Ruger Ar

[musicman]

Yeah no problem guys. I just wanted to let the OP know that there is another good entry level rifle out there with pretty darned good reviews. Best wishes in finding the gun you want.

FWIW I wouldn't sneeze at putting together a rifle from Palmetto State Armory either. They make good stuff for prices in the Ruger/Smith and Wesson range, and often have their assembled lowers and uppers on sale. (If you do this, buy the assembled upper and lower on separate days or they have to sock you with a federal excise tax.) I've put Palmetto rifles together twice and they are good merchandise. I've seen reports that their uppers are the same ones Colt uses and their stripped lowers are made by Aero Products, so they're using good components. FWIW again.

Ditto on the PSA love. I have two, one of them even built with their "low end" PTAC stuff. Both guns have been 100% reliable and as accurate as I can be. In my small experience I find the PTAC stuff to be just as good as the PSA stuff.

I also have a Smith M&P 10 and it is an outstanding piece of equipment. My neighbor just ordered his PSA AR10 kit yesterday. We'll see how it stacks up in a few weeks.

Whatever you choose, I don't think you can pick a bad gun from any of the big names any more. The AR platform has been around a LONG time and ERRRRRYBODY makes one now. My vote is Smith & Wesson, but that's just cuz I a Smithaholic. :-)

[rocketman]

Not going to get into the which one is better debate but since PSA is a part of the discussion I thought I'd mention that PSA is offering Colt 6720's at a smoking price. I'm no Colt fan boy but I've got one of these that I paid a lot more than $799 for and I love it. YMMV.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/colt-ar-15-5-56nato-16-carbine-pencil-barrel.html


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[Dustbuster]

I was close to buying a ruger piston 556 but backed out cause I did t need it. ruger has done a great job on their AR's especially w the quality of parts and steel used in general. I think you wouldn't go wrong with it regardless and it's a good quality rifle. Enjoy!

[whitewolf001]

Honestly, there aren't a whole lot of AR's out there that I WOULDN'T buy, even being in the "entry level" category; Del Ton, CORE 15, Spike's Tactical, Ruger, S&W, etc..(If you can catch them at the right time, Buds sells blemmed Adams Arms rifles usually under $800 with a rail system or in the $600 territory with base furniture which is a STEAL) I could go on and on but a couple I would steer clear of are Model 1 sales(if you plan on piecing one together) and Diamondback. Even on Diamondback's higher grade model they cheaped out with ATI furniture, which is supposed to be a retail of $1k, which is RIDICULOUS. At $1k retail it had either be a DARNED good rifle or come with some goodies, the Diamondback lacked both. Also, put my hands on their "entry level" and the things(there were two and BOTH had the exact same issues but were not consecutive serial's NOR even remotely close to each other) finishes were extremely poor, neither had ejection cover's installed(they were made for them, just no doors!), AND they had the protrusions for the forward assist but were not even machined for it. It's like someone got the upper and said, "............ Meh, @#$% it."

Edited March 21, 2015 by whitewolf001

[Hammer285]

I couldn't find the Ruger online anywhere in stock with a lower price tag, but did notice budsgunshop has a Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport for $627 ($609 with their cash discount). 

 

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/36_1989/products_id/71969/S%26W+M%26P15+Sport+30%2B1+223REM5.56NATO+16%22

 

My entry level AR was an Smith & Wesson M&P 15 OR. It has been a great gun with no issues. The only thing the Sport lacks over the other entry models is the dust cover and forward assist. Depending on your needs and where you plan on shooting, these may not be necessities.

 

I have also built a PSA AR from Palmetto state for less than $600 (including shipping & transfer) and it has been a great shooter.

 

Whatever you end up choosing, good luck. Hope you find something within your budget that gives you years of enjoyment at the range.

[Hotrod]

My Dad has a Ruger SR556 piston rifle and it's really nice. Shoots great, looks great, build is really of nice quality, etc.My ONLY complaint is it has the worst trigger I've ever felt on an AR15. It's super heavy and not smooth at all. We're going to fix that with a Giesle trigger soon. :up:That said, it's a Ruger and you're going to get a nice quality rifle with.

I have a SR556. He is correct the trigger is rough. I installed a Giesle trigger and a Nikon P-223 scope. Great rifle.