[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

As far as a carbine length rifle the LMT,Colt etc are hard to beat. Stick with a good proven brand. I have a few AR's, each serve a different purpose. Heck my RRA is my most accurate but it is a 24" bull barrel. My Hk was chosen because I personally, in Georgia, have seen an MR556 with 40,000+ rounds through it. The only failure was a broken buffer spring in the 30,000 round range. While it is unlined it is also HK's flagship for the civilian market. The barrel blanks are still made in Germany but finished by Daniels Defense. When they told me they would guarantee my rifle for life and showed me that one I was convinced. This is a heavy mule of an AR at over 8 lbs necked. I have the utmost confidence in it. The 416 I would trust under any circumstances. the LWRC I shot was equally impressive. As far as accuracy,the 416 meets military standards, the MR556 is considered a match rifle and is under 1 MOA easy (with diopter sights) with decent ammo. I shoot about 3/4 MOA with off the rack standard ammo(Hornady ,Remington etc but not match either) not surplus. My best grouping was with my reloads at 100 sit at around 1/2 MOA, that was from a lead sled and great conditions.

I still will recommend a DI gun for the very vast majority of people unless you are just dead set on a Piston gun. The Sig is what I consider the cheapest, well made piston AR, but that's another story.

Please do not get me wrong if you drop $5000-$6500 on a 416 upper, marry it to a Colt,LMT, etc lower it will not fail you, but it is rediculious to pay that unless money is no object. I will grab my HK's first, but the Colt,LMT,LaRue etc are just as good unless you are dropped in a war zone and surrounded by DEVGRU. And truthfully some of them still prefer the DI guns. I bought my MR556 at well below retail, and love it. It honestly is my go to rifle. But if I were just plinking without a suppressor the DI is the way to go. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. Replacement parts are made out of unobtanium for most piston gun or cost a small fortune. The complete bolt assembly for my HK is $700. The best case situation for a piston gun (IMHO) is as Larry Vickers said, short barreled,suppressed, lots of various ammo and less maintenance. Is it worth paying thousands for, nope. But if you run across a deal like I did, it is hard to say no.

I do believe the Hk is built better, but to be honest not $2000 better. I wouldn't lie to you about it as I have no dog in this show. I am waiting on my Sig 516 then a new M4 marked Colt will sit beside it...