Finally giving in and buying an AR....suggestions?

[fanchisimo]

Rat,
I'm sure out of those 180, a decent chunk knows enough to rate it. I'm sure there are some who just opened the box, played with it, and gave it 5 stars from that, but with 180 reviews somebody knew better from worse.

 

[tnelson31]

http://xkcd.com/1098/

 

[allaroundhunter]

When 180 out of 184 people don't know any better, what they say has little value

And what is the problem with Doublestar rifles?

 

[Sky]

And what is the problem with Doublestar rifles?

I have only been around 2 people who own them...They are hunters and use them for H.D.

Both guys are not operators or L.E.s but one has two D. Stars and one has one wanting another. I do not own one but have shot theirs a few times; they went boom and stuff got hit down range just like they were supposed to. Owners have been quite pleased and satisfied with their purchases. Now the next guy who buys one it might blow up and destroy the neighborhood but I seriously doubt it.

 

[JBrady555]

I'd rather use that data from 184 people using a rating system, instead of listening to three or four gun snobs that believe if you don't spend four figures on a gun it must be garbage.

 

[skywalkrNCSU]

$500-$700 isn't going to buy much of an AR, and certainly will not get you one with any optics worth purchasing. There is a reason quality AR's are more expensive and it isn't the name. If you just plan on plinking with one at the range then I guess the quality doesn't matter that much, if you plan on using the gun to defend your life I would rather have a gun with a great reputation.

If you had the choice to use a Keltec or Glock in a life and death scenario what would you go with? Sure the Keltec might work for some people but there are plenty of issues with Keltec's. Glocks on the other hand, while some people have had issues with them, are pretty darn reliable. I am not sure why this logic gets thrown out the window when it comes to the world of black rifles, if you want to believe your RRA, Doublestar, DPMS, etc is just as good as those with a more solid reputation then I don't know what to tell you.

For your purpose though, I would get a PSA. They seem to be the best mid ground between garbage AR's and nice ones. I haven't used one myself but I would have no problem using one in a self defense scenario. A DMPS, RRA, and others? Yeah I'll stick with a pistol or shotgun...

 

[BADSBSNF81]

IMO, spend an extra 300 USD and get a Colt 6920 and some ammunition.

 

[gp911]

I own a Colt, but I will say I have not seen any horror stories written about the Sport. I actually would be interested in hearing one because from what I've seen and read so far people who buy one usually like it & have no complaints. In your price range I would be tempted. I do love my Colt though, excellent rifle.

 

[MistWolf]

I'm looking at buying an AR primarily for personal defense around the house, and i'm a little overwhelmed at all the options available. I know I want one with a telescopic stock, and would like picatinny forend with some type of holographic or red dot sight for quick target acquisition. I'm debating between a .223 or .308 platform in case i decide to hunt with it, plus I like the extra knockdown power offered. Any suggestions of brands, features, sights, or caliber would be helpful....and I'm looking to spend about $500-$750

For personal defense, the 5.56 is better choice than the 308 Win. $500-$750 is unrealisticly low for a good AR. You can possibly find a cheap AR in that price range, but it will be lacking in areas (such as inferior alloy and lack of shot peening for the bolt) especially if that price includes a railed forearm.

Get yourself a good, basic carbine. As you shoot it, what accessories (if any) you need will make themselves known. A basic carbine will look very much like this (minus the yellow CG triangle)
View attachment 630815

Anyone telling you to not buy into The Chart or BCM/Colt/Daniel Defense is telling you that shouldn't buy good quality

 

[jason41987]

i wanted an AR pretty bad recently.. but i dont know.. just seemed on realization after another killed my interest... i guess im still trying to find that "perfect" rifle, but the AR15 isnt it

 

[TonyAngel]

There have been lots of these threads popping up lately and they are all the same. Almost everyone falls into one of two camps. There are those that bought budget rifles and feel that they need to defend what they bought when someone criticizes them; and there are those that bought more expensive rifles and feel the need to justify the cost.

The fact of the matter is that many, if not most, will never run their rifles hard enough to either realize the true capabilities of their rifles or their true limitations.

I won't go touting brands, but I will say that if you plan to run your rifle hard, get a quality rifle. What do I mean by running it hard? Well, if you plan to take carbine courses, those can be hard on a rifle. If your idea of a good time is to get together with a half a dozen of your friends and spend the weekend running drills and cooked up courses that will eat up a case and a half of ammunition, you're going to be running the rifle hard.

Being able to get through these sorts of situations is what usually separates a $700 rifle from a $900 rifle. If you ask someone about a rifle, be sure to also ask him what his opinion is based on. Ask him how many rounds he has through the rifle. If he has less than 5000 rounds through it, I seriously doubt that he can make any comments on the rifle's track record, because it really doesn't have one yet.

You do have to sort of take opinions on the web with a grain of salt. I noticed one guy in this thread giving an opinion as to what the OP should buy and unless I'm mistaken, this poster just started his own thread, not too long ago, proclaiming that he just got his first AR.

In the end, just decide how much you can spend and get the best for your money. Just remember mags and ammo. Once you do buy something, quite sweating it. Just go out and shoot it. The one thing that all ARs have in common is that they ALL break, if you shoot them enough. It's just a matter of when. The neat thing about almost all ARs is that when they do break, it's usually pretty easy to fix them, so don't burn too many brain cells on this.

If all you can afford is a Smith Sport or kit from PSA, go for it. If you have a problem, there's always the warranty and THR to fall back on.

 

[JBrady555]

Yea I did just buy my first ar, and a really really "cheap" one at that. But the rifle that I recommended that the OP just take a look at was based soley on favorable statistics given by people who did own the gun. I didn't tell him "buy this because its what I got", I'm very new to AR's, I just showed him a gun ad that fell in his price range and had very good reviews.

 

[TonyAngel]

And thus the recommendation for the proverbial grain of salt and my suggestion that inquiries delve deeper than simply asking for opinions.

I'd bet that there aren't more than ten guys of those that left reviews that have more than 1000 rounds through their rifles.

 

[kb2zya]

I had my eye on a stag arms model 3 at dicks $849 .they say life time warranty?

 

[JBrady555]

We will never know how many rounds those folks have through their guns. I just have more faith in statistics then you do I guess. 184 people is a pretty solid base to judge a product on in my opinion. If it was 10 people then you definitely can't make a decision on whether its a good product without testing it yourself. But are you really going to say that the 180 five star reviewers are all full of sh^t? Not trying to start a argument tony, you have been more than helpful with several questions I've had the last few days. I just think some folks are to quick to attack some of the cheaper options, doesn't doublestar supply parts for some of the more expensive manufacturers?

 

[Sky]

I won't go touting brands, but I will say that if you plan to run your rifle hard, get a quality rifle. What do I mean by running it hard? Well, if you plan to take carbine courses, those can be hard on a rifle. If your idea of a good time is to get together with a half a dozen of your friends and spend the weekend running drills and cooked up courses that will eat up a case and a half of ammunition, you're going to be running the rifle hard.

Being able to get through these sorts of situations is what usually separates a $700 rifle from a $900 rifle. If you ask someone about a rifle, be sure to also ask him what his opinion is based on. Ask him how many rounds he has through the rifle. If he has less than 5000 rounds through it, I seriously doubt that he can make any comments on the rifle's track record, because it really doesn't have one yet.

Tony spoke a lot of truth in his post.Well I agree with him so it is truth to me..

What are you using the rifle for and how many rounds down range are you going to be working the rifle? Are you going to be doing matches weekly or monthly? If it is a H.D. or a hunting weapon you will probably never reach the 5000 round mark in a few years if ever; if you do and something breaks it is very easy to replace the part.

What drives guys crazy is someone who pays the same amount for a budget rifle when they could have had a V-8. The Double Stars that the guys bought only paid $599 delivered and that was a stretch for one of them. I would rather he have something in hand than a paper wish list. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

[powder]

There are those that bought budget rifles that made them happy and feel that they need to put meat on the table; and there are those that bought a brand name and feel the need to have everyone else do the same.

FIFY

OP: Stay away from the OBEY crowd and you'll be happy. Shoot, re-load and be happy.

 

[RatDrall]

There are those that bought budget rifles and feel that they need to defend what they bought when someone criticizes them; and there are those that bought more expensive rifles and feel the need to justify the cost.

It's more like, there are those who bought cheap toys to play with at the range and to feel like they have a decent fighting rifle, and those who spent an extra $200-400 and bought a quality tool that can be relied upon when it matters.

It's not that hard buying a Glock instead of a Hipoint, no need to "justify" anything. It's about doing things right and not cutting corners on the quality of a weapon. It is a fact that buying a lesser brand of AR often times means getting a rifle with cheaper parts, assembled with less quality control, that is more likely to fail.

For shooting tin cans and paper targets, a Sporticle or S&W sport or other toy rifle is fine, but for defense it only costs a few hundred dollars more to get a rifle from Bravo Company or Colt.

My brother just put together his first AR15:

$500 Gently used Bravo Company Complete Upper
$60 stripped lower
$60 parts kit
$60 stock kit

For less than $700, after watching a video on youtube and using basic tools to assemble his lower, he has a 100% reliable AR15 that he can easily sell for what he has into it, at any time.

 

[skywalkrNCSU]

Where the hell are you getting a $60 stripped lower?

 

[wojownik]

I have a Colt, and a few Bushmasters. I would give a cautious recommendation to look at the Bushmaster (basic rifle, in your price range, but I have had a mixed experience on an older rifle - and an excellent experience with a recent one).

The Colt has been excellent all around, of course, but you can land one for about $400 above your $700 limit.

My Bushmaster "Patrolman" has also been excellent - I've had no problems with it, and have run it though its paces (casually, three gun matches, range use ...). Easily 1500 rounds downrange already.

My eldest Bushmaster (a 20" from 15 years ago) was been a problem child - at least the upper - ended up replacing the entire upper shortly thereafter (not BM, don't recall which upper). Thousands of rounds not without an issue with the new upper (kept the BM bolt carrier).

You might also want to hunt around for a Windham Weaponry AR (you can get one in your upper price range), as well as Stag or Palmetto. You might need to plunk down an extra $50 or so. I have no direct experience with the Windham - I've heard good reviews. I just don't dig the rather fancy script of their logo rollmark on the receiver

 

[ryno31]

PSA, Stag, and S&W would seem to me to be your best bet. Happy Hunting! Also don't forget to check into the warranty of whatever you buy.

 

[Infidel4life11]

Tony always speaks with a lot of truth. Lately I've got back into AR's and the market has change a lot IMO. In the last month and a half I've picked up a new bushmaster Moe, used S&W sport, used RRA, ordered a spikes tactical(6month wait), and in the process of getting a BCM mod2 (cheaperthandirt). Just got done building a PSA/spikes. The bushy and PSA have close to 2200rds through them (combined) and haven't skipped a beat. S&W and RRA are both well used and shoot great. Moral of the story they all work well. Other than upgrading the bushy and replacing springs in the used guns because i wanted to I haven't spent a dime on anything but ammo and haven't had a single failure.

 

[CDR_Glock]

You can save money putting your rifle together yourself. I read you save taxes that route versus buying a complete rifle.

I have a Rock River Upper on a Spikes Lower. It has a Chrome lined barrel, free floating quad rail, Eotech/Magnifier, Magpul Flip Up sights. It has been reliable for me. I acquired the base rifle through a trade. If you don't have the money, then set up a trade. That's what I did when I was active duty.

Yesterday, I received my Noveske Thunder Ranch from my FFL. I mounted an Aimpoint T1. I shot it yesterday. I was impressed. Very impressed.