Who makes the best AR15 ?

[Stubby]

www.slr15.com

Someone who knows a little bout ARs. Thanks! Also a nod to Rock River.

Couldn't give a crap about Colt anymore. They better hope FN doesn't decide to really go after the next M4 contract or sell to the public. Figure on what FN has on contract right now: M16A4, SCAR, 240, 249, and a few M2 variations.

[Pukindog]

4Depend what kind of shooting you want to do with it. if all you are interested in is popping cans and bottles any of the lower priced ones will do. I own and have shot my Colt H-Bar competively for years. Bought a Les Baer and have never looked back. Understand that the sights are extremely important. For shooting in the Service matches or the NRA Matches open sights are needed. No scopes here. No ifs, and or buts, the finest most accurate (and expensive) Ar out there. I do realize there are some costum rifles ( space guns) out there that can compete with the bair, but i this caliber of competion it boils down to the shooter.
Some of the guys I shoot with have the Compass Lake, Bushmaster, and other assorted makes, but, none of them compare to the Baer.
Shoot one and you will see what I am talking about.
Jeff

[roland]

Roland you shoot SR? If so do you go to Reede?
Rick

If your talking about the standard 200 yard target used at CMP shoots-yes. Or at least that's what we use for our 50 rnd course of fire. We don't change them out for the knelling and prone positions. I don't know what Reede is.

[KIGY]

UPDATE :

I just got off the phone with http://www.ar15sales.com/leoprod.htm , regarding the purchase of 3 (three) COLT LE 6920 M4 Carbines and I think this guy is a joke.Very unprofessional,HOME OF PETE IN NH "THE AR WIZARD",told me that he doesn't have anything like that .I can get one in the great state of Nebraska for $1400 NIB.Should I ?

[TonyF]

I wanted to bring something up that lots of people have kind of overlooked. Many people look to an AR and say, I want the exact one that the military uses, etc. That's fine if you want a rifle that is the exact same manufacturer as the military, just realize that simply because the military uses a particular company does not mean that they make the best equipment. At the numbers that the military buys them etc, they buy them for way cheaper than what you or I would pay for any other "offbrand". You also have to keep in mind that part of the reason their prices are so high for the civilians is because you're paying for a name, it's part of them getting back some of the profit they didn't make for selling them cheaper to the government (not that they lost anything in the first place). Just keep in mind that the government is on a budget also, they don't necessarily buy the best of anything, they get something that they think is reliable and that they can get for the cheapest price. That's right, I said cheapest price, just like the space shuttle is built by the cheapest bidder, lol, kind of scary sometimes. Most of the AR's made today are pretty much almost the same rifles, with small differences in barrels, different chambers or triggers, and sometimes different ways they put the sights on (pins, set, etc). I just wanted to throw that out there for some people to think about.

You are mistaken about a great many things.

[Lycanthrope]

$1400 is just painful to pay for a shelf AR. You can get custom for that. AR's are the Diva's of self defense rifles.

Colt is a great gun. They have some nice features. They are hellaciously overpriced.

I'm not endorsing any brand here. Pick what fits you...but I really feel like certain brands get labeled unecessarily. It's like the old Glock debate where Glocks never fail and everything else pukes on a daily basis. Glock is a great gun and more reliable than most, but not noticeable over other quality guns unless you start going into the multiple thousands of rounds without cleaning. I really like having some pistols that shoot tighter than your average Glock....I am, however, aware that I need to clean them every thousand roounds or so. Colt is the Glock of the AR world......except Glocks are priced reasonably.

Let's talk options. Hard chrome is nice. I love the stuff for cleaning. I like my bolts to be chromed and my handguns to be chromed. It helps with barrel throat wear overall, but will open up groups about .5-1.0 moa on the guns I've had experience with. This is because chrome is really hard to get an even coating with on the riflings. With damage, it will chip and this hurts accuracy as well. It helps a lot with bore rusting in wet environments, and that's why the military likes it. If you might abuse your gun, you might want this. If your rifles aren't rusting you likely don't need it. If you buy a long range AR and get irritated when it won't poke bug holes you likely don't want it.

4150 vs. 4140 vs, stainless. 4150 is hard steel..Colt and Bushy's use it. How much better than 4140 steel? That's hard to say. No one is running around complaining that their barrel failed because it was 4140. How may guys here have throated out their barrel? (God help me, my 7STW needs a new pipe every 1500) Stainless is even softer than 4140, but used on the most accurate AR's. Why? It's easier to machine and you get better barrels. They burn out quicker, but since they start out more accurate....you may not notice unless you want cloverleafs forever. If you plan on only having one AR and shooting it forever (the military uses the same gusn for decades in hard use), you may want this combo with hard chrome. If you shoot general use and want your groups tight, you will be happy with 4140 and stainless.

Chambers. The 5.56 and Wylde are fine. .223 chamber is too tight for 5.56 ammo. 5.56 ammo and .223 Rem ammo have the exact same dimensions. 5.56 is just loaded hotter. Shoot a hot load in a .223 and well....bad things can happen.

Carrier key staking. I do this to all my rifles. If the key comes loose you start to get short stroking. You can loctite it or stake it yourself in about 3 minutes. I won't pay extra money for 3 min of my time, but many big brands do this anyway.

Carriers and bolts, peened and partical tested. Colt makes a big deal about this and it's a good idea. The problem is you can get it done at your local machine shop or hot rod shop for about $20 (I got it done to 8 connecting rods for $60). Colt charges a lot.

AR's are made for hard use, self defense, high accuracy and everything in between. "Milspec" just means it's what the government wants. It has no bearing on what fits your needs or what is "best".....and it has never been what is most cost efficient. I've seen some disappointed people who bought AR's that ran well, but only shot 2.5-3 MOA. I've also seen some be modified without knowledge and just choke on everything.

In my experience, however, if you maintain them they run everything and shoot tight. If you're really worried about a SHTF scenario, don't bet your life on any one gun. Take your $1400 and buy 3 AK's. Or.....perhaps a custom with some extra parts on hand and a few hundred rounds of ammo.

[Harvey_Birdman]

If you're really worried about a SHTF scenario, don't bet your life on any one gun. Take your $1400 and buy 3 AK's.

Words to live by.

[Tomcat088]

You are mistaken about a great many things.

Well I did make some generalities about things, so yes I'm sure it would appear that I'm mistaken about alot of things. I do know about the major differences between them, my best friend has a full auto Colt M16 with a select fire switch, and I handle and fire that rifle often. What I'm trying to say is that MOST people don't need a "battle rifle". I'm an avid hunter, I shoot at least 4 times a week, usually hunting. I fire more rounds in a year than alot of people shoot in their entire lifetime. Sorry if my generality was a bit over the top for you, but for the most part, most people aren't gonna even come close to firing or using a rifle even close to what the Colts are built to. I honestly can say I don't know an AR shooter who has totally broken down a RRA, DPMS, or other AR because they shot it too much and it just felt apart. Sure there are sometimes defects, but that also goes for colts or any other brand. I suppose I should revise my post to say, most people won't ever need a "battle rifle" built to the standards of a colt, and probably could benefit alot more in terms of marksmanship and experience if they spent the extra money on ammo for their rifle. That better for you tony and some of the others? I di dmake a reference in my original post about knowing some of the differences, but didn't really want to get into some of the huge technical differences. Anyway, if you can afford to get a colt, and that's what you want, go for it, they're great rifles. If you're gonna strain yourself financially and barely be able to spend the money on ammo and range time to shoot that particular rifle, I'd advise you to go with something else.

Edit: LOL, I think Lycanthrope said it much better than I did. He even went into some of the details. I'll be the first to admit I don't specialize in AR's, but I do know some of the differences and things you can do, and here Lycanthrope said how to do some of these things. Thanks man.

[BUCKMARK]

I didnt post to enter a pissing match.

The original poster claimed he wanted his first AR rifle.

he said he wanted QUALITY and MILSPEC.

he then asked which one, COLT or BUSHY?


I answered with the only one of the two rifles that was MILSPEC.

Bushy isnt even close.


A custom built rifle? Yummy. Most are not milspec. Some are worse, many are even better than milspec.

Out of the box, QUALITY AND MILSPEC - Colt and LMT. Nothing else is production made milspec period.

If the original poster would have asked what kind of AR you can get for a decent price and make run like a champ.... I would have told him other rifles.

My latest battle b*tch is a Stag upper on a Double Star lower with a few fixes/custom parts added for reliability. It runs like a Colt for $775

[Lycanthrope]

BUCKMARK,

No pissing match with me.

I just wanted to address that Milspec is not always "quality" in reference to the application. And....certain features are just that....features. They do not always add value to a civilian application.....or even a specialized military application.

If I have offended anyone with my input, that was not my intention and I sincerely apologize.