brand.

FWIW, I did build up a "parts" AR with a Colt HBAR upper receiver, S&W M&P15 lower, an RRA LRPK, JP Enterprises bolt assembly, and other high-end components. If this iron-sighted target-shootin'-oriented AR runs reliably, I may decide to purchase another, more fighting-oriented upper for it, rather than a whole AR weapon. I will still go with a brand with a reputation for quality and reliability.
 
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