How about some brands of better quality AR 15's?

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Rule3

Rule3

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:confused: I am sure this has been hashed to death and is subjective or debatable. But here goes.

How about some brand names of better than average AR 15's? Not the most expensive just very good mid priced ones. There are so many makers out there now it's hard to narrow it down. Piston or direct doesn't matter to me. General purpose rifle, not a bull barrel heavy rifle.

I think brands like LWRC, Daniels, Larue are some of them, Maybe I am wrong? I have a Rock River (seems well made to me)and like it mainly for the better trigger they put in.Also had a SW Mag Pul Edition which was terrible accuracy wise. I returned it and they replaced the upper. It shot better but was still just combat accurate. My LGS keeps pushing COLT. Is that due to the name? Yes they make lots of rifles, Are their rifles that much better.? They seem like lots of others to me and the standard trigger is nothing special.

So I guess makes that specialize in AR's.
 
Colt is the brand all others are compared to.
Most of this can be attributed to Colt being the long time manufacturer of AR's for the military.....the M16 and M4. Until recently, Colt was the only manufacturer who produced nearly identical firearms for both the military and commercial markets.

To some folks, being "mil spec" is the pinnacle. They forget that you can always produce a firearm that is BETTER then what the military asked for.
That said a Colt will always have better resale value than a Bushmaster, Rock River, DPMS, CMMG, etc.
 
I guess the issue I have is that sure Colt makes lots of rifles but I have looked at many brands and specs being as they are, they all seem to be made the same. Colt even has parts from other makes on their guns. Colts triggers are the same as any other. CHF barrels are the same on any rifle that has them. Chromed bolts are chromed , Mil Spec X rays or whatever are spec. So what's the major advantage of one over the other?

Kinda like 1911's. Put good parts in them and had fit they will all be good.

Did Colt really buy LWRC?
 
You can't go wrong with a Colt, especially at current prices. The others mentioned are very good also. If I didn't buy a Colt, I would get a BCM, or DD probably.

Your LGS isn't steering you wrong on this one.
 
Right now my winham weaponry and BCM are pretty much head to head. Both are really well made rifles, and either will work for you.
 
BCM
Colt
Larue
KAC
Noveske
Daniel Defense
LMT

Don't forget that the upper and bolt carrier are the key components. Just about any lower assembly will do. So if you're after something custom. Get the lower locally, and order exactly the upper you want online.
 
Rule3 said:
I guess the issue I have is that sure Colt makes lots of rifles but I have looked at many brands and specs being as they are, they all seem to be made the same. Colt even has parts from other makes on their guns. Colts triggers are the same as any other. CHF barrels are the same on any rifle that has them. Chromed bolts are chromed , Mil Spec X rays or whatever are spec. So what's the major advantage of one over the other?

Kinda like 1911's. Put good parts in them and had fit they will all be good.

Did Colt really buy LWRC?
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter. Colts work, and work well. Even if they use the same suppliers, it's possible for some to stand out.

I don't care why anymore. I burned the above chart years ago. It's pass/fail. And some brands just plain take to hard work better.

But even the troublesome AR's are usually fixable for cheap.
 
I would not call Colt above average. If anything, they're THE average. They offer reliability and good enough build quality, but nothing more... To me, anything above average improves on a standard.

DD, LaRue, LWRC, Noveske, KAC, Barrett (if they count, being piston), LMT, PWS, some of BCM's offerings... They all offer the same reliability, but you often get better build quality, and nicer parts that have improved upon the basic AR15. Better handguards, stocks, occasionally better finish, triggers, and attention to detail.
 
Zerodefect said:
BCM
Colt
Larue
KAC
Noveske
Daniel Defense
LMT

Don't forget that the upper and bolt carrier are the key components. Just about any lower assembly will do. So if you're after something custom. Get the lower locally, and order exactly the upper you want online.
Click to expand...
This list is spot on. Remember that you can surpass milspec but many manufacturers don't even match it.

To that list I would add Sionics too.
 
FN
ARP
Les Baer
Wilson


Have we included enough to confuse?

The unintended consequence of looking for a Brand first means you are looking at the roll mark, not the features.

There are less than a dozen forges, and over two dozen CNC finishers. They make ALL of the available AR15's in America for sale, but most of the assemblers do not make their own parts. Colt doesn't even forge, they finish machine only.

That means they inspect the incoming platters to meet standards for overall dimensional thickness for milspec rifles. What do they do with the ones that are under spec?

Second rhetorical question, name a company who's quality is so good they don't need to operate a Customer Service department to fix things that shipped and shouldn't have.

So much for Brand. Means nothing. It's vaporware in a world of self promotion and image making.

First, spec your rifle for what it's going to do, what ranges, what targets? Then drill it down to what features support that goal, then with those in mind, what specification the components need to be.

Then look for that firearm, or the closest one to it, and leave Brand as your last and least significant discriminator. That is because you can't get every single type of AR15 from every maker. They tend to specialize, and by the point you have drilled down to the specific few to choose from, many Brands have fallen out of that specific and narrow search.

You can't get a Noveske in 6.8 that takes Pmags. Or a Les Baer AR15 pistol in .300 BO. I haven't found either available yet, it could happen. Point being don't set yourself up for failure, pick the features first and let the Brands sort themselves out.

In the above cases, LWRC and AAC would be in the final four. Emotional attachment to a Brand is just polite tribalism in today's society.
 
Op, what are you trying to use to compare quality. The material and testing specs of the parts or accuracy. My DD is all top quality parts with proper testing and better than mil spec barrel. A rock river with stainless or non chrome lined barrel will be more accurate, my barrel will last longer. Most mil spec barrels are 2 moa unless you step up to something like noveske with double chrome lining and a 1 moa guarantee, but you pay for that.
 
Zerodefect said:
BCM
Colt
Larue
KAC
Noveske
Daniel Defense
LMT
Click to expand...

That ^^ precisely.

There are other excellent manufacturers I am sure but their volume is rather low. If you stick to the ones readily available at any given time, common, etc, scratch LaRue and LMT off I suppose.

If you wanted to write out the next tier I'd say Spikes Tactical, S&W M&P, maybe Del-Ton?


Most important parts:
Barrel
Bolt Carrier Group (BCG) (esp the Bolt)
Fire Control Group (FCG)(aka trigger)
 
How about piston rifles like Adams Arms?
They are not to far away from me here in FL.
 
You can't go wrong with Colt. I looked at just about everyone 3 years ago. Settled on Colt, can't beat the resale value.
 
I would add POF to the list too as being a quality AR. I will happily put both of mine (P415/P308) up against anything on the market today whether it's accuracy, reliability, ergonomics or any other metric that you want to compare.
 
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