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bclark1 · September 16, 2008, 09:40 PM

Depends on what "nice" is. Colt, RRA, DPMS, etc. are all "mass produced" but for the most part all the major brands will run well and shoot well, with most configurations from A2 to A4 coming in under $1000, a little more for Colt. S&W and Remington both have some recent offerings too, both of which are sort of niche-focused. They're "nice" by me, even though I'm looking to assemble one out of fancy parts at some point in the not-so-distant future. My current CAR-type is a commercial mix and it has operated flawlessly, at times on poor maintenance and the cheapest of ammo. That said, if I had the money, that doesn't mean I wouldn't buy something cooler.

On the "new" side, you've got your piston stuff. The HK416 is very cool, but certainly overpriced and not as unique as they'd have you believe. I only see one on Gunbroker right now and they're asking $6k :barf: for the upper, and it's an SBR kit - more money. A POF upper will put you in good shape on the piston front as well, you can find full-built POFs for a quarter of that HK price. I'm not sure about the compatibility with mil-spec parts, but the Sig 556 is another piston-based AR that is pretty good looking, you can find them at auction for about $1100 if you're willing to wait around. However, if I can justify the expenditure, I'm partial to Magpul's Masada, which will be available as the Bushmaster ACR early next year. A lot in common with the Sig 556, but some other cool features. Robinson XCR is another piston AR, probably costs about the same as the ACR will but available now.

In terms of more traditional AR's, a lot of the above and some others are some high-end, semi-custom options. Les Baer, Wilson, Noveske, LWRC, Knights, Sabre... I'm sure some others know more on this page because these are all sort of Neiman Marcus in terms of rifles and I'm chillin' at the grocery store. There are some other high-end parts manufacturers that you can buy uppers/lowers separately from and put it together, even if they don't sell complete rifles.

You can also talk all kinds of wierd calibers and such, but I'm assuming you're restricting to 5.56.

Anyway, spend well and show us what you end up with!

September 16, 2008, 09:40 PM	#8
bclark1 Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,531	Depends on what "nice" is. Colt, RRA, DPMS, etc. are all "mass produced" but for the most part all the major brands will run well and shoot well, with most configurations from A2 to A4 coming in under $1000, a little more for Colt. S&W and Remington both have some recent offerings too, both of which are sort of niche-focused. They're "nice" by me, even though I'm looking to assemble one out of fancy parts at some point in the not-so-distant future. My current CAR-type is a commercial mix and it has operated flawlessly, at times on poor maintenance and the cheapest of ammo. That said, if I had the money, that doesn't mean I wouldn't buy something cooler. On the "new" side, you've got your piston stuff. The HK416 is very cool, but certainly overpriced and not as unique as they'd have you believe. I only see one on Gunbroker right now and they're asking $6k :barf: for the upper, and it's an SBR kit - more money. A POF upper will put you in good shape on the piston front as well, you can find full-built POFs for a quarter of that HK price. I'm not sure about the compatibility with mil-spec parts, but the Sig 556 is another piston-based AR that is pretty good looking, you can find them at auction for about $1100 if you're willing to wait around. However, if I can justify the expenditure, I'm partial to Magpul's Masada, which will be available as the Bushmaster ACR early next year. A lot in common with the Sig 556, but some other cool features. Robinson XCR is another piston AR, probably costs about the same as the ACR will but available now. In terms of more traditional AR's, a lot of the above and some others are some high-end, semi-custom options. Les Baer, Wilson, Noveske, LWRC, Knights, Sabre... I'm sure some others know more on this page because these are all sort of Neiman Marcus in terms of rifles and I'm chillin' at the grocery store. There are some other high-end parts manufacturers that you can buy uppers/lowers separately from and put it together, even if they don't sell complete rifles. You can also talk all kinds of wierd calibers and such, but I'm assuming you're restricting to 5.56. Anyway, spend well and show us what you end up with!