Looking to get an ar-15, but what brand? - Page 2

tahunua001 · December 10, 2012, 09:16 PM

well you have been quite well informed but you have also been informed in such generalities as to be misleading.
1. AR15s are not available in 308. such cartridges like 308, 243 and 22-250 require a more robust design and are only available in AR10 variants. probably the most versatile caliber available for the AR15 is the 6.5 grendel which is a very good round out to 200 yards for hogs, deer and paper targets. it is not difficult to get ahold oh but if you reload then this would be a very good move to invest in dies for it as it is similar in cost to 30-06(which out of a semi is not a lot of fun).

2. it is true that Colt has begun cutting corners in their production as many other companies have which has lowered the quality of their current stock of rifles and they do charge an arm and a leg for the Colt brand name however they are still a good AR manufacturer with a respectable track record.

3. even though I despise the company and fanboys that tote them, you may look at a smith and wesson MP15 as very few that buy them have a bad experience and their basic 5.56 sport model is very competitively priced(around $600 usually).

4. it is not always cheaper to buy the uppers and lowers separate and in many cases this is false. it used to be cheapest to buy the stripped lower receiver and then buy a rifle kit which was everything that you need to make the rifle functional except the receiver so it could be shipped right to your door without a federal firearms license and paperwork. however a few years ago it became cheaper to buy a stripped lower and lower parts kit and then buy the complete upper but now it seems that many companies are offering complete rifles for close to the same price as a DIY rifle. it all depends where you buy from.

I hope that my rambling has proven educational or at the very least entertaining.

Dr Big Bird PhD · December 10, 2012, 09:38 PM

Bison Armory 6.8.

CTUAgent247 · December 11, 2012, 02:00 AM

If you wanna stretch your dollar and get a rifle for your money's worth, build your own. You can build a 3,000 dollar rifle for about 1500. Check out this vid, it's what I used as a guide. Don't have to follow it step by step, but it's a great starting point. Also, it helps stretch the payments over small periods of time rather than just blowing a grand at once. Once my rifle is done I will have spent 900 bucks. Hope this helps =]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRZ0O...0UruQ&index=15

rep1954 · December 11, 2012, 07:17 PM

The first AR that I bought was a DPMS Panther Lite 16 and it turned out to be a great gun for it's $699.00 price tag and very accurate with light bullets. My 2nd was a Rock River Arms pistol lower with a Panther Lite 16 upper that I bought and cut down to 11 1/2". The magazine well on the lower was showing bare aluminum before I got magazines to opperate as they should and the DPMS upper had a misalignment between the barrel and gas block but became a decent gun once things were ironed out. Last week I picked up a NIB Colt LE6920 with the Rogers Super Stock and removable handle. The new gun has a 1 turn in 7 twist and shoots the heavier bullets just fine. I have to say that if Colt is cutting corners it isn't evident in this gun as the fit and finish are just fantastic, not needing any rubber inserts to keep it from rattling the pins loose. If you want to hunt deer the faster twist is a must in my opinion.

Austin22793 · December 13, 2012, 07:50 PM

CTU that actually looks like a good build, only problem is half of those items are out of stock, but I'm sure i can find replacements.

Quentin2 · December 14, 2012, 01:23 AM

Quote:

If you wanna stretch your dollar and get a rifle for your money's worth, build your own. You can build a 3,000 dollar rifle for about 1500. Check out this vid, it's what I used as a guide. Don't have to follow it step by step, but it's a great starting point. Also, it helps stretch the payments over small periods of time rather than just blowing a grand at once. Once my rifle is done I will have spent 900 bucks. Hope this helps =]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRZ0O...0UruQ&index=15

I watched the video and he made some good points while others were weak. Anyway as you know you can bring in an excellent BCM build cheaper. (I see you're doing the same with your build.) My BCM build came in around $1000 by going with a 16" pencil profile midlength with a screw on A2 flash hider, CTR stock on the BCM receiver extension kit and a Daniel Defense LPK (a good milspec trigger is fine with me). I did go with the BCM BCG and Gunfighter charging handle. My stripped lower was $100 but I bought it locally, avoiding the transfer fee that he forgot to include, along with all his shipping costs. The extra $500 or so of upgrades he put in to his build appeal to him but in no way increase the reliability of the rifle.

Anyway, lots of ways to put together an AR but using quality parts is wise. Same goes with a factory build.

Coltman 77 · December 14, 2012, 04:41 PM

[QUOTE]Yes, from what I have read, Colt is considered the "standard", but that is just that... the standard. I should have written Gold Standard.

You can do worse and you can do better.... but some claim that Colt is what everyone compares other AR's to as the standard. Why? Because Colt is the brand that has produced the AR for so darn long.

Yes, since about 1964 our military has used Colt AR's in wars around the globe and that successful track record has established Colt as the leader in AR 15's.

I'm not so sure that Colt should be deemed the "gold" standard, though. That implies that it is the finest grade of AR available....and I'm not so sure that anyone here or in any AR forum would agree with that.

I mentioned several other fine manufacturer's in my post.

BTW, what do you suggest the OP purchase? You've brought absolutely nothing positive to the discussion other than bashing Colt products.

9mm · December 14, 2012, 05:20 PM

COLT, can't go wrong with a Colt, first makers in them. Been around for years.. Get your Colt, then look at other brands to tinker with for your second AR.

mitranoc · December 14, 2012, 05:24 PM

Quote:

I'm also looking at this gun for hogs and deer, mostly hog as because where I am they are a large problem.

Go with a 1:7 twist, and 62 grain Barnes TSX. This is what I'm using with my VTAC. I shot a pig last weekend @100 yards, and immediately stopped it in it's tracks. If you want 200+ plus yards in an AR platform I'd suggest a 6.8 (my next move).

December 10, 2012, 09:16 PM	#26
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	well you have been quite well informed but you have also been informed in such generalities as to be misleading. 1. AR15s are not available in 308. such cartridges like 308, 243 and 22-250 require a more robust design and are only available in AR10 variants. probably the most versatile caliber available for the AR15 is the 6.5 grendel which is a very good round out to 200 yards for hogs, deer and paper targets. it is not difficult to get ahold oh but if you reload then this would be a very good move to invest in dies for it as it is similar in cost to 30-06(which out of a semi is not a lot of fun). 2. it is true that Colt has begun cutting corners in their production as many other companies have which has lowered the quality of their current stock of rifles and they do charge an arm and a leg for the Colt brand name however they are still a good AR manufacturer with a respectable track record. 3. even though I despise the company and fanboys that tote them, you may look at a smith and wesson MP15 as very few that buy them have a bad experience and their basic 5.56 sport model is very competitively priced(around $600 usually). 4. it is not always cheaper to buy the uppers and lowers separate and in many cases this is false. it used to be cheapest to buy the stripped lower receiver and then buy a rifle kit which was everything that you need to make the rifle functional except the receiver so it could be shipped right to your door without a federal firearms license and paperwork. however a few years ago it became cheaper to buy a stripped lower and lower parts kit and then buy the complete upper but now it seems that many companies are offering complete rifles for close to the same price as a DIY rifle. it all depends where you buy from. I hope that my rambling has proven educational or at the very least entertaining. __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

December 10, 2012, 09:38 PM	#27
Dr Big Bird PhD Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2012 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 779	Bison Armory 6.8. __________________ I told the new me, "Meet me at the bus station and hold a sign that reads: 'Today is the first day of the rest of your life.'" But the old me met me with a sign that read: "Welcome back." Who you are is not a function of where you are. -Off Minor

December 14, 2012, 04:41 PM	#32
Coltman 77 Senior Member Join Date: October 3, 2009 Location: NC Posts: 1,244	[QUOTE]Yes, from what I have read, Colt is considered the "standard", but that is just that... the standard. I should have written Gold Standard. You can do worse and you can do better.... but some claim that Colt is what everyone compares other AR's to as the standard. Why? Because Colt is the brand that has produced the AR for so darn long. Yes, since about 1964 our military has used Colt AR's in wars around the globe and that successful track record has established Colt as the leader in AR 15's. I'm not so sure that Colt should be deemed the "gold" standard, though. That implies that it is the finest grade of AR available....and I'm not so sure that anyone here or in any AR forum would agree with that. I mentioned several other fine manufacturer's in my post. BTW, what do you suggest the OP purchase? You've brought absolutely nothing positive to the discussion other than bashing Colt products. __________________ "A man can be destroyed but not defeated". Ernest Hemingway Protect our 2nd Amendment Rights -- Join the NRA

December 11, 2012, 02:00 AM	#28
CTUAgent247 Junior Member Join Date: December 2, 2012 Posts: 14	If you wanna stretch your dollar and get a rifle for your money's worth, build your own. You can build a 3,000 dollar rifle for about 1500. Check out this vid, it's what I used as a guide. Don't have to follow it step by step, but it's a great starting point. Also, it helps stretch the payments over small periods of time rather than just blowing a grand at once. Once my rifle is done I will have spent 900 bucks. Hope this helps =] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRZ0O...0UruQ&index=15

December 11, 2012, 07:17 PM	#29
rep1954 Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2009 Location: Mid Western Michigan Posts: 1,187	The first AR that I bought was a DPMS Panther Lite 16 and it turned out to be a great gun for it's $699.00 price tag and very accurate with light bullets. My 2nd was a Rock River Arms pistol lower with a Panther Lite 16 upper that I bought and cut down to 11 1/2". The magazine well on the lower was showing bare aluminum before I got magazines to opperate as they should and the DPMS upper had a misalignment between the barrel and gas block but became a decent gun once things were ironed out. Last week I picked up a NIB Colt LE6920 with the Rogers Super Stock and removable handle. The new gun has a 1 turn in 7 twist and shoots the heavier bullets just fine. I have to say that if Colt is cutting corners it isn't evident in this gun as the fit and finish are just fantastic, not needing any rubber inserts to keep it from rattling the pins loose. If you want to hunt deer the faster twist is a must in my opinion.

December 13, 2012, 07:50 PM	#30
Austin22793 Member Join Date: December 6, 2012 Posts: 29	CTU that actually looks like a good build, only problem is half of those items are out of stock, but I'm sure i can find replacements.

December 14, 2012, 05:20 PM	#33
9mm Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2011 Location: Land of the Free Posts: 2,834	COLT, can't go wrong with a Colt, first makers in them. Been around for years.. Get your Colt, then look at other brands to tinker with for your second AR.