The good thing about mini's are they are all the same, very standardized and simple, so they are easy to clean and maintain. I've fired thousands of rounds out of mine with no problems except the few soft points that jammed. However with the AR's there are many manufacturers and some are clearly better than others, I've seen some that stovepiped alot. How would you rate the various manufacturers? Most of my acquaintances love Bushmasters with Armalites coming in second and Colts probably third. How do you rate them?
Rating in order:
1.Bushmaster "tightest" gun out there and inexpensive. Besides, they are the "blackest fit/finish" AR out there,"bad ass looker." between $700 & $1,000 for base models.
2.Colt..their pre-ban lowers/uppers are real good "cost more,"between $1,200-$2,000 for base models. Their post bans are pretty good also,"less money."
3.(Tie) Rock River Arms, DPMS, and Armalite, I don't care what hype is put out on Armalites...I don't like their "feel". RR's are inexpensive and a damn good clone.
4. Olympic arms, they put out a good variety of AR packages that are inexpensive, but shoot well and are fairly tight.between $600-$900 bm's.
5. American spirit "lousy clone" and is supposedly cheaper built. between $800-$1,200 for base...wayyy over priced.
There are Stoners and early model Colts that are M16 cursed...really expensive and BATF bait.
My personal experience...I bought an older pre-ban Colt that was loose and heavy..20" HBAR with lots of aftermarket glow parts..just too heavy and no real purpose for it..Got an older DPMS/Colt marriage and it was a little better...finally bought a Bushy 16" XM15 E2S series...and absolutely LOVE IT! I just got a Rock River arms A3M4 package with fixed collapsible and Holo sight this summer...fun guns, both of them! I'll always have an AR15 in my home and Jeep...I just love them.
Most of the ex-military guys here can vouch for their durabilty/dependabilty...I can vouch for their fun/feel and practicality...there is NO equal to an AR15 for the general public's consumption...if you start going real exotic i.e. 50 cal.,bolt actions; .300,.308,30.06 whatever,they tend to snowball into more $$$$
There's nothing like the AR..nothing. For $700 there's no better high and better feel...AK's have their place in the gun collector's conversation along with the .45 handguns and Glocks...BUT, the AR15 is THE bad boy in the neighborhood. Just the funky lockjaw factor is worth something..when people see IT come out of it's case....ahhhhhhh, yes...it's my gun and it's LEGAL!