Entry Level AR15

[skywalkr]

Colt or BCM can both be had at reasonable prices and are excellent choices.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

PSA would be my first stop.

Esse quam videri

 

[matthew.l.powell80@gmail.]

Colt or BCM can both be had at reasonable prices and are excellent choices.

I used BCM for my first. Great prices and customer service. The lower was narrow and light weii. Easy to treck around the woods thinning the hog population!

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[aaronwragg]

How many of you guys own some sort of AR15 build or other semiauto .223/5.56 firearms? any suggestions on entry level AR style would be helpful.

https://22mods4all.com/ is where I bought mine. They have tons of different options. You can pick your own parts and they will ship to your door. You can decide If you want them to assemble it or you can do it yourself. Low prices as well. I highly recommend.

 

[IL Rifle]

I haven’t used a PSA so I can’t comment on them. PSA does have good reviews however.

My first AR was a Century A1 made up of old milsurp parts. A disaster.

After I sold that I bought a S&W Sport. That is very well built and accurate carbine. The critical parts are all top notch. Great S&W quality. The parts that people tend to change, such handguards, are a bit on the light side, but that makes sense to keep the cost low, people switch out handguards with some regularity.

I found I didn’t like the carbine style so I sold the S&W. The carbine was great, I just am not a fan of collapsible stocks.

After that I assembled an A1 out of quality (Colt) surplus parts with a new Colt barrel on a McKay lower. After watching assembly videos putting a lower together was no problem. I did have the barrel professionally mounted because the cost to have a gunsmith do that was the same as the tools I’d have to buy and probably use once or twice.

Overall, I much prefer an AR rifle to a carbine. The A1 is as light as most carbines, but handles much better in my opinion. Plus I really prefer a fixed stock.

 

[SteveCNJ]

Which trigger did you buy?

I have a Hiperfire. I don't remember which one but it was around $100 and 3 1/2 #.

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[wildernessmaster]

AR 15 Buyers Guide (from a guy who owns too many, and has built 100s)...

What you get (from about any vendor):
- Except for Delton you get a pretty "same as any other" upper/lower (note don't by Delton!).
- You probably are going to get a stock trigger, unless its a "gun shop" or pro system.
- If you get an A frame style you will get a composite, mostly junk set of furniture, if not an A frame, then you will probably get too short of a foreguard, standard pistol grip and a PoS buttstock. More than likely the foreguard won't be an mlok , keymod ... and may not have a picatinny.
- your BCG (bolt carrier group) will be some stock piece
- unless a "feature" you will get stock mag/bolt releases, selectors, etc.
- the barrel may or may not be decent but will probably be 14.5 or 16". shoot for a chrome-molly-vanadium barrel they wear longer.

Granted various vendors will +/- some of these areas, but all vendors even the "top name" brands make pluses/minuses in these areas.

If you are buying an AR for "end of world" one time use, or to be a safe queen, you are probably good with what you have. If not, and you actually use your AR, especially for hunting or shooting seriously you will probably want to address these things (in this order):

1. Trigger. Stock triggers are crap, stiff, gritty etc. Don't waste money paying someone to clean up a stock trigger. For the same price you can drop a Hiperfire trigger in and have a solid quality trigger.

2. BCG (bolt carrier group). The stock BCG's most vendors use are so-so. You will get lugs wearing early, extractors breaking, and generally they crud up badly. Invest in a treated BCG from a decent provider. I like the Nickel Boron coated ones.

3. Pistol grip... get rid of the stock hard plastic pistol grip and put an Ergo Grip on it. Saves your hands tremendously all for under $50.

4. Figure out your usage patterns and purpose and then find the right set of releases (bolt/mag), selectors, and other operator controls that give you the size, side and function you want and USE (note the word USE). If you dont actually use them they are just things that are gonna snag during movement.

5. Get rid of the PoS buttstock... If you are serious shooter not worrying about weight pick up a B5 Sopmod or the like. If you are worried about weight try a Ergo MSR or MFT BattleLink. Both of those have stood up to the test of time in my grueling usages.

6. Dump that chump tube (foreguard) for a nice machined, mlok or keymod aluminum tube from Troy or another great vendor. Pic one that covers nearly all of your barrel. It is rare I put less than a 15" tube on my gun.

Now your $800 original gun is a $2000 gun which you could have built yourself for $1300ish (maybe less if you shop). But you have a great AR. If you went the $2000 route of buying a base gun and building it up - hope and pray you got a decent barrel. It is a 50:50 proposition most of the time - which is why I build them.

Some things i wouldn't invest in:
1. Adjustable gas blocks (unless you are one of "those guys" who has to put a can on your gun)
2. 20 different attachments (lights, lasers,...) Guns get heavy once you start attaching half pound to pound things to the end of your lever.
3. Exotic muzzle devices (for now, until you really figure out a reason to change).
4. Mag well flares, etc... You will throw it away later.
5. Pin kits that are anti-walk. I have built 100's of ARs, some with cheap ass pins and not 1 has every walked on me.
6. Every ambi control. It will drive you nuts unless you really need or use it.
7. H1, H2, H3 buffer weights. Use what you have until you absolutely need to change it. More people have turned a perfectly good AR into a brick mucking around with buffer weights and gas blocks.

A note on "major vendors"...

Just because its a major vendor or a named vendor don't be shocked on ARs and AR parts if you get a mucked up part. I have gotten lowers from major vendors (cough cough AP, Delton, Colt...) with pin holes not drilled right or sloppy cerakote jobs. I equally have gotten some great parts from vendors I never heard of.

 

[switchback7]

you guys know how often PSA restocks their AR uppper builds?

 

[menhaden_man]

you guys know how often PSA restocks their AR uppper builds?

They have a notification feature where you get an email when it’s back in stock. Used to be ok on time but all bets are off with the COVID overreaction and mon scene going on. Good luck!

 

[switchback7]

They have a notification feature where you get an email when it’s back in stock. Used to be ok on time but all bets are off with the COVID overreaction and mon scene going on. Good luck!

Yeah, thats why I was asking! I had a build in my cart and BOOM, sold out!

 

[jwo]

Ruger AR556
S&W M&P Sport II

 

[snowtoy83]

you guys know how often PSA restocks their AR uppper builds?

Check back in the morning. I had one in my cart that went out of stock over the weekend. Came back in stock Monday morning. Shipped out this morning

 

[Desk Jockey]

Be careful. AR15 are a gateway drug...to more AR15s.


some great advice here.

my $0.02 is you can build cheaper than buy, no doubt. However, unless you are looking for a project and have a modest amount of guns itching skill, you may want to buy a mid priced AR and see how much you like shooting and owning it. You can land something basic from Palmeto or ruger or S&w or others for $600-700. If you like it and want to dive in you can upgrade it later Or buy another, etc. If you don’t, you can sell it for a decent recovery of your $. You May save a few bucks piecing something similar together but it is a lot harder to sell a “Franken-gun“ If you decide you don’t like playing with it anymore.

 

[snowtoy83]

Kind of ironic. My AR15 upper shipment is delayed due to civil unrest per UPS

 

[DOESLAYER]

BCM makes a mean AR-15

 

[6cmShooter]

Palmetto State is the go to for budget ar's. Cant really beat the quality for how much your spending on one. They do have issues every now and again but what gun company doesnt.

 

[Mahiman]

The reps at primary arms can help with your build questions. They have fast shipping!!