Copied and pasted from last thread. His budget may be higher but choice remains the same unless he wants to customize it with rail and other specific stuff. Really though, he should just get the Colt and spend the extra money on mags, ammo, optic, sling, light, and mounts for such.
Honestly though, I cannot see how any company can compete with Colt's current prices. There will be good parts deals that turn into great value home builds or the market may change in the future, but where we are now, it is very hard to beat the Colt 6720 or 6920. Even some of the good options out there will require sights, furniture, etc. (see Aero or BCM OEM at Brownells). With the Colt offerings you get a rifle that is good to go (furniture and BUIS) for $800-900. You can modify if later, but you should shoot it a whole lot first especially if its your first AR.
The Colt is a whole tier above the budget ARs being put forward, and yet is only $150-200 more usually. Colt has good quality parts, non-proprietary parts, and most importantly good QC. Why not spend the $150 and get the standard by which all others are compared, instead of going with a good, but not quite all there carbine? Whats $150/number of years of use?
I will say that finding a S&W or Ruger at $500-550 (which I recently saw) would be VERY hard to pass up, but once you start talking $600-650 you might as well just go $800-875 and get a much better rifle. If the market changes in the future and Colts start going over $1000 once more, I'd start looking budget. But where they are now there is simply no reason not to get a Colt unless you get some good deals on parts and build yourself or money is just so tight that $150 really makes a huge difference.
Edit: The guy taking his budget AR to the range and calling it "just as good" as a Colt, BCM, or Noveske hasn't shot his gun long enough or got super lucky. As to the whole AR being inferior to AK/SKS things, well that is a call one has to make for themselves. In my mind you have two theories: the ammo or the environment is going to cause a misfeed. Guns like the AK, with large ejection ports, are designed for ammo stoppages. Guns like the AR, with small ejection ports, are designed to keep out debris/mud/sand/etc. If you think you will need to clear jams often, go AK. If you think your ammo and maintenance are good, go AR. And by maintenance I mean squirt oil in bolt.
Edit: I'd stress the 6720 or another lightweight rifle over the standard. There is really no reason to get the 6920 or another M4orgery unless you want some sort of 37/40mm attached.
As to Bushmaster, I don't know if they've changed their practices, but they have historically come up short compared to the Colt. You should look at the Colt as the minimum required for a quality fighting rifle. There will be better rifles, but you don't really want to go lower.
