What is the best type of ar?

[xxxleafybugxxx]

Which do you choose for reliability, accuracy, and just overall best gun? Im getting one shortly and leaning very heavily on a rra operator. Wanna spend somewhere in the 1k range. Double stage trigger is pretty important. All opinions are appreciated

[Te Anau]

Regardless of brand,you should get a mid-length!

[5RWill]

Agreed mid length gas system is the way to go for 18" or less if it's intended purpose is not a DMR. I prefer rifle length if it's going to be a DMR/SPR.

You might want to do a little reading on which AR companies are top, mil spec, and so on. You've left out a good chunk of some of the best brands. And if your planning on dropping 1000$ You might as well make it worth while and get the best for your money.

Noveske (might be out of the price range)
BCM
DD
LMT
PSA
Spikes

Then again those are very good as far as mil spec features. And all i believe have a chrome lined barrel, most of those brands listed will hold MOA. But if your looking for accuracy you might be best served by the choices you have above and a non chrome lined barrel. My friends RRA is pretty accurate 3/4s MOA not bad. Then again my BCM MK12 can pull 1/2 MOA.

[RetiredMajor]

Eh.....bogus pole....so many "others".

[xxxleafybugxxx]

Sorry there are too many to list. Thats why other is listed. Just put in the brand if other is your answer

[btmj]

If money is not part of the equation, then noveske and Danial defense are near the top of the list...

If money is part of the equation.... well, I thought that rock river offered me the best value in a quality weapon. that is what I bought.

[xxxleafybugxxx]

That's how I feel about the tax operator. Double stage trigger comes on it, fill rail system, and is in my price range. Also from everything I've seen, good customer service and good quality item. I don't see anything wrong with it. People say you can get better for less money, but havnt seen an ar in this price range with a double stage trigger.

[trg42wraglefragle]

They're all crap, get either a Saiga AK 74, or a Piston AR.
You'll regret getting a Direct Injected AR!

Also the Piston ones are more accurate, and can run off steel case ammo better, which is cheaper and more accurate than brass cased.

[xxxleafybugxxx]

I see people say alot to build your own for the. Best product, but my question is, why is that better than a complete rifle?

[btmj]

They're all crap, get either a Saiga AK 74, or a Piston AR.
You'll regret getting a Direct Injected AR!

Also the Piston ones are more accurate, and can run off steel case ammo better, which is cheaper and more accurate than brass cased.

I think you are trying to start an argument. The vast majority of AR15 owners have never regretted their purchase, at least not due to the DI nature of the weapon.

You say that "piston ones are more accurate"... The DI AR-15 has the potential to be more accurate, it probably has the potential to be the most accurate self-loading rifle available. In the hands of real world shooters (like me), it won't make any difference. I can shoot about 1 moa from a bench on a good day, so from any kind of field position, I am the limiting factor, not my rifle.

I have no need to run steel cased ammo. I can get M-193 for $170 per 500, and if I was really worried about price, I could reload.

[Palmetto-Pride]

IMO a PSA is hard to beat for the money$$

[xxxleafybugxxx]

And I don't understand why "milspec" is so important to people. Its so incredibly hard to determine what it is im going to get when you have all of these people saying different things. Also, it doesn't help that there are millions of ar manufacturers either.

[bigghoss]

For 1K defiantly get a colt. There might be slightly better rifles for more money and if all you want is a range toy you can certainly find something for less that will work but if you want a serious AR15 then colt is the were I would start looking and go up from there.

I have a used DPMS and it works fine, but I only use it for plinking. It's got a 20" barrel with a scope and I'll take it out pop off some rounds and see if I can hit the junk and shards of clay pigeons on the hill but that's all I do with it. Soon I'm going to get a stripped lower and build a high-end rifle from scratch.

[Tim R]

And I don't understand why "milspec" is so important to people. Its so incredibly hard to determine what it is im going to get when you have all of these people saying different things. Also, it doesn't help that there are millions of ar manufacturers either.

If you buy quailty parts to start with you won't have to worry about it. The cheapest isn't always the better or best. There is a lot of junk out there. Parts from Brownells for example are good parts.

White Oak has good parts. They build great uppers too.

[RT]

Other:
Noveske
Daniel Defense
BCM
LaRue
LMT

I would buy one of those brands before any of the ones in the poll (except Colt).

[Crow Hunter]

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS BEST!

In anything. There are only a set of compromises that fits your "mission".

What do you want to do with it?

Do you want to sit at a bench on a 100 yard range and shoot tiny little groups?

Do you want to roll around in the mud and do training classes?

Do you want to bump fire all day long?

Are you planning on shooting p-dogs?

Using it for coyotes?

While ANY AR-15 is capable of doing all of these things, some are better suited to it than others.

Buying the rifle and optic/sights/ammo that will suit your uses will be better for you in the long run.

To quote a famous trainer: "The mission drives the gear train."

If you don't know what your use is going to be and you just want an AR, my advice is get one with the best resale value. This means something with name recognition with the largest segment of the gun buying population that is in as close to "military" configuration as possible. That way if you get it and it doesn't suit your uses, it can be sold to fund what you really need.

That means Colt, S&W, Bushmaster, or DPMS. Look at your local gun shops/gun magazines and see what brands are moving and prominently advertised. Buy that. Try it out, see if you even like it or not. You might not.

There are lots of other makers out there that make extremely high quality rifles but don't have the name recognition that will help you sell it if you get it and find out it isn't what you really wanted.

Based on your "requirement" for a 2 stage trigger, I am assuming that you want a benchrest type rifle? If so, you need to determine what range you are going to shoot at which will determine the weight bullets you will most likely be using which will tell you what twist barrel you need to get.

As an aside, if you are like "most" AR buyers and are planning on blasting away with surplus 55gr and 62gr ammo at 100 yards or less you are wasting your money on a 2 stage trigger. Your ammo will be the limiting factor in accuracy, not the weight of your trigger.

As an aside in my personal experience with my own and family/friends ARs.

5 Colts - 0 Problems
7 Bushmasters - 4 issues including 2 that had to go back to the factory
1 DPMS - Bolt would not unlock, had to replace bolt.
2 S&W - 0 Problems

Of course, YMMV.

[madcratebuilder]

Originally Posted by Te Anau

Regardless of brand,you should get a mid-length!

Mid-length is fine if you shoot full power 5.56. I've seen to many mid-length choke on steel case and weak .223 to highly recommend them.

Originally Posted by xxxleafybugxxx

And I don't understand why "milspec" is so important to people.

Mil-spec means a part was made by a specific process with specific material. There are many AR parts that are not "mil-spec" that are as good or better than their "mil-spec" counterpart.

Companies that produce crap don't stay in business long, or change names often(Hess) Names that have been around for a long time produce good product. Some have a tighter quality control and you see far fewer complaints on there "name".

Originally Posted by xxxleafybugxxx

I see people say alot to build your own for the. Best product, but my question is, why is that better than a complete rifle?

If you build you chose each individual part and you configure the gun to your particular specifications. This is normally more cost effective than buying a complete rifle and then changing out parts and components.

[Chilli9880]

Voted for other. My vote went to S&W M&P 15

[5RWill]

Madcrate the problem isn't the mid length gas system its more likely the gas port. I've never seen a non-milspec mid length either so most probably have a .062 gas port which is mil spec for 5.56 NATO pressures. Carbine gas systems should really only be used in a SBR package or a M4ergy. The carbine gas system in a 16" is slightly overgassed which exerts more force on the carrier when its pushed back. In turn you have a stronger recoil impulse and more mechanical wear on parts overtime.

Cheaper steel ammo such as wolf for instance is also very low pressurized. I would expect if you ran hornady TAP training ammo (which is steel) it would be fine

[GlockedNLoded32]

Sog Armory.... this company is based out of Houston, Tx they make high quality ars a buddy of mine bought the operator

http://www.sogarmory.com/ProductCust...4&ParentId=154

[Father Time]

Well the first thing your mentioned was reliability so...

Colt
BCM
Daniel Defence
Spikes
Noveske

All make firearms that meet "Mil-Spec" meaning they are made from quality parts and are tested to make sure there where no flaws in the prosses.

Many company's like DPMS/Bushmaster (which are owned by the same company BTW) Rock River etc say they are "Mil-Spec" but what they really mean is that they use parts that are interchangeable with "Mil-Spec" parts.
For example a DPMS barrel will fit on a Colt rifle but it is made with different steel and has a different twist rate for the rifleing.

Think about what you want the rifle to do and buy accordingly. Because each gun is different and the "best" can change depending on what your going to use it for.

[Crow Hunter]

The only concern that I have with mid-length is the fact there is no "spec" for it.

Everyone does it differently.

With the carbine length and rifle length systems there is a standard. A correct nominal with a +/- dimension on it that is accepted and tested out over many years.

With the mid-length design everyone has a home brew. There is no TDP for mid lengths and as such, you don't know that you are getting a rifle that will be acceptable over a wide range of ammo/altitudes/temperatures variations unless that company has done extensive testing with their design.

I like the Mid-length design in theory. I thought it was a good idea when Westrom (Armalite) first introduced it back in the late '90s.

[kraigwy]

I voted Colt, as a complete rifle.

If you're not, forget the lower, spend the money on an upper, and trigger.

Lowers (excluding the trigger) don't make an AR, the upper does.

Not on the list: Any Lower, White Oak Upper.

I also like full length barrels, or for an AR that would be 20 inches. I see no earthly purpose for short barreled ARs, not like we are going to be fighting from Infantry Troop Carriers or doing building searches. If we did, we'd be in the Army and they would make the choice for us.

But then I'm a target shooter.

If you're just going to plink to less then 300 yards just about any would work.

[Chilli9880]

Since this seems to be trending to a "If you build an AR"... If I wanted to build my AR from scratch. What parts would I need (Upper, lower, etc.)? And what are the best of those parts?

[jsimmons]

The best AR is the one that's the most readily available when you need it.