Hey guys.
I'm mulling over my new AR purchase, coming up at the end of January here.
So far I've narrowed the contenders down to a NIB Ruger SR-556, which I can have for about $1550, or a NIB Colt LE6290 for around $1300. If I get the Colt, though, it'll end up wearing a KAC RAS foreend, which will add another $300 to the price, so really they'll both end up costing around the same.
My problem is, I really, really, really like the SR-556. I like how it shoots, I like the gas system, and I really like how easy it is to clean. (Pop pin, run boresnake through it, wipe down bolt/carrier and piston/regulator, put it back together.) That said, I don't particularly care for being stuck with only the one option for the rails, (although the Troy unit is nice), and the sort of "NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS" approach they took to the rest of the gas system. Plus the fact that if something goes wrong, it has to go all the way back to Ruger to fix it; I can't just order up some parts from the internet or anything. Also, given that lead-times on replacements from Ruger are something like 8 months out (Not a concrete number, just what I was quoted from a friend who had one who to send his back because of the selector issue), means it may spend more time with them then it will with me.
The Colt, on the other hand, is somewhat more maintenance intensive (but not a whole lot, just cleaning it is a little more detailed), but it is a cleaning procedure I am very well versed it, you can acquire parts for them almost anywhere, and after all, a Colt is a Colt. I got to hold one at a Gander Mountain in WI last month, and compared to the S&W M&P-15 that was next to it, was like comparing a GT-500 to a Focus. There's certainly nothing wrong with the Smith, and it was also a nice rifle, but everything about the Colt was just nicer. Since I'll be putting the KAC RAS on there, it'll be more or less kitted out the way I want it, and for just a midge more than what the Ruger will cost me.
Either one I get, will eventually end up wearing both an Aimpoint ML3, and a TA31F-G 4x ACOG on top of it (though not at the same time!), so I'll also have to get a flip-up BUIS for the Colt.
I could go with the usual answer (Get both!), and I might eventually, but for now I don't really see the need for two AR-15's of basically the same configuration. (16", Telestock, rail system).
So maybe the question ought to be, Which one to get first?
As much as I love the Ruger, and want them to sell as many SR-556's as they can possibly make, I'm leaning towards the Colt.
What do you guys think? Traditional, straight-laced AR Carbine, or the up-and-coming piston gun contender in the title match for the First AR Rifle?
I'm mulling over my new AR purchase, coming up at the end of January here.
So far I've narrowed the contenders down to a NIB Ruger SR-556, which I can have for about $1550, or a NIB Colt LE6290 for around $1300. If I get the Colt, though, it'll end up wearing a KAC RAS foreend, which will add another $300 to the price, so really they'll both end up costing around the same.
My problem is, I really, really, really like the SR-556. I like how it shoots, I like the gas system, and I really like how easy it is to clean. (Pop pin, run boresnake through it, wipe down bolt/carrier and piston/regulator, put it back together.) That said, I don't particularly care for being stuck with only the one option for the rails, (although the Troy unit is nice), and the sort of "NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS" approach they took to the rest of the gas system. Plus the fact that if something goes wrong, it has to go all the way back to Ruger to fix it; I can't just order up some parts from the internet or anything. Also, given that lead-times on replacements from Ruger are something like 8 months out (Not a concrete number, just what I was quoted from a friend who had one who to send his back because of the selector issue), means it may spend more time with them then it will with me.
The Colt, on the other hand, is somewhat more maintenance intensive (but not a whole lot, just cleaning it is a little more detailed), but it is a cleaning procedure I am very well versed it, you can acquire parts for them almost anywhere, and after all, a Colt is a Colt. I got to hold one at a Gander Mountain in WI last month, and compared to the S&W M&P-15 that was next to it, was like comparing a GT-500 to a Focus. There's certainly nothing wrong with the Smith, and it was also a nice rifle, but everything about the Colt was just nicer. Since I'll be putting the KAC RAS on there, it'll be more or less kitted out the way I want it, and for just a midge more than what the Ruger will cost me.
Either one I get, will eventually end up wearing both an Aimpoint ML3, and a TA31F-G 4x ACOG on top of it (though not at the same time!), so I'll also have to get a flip-up BUIS for the Colt.
I could go with the usual answer (Get both!), and I might eventually, but for now I don't really see the need for two AR-15's of basically the same configuration. (16", Telestock, rail system).
So maybe the question ought to be, Which one to get first?
As much as I love the Ruger, and want them to sell as many SR-556's as they can possibly make, I'm leaning towards the Colt.
What do you guys think? Traditional, straight-laced AR Carbine, or the up-and-coming piston gun contender in the title match for the First AR Rifle?
