What brand is your most trusted AR15?

I remember the ABC rule.
Most of the Bushy people went to create windham when they got bought in the Remington mess.
Bushmaster XM-15E2S rifles sold around the time of the early 2000s were often problematic when run in volume. Weak bolts, YFS fasteners assembled by who knows what kind of worker to low torque, on lighter carriers with the relief cut to eliminate auto sear trip.

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The barrels were actually good though. Wherever Bushmaster got their chrome-lined pipes from, they knew how to control the bore diameter and make a relatively straight pipe that was usually more accurate than Colts.

Once he sold out to Freedom Group, they became DPMS parts guns mostly with a modified Bushmaster logo that no longer included the Bushmaster ARM bullpup. I sold a ton of the early 2000s, ban-era guns, a lot of them with 14.5” and muzzle brakes, with pinned M4 stocks.

That reminds me, the cream of the crop back then for forged receiver AR-15s were Wilson Combat with precision-machined receiver fit, nice lightweight fluted barrels that were still highly-accurate, nice coatings, fit/feel/finish, drop-in CMC trigger cassettes, fixed stocks, the A2 comp muzzle device, free-floated carbine tube handguard. Once the ban ended, they got the usual telescoping stocks and flash hiders.

Looked like this after the ban expired in 2004:

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I trust certain companies for certain things.

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Some make barrels more for my liking, while others make upper receivers/handguards that are more to my preference.

Some make great fire control parts.

Some make superior Receiver Extension Tubes.

Some make bolt carriers that do more what I want (Bootleg), but may or may not use the carrier key and fasteners I prefer.

Some make really innovative or enhanced lower receivers (ADM, LaRue, Seekins, PF, 2A, KAC, JP).

Some make excellent charge handles that don’t break.

Some make better gas systems than others with sealed gas tube-to-gas block interface (KAC, LaRue).

Precious few use actual TDP LPKs with the correct materials and spec sheet conformity, which is critical with the springs, pins, mag catch, and bolt catch.

Many make good muzzle devices, and the biggest question is whether you have brake-attach or QD suppressor interface.

Only a few make bolts that actually last under high-volume shooting. Those who adhere to the TDP in this respect do the bolt longevity a disservice by subjecting them to non-destructive testing with the HPT. Notice that KAC and the Canadians don’t do it to their 5.56 bolts, nor does AA to Grendel bolts.

Depending on the direction of the build, I’ll go down a totally different path on parts selection, which has more to do with whether it will be an extreme lightweight build, a higher performance cartridge chambering, or a DM Carbine. Will it be suppressed most of the time/always? Is it intended for an all-round SHTF/Hunting/DM set-up?

With cartridges like 6.5 Grendel or 6mm ARC, you can have a lightweight SBR or pistol that will do all of the above. Short barrel length isn’t so much of a handicap when you’re launching .450 to .615 G1 BC bullets for your distance work, while having a wide weight/construction range of heavier hunting bullets to choose from.

Some examples for direction of a buy or build might sacrifice certain things if weight, distance, or user-interface are weighted more than the others:

1. Lightweight receiver/barrel SBR or pistol. Think 2A receivers, light profile 10.5” to 12.5” barrel, light 2A matching handguard, adjustable gas carrier, quality bolt from a reputable company, TDP LPK, LaRue RET

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2. One thing I have wished for over the years was for the higher-end companies to offer a builder’s kit using their quality components that the customer can select from, so that you get the same known standards from that company, but assembled your way. LaRue really knocked that one out of the park with the UU kit. You can get everything you need and order a billet LaRue lower to finish it out for a complete LaRue rifle, with choices ranging from 14 different barrel lengths and calibers, different handguard lengths, and 5 different furniture set colors.

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3. For a race gun, I’m going JP or Cobalt Kinetics. Almost every part is different and for logical reasons.

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4. For a high-end customer who just wants to one-stop-shop for the rifle, KAC, LaRue PredatOBR, JP, Cobalt Kinetics, Noveske, Q, TRIARC, and some others are known performers.

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5. Working man blaster that will take high volume and isn’t high-brow? BCM, Colt (OEM was one of the best things they ever did.)

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6. Alternate caliber like 6.5 Grendel or 6mm ARC complete build? Alex-A, Barrett, CMMG, JP, LaRue, Lone Star Armory, Precision Firearms, Seekins.

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I’m sorry but you lost all credibility in this post by recommending Cobalt hahahaha.
That fixed LOP Star Wars buttstock 😂
 
Not an AR per se but my Robinson XCR-M has been top notch for me.
Have a Robinson xcr pistol. Surprisingly accurate at distance for a 7.5 inch pistol. One hole at 50, 1-1 1/2 moa at 100. It feeds everything I've tried. Only complaint would be that even with the gas turned down it beats up brass. Ejects like a mother fucker though.
 
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Have a Robinson xcr pistol. Surprisingly accurate at distance for a 7.5 inch pistol. One hole at 50, 1-1 1/2 moa at 100. It feeds everything I've tried. Only complaint would be that even with the gas turned down it beats up brass. Ejects like a mother fucker though.

They can tune them down.
 
I tend to build [assemble] more AR's for myself and with others than I buy complete.
That said, there seems to be a pattern here with brands, and for good reason. QC issues and tolerance stacking can be mitigated by sticking with the brands that have the best QC and are closest in spec to one another.

All of my rifles anymore use parts from KAC, LMT, Geissele, [old] Colt, FN, BCM, Criterion, Radian, and most recently Bootleg "PWS".
I'm sure there are many more great companies out there, but I feel safe that I will run into minimal issues looking into the long term when rolling with these parts.
 
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That's a hard one because I've built all of mine and each one has a minimum of like 5 different brands in it. I like different parts from different companies because I dont think one company does everything perfectly but a lot of different companies does certain pieces pretty damn close so i get those parts and stick em together
 
What AR's I've assembled have been in large part AR Stoner Uppers and PSA lowers, with triggers and buffer assemblies/tubes, stocks, and bolt release extensions added/upgraded. The barrels and castings/forgings I've gotten have all worked fine. I own and use a borescope. Also, the Stag barrels I've used (3) have all been exceptional shooters.

Don' ask me whether they are up to spec. I wouldn't know spec if it walked up and bit me in the butt; and that's the beauty of the original design. Is MilSpec the be all and end all of AR design? Probably not, but for hobbyists like myself, it seems to be carrying the ball all the way to the goal line.

Am I just lucky? Probably, but that's a lot more luck than I have had in other fields. Looking back, I suspect I've been a very lucky guy in most things, too.

Just like my bolt guns, the only issues I've ever sustained have been directly traceable to excessive handloading charges; (every one of them was a broken extractor) and also just like those bolt guns, the repairs were simple and the guns remain in service.

Greg
 
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not a problem one have we had with our cmmg or smith or the dpmsr ar 15's id be crazy to think they are the best but they still work every time we pull them out as well as our rock river arms and a few others that sadly all gave there life in a resent boating accident 😭 😭 :cry: :giggle: God knows the collection still needed that petra from falkor defense
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I will own you baby lol even with comunist crap all around you will be mine lol .
 
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$39 Anderson Lower
$380 PSA Ultralight Upper
$100 PSA EPT LPK
$70 Magpul CTR

$600 gun with 6 carbine classes and 6,000 rounds through it. Zero problems.

Can’t remember the last time I cleaned it.

PSA — “Just as good.”
Yeah. My other Franken-parts AR is about on par with yours. Went budget on everything and runs like a champ.
 
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I have KACs, FNs, HKs, LMTs, DDs, Barretts, Tavors, and the list goes on.

Just haven’t shot any of my Gucci guns nearly as much as I have my $600 Anderson/PSA Frankensteeeen.

I have put 5K rounds through my Agency G19 though. That’s always on me.
 
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POF upper on a bushmaster lower been through a lot of abuse. If buying new id probably go KAC/seekins/etc.

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Made a lot of crazy shots with that gun too. Early POFs had rock barrels. Real accurate
 
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I have a mix of everything from buying for 20 years. RRA, Aero, Colt, Seekins, Larue, Aero, QC10, and a spike mixed in there. I trust them all as I built them all with quality parts except for the colt.
 
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I also prefer to build mine, and try to use quality parts. One thing that has really worked for me has been JP barrels and parts. Small frame or large. That being said, I have two Lead Stars that have run incredibly well through thousands of rounds in uspsa matches.
 
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Like the title says, which of your rifles do you reach for when it’s time for work/match/HD/LARP etc?

and why?
I picked Anderson because I have the most rounds through my OG home brew than the stuff I bought after.

Any of them. I do not have any ARs I do not trust.

With that, my favorite config is a 10.5 suppressed with RDS
 
Lmt. Put almost 20k rounds through an Lmt defender with half of them being mag dumps, and only had to change a few o rings and other springs. Before I sold the barrel it was still shooting moa. Reliability has been top notch.
The platform is well enough supported and many people run their platforms so you have no trouble finding barrels, etc.
Also their enhanced bolt is probably the most durable bolt out there. I saw a bcg with enhanced sell for $1500 on gunbroker and bolt alone sell for $850 on Ar15.com lately.

Jp rifles are amazing as well and I woundnt hesitate to take my jp 15 set up for three gun out the door either.

Third choice would be KAC. They shoot amazingly smooth and are lightweight but everything on the rifle is proprietary and you need to send it to them to do things like change a barrel ($800 cost).
 
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I'll be honest, the most reliable AR i have, (and that's not saying much compared to all the other ones I have), has been a home built gun from around '98-'99. I think it broke an extractor in a class around '05, I didn't discover it until I got home after that class. Idk how many rounds are through it, but it just works. The lower is an old PWA A1, if that tells you anything.
 
I have KACs, FNs, HKs, LMTs, DDs, Barretts, Tavors, and the list goes on.

Just haven’t shot any of my Gucci guns nearly as much as I have my $600 Anderson/PSA Frankensteeeen.

I have put 5K rounds through my Agency G19 though. That’s always on me.

Dude you out of all people can afford to shoot your nice guns lol.
I used to shoot junkers but then came to the conclusion that life is too short to not shoot the shit out of your nicest rifles.
 
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When the Bushmaster people got back together I bought my 1st AR 15.
Windham Weaponry VEX with a compass lake chamber.
Great people to deal with.
Wish all my rifles ran like this one.
60gr Amax, when I could get them, shot one hole 5 round groups .
I've changed some things on it:
Trigger, gas block, stock and ambi controls but that's just me
 
My first AR was a ban era Bushmaster with the 16" HBAR in an A2 configuration. I changed it to a flat top, added a free float rail and shot the piss out of it for years. I ended up selling the upper with about 15k rounds through it to go to a midlength BCM. After that I built several for myself and helped friends with theirs.

Most of mine are Mega lowers, BCM upper and BCM or Centurion BCG's with different barrels (BCM, Rainier, Douglas, etc) and Centurion or BCM hand guards. I run ALG triggers in the non accuracy platforms. I have Geisele and Trigger Tech in my accurate builds. VLTOR A5 extensions on some, others are BCM 6 position. I use JP or CMMG parts kits because they are the one's I could find most of the time, and in kits without triggers.

Of the 30 or so uppers I have built, none have had a failure. They just go and go which makes be happy. The only issue I ever had was with a factory built CMMG 18" midlegth when they were still a new company. The chamber was a little tight from the chrome lining process. They fixed it and I sold it. Use good parts from good suppliers, check the headspace and check your work and they should run.

I have seen Stag and another no name build stop running on many occasions, but they were lefty uppers. No idea why as they were not mine and the friends didn't want me to look at them. Could have been the owner, or just a shit product. Hard to say.
 
I have a DPMS lower that is over 20 years old and has over 50k rounds under its belt. It is on its third upper and 4th trigger. Works great with the Noveske upper it has on it.

I build all of mine. As many have said here, there are several companies that made good parts. They just have to be put together properly.
 
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Like the title says, which of your rifles do you reach for when it’s time for work/match/HD/LARP etc?

and why?
I picked Anderson because I have the most rounds through my OG home brew than the stuff I bought after.
Of the guns I own, my KAC SR15(s) would be the best suited for all around use in competition and home defense as far as reliability, accuracy, always going to go boom no matter how dirty they are but I don’t use them for either.