What's your favorite AR . . .

[Dobervol]

. . . and mid-TN shop to buy a complete (all that seems to be avail.; kits are running on a 4-16 mo. wait) AR?

Tried searching and didn't find a similar thread, so with apoligies to mossyoakman, the ak thread author, the same question, but about the AR-15, which I've at long last been green lighted by my wife to buy. I see that some folks here have recommended AR15.com, but those guys haven't even filled out the FAQ or noob sections of their forums, and their discussions over there are so far over my head it ain't funny (to me, anyway, although it might be funny to them ).

Right now, I'm debating between:

1. Used Colt (the holy grail, of course, and I'm sure there are bargains to be had, but also much easier for a noob to get shafted);

2. New Bushmaster; or

3. New DPMS or Doublestar, which are supposed to be related?

I tend to like the traditional A2-style, with the longer barrel and fixed stock, but could be convinced otherwise. Also looking for the more readily avail. and cheaper 5.56/.223.

Thanks much in advance for any education/suggestions.

[willis68]

I would consider Rock River Arms if I were you. They are fantastic rifles

Daniel Defense also makes a fine rifle, there is a good deal from a forum vender here,

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/vbclassified.php?do=ad&id=618

I would buy this if I were you, very good deal and out the door price on a hard to find rifle. A friend of mine just bought one of these and it is an awesome weapon

Edited April 4, 2009 by willis68

[Punisher84]

I have been reall happy with my Bushmaster. Rock River Arms does make a great rifle, but they are expensive.

You can get a good quality AR from Bushmaster, Stagarms, DPMS, etc. Just depends on what you want. I like more of an M-4 battle rifle type in an AR and that seems to be the hot ticket item right now too so you might have a better chance finding an A2 with fixed stock model type rifle.

[Magiccarpetrides]

I was at Hero Gear last saturday and they had a really good deal on a Sabre Defense fixed stock AR...might wanna pm joe and see if he still has it.

[willis68]

Whatever you decide to buy I would make sure it is chambered for 5.56. That will shoot NATO ammo as well as 223. If it is chambered in 223 you will not be able to shoot 5.56 ammo through it, something to consider

[Seaslug]

I would consider Rock River Arms if I were you. They are fantastic rifles

A big +1 to that. If you want, PM me for info about an out-of-state vendor that specializes in RRA rifles.

[BimmerFreak]

Yeah, I've got around 100+ ARs in stock, and perhaps 300 lowers.

We have guns from:

Colt

DPMS

Smith and Wesson

Armalite

Stag Arms

Bushmaster

Remington

Rock River

Sabre Defence

I would venture to guess that you can touch and feel more different brands/types of ARs at HG than anywhere in the state...

[Dobervol]

Holy cow! I'd venture to guess you're right. On the one hand, you're about 105 miles and a 2.5 hour drive away from my home, which is near the KY line, but OTOH, everyone else only carries a couple brands and at most, seems to have a couple guns in stock, so one trip to your store could save me a lot more driving and running around in the long run.

And I am on vacation this week, so maybe it's time for a . . . road trip.

I would venture to guess that you can touch and feel more different brands/types of ARs at HG than anywhere in the state...

[Dobervol]

Thanks a lot. I was actually able to pick this one up from a discussion at AR15.com, but if not, I'd have had no idea 'til you mentioned it, since everyone talks about them interchangeably. It's definitely a "need to know" noob fact, as there's no way I would have a gun that couldn't shoot both.

Whatever you decide to buy I would make sure it is chambered for 5.56. That will shoot NATO ammo as well as 223. If it is chambered in 223 you will not be able to shoot 5.56 ammo through it, something to consider

[nightrunner]

one thing to know is that rock river arms has what they call the .223 wylde chamber and they say it is good for .223rem or 5.56x45mmNATO, same thing as a 5.56mm chamber IMO.

i had a S&W M&P15A and it was flawless and a buddy of mine had a bushmaster and it ran great too. a A2 configuation should be a bit cheaper right now because everybody wants a A3 or A4.

and yes, HeroGear is THE place to go for an AR

to be honest, the only manufacturer i can think of off-hand that i would suggest not going with is Olympic

[Smith]

For a great place a lot closer go to Guns and Leather in Greenbrier. They have a ton of NICE AK's and AR's in a variety of configurations and calibers. there are so many it is sometimes hard for me to tell what I'm looking at.

[SkWaShDeM]

Holy cow! I'd venture to guess you're right. On the one hand, you're about 105 miles and a 2.5 hour drive away from my home, which is near the KY line, but OTOH, everyone else only carries a couple brands and at most, seems to have a couple guns in stock, so one trip to your store could save me a lot more driving and running around in the long run.

And I am on vacation this week, so maybe it's time for a . . . road trip.

5.5 hour drive from where I live, but that hasn't stopped me from showing up to at least drool over Joe's wall of toys.

[LA_357SIG]

My favorite AR is my S&W M&P15A I bought from a fellow TGO'er a while back.

[Guest Ggun]

Daniel Defense M4 Carbine--great rifle==

[RWF]

My favorite AR, well hmmm, MINE! (there mutts)

[TripleDigitRide]

The one I put together. I built it exactly how I wanted.

Spikes/LMT/Magpul/EOTech/RRA/SurFire/Falcon Industies/Ace/YHM/etc.

Edited April 5, 2009 by TripleDigitRide

[Guest nosnos]

The one I put together. I built it exactly how I wanted.

Spikes/LMT/Magpul/EOTech/RRA/SurFire/Falcon Industies/Ace/YHM/etc.

I wish I had that kind of dough. Man...

[TripleDigitRide]

I wish I had that kind of dough. Man...

Me too. I had to stop just short of adding Troy Industries to the list. I'm still waiting on a set of Troy BUIS for it.

[res308]

the only manufacturer i can think of off-hand that i would suggest not going with is Olympic

How come?

[dunndw]

I've got better than 400 rounds through my LWRC M6A2 without even so much as a squirt of oil. I have to saw it's one of my favorites.

(no I'm not stress testing it, I've been to lazy/busy to clean it)

[TGO David]

If I had to buy off the shelf, it would be a Smith & Wesson or a Daniel Defense, in that order.

[Mike]

How come?

Some serious QC issues.

[timcalhoun]

My favorite one is the next one.

[nightrunner]

How come?

i have heard that they have corrected their quality issues but the earlier ones had problems with the receivers cracking

[res308]

i have heard that they have corrected their quality issues but the earlier ones had problems with the receivers cracking

Good reason to steer clear.