-
Having trouble using the site?
Contact support
Least expensive AR you’d trust your life to?
- Thread starter 300zx_tt
- Start date
Depend your life on under what circumstances and what's the experience level of the shooter? Way too many variables without knowing both. Example 1: No experience, working from a maritime environment over a year long period. Example 2: WORL scenario i.e. for in indefinite number of years but probably at least 5-10 and without access to replacement parts or gunsmiths. Example 3: Working as a guide in Africa.
Yes, all extreme, but the examples are only to show that there's a lot more to the question that wasn't stated and should have been.
GENERALLY the most important part of a rifle or carbine is the intended use (which incldes the environment and skill level of the shooter), who put it together, and the components used. In that order.
I would rather have a $600 PSA AR-15 that I've had the opportunity to disassemble, inspect, and reassemble, than a $1000 Bushmaster or equiv.
Yes, all extreme, but the examples are only to show that there's a lot more to the question that wasn't stated and should have been.
GENERALLY the most important part of a rifle or carbine is the intended use (which incldes the environment and skill level of the shooter), who put it together, and the components used. In that order.
I would rather have a $600 PSA AR-15 that I've had the opportunity to disassemble, inspect, and reassemble, than a $1000 Bushmaster or equiv.
I wouldn't buy anything AR from Colt any more. There are just better options out there. BCM, Geissele, etc.
My mk18. Its a frankengun, but dont be fooled by the outside. Its just a ballistic advantage barrel under it all. I put this rifle together for alot less money than youd probably guess though.
Funny you ask this. My buddy and i were out this winter i had my daniel defense like gen 1 he had an m&p sport 1 or 2 whatever. He hands me a mag that looks like it has been drug through hell and back and been in the back of his truck for like 5 years. I look at it and say fuk it. First round goes bang everything else was lite strike or every other round. Hand him the mag and my lite strikes tell him to shoot em. They all go bang. I thought maybe the 10 degree weather and my dry bolt was the problem. Rip it out lube it up still same problem. Pretty bummed at then realized i never really clean the gun and it functions top. Also realized all the blow back from the new can had something to do with it. Long story short pulled the bolt apart for the first time in thousands of rounds and the carbon build up was insane. Firing pin couldnt even fully function lol....doesnt matter at the end of the day could be 500 or 5000. They will all run operator error does happen
I would trust any of my rifles that I've run 500+ rounds through. . . all PSA products. I would prefer them to any high-dollars compensatory spending Daniel Defense/Knights/BCM that I hadn't run hundreds of rounds through.
Iwi Zion 15 for $800 is a heck of a buy. I don’t personally have one but I have a coworker who does and it’s a very nice rifle from a top notch company. I personally run Daniel Defense, and PWS as my go to guns and a psa for range fun. But he doesn’t want to pay the 2k for the first two
Colt 6920. I've had one jam out of 2500 rounds. Accurate enough I'd trust my life to it. Paid 1100$ for it new. If Id had more to spend I'd buy a colt 6920 with 2000 rounds. Praying to God I never have to trust it with my life but the way things look now you just can't tell. Trijicon acog 4×32 is all you need for an optic. Not cheap but I always spend ar least what I spend on the firearm for the scope. A little tip I follow: every single week I buy ammo. At least one box. I switch calibers but I get at least a box per week. Store it somewhere dry in water proof 50 cal cans. If you go to the range buy ammo just for that. Don't dip into your stock. Hope this helped.
Uncle Obama convinced me a while back to buy an AR15, my version was the Smith & Wesson M&P15, for .223 and 5.56. What a joy this gun is!
I was so pleased with it I bought another of the very same. First one cost about $550, the second only about $500. The first remains my main battle rifle, with a Vortex BDC scope on it. The second is my wifes gun, with a Vortex red dot on it. BOTH GUNS HAVE BEEN FLAWLESS......except for one period I tested them to see if they'd hold up to my AK for neglect...........after MONTHS of rounds being fired through them, they finally insisted on a good cleaning. I swear by these guns! They are SOLID out to 300 yards, and GOOD out to 500-600 if I've got a steady rest for them. Now, at the range, I have a couple of "operator" friends that have high end variations with German glass, and they sit there hitting at 500 (the max here) time after time after time with their eyes practically closed. THAT would be my only reason to go high value for an AR15......and it's glass.
But for down to earth day-to-day self defense, it's damned hard to beat the M&P15.
.... lot's of mental masturbation replies in this thread 
...when you are in that moment it will come down to whatever you can put your hands on...
...when you are in that moment it will come down to whatever you can put your hands on...
Don't laugh, but my S&W M&P OR has run flawlessly since the day I bought it, 13 years and 12,000+ rounds through it. CMMG had a sale on those back about '09, they were marked S&W but the barrels were actually made by Stag Arms, Smith wasn't making their own barrels yet.
I bought five of them, sold four of them to friends, and kept the one with the best trigger. It shoots good ammo into less than an inch at 100 yards, and has NEVER choked on anything, even my hasty handloads. I would trust it under any circumstances. It wears a decent generic flashlight with a pressure switch, and a simple sling.
I use P-mags most of the time and have never had an issue with them, this gun feeds anything, and steel-cased ammo doesn't bother it a bit. It cost me all of $700, and came with a laser, an optic sight (junk) and a coupon good for TEN P-mags. Probably the best deal I ever got, which is why I bought five of them.
I also have a DPMS 308 with a 16" barrel and a Miculek muzzle brake and a flashlight. It's painful be around when it fires, but it shoots ball into an inch and a half at 100 yards, and Federal Match into about half that. I recently tried it on a 24" square plate at 400 yards, and after two shots I had the drop figured out. The next 18 shots rang the steel. It was a $700 gun with another $300 worth of enhancements, and it's also death on steel plates at 300 and 400 yards. The only caveat with this gun is that ammo has to be at spec or under, it has a very tight chamber.
I bought five of them, sold four of them to friends, and kept the one with the best trigger. It shoots good ammo into less than an inch at 100 yards, and has NEVER choked on anything, even my hasty handloads. I would trust it under any circumstances. It wears a decent generic flashlight with a pressure switch, and a simple sling.
I use P-mags most of the time and have never had an issue with them, this gun feeds anything, and steel-cased ammo doesn't bother it a bit. It cost me all of $700, and came with a laser, an optic sight (junk) and a coupon good for TEN P-mags. Probably the best deal I ever got, which is why I bought five of them.
I also have a DPMS 308 with a 16" barrel and a Miculek muzzle brake and a flashlight. It's painful be around when it fires, but it shoots ball into an inch and a half at 100 yards, and Federal Match into about half that. I recently tried it on a 24" square plate at 400 yards, and after two shots I had the drop figured out. The next 18 shots rang the steel. It was a $700 gun with another $300 worth of enhancements, and it's also death on steel plates at 300 and 400 yards. The only caveat with this gun is that ammo has to be at spec or under, it has a very tight chamber.
Last edited:
M4 Patrol Rifle SL, Liberty Fighting Trigger CUSTOMIZABLE - Sons Of Liberty Gun Works
M4 Patrol Rifle SL Sons of Liberty Gun Works we believe in Quality Mil-Spec or better parts. We believe there is no substitute for quality and that your gun should be built right the first time, ready for hard use right out of the box. We believe a quality Bolt Carrier Group and quality...
sonsoflibertygw.com
Wait for a deal, spend around $1000 to get a rock solid platform, don’t say a tested trash can gun is something you’ll trust. Materials matter, specs matter, quality matters more than warranty. I don’t want a gun that requires unnecessary repairs. So when you don’t have options, the gun runs. Sionics, bcm, solgw, FN, all have “entry level duty grade” guns that you don’t have to sacrifice quality but you aren’t paying for Gucci either.
It's pretty hard to beat the Ruger or SW M&P ARs . They can both be bought now for under 700 $ easily . I know a bunch of guys that have them and I've never heard them complain .I've owned them in the past and been happy, but who knows what that means. You see that with everything online. "Buy a Stihl chainsaw, I bought mine in 1977 and it still runs great." Not really relevant to what they make now is it? I remember when I would never have bought a Colt AR, and when I would, and when I wouldn't again. Same for Bushmaster. I would never have bought a DPMS, but in all honesty I've had several rifles with many of their parts in them and never an issue.
I was thinking for myself, if I were starting from scratch with limited funds, knowing what I know, I'd probably buy a cheap rifle, then swap in a good bolt/carrier and a good trigger. Then deal with any other little issues as they came about.
But my AR's have all the "don't's", and horrible things that will clearly get you killed, like completely unstaked gas keys, unstaked castle nuts and barrel nuts that are only hand tight.
I have a frankenrifle I built years ago. It was an experiment to see just how cheap I could build one. Poverty pony lower, every part bought on sale. Total initial investment of $260.00. It has since been upgraded a little with a better trigger, optics and better furniture, however all of the main functional parts are the original sale parts. It’s not an MOA rifle in any way but it’s minute of shithead at 200 yards all day. I have well in excess of 3000 rounds through it and it had a few stoppages here and there but nothing serious. I would happily take it to a combat zone.
POF P-415 gas piston. In either .556 or 7.62. I have put 3500 rnds in the .556 and have yet to clean the motor room. I would not hesitate to go all in with it. My 6.8 mm is same with about 850 rnds. My p-308 has only 260 rnds. If it’s your life, as you say, just what is that worth to you. Yes, these rifles are not cheap but stupid solid reliable.
The quality of the parts is more important than the name on them. That said you have to shoot a lot to have any significant wear on parts wear failure is likely. Basically if it runs without issues for the first few hundred rounds it’s probably fine for the next several thousand, especially if it’s a legitimate milspec.
I had an old DPMS rifle that I used for work. I put 1000 rounds of steel case wolf through it without any issues. Recently I got rid of that one for a Geissele super duty. I also have a PSA that shoot really well so I have no complaint on any rifle.
Interesting…. I too have a custom AR built by Bill Wylde back in the 1980’s. It’s an Sp1 that he accurized and the only thing I have replaced is the trigger (with a Gissele)after wearing his out. I would place that at the top of the list if I could only keep one protection piece.
I’ve got a 6920 with an unrealistic amount of rounds without failure, I trust my solgw the same and also Bcm. Anybody that’s using quality parts and quality coating/ treat and building them to proper spec (fucking important) is gonna make a reliable gun.
my Colt socoms have never had an issue and they're more accurate than all my rack grade rifles including my noveske.
That looks cool but I got a question. How much good is a back up iron with all that stuff in the way? Or rather I should ask does anything have to come off to use it?
Buy what you can afford. Take care of it, keep it clean and well lubricated, and shoot good ammunition. A gun is no different than a car or truck. It's not the brand, as much as it's the person who drives and takes care of it.
As for the AR15 and do love them, for SHTF if in the home, Winchester 1897 12g trench, Colt 1911, AK47 pistols, 870 remington. Colt 357 python.. all beyond reproach. But if is a deal breaker for anything but an AR15. Ive got a 11.5” mk18 clone and a 7,5” 300 AAC. And both are as good as any big name. I only paid $1000 for a real DPMS 308 24” precision LR308 and at a 1000 yards the only shit will hitting the problem so far out its no longer a problem. Honestly though i don’t trust any AR to function 100% and anyless is just inadequate for my life.
Colt has been bought out by CZ. CZ doesn't fuck around, they'll get that ship righted.
I have the leaf front sight on my dbal which is low enough to clear the aimpoint, so the leaf sticks up just at the bottom of the aimpoint. So no i don't have to remove anything, but everything on that rifle is qd so i can if something Breaks and it becomes useless.
The rifle itself without all the stuff i put together for about $600
The new Sig Sauer M400 Tread line is meant for a market entry level gun for the new buyer. They retail for less than $1000. The catch is the accessories might be proprietary.
Get a Aero precision lower receiver for $60-70 and put it together for an extra $100-150 in lower parts kit, then slap on a complete BCM/Geissele/SOLGW/DD upper for $1000-1200 depending on the model you get.
Look for deals on GAFS sub reddit.
Look for deals on GAFS sub reddit.
every thing fails with use , my duty sig trigger spring broke , my colt 1911 safety sheared off under 2000 rounds. two of my colts 20 years old have had bbl replaced besides extractors springs. my coworker went to fancy rifle class( homeland sec paid for) with low priced S & W he purchased the week before , 1000 plus rounds . better two have two S & W rifles for $1000 then bunch of spare parts and hope you have the right part .
By asking these questions, you aren't ready to bet your life on any AR at any price yet. Reliable AR parts AND competency are required before one bets one's life on any weapon system. You are one of the most important components of a life saving system. Buy the least expensive assembled MIL-SPEC rifle to get started, and up grade following listed parts after first 1000 rounds practice. Assembling your own AR is great learning experience. Brownells.com and MidwayUSA both have all the parts and free online DIY videos to learn/assemble. Friends probably have the tools and assistance you'll need. Use money saved out the door on ammo and training. Learn the proper operation/proper manual of arms and how to troubleshoot/repair your weapon. And, did you hear lack of lubrication anywhere yet? RUN IT WET!!!!. Beyond stupidity/lack of knowledge/training, lubrication, actually lack thereof, and dirt are the major causes of AR stoppages/failures. Thereafter, magazines, extractors, ejectors, gas key staking, springs, trigger assembly, bolt are where problems occur. Upgraded barrels will provide easier cleaning, longer life, holes in paper accuracy, but cheap lead spitting tubes give minute-of-man accuracy for the basic need. Welcome to the fraternity.
Last edited:
a lot of the guys who buy kac, hk, knights, etc stuff just like to show how big of a cock they have, not all but a lot. put up a psa colt ruger smith or about any other brand up against a tier 1 ar with a less experienced operator and the psa owner is probably gonna have a nice high end ar to show off. i say buy a cheapy and wear it the hell out and then step into a higher end rifle. the experience and muscle memory is priceless
Correction, i think you mean we like to show off how SMALL our cocks are sir?
Why would you need a 416 or sr15 when you have a gi-normous weener to sling around? Expensive guns and large squated trucks are a tell tale sign of tiny peepees.
Source: have a safe full of HKs with KAC hardware all over them.
We dont like that word, "cock". It is a microaggresion and demeaning to domestic roosters
If by "wallet" as a figure of speech you mean exorbitant credit card debt, then yes
Alot of people who say shit like this do it because they want to feel better about their own shitty life situations, not all but a lot. They probably buy their shoes from pay-less and think a fancy dinner is a night at applebees with the 2 for 1. They have little to zero training , as those experiences would show them the difference between quality gear and junk marked to mouth breathing masses like them. You can usually identify them by zombie stickers, black rifle coffee shirts and an affinity for sucking dick every chance they get.
Jealousy combined with ignorance is a pathetic way to go through life.
lol. You forgot about people who only wear aggressively patriotic grunt style gear.
evidently you are definitely one of the people that spend Extravagantly to take away from your inadequacies.
