ENTRY LEVEL ARs SPECIFICALLY RUGERS AND S&W

[MARINE DIVISION TWO]

Carbon fiber lowers and uppers ? Other del-tons,IOs,Omni,and such. Discussion of pros and cons ?

[39flathead]

What's the stock numbers on the carbon fiber Ruger and S&W?
I haven't seen any from these companies, Windham makes one.

[ViperHummel]

The opinions posted below are mine and I am offering the PROS with the assumption that you are looking to keep it low cost based on your OP.

Aluminum receiver ARs are low enough in price that there is no reason to consider a polymer/carbon fiber AR unless it's a .22LR. Of the two in your Thread Title, S&W. Ruger might offer a CHF barrel, but it is only phosphate coated, has a proprietary delta ring / barrel nut. The FSB is pinned on top vs the bottom. While that may not actually be a negative, it's funky

For S&W, I've heard the Sport I has been great. It was even better when it had the 1:8 5R barrel, but the 1:9 6 groove is fine. I've heard grumblings that the Sport II has had some issues as far as longevity. This is mostly on ARFCOM and FB groups (some level headed and non-elitist people stated this and I truly value their insight - take that for what it is)

IO? Didn't know they marketed an AR, but they screw up AKs as did ATI - so I would avoid both.

Del-Ton - If you must absolutely get an AR and can't spend much, then I don't see why getting a $400 or less DT Sport when on sale is a bad idea.

PSA - For me, it's CHF/Premium or none. People seem satisfied with the Freedom line and AKOU on Youtube did a 5k round test and was overall satisfied for the value.

Radical Firearms - turned out a decent product very early on in life (I actually used some of their first parts), but quickly started churning out a high percentage of lemons. FCG, BCG, barrel extension failures were and are still being reported almost weekly across FB and other gun forums. The market may be saturated, but its cheap for a reason.

The Aero Precision OEM offering is a good budget offering as well, and aside from the PSA CHF/Premium lines, I would recommend this over others for the value.

There are others, but I need to start making dinner.

[ianb1116]

I'm with Viper.

Why take the chance on a carbon fiber lower when the AR market has hit rock bottom? A COMPLETE AR can be had sub $400 now. It's not worth the inherent risk of polymer.

That being said, both S&W and Ruger make great entry level platforms. Although, PSA would have a better bang for you buck.

[Hodgie]

The Ruger is an excellent option for basic AR that you plan to keep stock. For $450.00 with a CHF barrel no other entry level AR's compare. It's only real draw back is that it doesn't have a standard A2 front sight base so trying to free float it won't be an easy option.

[ammo]

Bushmaster had Carbon 15 models back when. They are either gonna be cheap or command a premium. They were very light.

Surplus Arms & Ammo has some good deals, I think they and Aero precision are all made by the same folks, Spikes and Aero were/are as far as I know. It's good kit, nothing wrong with em.

[wellcraft]

The polymer or carbon fiber receivers have a tendency to fail so I would stay away from them especially since you can buy light weight rifles with aluminum receivers. Both the ruger and SW are good entry level guns and right now it's a buyers market.

[Hodgie]

Bushmaster had Carbon 15 models back when. They are either gonna be cheap or command a premium. They were very light.

Surplus Arms & Ammo has some good deals, I think they and Aero precision are all made by the same folks, Spikes and Aero were/are as far as I know. It's good kit, nothing wrong with em.

Aero Percision is one of the major producers of receivers. They make for spikes and many other well known companies.

[Bang]

Seeing ARs for well under $500 in online ads. What a difference from the crazy years.

[brewguy]

The Ruger is an excellent option for basic AR that you plan to keep stock. For $450.00 with a CHF barrel no other entry level AR's compare. It's only real draw back is that it doesn't have a standard A2 front sight base so trying to free float it won't be an easy option.

Where do you see this for $450?