AR, what is a good one?

Ok, so I know very little about these guns, but I'm not totally inexperienced. I want to get an AR, but not sure of what would be a good one. I don't need the best one out there, but one that is a good middle road starter rifle.

I want it for home defense, but also just to take out, shoot, and enjoy it.

I know many of you guys here are very knowledgeable about these things so I value your input. I'm looking to probably pick up something from either Bass Pro or Cabelas. Thanks..!

 

For the record Spikes is manufactured by Aero Precision. You can get the same quality for less by purchasing directly from AP.

I have built a number of AR pistols, rifles, and carbines with AP parts. If you are going to build (much easier than it sounds with some basic tools) I would highly recommend them. If you're going to buy something that's pre-made you can't go wrong with Colt. For a budget friendly option check out Anderson and even Palmetto State. Both are good quality but inexpensive.

 

You wouldn't purchase there because they are over priced or why? The reason I'm considering there is because I do have basically a gift card there. It is a prepaid credit card that I can use at select merchants, and those are two that are on the list. I have $1,100 but I'm not wanting to spend all that on the gun.

 

AND, unfortunately I can't use this card at any place that carries truck parts, haha.

 

Cabela's has some really good Black Friday deals. I support some of the machinery at a Cabela's FC in Tooele, UT and sometimes get "friends and family" discounts from their maintenance manager - up to 40% off Cabela's branded merchandise and 20% off everything else.

 

Nice, pass it on, ha

 

Cabela's has a DPMS Oracle carbine-length rifle for $499. Flat top with a drop-in, corncob handguard. It's a basic rifle but can be upgraded, which is a great way to get into building if you want to start slow.

 

Sorry, you start talking guns (especially black rifles) and I get all excited. I'll dial it back a notch or two.

 

We were looking @ a Kimber Micro 9 for my wife the other day, was $549 @ Cabela's. Came home and looked at all the normal places, couldn't find a better deal. Sometimes Cabela's is pretty good for gun prices. Ammo prices there are turrible.

 

Did you mean a Colt LE6920 ? I show it's $999. That's probably good, but a little more than I want to spend I think. I do want something that I can upgrade and add on to though.

 

Yeah, I hear ya. I dont want to buy cheap, but I dont want something high end either just simply because I wont use it as much as what others probably would.

 

Slickguns.com has an Anderson AR on a Black Friday special for $460 with free shipping. If I didn't already have a bunch of them, I'd be all over that...

 

if you are going to go through bass pro or cabelas look up cmmg ar15 they are very well made and will hold up and if you feel ballsy in the future they make a .458 socom round upper to literally bring down anything. I am more of a Daniel Defense myself but that is more of a cadillac of ar's all i can really say is find something in the price range you are looking for research and look up reviews that will tell you if it is a good or shit gun.

 

Make sure to shop around for a good deal prior to buying. If you aren't trusting your life with it and you don't plan to shoot a ton, many of the affordable popular brands should get the job done.

If you find something you are interested in post it up, we can throw in our .02.

 

just remember when you buy a cheap priced rifle that is exactly what you get sometimes a cheaply made rifle. If you take the time buy something with a decent name or company behind it they usually back there rifles with a great warranty as well as a well made product. I would say the same as everyone has said so far buy a rifle with zero furniture which makes the rifle a decent price and build it the way you want.

 

In guns "you get what you pay for" just my .02
I asked 10 people and got 10 answers but my SWAT buddy says: shotgun for home defense ALL DAY! Rounds are cheap and you can't miss and the bad guy has a bad day! I too might start a build. I want to do a AR in 7.62 with a bipod. I would buy gun with gift card and have it FFL transferred to a local shop with a true gunsmith or where LEOs get their stuff, rather than a big box store. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

@ColoradoTJ pointed out the Colt LE6920 OEM2 to me, great advice, which my local dealer didn't know anything about. I wanted to stick with Colt because they have performed flawless for me in the past. IMHO it is a great option for a high quality AR. I found a complete package very similar to what I would have built so I went with it (Colt LE6920 FBP1), but buying one without furniture can save you money and you will end up getting exactly what you want.

 

Yeah, I do like having a name brand and I like Colt. I found this one at Cabelas: http://www.cabelas.com/product/COLT...d?categoryId=734095080&CQ_search=colt&CQ_st=b

Look's basic like what everyone is recommending. What do you think? $799 might be a little more than I wanted to spend, but I do want quality. Why pay $500 for one that could be potential junk.

 

I too rely on a Mossberg 500 with Magpul furniture as my "go to" at home.

Also, just because something is inexpensive doesn't mean it's not high quality. Aero Precision is relatively inexpensive and is quite literally the supplier for parts for much more expensive, branded items.

Anderson makes great mil-spec stuff at great prices.

Palmetto State Armory also makes great mil-spec parts for cheap.

The great thing about the AR platform is that's it's essentially Legos for grownups. I agree to stick with mil-spec (nothing wrong with comm-spec, it's just a different spec. Stick with ONE and you're fine, mil-spec is probably more versatile and easy to find parts for though). As long as you have quality major components you can build it to what you want. This is why I personally think it's ok to start with a built, basic rifle or carbine.

Hope you update us with what you decide on - as long as you have fun and it suits your needs you made the right choice - assuming your wife doesn't throw you out.

 

colt is a great gun the first thing i would do it get a different lighter handrail daniel defense makes an amazing super light handrail so you can add those custom features to it but if you are just using it for a basic range shooting don't change a thing to it, and it will perform perfectly.

 

I also agree handgun attached to mattress with a mattress pistol clip, and kel tech ksg in the corner now that is a scary shotgun lol. My ak and ar15/10 are just for pure fun

 

Again, for the record, Colt doesn't make all their own parts. They come from various manufacturers and are branded Colt. I'm sure Colt makes some stuff but your UPK and LPK, lower, barrel.. All probably milled by some contracted company.

Buying a Colt rifle is not a guarantee that you get a quality firearm. I imagine the failure rate for a Colt is on par with a much cheaper brand, like Anderson. In fact, I have read that Colt contracts to Anderson for a number of their major parts.

That means you can have a basic Anderson rifle for $500, or you can pay $300 more for the Colt name and get the exact same rifle. True story.

 

I didn't necessarily mean anything cheaper would be junk, I just mean to spend a little more and get something of quality and proven. I've always wanted an AR, just never knew which way to go with one. It's one of those things where you can't really just say, GET THAT ONE. There are so many and so many changes and upgrades, etc. Haha.

 

That makes sense and is very good information. I'll have to look into that. My only problem is I'm limited to what I can get with that credit card. Free money vs spending my own money. But then again, in your scenario, to save $300 would probably be worth it, ha.