ar15 newbie needs advice

[kellyj00]

I've shot a few bushmasters, a colt and an armalite ar15 in my time. I'm now interested in getting one as a plinker for 100-300 yard range.

There's a lot of different manufacturers, and I'm looking for the cheapest that I can find that the expensive parts are of good enough quality not to break.
It's not a personal defense weapon, so reliability and FTF/FTE isn't a huge issue.

What would you recommend? New or used are both options at this point.

I'll need to mount a scope on there too. Also looking for recommendations on a cheap scope for the 100-300 yard plinking for the mentioned AR15.

 

[RNB65]

Rock River Arms or Stag. Best bang for the buck you'll find (other than maybe building it yourself).

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Stag Arms. They are the best quality for the money, no doubt.

 

[DogBonz]

well

RRA and stag are very good quality, but that said, I like my DPMS. It is accurate, and has been totally reliable (after about the 200 round mark), it is not magazine sensitive, un like the Bushmaster that I had, and cost a $100 less. Some folks don’t like DPMS but I have had good luck with mine. The only thing to check if you are buying one is the magazine well. Mine is fine with GI mags, but my Grendel mags stick.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

I am biased towards RRA, because thats what I went with and I think it was an excellent bang for my buck...But I have never heard one bad thing about Stag either, and they are even a bit cheaper.

One question though,

FTF/FTE isn't a huge issue.

Why?? Who doesn't want a reliable rifle, reguardless of SD situations?

Either brand won't give you an issue...Almost any big name brand won't.

 

[Fergy35]

I am still an AR newbie my self.

From what I've seen at the shows, DPMS seems to offer the better pricing of complete rifles. From what I've read and heard they make a good product too. Good luck in your search. I'll keep watching to see what others have to say.

 

[MarshallDodge]

I have shot Bushmaster, DPMS, Rock River, and Colt. The Rock River's (Entry Tactical and A4) were well worth the money spent. The ET shot a full ammo can of ammo without any issues.
If I were to buy an AR today it would be a Rock River.
The cheapest I would go is DPMS. I have some of their parts on my CAR(barrel, handguards, etc) and the while the performance is good, the finish is not.

 

[Adder]

I built the first AR I ever owned off of a LMT lower. It works great with no issues. I liked building it as I know my rifle inside and out. Plus it did save some $$$ Honestly I would build one its quite fun plus you get to learn about your rifle.

 

[alphach64]

Dpms

I Have A Dpms Lr308 It Came With A J-p Trigger And Is Extremely Accurate I Have Put Over 600 Rounds Through It And Never Had A Jam It Cost About 1150.00 At Scheels. Do Not Know What You Are Looking To Spend But This Is A Great Range Weapon- It Is A Little Heavy 11.5 Pounds Without Scope Or Mag- But These Also Can Be Purchased With A Standard Barrell Etc. For Less Money I Think About 850.00- The Bushmaster Is Also Compareable But Most Are 223 Not The .308 The .308 Is A Good Long Range Weapon-- Good Luck

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

There's a lot of different manufacturers, and I'm looking for the cheapest that I can find that the expensive parts are of good enough quality not to break.

How hard are you going to run it? If it is just a weekend plinker that gets less than 1,000 rounds a year, then you can choose almost any of the larger manufacturers (Olympic, Stag, Delton, DPMS, Bushmaster, RRA, Armalite, Colt, CMMG, Sabre Defence, LMT) and you'll do fine. You can even go to some of the parts houses like Model 1 or M&A and you'll likely still be fine for that type of shooting.

Now if you plan on running it suppressed at a 1,000 rounds a day through it for five days at gun school, then several of those manufacturers are going to start falling out. For entry-level value, Delton and DPMS are hard to beat right now. I haven't been a big fan of DPMS in the past but they seem to have really concentrated on improving their product line while not raising their price any. The only gripe I would have with DPMS current product line is that they still sell a lot of accessories and add-ons that are of dubious value or that actively reduce reliability.

Generally though, I would worry less about the brand and just buy from an FFL you trust, who will stand behind his product. A lot of times, the guy who sells it for $20 above his cost doesn't have a lot of time or patience to return a bad rifle for you or diagnose your problem. You are pretty much on your own then. Decide what features are a must have for you and that will also help narrow which brands you are looking at.

 

[kellyj00]

Thanks for the info!

In response... i don't care about FTF/FTE since I'm only going to target shoot it *slowly* from bench or prone. I really don't mind if it catches every now and again.

A gun dealer who stands behind his product? That's rich. The fellas here just tell everyone "call Taurus, call Springfield, call such and such. Need a gunsmith? Here's Joe's card, his prices are reasonable."

They do offer advice free of charge, and friendly service if you need help reassembling something that you were stupid enough to take apart for a 'thorough' cleaning...

 

[RNB65]

If you're only interested in slow fire, take a look at the CZ 527 line of bolt-action rifles. Wonderful .223 rifles.