Buying First AR-15 help me decide

[Puma prepper]

Hi, im looking to spend around $700 on an AR-15. I have an Ak-47 N-PAP 7.62x39 but have never explored the AR world yet. I read online and some say there nothing but guns for mall ninjas who hang 15lbs of flashlights and lazers on them lol Im not that type of person , i like my guns bare and original. So im asking if its even worth me exploring this AR path or sticking with my bare AK, Also some good brands and models to look at , iv seen Ruger 5.56s for 699 but seems to cheap for a Ruger

[atlantadad]

The Ruger uses some proprietary parts. Look at a simple Palmetto State Armory, Bushmaster Patrolman or even a Colt 6920. The Palmetto or Colt would be all Milspec.

[TMD]

When it comes to AR's in the $600-800 range it really boils down to who's emblem you like stamped on the side of the receiver. Not saying any of them are bad at all just very similar in features and quality. For the casual plinker who may only shoot a few hundred rounds a year it will last them a lifetime. All will pretty much shoot 2moa with cheap ammo and slightly better with quality ammo.

[Mobuck]

If you're looking for an accurate, reliable rifle definitely give the AR a try. I carry an AR far more than the average owner-daily for 3-4 months per year. I don't have "CRAP" hung on the ones I carry. The one above my bed does have a fore grip, laser, and high output light for obvious reasons.
If you're indifferent about accuracy and happy with your AK(ish) current gun, you likely won't feel the gain is worth the cost of the AR.

[BumbleBug]

I say build using a complete upper. Palmeto Amory is your best bet as far as parts/price/quality. You learn a lot & become comfortable with your rifle when you build. It is not hard with a lot of YouTube's on the web & $600 to $800 will build a hell of a gun.

FWIW...

...bug

[jimbob86]

Stripped lower, $99

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index...receivers.html

+ rifle kit, $400-450

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index...ifle-kits.html

leaves more than enough for some of these,

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index...magazines.html

and maybe some of this,

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.../223-5-56.html

Don't dilly dally ....stuff does not stay in stock there indefinitely ..... and you may have to watch closely to catch something you really want when it's in stock ....

[globemaster3]

Honesty, for an intro AR-15, its almost easier to list the names of the companies to avoid than list the good ones. I've never handled a bad one, and have only heard rumors of the companies to avoid. I'm sure others will chime in with their experience.

I wouldn't put too much faith in the crowd you mention regarding the mall ninja comment. Don't get me wrong, there are some terribly funny photos out there of guys with their ARs dressed up with everything from a Jaguar hood ornament to a bottle opener. However, most of us would advise against such tomfoolery.

The better place to start is what do you want to do with the rifle? A recommendation for home defense will look different than a recommendation for hunting predators which will look different than a recommendation for competition shooting. In this world, there are a mind-boggling number of options, so begin with a purpose, and then define what will fit that.

Even in budget rifles, it is good to start here to narrow down a configuration.

[FTL]

Colt 6920. Best bang for money. And you can find one reasonable right now also.

[ShaulWolf]

You can find a Colt 6920 for $700-800 right now if you look around.

Personally, I'd rather build my own rifle for that amount and have it come out how I want it to though.

jimbob pretty much nailed it with finding stuff from PSA. I'm going to copy and paste from another post showing what my experience has been on building an AR on a budget, and throw in some links. You may have to wait for a few things to come back into stock, but you'll find some great deals when you do.

Disclaimer, my gun is more set up for home defense and can do alright in 3 gun matches. If I were to make it a varmint gun, then it'd be configured very different and it'd cost me a few hundred dollars more due to optics and accurizing for MOA groups. If I wanted something strictly for target shooting from a bench, I'd change the configuration yet again. That's one of the great and horrible things about the AR: you can change it up for what you want to do. That also means you'll get sucked into looking at all the things you can do with it, and make your wallet bleed in the process.

--------------------

I started with a stripped blemished PSA lower, which turned out not to have a single blemish on it. Then I waited around for a deal and got a lower build kit and a PTAC 16" upper with a YHM rifle length rail with charging handle and BCG.

Total cost for the rifle to be put together was $536.97 shipped.

Alternately, you can get an upper with an Midwest Industries SS12G2 rail instead for the same amount of money as the YHM Diamond Rail w/ BCG and charging handle.

Some people don't like PTAC since they weren't the greatest in the past. What may have happened in the past has, so far, been just the past. My buddy and I both have PTAC uppers that have run like sewing machines and are going through any ammo we throw into it without issue. Accuracy has been pretty good with 2" groups using 55 grain Wolf Gold in a 1:7 twist and a 3 MOA red dot. The groups are tighter than the reticule on the dot, with bullets that are shorter than optimal for that twist rate, if that tells you anything.

In any case, you can spend some more money and get a PSA 16" upper with an SQR hybrid rail, which is a nice free float rail that's a hybrid between a quad rail and MI's SS12G2 rail. Just be aware that you have to buy a bolt and charging handle separately, so that'll take on another $100 roughly.

Note, you don't need to have a free floated rail. You can get an upper with stock hand guards too, and swap them out down the road if you want. PSA offers that for around $250, though again, remember to get the charging handle and BCG.

If you don't want to put the lower together with a build kit, then you can get an assembled lower for not too much more as well.

So, all that can be done within budget, and it gives you options for some more things too. You can start looking at optics, rail covers (if you went that route), sling attachments, light mounts, lights, etc.

For budget optics, I've found Primary Arms tough to beat. They've got some nice red dots that can be had for $110 shipped, and they also carry good prices on Vortex optics, their primary competitor in their field and price ranges. I'm digging the AA powered red dot they have, which offers 10,000 hrs of battery life on a single AA battery. Primary Arms is also really responsive to customers, and Marshall (CEO) does everything he can to take care of his customers.

If you're looking to add sling attachment points, then you can swap out the end plate on the lower receiver rather than use the attachment point on the butt stock for cheap depending on where you look, and can run between $10-30. If you just want to mount a sling attachment point onto the buffer tube so you don't have to mess with the receiver, then expect to pay at least $30. The rail attachment points tend to be pricier, running at least $25.

Light mounts are cheap, around $10. Lights get pricier depending on what you want. I'd suggest a NiteCore P12 for $40 if you get one.

In total, I've spent about $750-775 to get my rifle where it is currently. The only two things left that I'd throw on are a set of backup irons ($75 for a set of Magpul MBUS) and swap out my current light for a NiteCore.

Enjoy the infodump, hope it was helpful.

[Carne Frio]

Hard to beat the value of a Colt 6920. But if you have never
had much experience with AR's you might want to read this
link:

http://forums.officer.com/t81462/

[mapsjanhere]

As you said, it's your first AR-15. Like buying a 10/22, an AR-15 is in a constant state of flux. It doesn't matter what you started out with, there will always be options to change.

[Ibmikey]

A Colt 6920 will be above your budget but a 6720 (lightweight barrel) is right around $800. The best spent AR buck for a basic but high quality rifle is the Smith and Wesson Sport, just cannot be beat for the money.

[Woolecox]

I read online and some say there nothing but guns for mall ninjas who hang 15lbs of flashlights and lazers

Whoever said that is ignorant. Get away from them.

A Colt 6920 will be above your budget but a 6720 (lightweight barrel) is right around $800. The best spent AR buck for a basic but high quality rifle is the Smith and Wesson Sport, just cannot be beat for the money.

Yes, the Colt 6920 would be my first choice for a first AR. An awesome Mil Spec platform to build on. Do something to make some more money to put a quality optic on it such as an ACOG or Aimpoint.

Here is my Colt LE6920 sporting some new Magpul furniture, Aimpoint Comp M4, Jewell trigger, etc.





Original Formula:

[1Hobie]

I'd suggest the M-P15 (melonite 1-8 5R rifling if you can find one.) Sport S&W reasonable price, runs smooth as is and you can trick it up if you feel the need to. One thing about it that some folks are turned off by the lack of forward assist and dust cover. But pros and cons have been discussed . Those items will not effect the gun's performance unless you plan to be crawling through the dirt a lot. As far as the forward assist is to force the round into the chamber. If you do have a round that won't load, you need to stop and figure out why things are as they are.

Good wishes for you no matter what you end up with!

Hobie

[raimius]

What is the intended use? AR-15s can be set up for anything between a pistol configuration PDW to 1000yd+ competition guns.

For most people, getting the 16in barreled "carbine" in 5.56 is the most versatile configuration. It provides decent rifle performance out to several hundred yards. It's relatively cheap to feed, and can be configured for a decently wide variety of preferences (3-gun style competition, plinking, home defense, short/medium range varmint hunting, etc).

[Captains1911]

The Ruger uses some proprietary parts.

The piston operated SR-556 does, but not the gas operated AR-556 which is what I believe he is referring to.

[jaytothekizzay]

Im not a huge fan of the A2 front sight. I personally prefer a flat top. However my M&P OR has been money. With that being said you can build a sweet rifle for less than I payed for my M&P. I built this rifle with a Spikes lower, and mostly BCM upper parts for under a grand

[jaytothekizzay]

Woolecox... sweet lookin colt btw...

[9x19]

The piston operated SR-556 does, but not the gas operated AR-556 which is what I believe he is referring to.

The AR556 has a proprietary barrel nut/delta ring. I know the barrel nut can be replaced with a standard model, but it is a proprietary design out of the box.

http://ruger-hosted.s3.amazonaws.com...92d8ha1p5g.pdf

I still like the S&W M&P 15 Sport as a budget conscious choice (I own two)... and I don't miss the dust cover or forward assist... but some folks just prefer the aesthetics of the original design.

[Brotherbadger]

What are you going to use it for? Plinking? Hunting? HD? An AR can be had very cheap right now and there are lots of great options listed above.

[Captains1911]

The AR556 has a proprietary barrel nut/delta ring.

Thanks for the correction.

[tirod]

The S&W without Forward Assist IS more like the original design. http://www.gunscollecting.com/englis...olt-ar-15-sp1/

If it's just an introductory step into the AR world, the S&W or any Branded rifle in the $6-800 range will do.

As for AR's being mall ninja dress up fodder, the AK owners are equally guilty of it: https://www.google.com/search?q=tric...w=1024&bih=515

Adding rails to AK's seems to be the latest fad. The AR? Not so much, what is currently hot are free floats with no rails at all. I.E., stripping them down and avoiding the M4gery mall ninja look: https://www.google.com/search?q=AR+f...w=1024&bih=515

Quad rails and the accessories are the hot ticket for SBR's/pistols - also known as the Mk18 clone: https://www.google.com/search?q=AR+f...w=1024&bih=515

It's always fun to hear what fanboys say about the other guys choice, same as listening to a Ford/Chevy argument. Which ever side you take, it's a different perspective if you use them professionally vs weekend warriors. There are over 20 million prior service men and women who have been trained on the M16/M4. If all someone hears is all about them being mall ninja guns, then you aren't hearing from professionals. Consider the source.

[globemaster3]

The OP never defined a purpose for his rifle, and we've seen a plethora of suggestions and people pushing their favorites.

And the OP has not been here for almost 2 weeks...

[Woolecox]

He did say it was his FIRST AR, and wanted to get in around $700. Given that criteria, this poster provided the best answer (see link) IMO.

Hard to beat the value of a Colt 6920. But if you have never
had much experience with AR's you might want to read this
link:

http://forums.officer.com/t81462/

[9x19]

Unless of course, the OP is not a LEO...