beating a dead horse but........

[p220]

My interest has finally peaked about purchasing an ar. Honestly never even considered one but something clicked. Im trying to play catch up on what is what and it seems like everywhere i turn it's "what's better chevy or ford?"a scenario. Every manufactorer claims to be the best. My question is this. Which make and model would be best suitedffor my needs. Will shoot it maybe 100it rounds a year. Decent with mid range length shots and good for home defense. Not looking for bottom of the barrel stuff but no means am looking for top of the line stuff. Simply not needed for my app. Thanks so much for any info

[jgradyc]

:popcorn:

[RED333]

A good pistol(revolver) will shoot good to 100 yrds in the right hands, and great for HD.

Get ya a Ruger Black Hawk in 44 mag.

I know ya said AR, but a pistol is easier in side a house.

Edited September 28, 2013 by RED333

[Fourtyfive]

Not the best thing for home defense unless taking out vehicles in the driveway ; if you just want a good ol'e AR then get a Smith & Wesson at Academy.

[Oh Shoot]

If you want a  "mid range" $1000-1200 AR for $800-900, get a stripped lower, parts kit, buffer./stock assembly and find a complete upper, like from Palmetto State Armory when then run their sales. Matter of fact PSA is good for all the parts really -- watch for blem sales.

 

If you want a complete quality rifle you can for sure depend on with a factory warranty on whole gun, buy one of the Colt or Smith and Wesson models from Walmart in the $1,00-1300 range. Although a lesser priced Windham Weaponry, DPMS, or Bushmaster from there will suffice just fine for most folks and will likely kill near about as many zombies  before MTBF as the Colt/S&W, but the snobs will dis it. :)

 

- OS

Edited September 28, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Oh Shoot]

oops, double tap.

 

Edited September 28, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Metalhead]

Or if you want to be in the cool club, Noveske . :usa:

[p220]

Thanks for input so far. I appreciate it. I know they're not ideal for home defense but i really really really want my wife to be able to lay down superior fire if she ever needs to plus id like her to be able to maneuver around one of these weapons. She's a little intimidated by our 12 guage, my sig, and my 30-06. Hate to say it but she's mediocre with her. 38. Feel like more exposure will help her adjust. Working on getting her a 20 guage but she's showing interest in the ar. Just want her to be safe and dont want herto relying on something that may not be there for her. Just never know

[Jonnin]

For a casual range toy AR the s&w m&p is excellent at a good price. 

 

For home defense, what about a pistol AR or SBR built one?  Costs the tax stamp for the shoulder stock sbr, pistol does not cost extra.  I have one, and its legal on my permit should I feel the need to go heavily armed, and its good sized for home defense.  I can (but its too heavy to do it a lot) shoot it 1h in a pinch.  It has no problems at 100 - 200 yard range shots.

 

An ar is awfully loud inside without ears.... fyi.

Edited September 28, 2013 by Jonnin

[jgradyc]

You might want to consider the Circuit Judge. It's the 410 pistol cylinder with a long barrel and a rifle stock. At less than $500, it's a lot of bang for the buck with the home defense load. It will be loud. I have one. It's a surprisingly small shotgun, so it should be easy to handle.

 

I know nothing about ARs. Can't help you there.

 

Here's a picture. This is the Rossi Circuit Judge Tactical.  ... oh, and it also shoots 45 Colt... should a bear break into your bedroom. :cool:

Edited September 28, 2013 by jgradyc

[trevorst]

I have owned quite a few AR's, pretty fond of the ones I have built...  If I was buying another one already together I would get a Daniel Defense M4V4 and stick the optic (Eotech/Aimpoint/etc..) of my choice.  Extremely well put together, reliable, accurate, not that costly.

 

Despite what some say makes a heck of a home defense weapon with the right ammo.

[Dustbuster]

u asked a good question with infinite answers available. There are so many good AR's out there but a rock river is good to go out of the box,less than a grand.as are many others.rock river rifles have good resale value,nice triggers and good parts.Any of em are around a grand.

Thats just my 2 cents.....hope this helps

[TMF]

The list of decent ARs is way longer than the list of bad ones. I haven't seen anything bad from any of the reputable companies. If you're just looking for an inexpensive plinker to double as a HD rifle I would look at nothing higher than the $800 mark. Don't be afraid of buying used either. Sounds to me like if you buy anything that is more expensive than around $800 you're paying for features that don't apply to what you want it for.

DPMS has sporter models that start as low as $600. It's a polymer lower, but there's nothing wrong with that. I have two polymers out of the stack of ARs I have. For the purposes you stated, they're more than enough to do what you want to do and more. Edited September 28, 2013 by TMF

[Dolomite_supafly]

If your wife is intimidated by a 12 gauge the muzzle blast of most AR's will also be a problem. It isn't about recoil, it is about the concussive blast for a lot of shooters. If it must be an AR I would find one in 9mm. They are identical to a 223 as far as controls but are a lot easier to shoot. With the extra barrel length it gives the 9mm 357 magnum type performance. And because it is a blowback gun it will be a lot more reliable. My wife has one that has over 9K rounds through it so far and it is supremely reliable. We have it zeroed for 100 yards and it remains within a couple of inches from the muzzle to that distance. It is still point and shoot out to 150 yards.

 

As far as a 9mm carbines go there are plenty out there, Beretta even makes one called the Storm. There are also a lot of other brands that work just as well but are not nearly as nice to look at. There are even some that are magazine compatible with popular pistol brands like Glock or Beretta. So you can have your Glock pistol and use the same magazines in your defensive rifle. Keltec makes the Sub 2000 that used to be really cheap. It is a great bare bones gun that would work well in a defensive role if you can find one reasonably priced.

 

Shooting a 223 inside is LOUD and can be very disorientating if you do not have hearing protection. 9mm is not hearing safe but it is not going to cause the same problems as a 223 does. Another consideration is muzzle flash, depending on ammo type. A 9mm rifle has very little, if any, muzzle blast while a 223 can have basketball sized muzzle flash if using certain ammo.

 

If you must have a 223 AR I would not be afraid of Windham, Bushmaster or Sig. They can all be bought at Walmart for under $1,000 depending on model. S&W also makes a great gun called the Sport that would easily fill your needs. It can usually be found for under $800 if you look around some.

[hipower]

If your wife is intimidated by a 12 gauge the muzzle blast of most AR's will also be a problem. It isn't about recoil, it is about the concussive blast for a lot of shooters. If it must be an AR I would find one in 9mm. They are identical to a 223 as far as controls but are a lot easier to shoot. With the extra barrel length it gives the 9mm 357 magnum type performance. And because it is a blowback gun it will be a lot more reliable. My wife has one that has over 9K rounds through it so far and it is supremely reliable. We have it zeroed for 100 yards and it remains within a couple of inches from the muzzle to that distance. It is still point and shoot out to 150 yards.

 

As far as a 9mm carbines go there are plenty out there, Beretta even makes one called the Storm. There are also a lot of other brands that work just as well but are not nearly as nice to look at. There are even some that are magazine compatible with popular pistol brands like Glock or Beretta. So you can have your Glock pistol and use the same magazines in your defensive rifle. Keltec makes the Sub 2000 that used to be really cheap. It is a great bare bones gun that would work well in a defensive role if you can find one reasonably priced.

 

Shooting a 223 inside is LOUD and can be very disorientating if you do not have hearing protection. 9mm is not hearing safe but it is not going to cause the same problems as a 223 does. Another consideration is muzzle flash, depending on ammo type. A 9mm rifle has very little, if any, muzzle blast while a 223 can have basketball sized muzzle flash if using certain ammo.

 

If you must have a 223 AR I would not be afraid of Windham, Bushmaster or Sig. They can all be bought at Walmart for under $1,000 depending on model. S&W also makes a great gun called the Sport that would easily fill your needs. It can usually be found for under $800 if you look around some.

 

Great advice for you p220. Especially on the 9mm AR.

 

Darn!  Now that's got me thinking 9mm for the SBR in the TGO lower project.

[LawVol]

got an email blast from AIM Surplus advertising a complete Spike's Tactical midlength for $800 with free shipping.  Like Oh Shoot was saying, you can also put together a quality Palmetto State Armory rifle for under a grand too.  

 

I also like the idea of an SBR'd 9mm AR.  I've been looking for a Colt 6951 for awhile and cannot find one, though.  

[tercel89]

My interest has finally peaked about purchasing an ar. Honestly never even considered one but something clicked. Im trying to play catch up on what is what and it seems like everywhere i turn it's "what's better chevy or ford?"a scenario. Every manufactorer claims to be the best. My question is this. Which make and model would be best suitedffor my needs. Will shoot it maybe 100it rounds a year. Decent with mid range length shots and good for home defense. Not looking for bottom of the barrel stuff but no means am looking for top of the line stuff. Simply not needed for my app. Thanks so much for any info

Before we got issue them at my work , I had not held one nor shot one . We got Bushmasters with the 16 inch barrels. They have all worked great for us at work. SO much that I bought my own Bushmaster.  Easy to take apart and all. 

[cch2a]

Smith and Wesson m&p15 of some variety. I have had a M&P15t for years with who knows how many rounds through it with no problems. It had gone through several carbine classes as well as casual shooting. I have also seen a few good prices on some local Colts for around 1100. The M&P is my duty gun currently due to my trust in the rifle.

[SmokyBaer]

Great advice for you p220. Especially on the 9mm AR.

 

Darn!  Now that's got me thinking 9mm for the SBR in the TGO lower project.

 

I sure do wish there were more options to go 45 in an AR.  That'd be my ticket.

[Lumber_Jack]

I sure do wish there were more options to go 45 in an AR. That'd be my ticket.

Call Ron Williams of RMW Extreme. He makes a DI .45 upper. Have to use google-foo for his number

[Spurholder]

OP, go buy a Colt LE6920 (M4 Carbine).  They can be obtained at lots of places, including Wally World, for a little over $1,000.

 

It's money well spent.  Add a decent optic (I'm very fond of Aimpoint) and a weaponlight (Surefire) and you're good to go for anything that goes bump in the night.

 

30 rounds of 5.56  > any pistol round.  Also, follow-on shots with an AR > follow-on shots with a shotgun.

 

A properly built AR is an EXCELLENT HD weapon.  Colt builds a fine rifle, as does BCM and Daniel Defense.  Don't fall into the "this will be good enough" trap with a lower-priced AR.  Contrary to quite a few opinions out there, they aren't all the same.

 

Yes, if you fire this indoors, it'll be loud.   As will a shotgun.  As will a pistol.

 

Good luck, and HTH.

Edited October 3, 2013 by Spurholder

[TMF]

I've had Colts, Oly Arms, Spikes, RRA and DPMS rifles. Not a thing wrong with any of them. You don't have to drop a grand to get a rifle that throws accurate rounds out the other end reliably. I'm not sure where the idea comes from that any of those rifles can't do what a Colt LE will do other than have a horsey on it, especially for someone who isn't using it very often. Hell, one of my ARs is built on a plastic lower with plastic internals. I challenge anyone here to bring some ammo and put a couple thousand rounds through it in a day and get even ONE malfunction. If a rifle can fire thousands of rounds accurately and reliably without maintenance it has passed the "defensively viable" test, since I don't know too many people who can carry a combat load of 30+ mags n them.

[Jonnin]

I've had Colts, Oly Arms, Spikes, RRA and DPMS rifles. Not a thing wrong with any of them. You don't have to drop a grand to get a rifle that throws accurate rounds out the other end reliably. I'm not sure where the idea comes from that any of those rifles can't do what a Colt LE will do other than have a horsey on it, especially for someone who isn't using it very often. Hell, one of my ARs is built on a plastic lower with plastic internals. I challenge anyone here to bring some ammo and put a couple thousand rounds through it in a day and get even ONE malfunction. If a rifle can fire thousands of rounds accurately and reliably without maintenance it has passed the "defensively viable" test, since I don't know too many people who can carry a combat load of 30+ mags n them.

 

Geez I thought I was doing ok with 10 loaded mags for mine. 

[Spurholder]

I've had Colts, Oly Arms, Spikes, RRA and DPMS rifles. Not a thing wrong with any of them. You don't have to drop a grand to get a rifle that throws accurate rounds out the other end reliably. I'm not sure where the idea comes from that any of those rifles can't do what a Colt LE will do other than have a horsey on it, especially for someone who isn't using it very often. Hell, one of my ARs is built on a plastic lower with plastic internals. I challenge anyone here to bring some ammo and put a couple thousand rounds through it in a day and get even ONE malfunction. If a rifle can fire thousands of rounds accurately and reliably without maintenance it has passed the "defensively viable" test, since I don't know too many people who can carry a combat load of 30+ mags n them.

 

Sorry, man.  I have quite a different take on this.  But I know a lot of guys like you that have had good experiences, even with the plastic lowers.  And honestly, I'm glad it's working for you. 

 

I'm sure you've heard it all, so I won't go back into all of it.  Sort of pointless, anyway.  I'll just close with this.  "For me, I'll spend the extra dime and get what I consider is a better product.  And YMMV."

[Spurholder]

Geez I thought I was doing ok with 10 loaded mags for mine. 

 

Time for some shopping.  Don't you watch The Walking Dead? :wave: