How much is my BM Carbon 15 worth?

[tgtate]

Hey y'all just wondering what a fair price on my Carbon 15 would be. I got it when I was about 15 and I just wanna step up and get something a little nicer. It's got a Magpul MOE buttstock and grip, Midwest Industries quad rail, Daniel Defense front grip and a Bushnell Trophy red dot sight. Just wanna know what I can sell it for (private sell). Also, what mid level (under $1500) AR-15 would y'all recommend? I've had my eyes on a Colt LE6920, might just get one without furniture, as I will be upgrading to suit my needs anyway. Thanks!

[CarJunkieLS1]

My suggestion is that you keep it...AR prices are bottom of the barrel currently you can find NEW decent quality AR's for $600 or less. Is your current Bushmaster unreliable? If its reliable and shoots good. I don't see any reason to sell if you do I think you'll be "raked over the coals" on the price someone will give you for it.

If you want a nicer higher quality then by all means go for it. I don't see a Colt LE6920 as much of an upgrade over your current AR-15. If you do decide to get a new AR just make sure it has the 1:8 or 1:7 twist to shoot the heavy high BC .224 bullets

[dakota.potts]

Assuming you don't sell the red dot or other goodies (foregrip etc.) with it, I'd say market price would probably put it right around $500.

What is lacking in the gun now? You may be able to upgrade piece by piece instead of selling your rifle and re-investing in a whole new one.

[tgtate]

I was going to sell it "as is" with all the above modifications. I've just been really wanting a Colt!

[marine6680]

Colt makes a good rifle, and I wouldn't mind owning a prancing pony... But...


There are rifles just as good or better than the Colt for less money. And rifles much better for not much more.

[Maligator]

CarJunkie has the right idea. Right now ARs are selling at super low prices. Your best bet would be to hold onto the BM and buy another AR more to your liking if you're able to afford it.

The most important thing I would suggest is to make sure you are actually shooting & training with your weapon, so ammo should be near the top of your purchase priorities.

[mxsailor803]

I owned a Colt 6920 and traded before the AR prices dropped for a Sig 229 SAS DAK. Honestly, you're paying for that pony on the side. I've got 4 Palmetto State Armory rifles I built up and they have been just as reliable and even more accurate than the Colt. Keep what you have. Or build your own. It takes time to build your own but, if you don't like something, you can't blame the manufacture. Also, you can go over a pistol caliber or up to the big bore .50 Beowolf.

[bfoosh006]

Until the election is over.... do not sell anything that is a MSR... or for that matter needed by a MSR.

All the other posts about low AR prices are correct... right now we live in a market full of good deals.

All it would take to change that is any new rules from the White House... then you will wish you had kept that rifle.
Prices of everything went through the roof last time. It will be the same this time.

[Ibmikey]

Tgtate, Looking at the AR rack I find 24 rifles from entry level ATI Omni and S&W Sport up to very high end examples. My shooting is mainly plinking and fun drills at reactive targets, not punching out tiny groups on paper. In that rack are three Colt AR's that I love dearly but the lowly Omni Hybrid does my kind of shooting just as well as the Colt or DD rifles will, of course if run a lot harder than i am doing the results might be quite different.
So point is your Carbon fibre will probably fit your needs for years to come.....however, there is nothing like a Colt 6920 to make a shooter grin while the soda and vege cans are dancing about and the brass is flyiing. PS: Buy ammo, and then buy more ammo....

[Skans]

I have a professional ordinance Carbon-15 pistol; I'd expect to get about $450+/- if I were to sell it; I'd expect your rifle to be in that range, maybe + $50.

[Fishbed77]

I don't see a Colt LE6920 as much of an upgrade over your current AR-15.

The Colt LE6920 is a considerable upgrade over a plastic-receiver Bushmaster in most every respect.

That said, I agree with the others here. Keep the Bushy (which is worth about $400-450 used these days) and sell it for a decent profit when Hillary gets elected.

[Armybrat]

Fishbed is correct, and there is nothing wrong with paying a little extra for the Prancing Pony. At least others will know you have a "real" M4.

My LE6920MP-B was $879 from GrabAGun last year:



Then again, my S&W M&P Sport shoots just as well for $300 less, even though it has no FA or dust cover and is 1/9 twist. I did upgrade the cheapo hand guard to a Magpul:

[WVsig]

Keep the BM and get a the naked Colt. If you are going to swap out the furniture anyway why pay for it upfront only to have it sit in the safe/gun room in a box. You wont be able to sell the parts for what you paid. IMHO.

I would also suggest you use part of your upgrade budget to get a better triger group. The Colt trigger is a heavy Milspec trigger. I recommend the Geissele @ stage. It is the same design as the SSA but with less finishing. Great trigger which is a huge improvement over the Colt.

https://geissele.com/geissele-2-stage-trigger.html

[stagpanther]

I had a carbon 15--no offense to you but it was the worst shooting AR I've ever had. I say dump it and get whatever you can for it--while you can.

$1500 will get you a premium production AR--look around--talk around--find out what operational features make a quality AR in general. I personally don't go for big brand hype since there are really so many top-shelf small custom builders out there--you may in fact might want to try building your own--lot's of fun and very rewarding.

[DoctorDeath]

As everyone else has said, you are probably going to take a substantial loss if you sell now. Either eat the loss, or hang on to it until the next fiasco. I would consider $1,500 a top tier AR if you shop around. For under $1,500 it's pretty much Colt and BCM imo. If you save a few hundred more you can get a Noveske, Daniel Defense, Larue, LMT, etc. If you like the Colt $1,500 would get you a 6920 and an EoTech or Aimpoint. Not a bad rig...

[johnwilliamson062]

Colt really really hit a home run when they locked up the DOD contracts. Not only did their politicking lock up all those military sales for a decade or two, people still do things like say they make the only "real" AR. I really have to hand it to them on that decision. One of very few good business decisions any section of Colt has made in my lifetime.

As much as new AR prices have hit rock bottom I am not sure used prices have gone all that low. They certainly aren't at the ridiculous prices they were a few years ago, but in many case old ARs seem to be selling for just a few dollars under their new counterparts at prices not that much lower than I remember from before Newton or in 2007.

I've had my eye out for a screaming deal on a used rifle from a few specific brands. So far I haven't seen anything low enough that I would not just buy a new rifle instead.

[DoctorDeath]

I've had my eye out for a screaming deal on a used rifle from a few specific brands. So far I haven't seen anything low enough that I would not just buy a new rifle instead.

Probably has to do with where you live. If you're in a predominantly rich state, there are less desperate people. Used ARs will be much more expensive in Washington or Oregon than in Mississippi or Louisiana in my opinion.

[CarJunkieLS1]

Nobody mentions Stag Arms for a quality AR?? I mean seriously Stag (CMT) makes the parts for Colt and several other AR-15 companies. Difference is Colt hand picks each and every part all others buy entire lots. So with Colt you really are just paying for the Prancing Pony

[johnwilliamson062]

Probably has to do with where you live

I've been looking a bit on gunbroker also. New prices are just so low I think no one is willing to sell old. I'm betting there just aren't many old many old rifles actually selling.
A lower for $40, a build for $450, a new rifle for just over $500.

[Fishbed77]

So with Colt you really are just paying for the Prancing Pony

No. You are also paying for a higher lever of QA than most consumer-grade ARs get.

[DoctorDeath]

No. You are also paying for a higher lever of QA than most consumer-grade ARs get.

I agree. People have this misconception that if it goes bang it's the same thing. The Colts, and other high end ARs, have higher quality parts used and no corners cut. The cheaper ones are batch tested, not HPT/MPI tested, lower quality steel, improperly staked gas keys, etc. You are paying a little bit for the logo, but most of the extra money is making sure your rifle doesn't fail on you when you need it most.

[mavracer]

The Colt LE6920 is a considerable upgrade over a plastic-receiver Bushmaster in most every respect.

Except maybe the most important "capability" while the Colt is a premium mil spec m4gery it's still a basic M4gery with a crappy trigger and a mil spec grade accuracy. IMHO both would serve the same purpose if it were me if I wouldn't keep both I'd either build get a nicer AR with a match grade barrel, free float tube and a good trigger and keep the bushy for a beater or sell I take my beating and get the Colt.