Posted on 07/31/2012 6:14:16 PM PDT by usconservative
Ok, gotta admit I've wanted an AR-15 for awhile, and now the State of Illinois is looking to ban "assault weapons" and trying to make political hay out of the Aurora, Colorado shootings last week. I'm opposed to government gun control, and I'd like to add a nice AR-15 to my collection. Problem is, I'm not well versed on them, and my budget is about $1200 for one.
I've looked at the Smith & Wesson AR-15 Sport and think it's "ok" but I'm interested in something a little more.
I’ve spent literally hundrds of dollars at Model 1 Sales. Great Texas firm to do business with.
I’ve spent literally hundreds of dollars at Model 1 Sales. Great Texas firm to do business with.
fyi: I have seen Colt Ar-15s in Walmart for 1100 bucks. 16 inch barrels, tele-stocks, flat top reciever.
I don’t care what you buy, but beware of Bushmaster. They’re fine arms but they tried to stiff people that ordered, and even paid for their weapons, just before and during the debates on the ‘94 gun ban. Many people waited months before their orders were filled and it wasn’t because they couldn’t meet production - they were playing politics and waiting to see which way the wind blew. As proof, when the ban passed, they asked some paid customer for more money to complete their order. That’s just plain greed and dishonesty. It wouldn’t matter to me if they made their arms out of solid gold - they just ain’t solid Americans if they are willing to stiff people over politics - especially the 2A which is their bread and butter.
Fact is that DPMS, Sig, Remington, etc, are all good in the 7.62 caliber. The problem with Armalite is that they use proprietary mags. You can't just use any 308 mag.
I can help.
Please send me $1200 and I will make the purchase and deliver to you via my canoe over Lake Michigan.
I do not want to piss off any bushmaster owners BUT they are not what they once were. Not terrible, but no longer in the top tier or even the top couple tiers. I would avoid it for your first and possibly only battle/patrol rifle.
TIER 1
Noveske, Wilson, Les Baer, Larue Tactical (and maybe L.W.R.C) are all Top Tier no brainers if you can afford them.
* I also really like the FN SCAR 16 which might come close to giving you the HK panache at a lot less money + Gas Piston which I have come to prefer and cannot recommend enough for everything except a scoped AR for match purposes.
TIER 2
If you have to stay close to your stated budget and want very high quality but not top tier, Look at LMT, Daniel Defense, COLT and then anything by BRAVO Co.
TIER 3
A little less money but still a very good AR would be RRA, Smith & Wesson and then Stag.
* I would not go below this : )
SIG 516. Piston operated, no break in, accurate and reliable right out of the box. It might be $1400, though. It’s a gas piston system that is just as light as a regular AR
The Ruger 556 is too heavy.
If you want something you can rough around in realistic competitions and not come appart, you will have to go with LMT, LWRC which are pricey
DPMS are fine and cheap but do not have the rugged treatment resiliency of the others.
This chart might help...
http://gunfacts.webs.com/M4Chart1.gif
Colt
BCM
Daniel Defense
Noveske
LMT
(Spikes)
(LaRue)
Yep, the SIG 716 is bad a$$... and it is light for a 762, lighter than some ARs in 556 out there. Pricey, though.
If you get something direct impingement, get POF roller cam kit. I did have some issues with my DPMS with it (cam stuck too high and had to slightly file the rifle’s cam lock notch, so you might as well get a POF rifle altogether.
The new sheriff in town is Stag Arms; specifically the Stag Model 3.
Buy a flattop from CMMG, Spikes Tactical or one of many good sources.
Spend maybe $800..... use the rest for a decent red dot optic and P Mags.
No, no, no, on DPMS unless you do not care about a lack of functional reliability. DPMS M4 type carbines display serious problems of premature extraction because of gas port holes larger than needed for a carbine length weapon. Symptom include the extractor pulling through the rim, leaving a shellcase stuck in the chamber. Colts are the most reliable, followed by Bushmaster,
If that is the case, then BCM, Colt, Daniel Defense or Noveske are the ones to concentrate on (IMO... and I've tried a lot of the others before coming to that conclusion). Most of the other brands will be fine for plinking, paper punching or hunting things that can't hunt you back.
If I had to do it all over again, I'd shop around for a Colt 6920, put a decent red dot or holographic sight on it, sling it intelligently and then practice, practice, practice.
Mr. niteowl77
The sites I looked at seem to be overly concerned with what to do to fix the guns... not a good sign.
The whole thing is a long standing joke on the firearms forums...
Why do you swap out your magazines every year? I have magazines that are more than 30 years old and they work better than many I have purchased since.
Just curious as to your thoughts on the matter. TX
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