Buy the highest quality barrel you can afford. And high quality depends upon straightness of bore, uniformity of rifling and concentricity of the chamber with the bore, NOT whether it is 4150, chrome lined or has parkerizing under the front sight base (meaningless factors with respect to accuracy).
Colt vs DPMS
- Thread starter OttoJara
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Cristcorp you have opened my eyes, my sights are now set on the Colt 6520. It is everything I am looking for, I had a plan on how to pay for this, but I really don't want to sell my series 70 for the money. I do have a belgium made Browning A5 Light Twelve I might use for funds. I am already selling my Judge. Quite a step up, Judge to Colt AR.
christcorp
New member
Right now, colt is having this sale, and a couple of retailers are selling at this price. CDNN also has the 6520 for $899. http://www.cdnninvestments.com/ Click on the catelog. (Page 27). Good thing about CDNN, is they have great shipping. They are a great company. Matter of fact, with the 6520, they are throwing in a couple of magazines. There's also a lot of other goodies at CDNN. I buy from them a lot. Best of luck to you. mike....
http://forums.officer.com/showthread.php?81462-So-you-want-to-buy-an-AR-15-huh
Best comparision I've seen. I use a Colt.
Biker
Best comparision I've seen. I use a Colt.
Biker
I think the following link sums it up very well.
http://230grain.com/showthread.php?...d-to-Know-about-AR-15s-I-Learned-from-Fanboys
http://230grain.com/showthread.php?...d-to-Know-about-AR-15s-I-Learned-from-Fanboys
Best source of AR quality and how to buy one on the net:
http://www.tacticalyellowvisor.net/2501.html
http://www.tacticalyellowvisor.net/2501.html
madcratebuilder
New member
OttoJara said:
I think in your situation the Colt is a great choice. It's a excellent rifle and holds resale better than other AR's. Be careful not to catch BRD, one AR can turn into several AR's rather quickly.
I have a Colt Match Target Competition H-Bar that shoots great,...but I hate it. It's heavy to carry, noisy to shoot, and it is a Colt, which means the lower receiver isn't standard AR-15 issue. Parts interchangeability gets to be iffy.
And then there's my little DPMS in the M4 style. Cost less than half the Colt. Is easy to carry. Easier on my ears. And I'm not afraid to get it dirty, which means I use it a lot. And, most AR parts easily interchange, so I can always change it to suit me.
And then there's my little DPMS in the M4 style. Cost less than half the Colt. Is easy to carry. Easier on my ears. And I'm not afraid to get it dirty, which means I use it a lot. And, most AR parts easily interchange, so I can always change it to suit me.
chris in va
New member
I'm not made of money, so looking at the S&W M&P Sport for $600. Everything I need, nothing I don't.
I guess what I should have asked is, is a $200.00 difference worth it to go from $899 to $1099 from 6520 to a 6920? In a local store, the 6920 had a $2000.00 price tag on it. They will always give you a better price if you challenge them on it. But still, it seems that the M4 is the more advanced way to go.
Sorry, everyone has their own answer to that question. Either is a fine choice if it's what you want. You have to live with your choice so give it a lot of thought before buying.
You keep saying M4 but some of the very early M4s had integrated carry handles. Better to say A2 vs. A4 which gets to the heart of integrated carry handle vs. removable carry handle.
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A couple of points.
One, SHTF doesn't exist. If you really need that gun, they issue it to you. And it could likely be an FN M16A2. Colt hasn't always done the job.
Two, picking a brand first means assuming it has quality. It very well does not. That changes over time, and on the open market, there is competition.
Three, the AR market uses the milspec standards for the M4 as a guideline, but you cannot possibly buy one. It's automatic Government use only. Whatever you get will be short of that, and only certified milspec if the Government hands it to you.
Four, since you must do homework to ensure you are really getting the quality you want for the money, you need to know what features are milspec, and who uses them. Then you have to ask if it's even relevant to your use. You CAN get better than that. Milspec is a minimum standard of construction to get the government what it wants, without cheating the taxpayer. It is NOT the ultimate technical standard or best way to make it.
Five, if you don't know what specs you are getting, using the price as a guideline is useless. Makers and vendors in the distribution of firearms do not pay exactly the same money for identical parts, and do not mark them up for the same profit. Government suppliers NEVER discount their goods, to protect their contract pricing - which means it's inflated to support their reputation.
Six, buying Brand or style of gun ignores what you will really use it for. It may be a cool SHTF gun, but lugging a Barrett .50 thru the streets of Katrinaville may not be the best choice. Examine what you need it to do most of the time - then choose the caliber and barrel length to do it. They are primary, not Brand, because that's what launches the bullet. An engraved name on the lower contributes nothing to the barrels accuracy or the ammunitions striking power. Case in point, if you plan to hunt with it, you may very well not be allowed to use a Colt, simply because 5.56 is illegal in your jurisdiction. Colt doesn't necessarily offer the best alternative caliber, and insisting on Brand at that point is useless. You can't have it in the caliber, barrel, or work to install it. It will not be Colt.
Seven, working through the process of matching the parts to the task means understanding milspec could very well not apply. That's where you have to discern quality, not hype. Quality is reflected in material selection, appropriate shape, and what testing it went through to show it met a standard - and what that was. Do you get a semi auto bolt carrier group, and live with it's lighter weight and that it cocks the hammer on the back of the firing pin, or use the originally designed full auto BCG with it's slightly heavier weight, and which cocks the hammer on the shoulder of the carrier that shrouds the firing pin? Have you read the pros and cons of both, or just willing to take whatever you get and live with it? Some did, and found Colt had seriously cut away semi auto carriers, and even used different sized take down pins, which complicated swapping uppers. It was not a simple pop the pins and switch.
Eight, since Brand, milspec, and internet recommendations cannot be trusted to get you what you need, it's important to realize that you could very well wind up with an albatross completely unsuited to what you needed to use - regardless that you wanted it. That's fine - if you want it, get it. Using firearms has some flexibility, and it's often a matter of degree, not being either capable or completely incapable. However, the emotional assessment of being satisfied will likely tilt one way or the other, and reservations or complete dissatisfaction is common. At that point, at least, some knowledge is gained - it's up to the individual to decide if it was worth learning that way.
Me, I studied on the AR for some time, reflecting on what I liked and dislike about it while using it for 22 years in the Army Reserve. It boiled down to selecting the caliber and barrel, then what upper would be needed, the optic/sights, furniture, and trigger, in that order. Too many approach it backwards, and wind up with a $1200 wonder rifle that still only shoots 2MOA, and can't do better. In that regard, it's milspec.
If you want better than 8" groups at 400 yards, you don't get milspec barrels and assume they do it. Don't get suckered into the trap of Brand or spec, select features that meet the goal.
One, SHTF doesn't exist. If you really need that gun, they issue it to you. And it could likely be an FN M16A2. Colt hasn't always done the job.
Two, picking a brand first means assuming it has quality. It very well does not. That changes over time, and on the open market, there is competition.
Three, the AR market uses the milspec standards for the M4 as a guideline, but you cannot possibly buy one. It's automatic Government use only. Whatever you get will be short of that, and only certified milspec if the Government hands it to you.
Four, since you must do homework to ensure you are really getting the quality you want for the money, you need to know what features are milspec, and who uses them. Then you have to ask if it's even relevant to your use. You CAN get better than that. Milspec is a minimum standard of construction to get the government what it wants, without cheating the taxpayer. It is NOT the ultimate technical standard or best way to make it.
Five, if you don't know what specs you are getting, using the price as a guideline is useless. Makers and vendors in the distribution of firearms do not pay exactly the same money for identical parts, and do not mark them up for the same profit. Government suppliers NEVER discount their goods, to protect their contract pricing - which means it's inflated to support their reputation.
Six, buying Brand or style of gun ignores what you will really use it for. It may be a cool SHTF gun, but lugging a Barrett .50 thru the streets of Katrinaville may not be the best choice. Examine what you need it to do most of the time - then choose the caliber and barrel length to do it. They are primary, not Brand, because that's what launches the bullet. An engraved name on the lower contributes nothing to the barrels accuracy or the ammunitions striking power. Case in point, if you plan to hunt with it, you may very well not be allowed to use a Colt, simply because 5.56 is illegal in your jurisdiction. Colt doesn't necessarily offer the best alternative caliber, and insisting on Brand at that point is useless. You can't have it in the caliber, barrel, or work to install it. It will not be Colt.
Seven, working through the process of matching the parts to the task means understanding milspec could very well not apply. That's where you have to discern quality, not hype. Quality is reflected in material selection, appropriate shape, and what testing it went through to show it met a standard - and what that was. Do you get a semi auto bolt carrier group, and live with it's lighter weight and that it cocks the hammer on the back of the firing pin, or use the originally designed full auto BCG with it's slightly heavier weight, and which cocks the hammer on the shoulder of the carrier that shrouds the firing pin? Have you read the pros and cons of both, or just willing to take whatever you get and live with it? Some did, and found Colt had seriously cut away semi auto carriers, and even used different sized take down pins, which complicated swapping uppers. It was not a simple pop the pins and switch.
Eight, since Brand, milspec, and internet recommendations cannot be trusted to get you what you need, it's important to realize that you could very well wind up with an albatross completely unsuited to what you needed to use - regardless that you wanted it. That's fine - if you want it, get it. Using firearms has some flexibility, and it's often a matter of degree, not being either capable or completely incapable. However, the emotional assessment of being satisfied will likely tilt one way or the other, and reservations or complete dissatisfaction is common. At that point, at least, some knowledge is gained - it's up to the individual to decide if it was worth learning that way.
Me, I studied on the AR for some time, reflecting on what I liked and dislike about it while using it for 22 years in the Army Reserve. It boiled down to selecting the caliber and barrel, then what upper would be needed, the optic/sights, furniture, and trigger, in that order. Too many approach it backwards, and wind up with a $1200 wonder rifle that still only shoots 2MOA, and can't do better. In that regard, it's milspec.
If you want better than 8" groups at 400 yards, you don't get milspec barrels and assume they do it. Don't get suckered into the trap of Brand or spec, select features that meet the goal.
goodspeed(TPF)
New member
Please provide a link. Thank you.
I just hope my wife doesn't read this. I don't mind the upper, I think I like the carry handle, I also realized that you CAN mount optics on the handle so that changes everything. Looks like I am back to the 6520 and a little cash for the extra mags and ammo. I'll wait a bit got the optics part but I'm sure it won't be long. If everything goes right, I hope to have it in less then a month.
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