Ruger AR556 vs. Colt M4 vs. Smith & Wesson MP-15

[C-grunt]

Here is a great example of FUD. Fear, uncertainty and doubt. The irony is FUD always goes one way in the AR world, toward the budget guns.

This is a far better example of reality, mostly because it is reality, that paying more is no guaranty your rifle won't go down when you need it most. Anyone who shoots a lot knows not to believe the hype of a gun that never fails.

If you read through my posts here you will see that Ive actually had issues with a duty weapon. Several issues. Ive also had issues with my Glocks. I know that any weapon can go down no matter the cost. I like my guns to be built properly though to minimize those issues. And strangely enough when we started using properly built guns away the problems almost completely disappeared. Seeing a rifle go down in training is a rare occurrence now. Maybe once every few years. Back when we had the "just as good as" guns it was an occurrence that I saw every training day, multiple times.

Ive seen firsthand people having issues with their guns in the middle of a firefight. It wasn't a good day for them.

Buy what you want. Im going to use my experience and buy the properly built gun. The other guy using lower quality equipment might have saved my life once. Didn't save theirs.

 

[Hacker15E]

Like many, I have more than one AR-15 that span the cost/quality gamut. I have a sub-$500 PSA Freedom rifle that I use as my loaner/beater (same 16"/midlength/1:7/stainless barrel that @NWcityguy2 tested) that shoots "minute of paper plate" offhand plinking at 200 yards with whatever brand of Russian steel case is on sale. It has had maybe a handful of FTEs with a particular ammo type (MFS 2000....blech!) but generally is trouble free.

I also have a much more expensive BCM rifle with a CHF/CL/4150CMV barrel that also plinks to that same accuracy level and has choked on the MFS ammo a couple times but is otherwise trouble free.

I'm not a benchrest shooter; these days I generally shoot field positions with irons for fun, and occasionally do some "run and gun" action shooting for fun...and both of these rifles well achieve (and probably exceed) the quality, function, and reliability I need.

For the vast, vast majority of recreational shooters, a well-chosen $500-$700 AR will also do exactly what they need.

 

[NWcityguy2]

If you read through my posts here you will see that Ive actually had issues with a duty weapon. Several issues. Ive also had issues with my Glocks. I know that any weapon can go down no matter the cost. I like my guns to be built properly though to minimize those issues. And strangely enough when we started using properly built guns away the problems almost completely disappeared. Seeing a rifle go down in training is a rare occurrence now. Maybe once every few years. Back when we had the "just as good as" guns it was an occurrence that I saw every training day, multiple times.

Ive seen firsthand people having issues with their guns in the middle of a firefight. It wasn't a good day for them.

Buy what you want. Im going to use my experience and buy the properly built gun. The other guy using lower quality equipment might have saved my life once. Didn't save theirs.

Perhaps you should go find a thread about issues people have had in combat with ARs. When you find it, let me know. I'll go contribute too as I was deployed from 04-05 and 06-08.

The OP is asking about a few select models of ARs, not for every problems you have ever seen with an AR that costs less than a Colt. No one here advocating that every AR that cost less than a Colt is a good choice, or on par with one another. I have however asked the question more than once what a Colt is doing for you (or others) that my budget ARs aren't doing for me, which I know to be reliable and accurate. Thus far, nobody wants to compare a Colt to a reliable, functional AR that cost less.

 

[Robert]

OP, pick what works best for you, fits your budget and you like the best. Five pages is plenty for now.