Looking to buy myfirst AR type rifle.

[Bazooka Joe71]

I opted out of getting one last weekend, because i thought i needed to do some more research first.

Would a F/S DS Arms M4 16" .223 Flattop be a good one to buy? Does anyone have any experience with DSA? What about accuracy and reliability? Accuracy is definately a huge concern, since it would be for the range mostly

How much should I expect to pay for one?

Thanks guys.

 

[soul_rapier]

i like the a2 and a1 uppers myself dont care much for the flat tops . but around here starting price on a ar is around $750 for like a rra or dpms . good luck

 

[tenacioustanaka]

Odd indeed as I was planning on doing the very same thing this weekend; my first AR.

Colt, Bushmaster and to a lesser extent Armalite have me mezmerized. I'm heavily leaning to the Colt but the Bushys are brand new and still smell of cosmoline... just like crack to an addict like me.

 

[swingset]

Have you considered building?

For vastly less than you'll pay a factory for slapping one together, you can buy a stripped lower and a very nice kit or custom upper and get exactly what you want, usually for quite a bit less than the upper tier guys charge for a basic gun.

My first kit was a Stag lower (very nice lowers, btw) with a Del-Ton 20" A3 upper kit, ran about $650 total and it was fun and easy putting it together. Runs like a top, very accurate.

Check the EE on AR15.com for great deals on parts. Ranier arms can get you into a Stag M4 upper (who makes S&W, btw) for around $485 shipped with an ARMS#40 sight, put a lower on that, kit and buttstock and you're around $700 for what Smith would charge you $1k for.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

I guess I should reword the question...

This is going to be my first AR15 type rifle, but could also(maybe) be my last. I want get it and build on it from there, with all of the over priced accessories and such. So if i am going to drop all of the money on accessories and stuff, well i want the rifle to be top quality as well.

So my question is how good is the quality of this gun....Should I pass and get a nicer/more expensive RRA or bushmaster?

Thanks.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

A couple points....

I have a RRA AR and it is a good rifle, worth the money. I have no experience with DSA's AR, but I have bought a lot of FAL related stuff from them and they are a good company with quality products. The only problem with DSA is that they are a small company for the amount of business that they do. If you order from them and they don't have the rifle in stock, you may have a 3-4 month wait. Their quality control is high and it is worth the wait, but if you want it right now, check their stock first.

As for A1/A2 vs flattop upper, it depends on what you want the rifle for. If you want to do a lot of shooting with iron sights get the A1 or A2. You can mount optics on A1 and A2 rifles, but it mounts above the carry handle (making it high above the barrel). Some people like high optics, but most think that it ruins your cheek weld. The flattop allows you to mount scopes, red dots, reflex, and folding sights and co-witness them all in one crazy line of sights and electronics . The flattop will give you that sleek tacticool look.

I really depends what look you are going for, if you want the tradtional military/special forces look (prior to 1995) get the integral sight/carry handle. If you want the new cutting edge, tacticool look get the flattop and some rail handguards.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

I definately want a flat top...Now, a detachable handle wouldnt be bad, but i dont want it to be there all of the time.

The reason I dont want it there is because I am going to mount either a scope or a red dot on it and dont want to mount it on the handle(looks ugly to me).

I guess my real question would be, how far would the rifle I mentioned be accurate? 100 yards? 200 yards? more?

 

[ny32182]

AR type rifles are plenty accurate. You should be able to hit a man size target at 500 yards or more if you are a good shooter. You wouldn't be getting maximum ballistic performance at that range, but that is another matter.

DSA's guns are rebadged LMT, which is top of the line. But, you will really, really pay for it. You can buy an LMT upper and lower, and snap them together for a lot cheaper and have exactly the same gun. I think DSA wants something like 1600 for the base M4 type rifle.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Thanks guys....One last question:

How much accuracy, would I be losing by getting a 16in barrel opposed to a 18 or 20?

 

[CZ223]

Have you looked at Olympic Arms?

I own two Olys and the are very good guns for the money. I own the PCR-16, which is a flat top with a 16" heavy Barrel. I also own the K8, a 20'' Varmint target type gun with a heavy Stainless barrel. To be honest, I think the 16'' gun outshoots the 20". They are both sub inch guns at 100 yards. You might want to take a look at www.atlantifirearms.com and take a look at the PCR-16 with the Firsh handguard for $689. I think that is one heck of a deal and may be buying my third AR soon. I have also heard very good things about the RRA guns. I have noticed some of the dealers on AR-15.com are having some pretty good deals on them right now.

 

[ny32182]

How much accuracy, would I be losing by getting a 16in barrel opposed to a 18 or 20?

You wouldn't be losing any accuracy to speak of; just velocity.

 

[pittspilot]

Just put mine together today.

It's an Ameetec M4 lower which I paid $200 for, with a Stag H2 flat top upper with the ARMS 40 BUIS for which I paid $485. So for $685 I got a rifle which would have set me back $850 at any place that I looked.

AR15.com is an incredible resource, and the Equipment Exchange area is the place to price stuff.