Best AR Under $600?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Panzerschwein

Panzerschwein

member
Joined
Nov 19, 2011
Messages
8,122
Location
Desert
Can anyone recommend the best (most reliable and good quality) AR for under $600? I am not an AR guy so have no idea what is currently offered, other than there are a ton of companies making them now and prices have fallen dramatically on them.

Looking for a home defense gun and plan to add an AimPoint PRO or other quality red dot, BUIS, and a good flashlight such as a Surefire or Elzetta. I plan to add nothing else, trying to keep it simple.

So whats the most dependable and best for under $600 in the AR world?

PS: I am 100% not interested in a build, so please don't recommend that.
 
I'm not sure anyone has determined which is "the best" in that price range. If you look at some of the older threads you'll see the S&W M&P Sport is highly regarded as is the Ruger. PSA likewise gets high marks for their stuff but you'll have to order the lower and upper as separate assemblies then snap them together. As you'll have to be able to disassemble the AR to field strip and clean it I wouldn't worry about this is I were you.

Having done the buying a complete AR, buying a lower and upper, and assembling an AR, I'd recommend the PSA as you can get one of their blemished lowers for about $125. You can then pick out a nicer upper with a free float handguard and still be way under your budget.

My next choice would be the M&P but that's just my bias towards S&W.

The reality is as long as you don't buy an off brand no name that no one has ever heard of the differences are going to be the barrel and the grip.
 
Hokie_PhD said:
The reality is as long as you don't buy an off brand no name that no one has ever heard of the differences are going to be the barrel and the grip.
Click to expand...

^^^

At the $600 price point, they're all basically the same gun.

I'll admit though, I am partial to the Delton Sport.

-Pencil barrel makes the gun feel noticeably lighter (I don't shoot it fast enough to care about heat).
-I like the CAR handguards, because my hands are too small for the fat M4 ones.
-$429 on Bud's.

That's just my preference though.

Next up for me would be the Ruger AR-556, just because I'm a Ruger fanboy.
 
In this price range I would buy a S&W M&P rifle or a Ruger. The Smith would be my first choice. Or perhaps the cheapest Armalite model--I haven't actually seen one in person, but they did invent the platform. Amazingly, you can get an Armalite from Buds for $442 now. That hardly seems possible.
 
Elkins45 said:
In this price range I would buy a S&W M&P rifle or a Ruger. The Smith would be my first choice. Or perhaps the cheapest Armalite model--I haven't actually seen one in person, but they did invent the platform. Amazingly, you can get an Armalite from Buds for $442 now. That hardly seems possible.
Click to expand...
If I'm not mistaken Armalite isn't the same company as the creators. I believe they were sold several times, shut down, then the name was sold and a new company formed using it.
That's not to say there's anything wrong with Armalite, just that thinking they're the same direct lineage may leave you disappointed if I'm correct.
 
I am probably going to get flamed for this but, I think DPMS makes some pretty good stuff in that price range. I have owned one and it always worked well for me.
 
DPMS, Bushmaster and Delton are manufacturers that have a less than stellar reputation in some places. The same people who badmouth those guns seem to have a fairly positive opinion of the S&W rifles. I still think S&W is the direction I would go. Lifetime service, a company with long history, stronger resale if you ever need the cash.
 
ColtPythonElite said:
On the other hand, I along with 60 of my best friends have been issued Bushmasters for close to 20 years and have had little to no trouble.
Click to expand...

20 years ago they were a different company, not owned by Remington. I would vastly prefer one of the guns you were issued over anything Remington had a hand in producing in the last few years.

Of course, a lot depends on how much you actually shoot it. I doubt my 20 year old Colt had more than 1000 rounds through it until I filed a Form 1 and made it a 10" Blackout. A $399 assemblage of out-of-spec junk parts would probably serve my .223 needs just fine :)
 
My Bushmaster was one of the original orders from 20 years ago. We have been ordering a few every year ever since and have gotten guns as recent as this year. No trouble with any of them.
 
Buy yourself a good used upper, preferably Colt, FN, LMT, or BCM. These are available for very good prices all over Armslist and Gunbroker, as well as on all the forums. Just put some want to buy ads out there. Make sure it comes with the BCG, or that you leave enough room to get yourself a Colt or BCM BCG.

After you've got your upper sorted, buy the cheapest complete lower you can find. Take out the buffer and spring, replace the buffer with an H1 for carbine or H2 for mid length, then replace the spring with a Springco standard carbine spring. If enough funds are left over, you could upgrade the trigger.

The result will be as durable and reliable as any AR out there, and I don't see any reason you can't come in for around 600.
 
You can buy a decent gun for $600. The S&W M&P line probably has something to offer in that range, and I've carried one of their guns professionally for nearly a decade (with tens of thousands of rounds through it).

For that price today you can probably find a decent chrome lined barrel, which is probably what I'd pick up for a first AR.
 
S&W M&P Sport II, Ruger AR556, Savage MSR 15 Patrol. I'd go for any of these 3, which are backed up by great companies with good customer service.

I already have the Sport I, but if I was buying another budget AR I'd probably go for the Savage. It's a little higher than the others, but experience has shown me that with Savage you typically get more than your money's worth.
 
Before the word "better" gets tossed around too extensively, it is worth asking the question "better for what?". My personal experience is mostly with PSA, whose uppers and parts have shown the ability to...

1. Shoot MOA or better with reloads (PSA Premium and Freedom Stainless uppers, assembled by PSA)
2. Run for thousands of rounds with little or no replacement parts (10k rounds+ on a single BCG with only a replacement extractor spring as preventative maintenance, along with LPKs and other BCGs having thousands of rounds on them)
3. Generally offer features on both barreled uppers and completed lowers that stand out among entry level ARs that only sport carbine gas and mil-spec furniture.

So, based on my experience, if you want an AR that will likely shoot very well, and be GTG for multiple times its cost in ammunition, consider a PSA Premium. If you know the round count will be under a few thousand rounds, consider saving a few dollars and getting a Freedom Stainless. On the matter of their most plentiful offering right now, which are the Melonited Freedom series; I bought a barrel to experiment with and could not consistently get it under 2 moa with any factory ammo or reloads. I've also seen a couple respected testers say these barrels are 3 moa when restricting themselves to factory ammunition. That's why I think Stainless, Premium or CHF is the way to go with PSA, at least at the moment.

Options I would recommend in your price range
http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-...ium-upper-without-bcg-or-charging-handle.html
OR
http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-...ecision-m-lok-freedom-upper-no-bcg-or-ch.html
Plus
http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-ar-15-str-complete-lower-receiver-black-blem-7778699.html
http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-...ll-auto-bolt-carrier-group-no-logo-39339.html
http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-ar15-m16-7075-t6-forged-mil-spec-charging-handle-24080.html

That would put you at, or under, your budget with features not typically offered on ARs like the Sport, Ruger, or Del-ton.
 
BudsGuns occasionally has sales on Adams Arms Piston ARs. I bought a 'Blem', though for the life of me I can't figure out what was not up to code. It was five ninety nine three years ago, maybe four. I am very pleased with it as far as a play thing. It nips very closely at the heels of a friends Rock River Varmint as accuracy is concerned. And at less than half the price, I can bump fire it, get it hot and not worry about my 'Expensive Ground Hog' rifle. With the piston set, I still haven't cleaned it out thoroughly, no need to. But I must admit I only have a thousand or so rounds through it.

I must also confess, the Rock River was very nice. Twice the weight and money, but also the quality. If I had one, I too, would not 'abuse' it like I do mine. I have use a Colt too, but was not overwhelmingly impressed by it. Very close to the Adams, but hot.

It truly is a buyers market today. I am sure you will find a great deal. After all it's an AR, you can go wrong!
 
I purchased two Ruger AR-556 rifles in the spring of 2016. I was pretty disappointed. The one rifle that I unboxed gave 3-8 MOA at 100 yards with a variety of different factory 5.56 and .223 loads using a 3x9 scope. The iron sights bottomed out and still shot a foot low at 50 yards, the muzzle crown had pretty bad chatter marks. I cleaned up the crown and re-torqued the flash suppressor to spec which helped to a degree. I traded that in for $300 credit at my local gunshop earlier this year and was glad to get it. I sold the other one NIB. The PSA Freedom kits I purchased at the same time were a much better value and have performed quite well.
 
2ndtimer said:
Excellent choice. CDNN has them for $499.99 + shipping. Cabela's has them on sale for $599.99, if you have one nearby.
Click to expand...

Very cool. What are the differences in the S&W M&P-15 and S&W M&P-15 II? Just the dust cover and forward assist?
 
Very cool. What are the differences in the S&W M&P-15 and S&W M&P-15 II? Just the dust cover and forward assist?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's it. Its a very good rifle and has a good track record. I owned the Sport 1 and was very satisfied with it. The Sport II should do very well also.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

3
  • Locked
Best AR/Black Rifle under $1,000?
Replies
19
Views
1K
Avenger29
A
J
Good AR?
2 3 4
Replies
91
Views
3K
Captains1911
C
P
  • Locked
Best EOTECH model for AR?
Replies
24
Views
11K
benzy2
B
vamo
  • Locked
What am I getting with a $600 palmetto state AR-15
Replies
10
Views
2K
zoom6zoom
Z
B
  • Locked
First AR-15 - Under $ 1,000.00 - Any Suggestions
2 3 4
Replies
87
Views
3K
WinThePennant
W
Back
Top