Best AR15 for a beginner.

K

Keeper

New member
I want to get my first little black rifle. Should I go with Olympic, Bushmaster, Colt, or bite the bullet and save up for a Wilson. Please mention any that I have missed.

Thank you.
 
I vote for Bushmaster. I haven't had any problems with the one I've owned, the 16" A2 Shorty with AK muzzle brake.

I also purchased a stripped Oly Arms lower and put it together with a parts kit from JT Surplus, this was a A2 Shorty also. Both weapons functioned well, but for fit and finish, the BM is a better weapon.

You might check with

http://ar15.com/

they have a great forum dealing with AR's, problems and specific manufacturers.

Make sure you shop around for prices. My local gun shops want $900-$1100 for a Oly and BM's. Checking the shotgun news can get you one in the neighborhood of $700- $800.

Good Shooting
RED
 
Colts usually are more expensive because of the brand name. If you want the most quality for your dollar, go with a Bushmaster. The Bushmaster will be closer to the military spec as well. Go to the forums at http://www.ar15.com and see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) at http://www.bushmaster.com

Lots of people will argue back and forth, telling stories about lemons they've had from every brand of AR15 manufacturer, but I think that most of the major brands will suit you fine.... unless you get a lemon :)

If you get a lemon from Bushmaster, most people will agree that their customer service will be very accommodating. I doubt you will have any problems though.

I love my Bushmaster... but don't tell my M1A.
 
I am partial to the Bushmaster, because that was my first AR. My second one was a Olympic Arms. both work fine shoot great and will take any ammo I feed it although I stick to S&B, because I was getting it cheap at gunshows.
 
Best value, meaning fair price with consistent quality?Bushmaster.


Great quality, excellent customer service, and lifetime warranty? ARMALITE!



Those are my two favorite manufacturers.




Colt is over priced for what you get, has some odd ball part specs, and quality is sometimes hit and miss. I'm not a diehard Colt fan, there might be a preban or two out there I'd buy but for a postban rifle there are better deals or better quality to be had.


DPMS isn't bad but the majority of them aren't your standard AR15 configuration and aren't really a begginner AR15. I also consider Armalite to be the better deal even though they don't offer all the different variations that DPMS offers.


Wilson? Are you talking about Wilson Combat? Ouch! Talk about a solid thump to the wallet! What are you looking to use your AR15 for? If you're looking for a blaster for target shooting, the Wilson will be similar to a Ferrari seeing use as a grocery getter. If you're looking for a match grade AR15 I think you can find a custom upper assembly to put on a lower assembly that you built up that has all the quality of the Wilson if not more, but for an equal or maybe even slightly lower price. Check out Metalcraft Specialties http://www.metalcraft-ar15.com/ , for really accurate rifles this guy has turned out some real nice AR15s where he's using top notch barrels, I've seen the results from some of the guns he's built and they are very impressive. They aren't blaster AR15s though, these are match grade barrels and should be treated as the gems that they are.




I'll say this as for what to stay away from, ASA and Hesse are both crap. Hesse is often reported to be hit and miss on quality control, there used to be a representative on the AR15.com boards but he got pissed by all the people complaining about their stripped lowers and he left that forum about a year ago. Then there is the wonderful Bob of ASA, he has been attributed as being the sole person responsible for the horrible ASA customer service, occasionally an ASA rifle makes it out the door and is a real lemon or not assembled quite correctly.

There have been people who have had good results with both ASA and Hesse but those people are considered by many to be lucky.



Once you get one AR15 you probably won't be able to stop with just one, that or you won't be able to keep it box stock for long.




By all means go over to the AR15.com forums and start poking around, you'll quickly find so many variations and makers out there that it's mind blowing. It took me the better part of 5 months to finally lay out the plans for who I wanted to build my upper assembly for my custom gun and what parts I wanted to use for my lower assembly.


Catch a gander at my ARs at my webpage if you're interested.
http://home.bak.rr.com/varmintcong/main.html
 
Stay away from the Wilson.
1. Bushmaster, best overall value
2. Colt, if you insist. Has intrinsic value due to name,$$$!
3. Armalite, a good choice. Bushmaster is better choice.
4. Rock River Arms, under rated. Exceptional value good prices.

Those are my obsevations valued at $.02
 
Go with the Bushmaster. You won't be sorry. I've seen some Olympic Arms AR's come through the store lately with upper/lower fit problems.

I had a DPMS preban. Good solid rifles and accurate too. Wish I hadn't sold it.
 
My first AR was a Colt Sporter Lightweight and I've owned 3 ARs since-two Bushmasters and a PWA. I'd say the PWA was the highest quality wise (also the most expensive), the Bushmasters are great all-around ARs, you can get them in nearly any configuration to float your boat. In all honesty I found the Colt to have the worst metal-to-metal fit of the three. In short, I'd recommend the Bushmaster.
 
Thank you for all of the advice. I am going to go with a Bushmaster. Now I just have to decide what I want out of the gun. I am thinking the 20 inch A3 match is going to do everything I want. I am tempted to go with the 24 inch V match flat top with folding front and rear sights. Is the two stage trigger worth a damn or should I stay away from it. I am thinking of actually doing some varminting with it. Uglygun I like your site.
 
Since you've made the wise decision to go Bushmaster, I won't waste any time trying to convince you to get a Bushmaster, which would have been my recommendation. Regarding the trigger: I also use my Bushy for varmint and target shooting, and I chose the JP Enterprises trigger/hammer combo. It's a single-stage, very much like a Rem. 700 trigger. If you want two-stage, go with Jewell or Compass Lake.

BTW, I recently got a chance to check out a Wilson, up close. Had a DPMS free-float tube; don't know the barrel manufacturer; Rock River lower; JP Enterprises hammer/trigger. I jsut don't see the $$$ that they demand. My Bushy is outfitted essentially the same, and I've got a whole lot less in my Bushy than they're asking for those Wilsons.
 
There's nothing on the Wilson that you couldn't later have done to your plain jane AR variant. I say give Rock River a try. Mines been perfect so far. I got the 16 inch with a flat top.
 
In my opinion a 16" flattop with a floating handguard is the way to go. I never could get my fancy tricked out 20" match rifle to outperform my 16" CAR. I finally gave up and went to only 16" flattops. After twenty years of messing around with AR15s, I don't think that the bulk of a 24" or even a 20" is worth it. YMMV. Watch-Six
 
You might want to consider cruising over to ar15.com and checking out the limited edition AR15.COM rifle group purchase. For $660, including shipping to your FFL, you get:

This is a flattop rifle with a fixed telestock, side sling adapter, star safety switch, oversized M4 handguard, contoured 16" 1/9 barrel with a "A2 look alike" birdcage flash supressor, reamed out and press fitted over the end, it's exactly 23mm & leagl. Also includes laser engraved Ltd Edition AR15.COM numbers, Hogue Pistol Grip and a 10-rnd mag.

For more information, check out http://www.ar15.com/forums/announcement.html?id=15#lastPost
 
Well just to throw in my opinion:
Other than brand, best deal for a do everything would be:

1.A3
2. Chrome chamber, but not barrel -for better accuracy yet good function with cheap Wolf lacquered ammo
3. 20" barrel- I like the feeling and pointability of it better
4. floating handguard
5. Any custom trigger-they're all better than the stock trigger
6. Nekkid muzzle -cleaning flash hiders is a pain, and muzzle brakes push .223 past well beyond my hearing pain tolerance threshold.
 
Yes the two stage triggers are worth it! The V-Match had the stock Bushmaster trigger and the DCM has the competition trigger and it makes a TON of difference!
 
Poodleshooter,

From the sound of your reply, you apparently don't wear hearing protection. I wouldn't risk my hearing with any centerfire rifle, with or without a muzzle brake!
 
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