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AR Purchasing Opinions

3K views 28 replies 15 participants last post by  checkeredcross7 
#1 ·
I am thinking of purchasing an AR and would like some opinions on brands, models, calibers and the like. I do not know much about them so all opinions are welcome. I do not have a ton of money to spend but I would want something nice and would mostly just use it for target shooting and maybe a little hunting.
 
#2 · (Edited)
KC,
if you are going to be doing mostly small game, varmints and up to white tails, then a .223/.556 caliber should be fine (opinons do vary). In Texas I can easily hunt white tails with a proper weight and type of bullet, but shot placement is important.

Brands don't matter a bunch when talking about your lower reciver, as most of them are military spec and manufactured basically the same.
Some brands that have good reputaions are
Smith & Wessson
DMPS
Colt
Rock River Arms
Palmetto State Armory

and the list goes on and on and like I said, opinions vary

I would only say if you are going to hunt and use a scope then search for a true "Optics ready flat top" model
like this rifle


some AR models are "flat top" which means the carry handle is not built into the gun and can be removed leaving a flat picitinny rail for mounting your own optics.
but some of these still have a fixed front site post which can get in the way of your scope and cause distortion.

this is a flat top but with a fixed front site that can't be removed / replaced without an experianced persons help


my recommendation is to get a true flat top with no sites front or rear and you can add a scope or your own iron sites to it as you desire.

I would say to get a decent rifle and a decent scope for it you would be in the $750- up range
 
#3 ·
Lots of choices in the AR world, theyre kinda like legos. You name it, it can be changed out or swapped in a few minutes.
A person can get into a DPMS Oracle for about $650. Flat top, railed gas block, 16" barrel. Their triggers are kinda rough tho. Bushmaster ORC is about $700, Windham Weaponry (my recommendation) will be around $750. Rock River (among the top of the line) will run $1000-1200 but for that price you should have it ready to go (free float tube, heavy barrel) except optics. Lots of good ones in between those choices. Not much difference in most, but brands do dictate price.
If you go with a flat top, i recommend using a riser block to raise the scope up for a more comfortable position. Free float tube really helps the accuracy, and a trigger upgrade does wonders.
 
#4 ·
also keep in mind. if the hunting cartridge you want is not the plink cartridge you want.. you can get spare uppers in another caliber.

if you want to save money.. stick to cheap ammo calibers.. and some that reuse mags. IE. 300acc uses 556 /223 mags.

223 and 762x39 are common and cheap ammo. x39 uses different mags though.

6.8spc is a popular cartridge with good power and range. again. different mags. etc.

if hunting.. keep in mind you will likely needed a small capacity mag.

invest in decent optics.

complete ar can go as low as 500$ pre optics.
 
#5 ·
KC,
if you are going to be doing mostly small game, varmints and up to white tails, then a .223/.556 caliber should be fine (opinons do vary). In Texas I can easily hunt white tails with a proper weight and type of bullet, but shot placement is important.

Brands don't matter a bunch when talking about your lower reciver, as most of them are military spec and manufactured basically the same.
Some brands that have good reputaions are
Smith & Wessson
DMPS
Colt
Rock River Arms
Palmetto State Armory

and the list goes on and on and like I said, opinions vary

I would only say if you are going to hunt and use a scope then search for a true "Optics ready flat top" model
like this rifle


some AR models are "flat top" which means the carry handle is not built into the gun and can be removed leaving a flat picitinny rail for mounting your own optics.
but some of these still have a fixed front site post which can get in the way of your scope and cause distortion.

this is a flat top but with a fixed front site that can't be removed / replaced without an experianced persons help


my recommendation is to get a true flat top with no sites front or rear and you can add a scope or your own iron sites to it as you desire.

I would say to get a decent rifle and a decent scope for it you would be in the $750- up range
Just a correction: The front sight will not will not get in the way or cause any distortion thru a scope. You will never see it. Just FYI. :)
 
#6 ·
I went to a gun shop Thursday before last and spoke to the owner. I really don't want to deal with an online dealer, not comfortable. I told him I was looking for a S&W M&P AR15 Sport (.223 ). I found them online for $612.00 new at grabagun.

I offered to trade him a $20.00 1876 gold liberty for the rifle and three boxes of ammo. Right now the coin sells for 1248.00. He stood to come out roughly 350.00 on top, and he turned me down. I don't get it. I know some will say " they don't get it " about my willing to do that. Well, what can I say.

Best of luck. Ya might want to check out grabagun. S&W is, IMO, as good as you can get for the money.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Just a correction: The front sight will not will not get in the way or cause any distortion thru a scope. You will never see it. Just FYI. :)
I may have the only account of this happening but I promise on my Bushmaster with a front site, I could see a shadow in the bottom through the 42 MM Bushnell scope. it didn't make it unusable, but it just bugged me enough that I added a spacer rail and took care of it
That's the only time it has ever happened to me though
 
#8 ·
I went to a gun shop Thursday before last and spoke to the owner. I really don't want to deal with an online dealer, not comfortable. I told him I was looking for a S&W M&P AR15 Sport (.223 ). I found them online for $612.00 new at grabagun.

I offered to trade him a $20.00 1876 gold liberty for the rifle and three boxes of ammo. Right now the coin sells for 1248.00. He stood to come out roughly 350.00 on top, and he turned me down. I don't get it. I know some will say " they don't get it " about my willing to do that. Well, what can I say.

Best of luck. Ya might want to check out grabagun. S&W is, IMO, as good as you can get for the money.
that shop owner was plain crazy not to take that deal.

although you could have sold the coin at a coin shop yourself for melt prices and took him cash and had some good folding money left
 
#9 ·
I went to a gun shop Thursday before last and spoke to the owner. I really don't want to deal with an online dealer, not comfortable. I told him I was looking for a S&W M&P AR15 Sport (.223 ). I found them online for $612.00 new at grabagun.

I offered to trade him a $20.00 1876 gold liberty for the rifle and three boxes of ammo. Right now the coin sells for 1248.00. He stood to come out roughly 350.00 on top, and he turned me down. I don't get it. I know some will say " they don't get it " about my willing to do that. Well, what can I say.

Best of luck. Ya might want to check out grabagun. S&W is, IMO, as good as you can get for the money.
Why not just sell the coin and pay cash?
 
#10 ·
You'll only see a shadow of the front sight at very low magnification levels. The focal length of a scope at anything over 3x exceeds the distance between it and the sight post. Basically the scope is focused at a point past it, kinda like how you don't see your nose unless you try...
 
#12 ·
I may have the only account of this happening but I promise on my Bushmaster with a front site, I could see a shadow in the bottom through the 42 MM Bushnell scope. it didn't make it unusable, but it just bugged me enough that I added a spacer rail and took care of it
That's the only time it has ever happened to me though
Low magnification you will see a ghost of the front sight. I would say above 4X it begins to go away.

Personally I don't mind the ghost image at all and it is better to have your scope mounted close to the bore rather than up high. Not saying you are wrong, to each his own.
 
#13 ·
Don't get hung up on just looking at mass produced AR's and ignore the other options. Daniels Defense, Black Rain, and Black Dawn are just a few out there. When you realize how much nicer these rifles are you regret not going that direction. That's why I now own 8 of them. :(.
 
#14 ·
But don't forget LMT, one of the best quality but seldom heard of brands.

LMT - Lewis Machine and Tool

If you can find one that is.

And I still like ArmaLite.
 
#15 ·
that shop owner was plain crazy not to take that deal.

although you could have sold the coin at a coin shop yourself for melt prices and took him cash and had some good folding money left
I, IMO, am not over-the-hill yet, but I am 71. I had my back and neck broke years ago by a female rear-ending me while I was sitting at a red light. two and a half years later I finally got released by my doctor and went back to work.

Those of us with a couple years on us know it can be a beeatch as time goes on.
Simply put, I don't move around much at all...couch to bed..couch to can..couch to bed. Sitting in the car for 30 minutes creates issues I usually wind up regretting. The dealer is less than 5 minutes from the home. I could go on, but that pretty much covers it.

If there's an easy way to do something, or not do it at all, I'm obligated to go that route.

One trip to make the deal ( not ), and one trip to pick it up.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Getting old isn't fun, getting there myself.
 
#17 ·
I, IMO, am not over-the-hill yet, but I am 71. I had my back and neck broke years ago by a female rear-ending me while I was sitting at a red light. two and a half years later I finally got released by my doctor and went back to work.

Those of us with a couple years on us know it can be a beeatch as time goes on.
Simply put, I don't move around much at all...couch to bed..couch to can..couch to bed. Sitting in the car for 30 minutes creates issues I usually wind up regretting. The dealer is less than 5 minutes from the home. I could go on, but that pretty much covers it.

If there's an easy way to do something, or not do it at all, I'm obligated to go that route.

One trip to make the deal ( not ), and one trip to pick it up.
raven, I understand now, thanks for cluing me in.

I still say the dealer who turned you down didn't do himself any favors
 
#19 ·
I, IMO, am not over-the-hill yet, but I am 71. I had my back and neck broke years ago by a female rear-ending me while I was sitting at a red light. two and a half years later I finally got released by my doctor and went back to work.

Those of us with a couple years on us know it can be a beeatch as time goes on.
Simply put, I don't move around much at all...couch to bed..couch to can..couch to bed. Sitting in the car for 30 minutes creates issues I usually wind up regretting. The dealer is less than 5 minutes from the home. I could go on, but that pretty much covers it.

If there's an easy way to do something, or not do it at all, I'm obligated to go that route.

One trip to make the deal ( not ), and one trip to pick it up.
Sorry to hear that. Do you still get out to shoot much?
 
#22 ·
Or, you could just buy the parts and build it yourself...that way you can pick the parts that you want and later on if you find that you don't like something in particular, you'll have the tools and knowledge to change it yourself.
Considered that. I'd wind up having someone clean up the mess I made of it. sooooo.
 
#23 ·
KC, I'm not a hunter (yet) but I do like a .22 for target practice and small game possibilities. While this gun is unavailable to me due to it's collapsible stock being too "dangerous" apparently for my state lawmakers, I would love to own this SIG 522. Folded it's 26", and the reviews are pretty good on it's performance. As a SIG though, need $$$$, but I'd get it if my state allowed me too.

http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/sig522-classic.aspx
 
#25 ·
It's more difficult to figure out what parts you want than it is to put it together, and once you build one you might as well have the tools as you'll build another...;)
I've been breathing hard for one the last couple years. Money talks and BS walks as they say. So, I thought I had found a way to get there but it didn't work out.

As far as putting one together myself, I've been to every sight on the net that sells them, day after day, literately, and read all the posts about putting one together at other forums.

In lieu of buying some kind of specialized tools, I've read posts where folks use everything from an extended thumb nail to a " very thin credit card " and Popsicle sticks...:eek: I am about as good with my hands, mechanically, as a fish.

It's the last thing on my bucket list, so I'll eventually find a way to get there.

I just noticed yesterday that the Sport has a forearm that doesn't accept rails, as is. That puts a crimp on what I want to do with it immediately. So, I'm gonna have to go a different route to get the look I want, and still have an AR. Kinda OCD'ish, I guess, but...

Back to the ol drawing board.
 
#26 ·
Considered that. I'd wind up having someone clean up the mess I made of it. sooooo.
Actually, they are easy to put together. I've been building mine just a bit at a time. Instructions are available for free on-line that are crystal clear. I didn't even use a punch, just a pair of vice grips with electrical tape wound over the jaws to assemble the lower. Then I took it to my friend who has all the gunsmith tools and he tightened the castle nut of the butt stock for me and staked it too for free.

Bought a complete BCG so didn't have to put it together and have just about enough saved for the complete upper.

My total cost of the rifle will be under $500.
 
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