Purchasing Ar-15

[tylerwyp]

To begin, I don't know a whole lot about ar15s other than them having cosmetic features that have no bearing on how they perform and being no worse than a "regular" rifle. Trying to stay the least political as possible but the threat of them being taken away from us triggered me into research and looking into buying one. I was curious where everyone would start their research into buying one and which brands etc. I am a big hunter mostly deer and upland game. I realize its not the best decision to use an ar for either of these obviously so the use would probably be more fun oriented, a coyote here and there and some home defense god helping we wont need it. I am very familiar with hunting rifles and shotguns etc so any similarities may help. Thanks in advance.

[OkeechobeeAngler]

.308 would be excellent for deer. DPMS, Stag, Larue, Daniels Defense, etc. All the top AR15 companies make them in a wide array of calibers. 

[Teal]

.223 is not a good round for deer hunting. Great for varmit hunting. If you have the cash, the .308 is a good way to go... but then its no longer the AR15, its the AR10.

Both rounds are getting expensive and harder to find. I am an AR owner, and to be honest, id advise to get a nice Remmington 700 rifle or a browning. And if your really interested in home defense, an assault rifle isnt the best choice, shotgun or handgun.

But if your dead set on an AR, Bushmaster, Rock River Arms, DPMS are where i would go.

Consider what you would be doing with the rifle and let that help you decide which rifle or assecories you have. For example, for coyote or ground hot or varmit in general, id go .223, i would want to be able to mount a big honkin scope, so a flat top or a rail system is a must. I really would want a heavy bull barrel with some length on it.

Just or you can just get a good base model and buy stuff as you go, i have three barrels for mine and two different stocks, and a myriad of rail accesories.

[00 mod]

Stag Arms

[tylerwyp]

.223 is not a good round for deer hunting. Great for varmit hunting. If you have the cash, the .308 is a good way to go... but then its no longer the AR15, its the AR10.

Both rounds are getting expensive and harder to find. I am an AR owner, and to be honest, id advise to get a nice Remmington 700 rifle or a browning. And if your really interested in home defense, an assault rifle isnt the best choice, shotgun or handgun.

But if your dead set on an AR, Bushmaster, Rock River Arms, DPMS are where i would go.

Consider what you would be doing with the rifle and let that help you decide which rifle or assecories you have. For example, for coyote or ground hot or varmit in general, id go .223, i would want to be able to mount a big honkin scope, so a flat top or a rail system is a must. I really would want a heavy bull barrel with some length on it.

Just or you can just get a good base model and buy stuff as you go, i have three barrels for mine and two different stocks, and a myriad of rail accesories.

i actually already have a remington 700 270 winchester thats almost brand new. the reasoning behind the purchase his more based around fun and occasionally a coyote maybe and wanting to get one before theyre turned illegal.

[tstone]

How much are you wanting to spend? The ones listed above are all lower-end brands, minus Larue and Daniel Defense which are both high-end.

[tylerwyp]

How much are you wanting to spend? The ones listed above are all lower-end brands, minus Larue and Daniel Defense which are both high-end.

preferably under 2 grand. that means probably just over a thousand for the rifle itself

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Wait a bit longer. Those rifles are not going anywhere anytime soon. There is too much money involved in the industry for that to happen. Plus at the current cost. You can buy a class 3 automatic for the same price. Why buy semi when you can buy full on auto?

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Wait a bit longer. Those rifles are not going anywhere anytime soon. There is too much money involved in the industry for that to happen. Plus at the current cost. You can buy a class 3 automatic for the same price. Why buy semi when you can buy full on auto?

 

FA not allowed in IL that I know of.

[mtaag3]

You can buy a class 3 automatic for the same price. Why buy semi when you can buy full on auto?

Where can you get a full auto for the price of an AR-15??

[tylerwyp]

FA not allowed in IL that I know of.

 

 

Where can you get a full auto for the price of an AR-15??

Ya illinois isnt legalizing auto anytime soon and ive never heard of auto being legal or anywhere near the price of a semi auto ar15

[mtaag3]

Ya illinois isnt legalizing auto anytime soon and ive never heard of auto being legal or anywhere near the price of a semi auto ar15

It's legal, just expensive

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

It's legal, just expensive

 

Man wish I had internet back when I wanted auto, took all of 5 minutes to find out how-jump through hoops and pay

Scratch my uneducated comment above.

[OkeechobeeAngler]

Wait a bit longer. Those rifles are not going anywhere anytime soon. There is too much money involved in the industry for that to happen. Plus at the current cost. You can buy a class 3 automatic for the same price. Why buy semi when you can buy full on auto?

Class III M16A3's start around $20,000 plus fees for the license. Little over his budget. 

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Class III M16A3's start around $20,000 plus fees for the license. Little over his budget.

There's still AK47s and what not. M16s are expensive. Always have been. Let's not forget the little mp5 either. I believe they are closer to 8 thousand though. I know the last class III AK I bought was for 2 grand. This was a little over five years ago though.

[mtaag3]

Unfortunately FA AK's have risen quite a bit and last time i checked (within the last year) they could be had from $5K-$8K depending on condition, model, etc. MP5's were about $10-$12. Like most "collectibles" the prices fluctuate significantly but with the recent issues their prices are rising faster than a teenage boy at a swimsuit contest. 

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Unfortunately FA AK's have risen quite a bit and last time i checked (within the last year) they could be had from $5K-$8K depending on condition, model, etc. MP5's were about $10-$12. Like most "collectibles" the prices fluctuate significantly but with the recent issues their prices are rising faster than a teenage boy at a swimsuit contest. 

Oh my god. I just wet my pants and choked on my Gatorade when I read that last part!

I'm kind of shocked the prices have increased that much. Generally they don't jump up when issues with other firearms are being discussed. That's news to me. Kind of wish I had held on to some of mine now.

[tylerwyp]

I wanted to focus mostly on m4 type ar 15s

[Raider Nation Fisher]

I wanted to focus mostly on m4 type ar 15s

Ok then. Wait a few months for the prices to bottom back out and then buy away. Only ones I've ever owned are DPMS. I personally prefer AKs. The DPMS down here usually go for between 500 to 600 and go up from there. I would advise buying a base model flat top. You can add whatever you want to it later. Or get the whole thing tricked out when you purchase it. With the unlimited options for customization I see no need to pay for a name. I owned three different barrel configurations for mine. As well as lots of other accessories. Why pay for a name stamped on a receiver.

I would wait a few months though. If you buy one now, the odds of recouping your investment later are going to be very difficult.

[tylerwyp]

Ok then. Wait a few months for the prices to bottom back out and then buy away. Only ones I've ever owned are DPMS. I personally prefer AKs. The DPMS down here usually go for between 500 to 600 and go up from there. I would advise buying a base model flat top. You can add whatever you want to it later. Or get the whole thing tricked out when you purchase it. With the unlimited options for customization I see no need to pay for a name. I owned three different barrel configurations for mine. As well as lots of other accessories. Why pay for a name stamped on a receiver.

I would wait a few months though. If you buy one now, the odds of recouping your investment later are going to be very difficult.

Thanks! I was already planning on waiting so that should work well. As of right now I was planning on putting a grip and an eotech on it. I see some have rails and some are bare. Is it better to have to rails for ease of customization or does that not matter?

[OkeechobeeAngler]

Yes the rails are necessary for scopes, lights etc. Myself, I have a railed flat top for my scope.

[mtaag3]

You should get a flat top upper. If you want rails on your foreend there is a plethora of options. Most work very well and it comes down to how cool you want to look.

[tstone]

In your price range I'd look at BCM. Get a good quality rifle first, you can always add or change parts later.

[nick76]

Took me some time, but I will finally chime in here. You have two different things to consider. The first is the rifle itself and the second is accessories.

When considering my first rifle I had a couple of things I looked at.

1. Price

2. Availability

3. Dependability

4. Style

5. Other people's recommendations.

You already know #1, you can easily find out #2 by looking in your local area or contacting FFL dealers. #3 is a little more research on your part. Try to narrow #2 and then research those. #4 is just a personal preference and #5 is very open ended. When I was researching I found a lot of good and bad on multiple brands. In the end I went with an old industry standard as it also fit my other 4 criteria.

As for accessories, the sky is the limit. Find a shop that sells them or a gun show. You don't have to buy, but you can get an idea of what you like and where to find it.

If you are gonna spend the money do the work. My father in law has wanted one for a while, the gun nightmare started and he was scrambling to get one. Now he has a $1700 Bushmaster that is not what he wanted. Just last week a local gun dealer here had a huge sale and an inventory of around 100 rifles. They had the exact rifle he wanted for $1200. Keep your eyes open and don't overpay because of impulse.

[mtaag3]

Another option is to build one yourself. There are a ton of videos and it allows you to have the exact rifle you want. There is minimal gunsmith work required and even then, you can get around that. It's all basic assembly and if you stay with quality parts fitment shouldn't be a problem.

As for opinions; take them for what you paid for them, and that includes mine. There is a ton of information out there and websites like AR15.com are full of idiots that don't know their butt from a hole in the ground. However consensus will usually tell you the truth so if you do enough research trends will develop.