AR-15 shooters....

[Jim Oaks]

What brand / model would you suggest as an entry level under $600. I was looking at two different manufacturers but want to get some feedback from people based on their own experiences.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I'm not really into the black rifle thing.

I sure do like my Ruger carbines though.

So Ruger mini 14

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Built not bought...

Snag an lower from a dealer and build what you want, it is a lot of fun.

 

[gaz]

@Jim Oaks
I have assembled both Wilson Combat (WC) and Anderson Manufacturing (AM) rifles and pistols. I don't know if you are the assembly type so a fully assembled A4 from AM is in your price range.

The A4 is a standard 16" barrel AR with A type gas block, while the M-LOK uses a low profile gas bolck abd a few other hop up parts. I have assembled three AM pistols and three AM rifles; they have each operated flawlessly.

Two features that put AM in a class above all others are:
1) they manufacture and sell the only bolt carrier assembly (bca) and upper that never requires lubrication, RF-85
2) their custom handguard is the most attractive model I seen or used

Also worth noting, they offer a significant military discount. Last I checked it was -25%, which permitted me to buy their components to assemble the same exact thing as their M-LOK model for $439.00 plus tax and shipping. The "bubba" who I assisted with the assembly opted for the several "upgrades" upon my recommendation:
1, ambidextrous safety
2, 10.5" barrel augmented with a custom Al extension, pin/welded with a built in vertical stabilizer/flash hider
3, Magpul grip
4, Yankee Hill Machine charging handle extension
5, Teflon coated stainless steel single stage trigger

Bubba's rifle with upgraded with shipping and tax, including FSL transfer was $700. I have a couple pics of it, it is the lightest, nicest looking AR I've ever felt (I like it better than my own)!!

Another point of interest with Anderson Manufacturing uppers/lower is that Mr Anderson somehow came to be in possession of the original Colt dies from the original Military issue Colts. In other words...your buying a rebranded Colt AR.

There are one or two other manufacturers that do pretty good for, well now the $700-$800 range (thanks economy).

If your are the assembler type and you want something a little more eye catching, at the range, then I recommend building a WC. It will cost you $850-$900 but you will have the equivalent of one if their $2,400 rifles, upon completion. This very nice upgraded WC firearm can be assembled for a bit less expense, without sacrificing quality...by upgrading from WC on a couple key components, which do not have the Wilson Combat brand etched on them.

Check out their website:
"andersonmanufacturing.com"

 

[Jim Oaks]

@gaz I came across Anderson when searching for a budget friendly AR. For some reason I can find their AR's cheaper on other sites than their own. Here are some on the Palmetto State Armory site:

Anderson Manufacturing Utility MLok Magpul MOE 5.56 16" 30rd Rifle, Black - ANDB2-K869-A025 | Palmetto State Armory

Anderson Utility 5.56 NATO 16" 30rd Rifle, Black - B2-K869-A024 | Palmetto State Armory

Anderson Patriot 5.56 NATO 16" 30rd Rifle, Black - B2-K869-A032 | Palmetto State Armory

And these two at Sportsmans Outdoor Superstore:

Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 5.56mm Utility Rifle with 16 Inch Barrel and M-LOK Handguard | Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore (sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com)

Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 Utility 5.56mm Semi-Automatic Rifle with 15-Inch M-LOK Handguard | Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore (sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com)

Speaking of Palmetto, their name comes up a lot as well. I was looking at these:

BLEM PSA PA-15 5.56 AR-15 16" Nitride M4 CRBN 13.5" Lightweight Hex M-LOK Classic Rifle | Palmetto State Armory

PA-15 16” Nitride M4 Carbine 5.56 NATO Classic AR-15 Rifle with 13.5” M-LOK Rail | Palmetto State Armory

You reminded me that some companies give a first responder discount. I bought my Glock handguns through Glocks Blue Label program as a retired LEO. It looks like Anderson offers a 10% discount and Palmetto offers a 5% discount.

Do you have any experience with Palmetto?

 

[gaz]

@Jim Oaks
Jim,
I have no complains with PSA, I've bought quite a bit of ammo and components from them, no firearms yet, all great experiences. I've assembled six AM firearms, nearly 100% their parts, all direct from Anderson; there discount stacks with sale price. Their shipping is a bit higher, so if you go with AM, get it all in one shot.

My unsolicited input is this, there are a few components that are worth upgrading or customizing from the start:
TRIGGER
• I highly recommend a Nickel/Teflon single stage (I mentioned stainless steel above, both are superior to mil-spec)
• I don't know your level of experience shooting. If you are newer, than a mil-spec trigger is a good move; put 10-20k rounds down range then upgrade it. If you already have 10's if thousands of rounds down range, then even the mist modest trigger improvement, is money well spent
HANDGUARD
• buy specific, so that it will best suite your end needs. If you just want to put least down range, $30 will do...if you know that you are going to mount fixed sites/lighting/night vision, then a more expensive handguard should be considered.
GRIP, BUTTSTOCK
• better that you get exactly what you know feels great to your body 1st
SAFETY
• I feel that an ambidextrous safety is a must
CHARGE HANDLE EXTENSION
• a $15 charge handle can function like a $130 charge handle with a SOLID extended lever
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
• I also always use/recommend:
- extended mag release
- extended breakdown pins
- sling mounts

 

[sgtsandman]

If you aren't interested in building your own, PSA is a good choice. You really can't beat what you get for the price.

I have a built rifle and two Smith and Wessons. All of them have been good rifles. Though, I'm not sure if you can get a S&W at the price point you are looking at anymore.

 

[gaz]

@Jim Oaks ,
Yes, @sgtsandman , touches on an intriguing and important detail concerning the, for example Anderson Manufacturing firearms that they sell...PSA assembled them, using components of their choice; the only components that PSA uses from Anderson are the upper and the lower. Which means that they shave costs using a PSA lower and upper parts kit, PSA barrel, PSA barrel shroud, PSA bcg, charging handle, buffer kit BUTTSTOCK and grip.

The upper and lower are quality pieces, ever other part are the cheapest stuff they can get. To their credit, when I buy a preassembled firearm, it comes with a warranty; to the counter point, when I assemble a firearm I ensure that I select specific quality parts wherever I feel is necessary.

In summary, their price will.be hard, if not impossible to beat; the product that is delivered will not be difficult to beat. This is the reason that I have not purchased a firearm from them.

 

[Blmpkn]

Seems like it's hard to go wrong nowadays by way of parts choices.

my carbine is a spikes assembled lower and a windham weaponry assembled flat top.. ran me about 750 way back when with flip up sights.. bit over 1100 now since it may or may not have gotten a binary trigger.

.458 Socom "pistol" is a spikes lower with cmmg parts kit.. forget buffer assembly brand.. Anderson stripped upper with tromix barrel/bcg/gas bits.. forget sights&forend brand.. this one was pretty spendy..

My favorite is the baby of the bunch.. 3" blowback upper from pro2a tactical with 3" stubby buffer on a dedicated 9mm lower that accepts colt mags.. forget who makes the lower.. 50rd drum on it.. king of all ammo wasters AND somewhat reasonably concealable with a stick mag in it

Every time something really STUPID happens I end up getting FOMO and building another one before I can't built the 9mm right after what happened a few towns over from me in the fall.

 

[Roert42]

Building an AR is about as easy as playing with Legos. So I agree that it's the best way to go and can save some good money.

My local gun store sells a few different AR lowers for reasonable prices, so it ends up being cheaper then buying online because you don't have to pay for shipping or a background check. Local place charges for the background check if you have guns shipped to them.

Then order the rest of the parts online as you like.
I built an A2 clone, with the carry handle. So I bought an inexpensive Anderson AL lower form the local shop, and picked up the rest of the parts piecemeal online.

Keep in mind, any mill spec parts are fairly bottom of the barrel. Not in quality, but function. Nothing wrong with them, but there are much nicer ( quieter, smoother, ect) parts out there.


I also have a Ruger AR556, nice gun. I don't think I paid more then $500 for, but I picked it up or clearance.


Could also probably get a fully build one from your local gun shop second hand. A lot of the gun shops around here end up with a good selection as people trade them in for something else.


I try to stay away from PSA, been know to do some shady things in the past. Some times they have good deals, some times they price gouge.

 

[JoshT]

If buying an assembled rifle in that price range I'll give another vote for PSA.

I've got too many evil black rifles. I've only bought two assembled. First was from a local manufacturer that is no longer in business, it's was an A2 style build, but changed a little since then. My last purchase was a PSA AR-10.

I've built several in-between. A mix of Anderson and PSA lowers. I splurged on one Aero lower, it is nicer cosmetically, but no different functionally. I've also Got ATI Omni and TN Arms polymer lowers that I used for .22 lr caliber builds. They all work.

I prefer building my uppers, but some have been bought. So far I think I've bought one PSA uppers, well two if you count the AR-10. Both shot well, but the.upper was bought as cheap parts kits so didn't stay together for long. I think it turned into a 6.8 SPC. The barrel was later used to build a dedicated 22LR upper for a pistol lower.

In general I've used a bunch of PSA and Anderson parts, to include receivers. They all function well. Never had a problem with them.

The PSA EPT trigger is pretty good for a single stage "mil-spec" trigger. It's it gets even better with a set of JP springs and a pre-travel set screw mod. I have and like some of the lower end drop in triggers. Velocity, palmetto, I think one is a Timney. I've got a fully adjustable JARD match trigger in one. They are all great, but for the money a modified PSA EPT isn't bad at all.

I'll differ from @gaz on a few points. First I wouldn't go sub 16" on the barrel unless you are doing tax stamps. No good reason for it. That's kind of a matter of personal preference. Second, buy what you like. Don't worry about perfect or all the minor details. This is your first AR and buying in a budget. Every piece can be replaced fairly easily and you'll learn what you like and works best over time.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

@Jim OaksAnother point of interest with Anderson Manufacturing uppers/lower is that Mr Anderson somehow came to be in possession of the original Colt dies from the original Military issue Colts. In other words...your buying a rebranded Colt AR.

No, they buy forged blanks and machine them. There are only a couple foundries that make the parts so yeah, they may be the same as Colt but Anderson does the machine work. All mine use Anderson receivers and they work, I did have to run a offset buffer retainer in one because they were a little too far off when they drilled the hole for it and the buffer was slamming into the retainer.

Anderson receivers, Toolcraft BCG, CMMG parts kits, Larue trigger (they are out of Texas FWIW), Matrix handguard, Faxon barrels and I am weird and like A2 stocks is where I would start. Primary Arms and Aim Surplus are my favorite online suppliers.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I really like RKguns... this is from the new flyer today. I wish my governor didn't want me to have one...

Ruger AR-556 .223/5.56 AR-15 30rd 16.1" Rifle 8500

Ruger AR-556 .223/5.56 AR-15 30rd 16.1" Rifle 8500

www.rkguns.com

 

[Shran]

You have a million options. Pick a caliber first. Then build it yourself. If I had to buy a complete one I would probably lean towards S&W.

If you build it - don't drop a bunch of cash on a fancy lower and a bunch of high dollar junk. Anderson lowers are what I would suggest. Don't buy a plastic lower, regardless.

Do you want iron sights or a scope or red dot or ...?? Most inexpensive kits come with a fixed A2 front sight. If you want flip up sights or a red dot or something, you do NOT want the A2 sight - it's in the way - a scope will work with A2 sights though as will a carry handle rear sight. If you're leaning towards flip ups, scope, red dot, etc - get a flat top railed upper right off the bat.

Palmetto is my suggestion, pick a kit that looks like it will meet your needs and build it. Should be able to build a pretty nice complete rifle for $350-500. I have "substantial" experience with that brand, they have all been excellent quality.

 

[Roert42]

I really like RKguns... this is from the new flyer today. I wish my governor didn't want me to have one...

Ruger AR-556 .223/5.56 AR-15 30rd 16.1" Rifle 8500

Ruger AR-556 .223/5.56 AR-15 30rd 16.1" Rifle 8500

www.rkguns.com

I have the same one. Really nice out of the box.
I have a Trijicon sight and nice geissele trigger. I think I paid $1000 on the scope and the trigger and $500 for the rifle.

The factory trigger was fine, but I wanted a fancy trigger. Wasn’t needed.