My first AR, any suggestions

[2low]

Hello everyone.
I'm new to THR, but not new to firearms.

I've decided it is about time I got an AR platform rifle. As I am not that well versed throughout the various and quite plentiful options to choose from I would like anyone's input (preferably firsthand). I do however have some criteria for my choice.

MUST be offered in/with;
- between $700-$900 range
- 5.56 nato and not just the .223 rem
- chrome lined barrel
-must have back up irons (or sufficient rail space for them to be installed)

preferred;
- mil spec parts
- collapsible/adjustable stock
- barrel length is not that much of a concern for me as long as it's legal in MO

I'm sure I'm leaving out quite a few options but these are most of the basics I would like covered.
I'm just not quite sure where to start. Iam a southpaw, but I'm not sure if that matters much with the AR platform, it's just something for me to keep in mind while on my search.

Any help from you all is appreciated and I hope everyone is having a great summer so far.

 

[sixgunner455]

If you shoot left-handed, and want your brass to eject to the left instead of in front of your face (or hitting your face, as the case may be), then you are going to get a Stag. They are the only company I am aware of who makes a left-ejecting upper.

Otherwise, there are many, many options out there, and many basic carbines available in your price range. What you should do, to help you decide what rifle to get, is to decide what it is you wish to do with the rifle. The application will help determine what the final form of your rifle should be.

Thank you for the kind wishes. We are having a wonderful fire season in AZ this year!

 

[Zerodefect]

Spikes has a rifle that fits the specs you posted. I'd also recommend the slightly more expensive Colt 6920.

Being left handed is no problem with Ar15's. Good combat rifles have to ambi anyways. Cover has two sides, not just a right side. It's best to learn to use an AR on each side if it's a defensive rifle. I usually shoot left handed, but all my rifles are standard except my FN's.

Things that make bare bones KISS AR's like the 6920 ambi friendly:
-BCM Large charging handle. You can reach over and slap the handle back with the palm of your right hand. Grippy handle surface actually hurts a little until your hand toughens up.

-Stag, KAC or any other ambi safety lever. The Colts safety can be put in backwards for leftys. So it's really not needed, Safety levers can be operated from the wrong side, many shooters don't move thier thumb over to the weak side when they transition to the that side. I do, I do use an ambi safety.

-Magpul BAD lever. Love these things. I can reload and clear a double feed properly and faster left handed.

-A 3 oclock ejection pattern. My 6920 has one.

 

[Sport45]

You left out one of the most important parts. What do you want to do with it?

If you plan to shoot high power rifle matches you will probably want 1-8 or 1-7 twist to stabilize the heavier bullets. If you want to shoot varmints then 1-9 or slower twist rates would be better for the lighter bullets. If you just want to blast and be minute of bad-guy type accurate to 50 yards just about any twist rate will do.

 

[colt1911fan]

DPMS or S&W M&P15

 

[Frankl03]

I like Spikes Tactical in your price range! You could also save some money by buying the upper and lower separately if you can find them. Also as mentioned above BCM is great as well.

 

[Tirod]

Check out the left hand Stags.

Milspec is really a government imposed minimum to get the taxpayer their money's worth. As a floor on minimum quality it works for issue weapons. As an absolute guarantee of the best part, not so much, unless the seller will categorically state the testing was done on that part. Some batch test and sell, the same procedure done in a lot of other consumer goods. Customer Service is actually cheaper fixing the ones that get thru rather than extensively testing each and every part.

Upgrades in certain parts do pay dividends, and straying away from the M4 configuration can offer MORE utility in hunting or range use. That's where being specific about what the gun is meant to shoot, at what range, should be the primary focus.

Once the requirements are spelled out, you choose the features that support it, in order of priority: caliber, barrel, upper for what optics, stocks, grips, and handguard, and last, trigger. Far too many approach it with a one Brand only focus, or attempt to add an expensive part, and find they have just wasted money.

If the barrel and optic aren't high precision, a target trigger won't help at all. If you want something in an alternate caliber, Brand may not help because they don't offer it. Work thru the list picking the parts that do the best at that job, you're left with what is available, in a gun tuned to do better than most others at it. And, it can still be versatile, if some real thought goes into it. Much of the gee-whiz stuff on the market is for a specific narrow application, sometimes it's best to NOT buy it. Trying to use a CQB combat sling in a treestand has it's limitations. Better you wear a harness and delete the sling for a "dummy cord" to haul it up. It'll be hard enough shooting around the trunk with all that.

Pin down what range and target, choose what is best to do that, and enjoy.

 

[mokin]

I used a lot of Stag components in my build and it works great. Nice fit and finish. I believe the positive reviews of thier left handed models are probably right on. Shop around and see if you can save money buying the upper and lower recievers seperately.

 

[Rubber_Duck]

If you up your budget by 100 dollars you can buy a BCM. Spike's and Smith and Wesson should be within the upper end of your budget range. Avoid DPMS, RRA, Bushmaster, Olympic Arms, and Joe Bob's parts guns. My recommendation is buy a quality upper, such as a BCM or Spike's, and buy whatever cheap lower you can find and drop-in a Geissele triigger later as you can afford.

 

[kwelz]

Guys he asked for Mil Spec parts. Why are people suggesting DPMS, Stags, etc to him.

OP: In your price range you are going to have a hard time. If you brought it up just a little bit then you will be able to get what you want. I suggest a BCM or DD mid length.

 

[2low]

Thanks for all the info so far. I'm mostly going to be using this rifle for target practice and varmint hunting. It's going to be a couple weeks before i buy so i'm going to research all the options listed and see if i can find seperate uppers and lowers.

So far I'm liking the stag model 3, but i've got quite a bit of research to do before i take the leap. Thanks again for the info so far, looks like I've got my homework cut out for the next couple weeks.

 

[M&PVolk]

It might be time to re-consider your milspec request. If you want a paper puncher capable of taking prairie dogs at distance, you are going to want to deviate from the milspec theme. I would recommend looking at a 20+" stainless steel barrel with a 1:8 twist to get maximum accuracy out of the widest variety of bullet weights. I would look for actual varmint configurations from the manufacturer of your choice. You can buy from BCM, DPMS, RRA and Bushmaster for this kind of configuration. If you aren't protecting your life with it, any of these would work.

Milspec rifles are the most rugged, reliable AR's out there, but are not the ideal for all scenarios. If you are still interested in going with a milspec rifle, then Spikes Tactical is the way to get there at your price range. They were founded on providing a milspec rifle in your price range and you will not be disappointed.

That said, I still feel the 20+" SS based AR is what you really should be looking for.

 

[Rubber_Duck]

A BCM with a stainless barrel and a BCM BCG will have all the quality assurance of mil-spec while replacing the chrome-lined 4150 barrel with a SS one for more accuracy, perfect for varminting. Other than the barrel, all other boxes will be checked, giving you a better rifle than a DPMS, Bushmaster, or RRA could ever hope to be.

 

[Zerodefect]

Rubber Duck is correct.

 

[SentinelStrategic]

If you're going to be varmint hunting, you're likely looking for a different rifle than if you were to be using it for a tactical training rifle (such as a carbine/M4 variant).
I would recommend that you check out Del-Ton rifles, as they're mil-spec and good quality, but are inexpensive and inside your price range. However, you won't see the needed accuracy for varmint hunting at longer ranges. You need a heavier barrel for good target and varmint applications. This is going to cost you more money.
DPMS is known for their accuracy, but their products are less than reliable and I've come across a lot of their stuff that is out of spec. If you go with a DPMS, get their target/varmint setups only. They're inexpensive (comparatively) and accurate. I would much rather see you putting your money into a custom build or a BCM upper that will be much more worth your money. Buy once, cry once.
BCM SS410 18" Rifle Length Upper Receiver Group w/ VTAC TRX 13" Handguard 1/8 Twist

 

[2low]

All the info so far has been great. As it stands so far I'm leaning towards getting a mil-spec setup with a shorter barrel to start off with and in another year or so I'll look into a heavier SS bull barrel to satisfy my varmint needs. This will also give me some time to get used to and comfortable with the AR platform

 

[mdThanatos]

Well the awesome thing about ARs is that you can buy multiple uppers to use on a single lower.

 

[Sky]

Also check out Buds sometimes they have some great guns in your price range. If you find something call them. Sometimes if they are pushing products they will give you a discount if you order right then via phone.

As suggested in many of the above post there are many choices....Welcome to the black rifle club!!

 

[b7tac]

Spikes is gonna give you more features for your money than any other AR on the market. BUT, Spike's has a wait time of like 7-10 weeks. If you're up for it, it's totally worth the wait.

 

[2low]

I cam across a deal that i couldn't pass up. I called a few stores to price out a few different AR variants, and a local store offered me a Nib stag model 3 for the right price so i jumped on it.

However I'm definitely going to eventually get a propper varmint upper for it down the road, everyone here had great info helped my decision substantially. Thanks for all the great advice, just a couple more hundred bucks on the layaway and i'll be part of the black rifle club, hell yea.