Best Place to Buy AR-10.. Best Type

[4Freedom]

Hello. I am interested in purchasing an AR-10.. but with all election drama, I am not sure where I can acquire one. Can anyone give me a advice on the best place I can purchase one and the best brand to get. I was thinking my budget can be around $1,500. However, I would like it if I can find a cheaper one, not sure if that is possible with the situation we are in now. I was reviewing the ArmaLite website and they seem to have nice models. What is the best way to acquire AR-10 and best deals around? Someone told me there is a long waiting list; what can I do to get on the waiting list? Does anyone have these available now?

Thanks.

 

[Tang419]

AR's having been selling like hot cakes since election day. At full MSRP to boot. Bushmasters that could be had for $800 are going for $1200. Not a very good time to go AR shopping, unless you can find an individual who wants to sell theirs reasonably.

Armalite AR10's are nice, and very reliable, but not the cheapest. A quick check of gunbroker confirms what I was saying. Armlite's seem to be $1500-$1900. By the way, there are plenty for sale places like gunbroker.com, auctionarms.com, and gunsamerica.com .

 

[H2O MAN]

As Tang pointed out, everything AR is selling like hot cakes.

You will need to be a diligent shopper if you want to find a deal.
I had an ArmaLite AR-10A4 SPR, plus a carbine upper. Very nice rifle.
The ArmaLite Gen II mags are made by CMI and they are excellent.

My advice is to shop for a safe queen. Post WTB listing in a few forums.

Good luck

 

[tbraddy]

I just received my Armalite AR-10A2 this past Friday. I ordered it back in September before things got all funny(well, as funny as they are now), and it still took that long to get it. My local dealer offered for me to leave it with him, as he said he could sell it for a whole lot more than I paid for it I can't really help you find one, but I sure can tell you how much I like my Armalite. Wow!! Almost made me want to sell my poor little 5.56 it was so much fun! Find a dealer or local shop you know and/or trust, and put down a deposit and wait. Anticipation is hell, but it is worth it!

 

[4Freedom]

What would be the wait time if I ordered it from ArmaLite directly? I do see they have an online shopping cart on their site for the various AR-10 rifles they sell. I have also found another place aclled Accuracy Systems that sells modified versions of AR-10, this is the site: http://www.ar-10-rifles.com/index.php. Is it hard to find AR-10's at gun shows? If I purachase the gun for $1500, do you expect the price to rise or fall in the next 5 months? I was told that after the inauguration that gun prices may drop. Anyhow, still wondering the best thing to do.

One thing I am afraid of is, if I buy a used one, how can I be sure of its condition and that it is properly functioning? I mean if I buy a used one, isn't their a risk of being ripped off, by purchasing a faulty piece?

 

[Guyon]

Local Academy Sports stocks several types of ARs. I recall, on the lower end of the price spectrum, a Bushmaster ORC and a S&W M&P 15OR. Both are "optics ready" flat-tops, and both were priced at $899 a couple of weeks ago. I think there was also a Bushmaster version with non-detachable carry handle priced at $829.

Edited to add: Oops. I just noticed this thread is about the AR-10. My apologies.

 

[tbraddy]

You can order from Armalite, but you will have to have a FFL transfer to a local dealer (usually $30-35 bucks). I don't think you can have it shipped directly to you. Anyone who knows the rules better feel free to correct me. At the Raleigh, NC show a couple of weeks ago, I saw no AR-10's, maybe I wasn't looking in the right place. Any local shops near you?

 

[Cesiumsponge]

Are you dead set on an Armalite AR-10? DPMS makes the LR-308 in various configurations and I love mine.

 

[4Freedom]

No, I am not deadset on it.. I mean what I want is a gun with high accuracy and firepower. As I said I am not a rifle/assault rifle expert and I just was looking for the best gun I can get for a price that is affordable for the quality. If you know a gun of this caliber that has accuracy like AR-10, then I would like to know of any alternative or better one I should buy. I have to admit the price of the AR-10 does turn me off, yet I need one gun I know will be the king in terms of quality. I will get additional rifles, but this would be my main gun. I am turned off by most ARs, because I here for all the extra trouble maintaining an AR has over an AK, all they have is a small caliber bullet, that may be uneffective in a defense situation. AR-10 seemed to be the best of both worlds.

Does the LR-308 have same accuracy/firepower as AR-10? How expensive are they? Are they easier to acquire than the AR-10? It seems getting an AR-10 is a pain in the butt.

Also, I am still wondering if it is safe to buy used guns. How can I be sure the gun is in good condition? Is ther any way to prevent a bad gun deal when buying used? I would prefer to buy a new one.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

What do you mean exactly by "firepower"?

Both take the 7.62x51mm NATO/.308 and both are available in various configurations, including match barrels as an option. The LR-308 with a stainless match barrel shoots about 3/4-1MOA with my current skill level. I haven't had personal experience with Armalite but they are capable of the same.

Neither of these are assault rifles by strict definition which are fully-automatic weapons largely only available to the military. The 308 platform is typically regarded as a marksman or precision rifle. Acquisition depends on what any given retail store orders. Some deal more DPMS and some deal more Armalite.

Both take different magazines if I recall. I believe Armalite takes only their own type and DPMS shares magazines with Knight Armament Company's SR-25 which is even more expensive.

DPMS's LR-308 is basically the same thing as Armalite's AR-10...two different manufacturers making a very similar product with minor technical and aesthetic differences, much like Bushmaster's XM15-E2S vs S&W's M&P15 or any number of examples in the 5.56mm AR15 world.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

Moderator, please delete this double post.

 

[possum]

they don't make them anymore, but i suggest you try to find a used bushmaster. i liek em for many reasons, one is that they take fal mags, cheap and easy to find.

 

[Kind of Blued]

Rock River makes .308 ARs as well, although I doubt they will be any easier to obtain.

 

[4Freedom]

"What do you mean exactly by "firepower"? "

Sorry for my poor-use of words. I was talking about penetration power. I mean that a AR15 uses .223 round, whereas AR-10 uses .308. I am looking for a gun that has good accuracy and a higher caliber, can cause more penetration to a target. Of course, I know there is other factors, like some guns shoota bullet differently. I am not really educated here, so I don't know all the specifics of the operations of various rifles and bullets.

"Rock River makes .308 ARs "

Which brand would be the best for the price? I am still wondering the best way to acquire one. Should I put my name on a waiting list? If I put my name on a waiting list now, would I get one, before Mr. Hussein bans them?

I think I may have a timebomb ticking here, I should think fast; yet intelligently.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

If I put my name on a waiting list now, would I get one, before Mr. Hussein bans them?

I think I may have a timebomb ticking here, I should think fast; yet intelligently.

That about sums up why they (and every other EBR related gun or part) cost so much now.
He won't ban them for a while if he does at all. There are a lot of other things that need to be taken care of first and a ton of Americans that are now realizing they want EBRs. He may be anti-gun but he's not stupid enough to try to pull something like that right out of the gate.

 

[4Freedom]

ArmaLite and DPMS both don't answer their phone. What is the best way to get on a waiting list? SHould I just go through a local FFL dealer? I would hope I don't have to buy the gun before they get it in stock, because who knows how long it will be. Anyone know the best way to purchase a new AR-10 as of now? It seems every place I go says they are out of stock.

As for the best AR-10, people made suggestions of ArmaLite and DPMS. Which one of the two would be better option, or does it matter? I also see some Ar-10 manufactured or modified by Accuracy Systems. Are they all just as good as the other? Does anyone really think the price of AR-10s will go down and availability will go up after Obama is elected, or perhaps the other way around?

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

I'd probably order through a local FFL who is a dealer for the brand you want (most have dealer finders on their websites) because you'll have to go through a local FFL anyway to buy it.
I really hope the OMG I GOTTA BUY NOW!!!!!!!! mentality will die down and prices will drop to pre-hysteria levels in Janurary but who knows. If the prez elect even utters the word "gun" prices will go nuts again.