What's your FAVORITE mil spec AR?

[Smoke Screen]

Hey guys, I'm a bit of an AR greenhorn, and am looking to pick up a couple mil spec AR's around black Friday in a couple months (since so many gun retailers have great sales).

I want the platform to be mil spec for obvious reasons but I'm not sure which brands are trending in that genre right now. Just trying to do some homework ahead of time. What are your top 3-5 brand/model recommendations?


Thanks in advance!

[Slamfire]

To be argumentative, unless the Government buys it, it is not "Mil Spec". However there are lots of fine commercial AR's built to commercial specifications on the market. I assume you are looking for an AR15 that looks military, 20" barrel, iron sights, and not Vietnam configuration.

I have had excellent experiences with Armalite and Rock River. Bushmaster got sold so my older Bushmasters may be different. The established makers are the ones from which you want to buy. And you should buy a complete rifle, not try to assemble one from parts. Parts guns often have issues.

[turtlehead]

I'd put my "parts guns" up against ANY manufacturer. Respectfully disagree with that statement. ARs are very simple rifles.

[marine6680]

If by "mil spec" you mean as close as possible to the TDP, used to build military rifles, for a civilian rifle... Then...

Your options are decent in number. They will start around the $750 range for a basic rifle, and go up based on features.

If you want better than mil spec, you can have that too. It will cost more... Usually $1200+ and the sky is the limit for some of the boutique brands.

If you are willing to deviate from mil spec in ways that do not detract from quality, toughness, or reliability... Then options open up a lot more, and you can find some nice rifles for reasonable prices.

One deviation I find a benefit, is the mid length gas systems available from many manufacturers. On a 16in barrel, it's a better setup than carbine gas length.


A basic Colt is a good mil spec starting point. Not flashy, but gets the job done. Though they do offer some higher end rifles with more features, at a higher cost of course.

PSA offers premium rifles on par with Colt for a bit less, but you would need to do some assembly. They have been focusing on the lower end market lately due to the downturn in sales, so I don't see the premium stuff in stock as much.

Spikes tactical is a good option as well.


For a bit higher end... BCM and DD are hard to beat for the price point. They are more expensive, but made very well, with reputations for high quality and reliability. DD cost a bit more than BCM usually, but their fit and finish is top notch.

You can get a complete BCM for around $1500 or a bit less if you look around, same for the DD rifles.

BCM gives you the option of buying a complete lower and upper assembly separately, and it can cost a little less. $1200, and you get some higher end features.

LMT and FN also have great rifles, they tend to run a bit more than Colt for the same features though. FN isn't too much more, LMT thinks highly of their stuff and price accordingly.


Now some of the best deals right now are from Aero and PSA, they offer a mostly mil spec rifle for under $600. The biggest difference comes from the barrel being nitride treated. It's an excellent barrel treatment, especially for a civilian rifle that will not see full auto fire.

I give Aero the edge on quality between them and PSA.

Both offer mid length gas systems in their rifles.


There are many more options out there as well.


As far as my favorite... My BCMs are my favorites that I own.

[Mobuck]

I suspect the current definition of "mil-spec" is closer to "MIN SPEC" with all the reports of poor fit/non-fit parts.
IMHO
You'll be more satisfied staying with brand names(PSA. Anderson, DelTon) in the lower priced AR market. I really can't fault those brands. I get daily ads from internet sellers for low priced AR parts but seldom bite on their baits.

[Fishbed77]

If your carbine doesn't have select fire, it's not mil-spec.

Everything else is just in varying degrees. Also, as pointed out, mil-spec is just a minimum standard.

[Eazyeach]

Colt 6920 for the win.

[ilmonster]

In no particular order, Colt, BCM and Daniel Defense. All are close to the Technical Data Package (TDP) of the gov't which includes staked gas keys, barrels phosphated under front sight base, M4 chamber cutouts, high pressure and magnetic particle tested chrome lined barrel, proper buffer, etc. The gov't TDP might be a min. set of standards, but there are quite a few AR's that don't meet those "min. standards", and those min. standards are pretty robust.

One person you may wish to google regarding mil-spec AR's is Pat Rogers (RIP). His EAG tactical trains folks on AR's, and he has much harsher firing schedules than most of us will ever demand of our AR's. He has some good thoughts on reliable, mil-spec AR's and the maintenance thereof.

I own a mid-length BCM and couldn't be happier (~2500 rounds downrange with no FTF or FTE's).

[hdwhit]

Smoke Screen wrote:
I want the platform to be mil spec for obvious reasons...

They're not obvious to me. Please share.

Which "military specifications", in particular, do you need to have the rifle meet in order for it to meet your functional requirements? Or is this a case that you have no idea what the "military specifications" (versus the so-called "civilian specifications) actually are? And the only reason you want a "mil spec" rifle is to brag to your friends that it is "mil spec"?

Also, after the Las Vegas shootings, your plan to wait until "Black Friday" to swoop in and pick up something from a distressed merchant may no longer be realistic.

[reynolds357]

Fn if you want true Mil Spec. Of course the Mil Spec model is L.E./Govt. Only.

[precision_shooter]

I don't like mil-spec ARs.
Mil-spec = parts made by the lowest bidder conforming to a military specification for coatings, mfg process, and/or design.
There are worse parts than mil-spec standard, but there are also a lot of better parts than mil-spec for form, for, and function.

[Dfariswheel]

As the above posts have it, only a full-auto capable rifle sold to the police or military is "mil-spec".
However, about as close as you can get in a civilian legal AR-15 series is the Colt LE6920 M4 carbine.

Colt builds these using the same parts as used on military sales rifles, except the commercial LE6920 M4 has a semi-auto lower and a legal length 16 inch barrel.
Other than that, everything is the same, made of the same parts and used in commercial and military sales rifles.
Visitors who've gotten Colt plant tours witnessed Colt making parts like uppers, bolts, bolt carriers, and barrels from the exact same raw materials on the same machines for commercial and military M4's.
As example visitors saw bolts and bolt carriers coming out of the machines and some going to commercial rifles and some going to military rifles.
Same parts, made on the same machines.

Why Colt is the closest to genuine military specifications is because Colt doesn't try to run two parts streams, one for commercial and one for military and police.
That means that Colt just uses the same parts for both commercial and military rifles.
All parts are made to a minimum of the mil-spec.
That doesn't mean they barely meet the spec, it means that they're at least equal to the spec, and Colt says all parts exceed the spec.

What "mil-spec" means is that EVERY pin, screw, spring, bolt, barrel, stock, etc, MUST meet the military spec.
Each and EVERY part in the Colt has to meet the mil-spec and while Colt buys parts like magazines, stocks, pins, springs, screws etc, from outside contractors, each part must be made to the mil-spec, and the supplier must provide Colt with legal documentation and lab tests swearing that the parts meet the spec.
Colt in turn has to furnish that documentation to the government.

Other makers who don't sell to the military are completely free to use mil-spec or NO spec, since they're under no legal constraint to meet a military specification.
What that means is that a higher end supplier may use parts made of metal better then the Colt mil-spec and made to a higher standard. Some makers do have what they say are parts like bolts made of steels and heat treating that are better then what the mil-spec calls for.

However, they don't have to use mil-spec parts like springs, screws, pins, and other small parts.
Where Colt's parts are made by American contractors, other makers are completely free to buy screws, pins, and other parts in China or Pakistan if they want.
Again, they can use whatever specification and quality for their rifles and small parts they want and they don't have to prove anything to anybody, like Colt does.

You can buy higher end rifles made of mostly better then mil-spec parts but all parts may not be mil-spec quality. As long as the maker is satisfied that the parts will stand up, they can use them.

So, if you want a rifle in which all parts are made to the military specifications, Colt's LE6920 M4 is it.
You can buy lower quality rifles and higher quality, but the Colt M4 is as close as you can get to a military M4.

[flyboy015]

I only have one black rifle but I absolutely love it. It's from Palmetto State Armory. I paid $450 for an optic-ready complete rifle with 16" nitride barrel, full auto capable BCG and flat top receiver.

I can get 1.5 MOA [five shot] groups all day with Hornady factory loads and a 1.5-4.5 x 20 Nikon scope. Good enough for me. Never a malfunction, and the thing eats steel case Tul Ammo for breakfast. Without any milk.

FWIW, I've heard many people with several black rifles praise PSA. One was a Gander Mountain firearms sales clerk who commonly shot three gun competitions, and personally believed Palmetto rifles were superior to other offerings in the same price range, including DPMS and AR-Stoner.

If your shopping list includes a rifle in that price range, pick one up and let me know what you think.

[Nathan]

....be mil spec...

Seriously, what do you want? There are few AR's that are not mil spec dimensionally interchangeable.

There are also few AR's built to that test and inspection level. What there are....are 100's of AR's that will last for a lifetime of nonFA fire

[Water-Man]

You can't go wrong with a Colt 6920.

[Nanuk]

Mil-spec=lowest bidder.

[odugrad]

More important than mil-spec, I would prefer a company with high quality control procedures. BCM and Daniel Defense are known for their top-notch QA.

It doesn't matter what parts go into the rifle if no one is paying attention to whether it's being assembled properly.

Also, most "mil-spec" rifles aren't full-auto; they're three-round burst capable.

[marine6680]

Short answer would be, to stick to well known manufacturers, with a reputation for making reliable and long lasting rifles, that can withstand hard use...

Colt
BCM
Daniel Defense
LMT
FN

All have at one time, or still do... Make rifles for military and law enforcement customers.

Other brands can make a good rifle, some even have good reputations...

The above list is a good no brainier list... It comes down to how much you want to spend, as each has a variety of models, and a range of pricing.

[Nathan]

......and we have post dump by the op.

[turtlehead]

Listen to the marine.

[P-990]

Another vote to get a Colt 6920 and call it a day. I'd throw an Aimpoint PRO on top for good measure. (Oh wait! That's what I did! )

As for "mil-spec" and "low-cost junk", I can't say I agree with that statement in a general turn. On a rifle, see DPris's post. I would absolutely consider my Colt to be superior in materials to a Ruger AR556, S&W M&P or a current Bushmaster product.

But if we're talking boots, backpacks, tents, etc. Then yeah, my commercial Gregory packs and Asolo boots are very likely superior in terms of weight, comfort and ease of use versus a "mil-spec" equivalent.

[Nanuk]

I would absolutely consider my Colt to be superior in materials to a Ruger AR556, S&W M&P or a current Bushmaster product

Based on what? Did you know that many companies make parts, including the forgings that are sold to the military and/or military contractors?

[laytonj1]

Originally Posted by Nanuk

Mil-spec=lowest bidder.

LOL. No it doesn't. Mil Spec is a minimum specifications standard. Has absolutely nothing to do with bidding.

Jim

[CalmerThanYou]

I like my DD so I am biased. Stag Arms seems to have some nice, less expensive options. As does Nordic Components.

[CLC]

I like my BCM with DD rails