What is the best type of ar?

Which do you think is best?

  • Colt

    Votes: 20 21.1%

  • Dpms

    Votes: 1 1.1%

  • Bushmaster

    Votes: 7 7.4%

  • Stag

    Votes: 4 4.2%

  • Rock river arms

    Votes: 12 12.6%

  • Armalite

    Votes: 2 2.1%

  • Build your own

    Votes: 23 24.2%

  • Other

    Votes: 26 27.4%
  • Total voters
    95
  • Poll closed .
Well the first thing your mentioned was reliability so...

Colt
BCM
Daniel Defence
Spikes
Noveske

All make firearms that meet "Mil-Spec" meaning they are made from quality parts and are tested to make sure there where no flaws in the prosses.

Many company's like DPMS/Bushmaster (which are owned by the same company BTW) Rock River etc say they are "Mil-Spec" but what they really mean is that they use parts that are interchangeable with "Mil-Spec" parts.
For example a DPMS barrel will fit on a Colt rifle but it is made with different steel and has a different twist rate for the rifleing.

Think about what you want the rifle to do and buy accordingly. Because each gun is different and the "best" can change depending on what your going to use it for.
 
The only concern that I have with mid-length is the fact there is no "spec" for it.

Everyone does it differently.

With the carbine length and rifle length systems there is a standard. A correct nominal with a +/- dimension on it that is accepted and tested out over many years.

With the mid-length design everyone has a home brew. There is no TDP for mid lengths and as such, you don't know that you are getting a rifle that will be acceptable over a wide range of ammo/altitudes/temperatures variations unless that company has done extensive testing with their design.

I like the Mid-length design in theory. I thought it was a good idea when Westrom (Armalite) first introduced it back in the late '90s.
 
I voted Colt, as a complete rifle.

If you're not, forget the lower, spend the money on an upper, and trigger.

Lowers (excluding the trigger) don't make an AR, the upper does.

Not on the list: Any Lower, White Oak Upper.

I also like full length barrels, or for an AR that would be 20 inches. I see no earthly purpose for short barreled ARs, not like we are going to be fighting from Infantry Troop Carriers or doing building searches. If we did, we'd be in the Army and they would make the choice for us.

But then I'm a target shooter.

If you're just going to plink to less then 300 yards just about any would work.
 
Since this seems to be trending to a "If you build an AR"... If I wanted to build my AR from scratch. What parts would I need (Upper, lower, etc.)? And what are the best of those parts?
 
The things im looking for... full rail, good trigger for bench rest, very reliable with the possibility for hd. Varmint and deer hunting. (Don't say the. 223 isn't adequate for deer, that is not the point of this thread ) and 1 moa. And in the 1k range. Does colt provide this?
 
Since this seems to be trending to a "If you build an AR"... If I wanted to build my AR from scratch. What parts would I need (Upper, lower, etc.)? And what are the best of those parts?
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With few exceptions, lower receivers and upper receivers are pretty much all the same. Buy a quality barrel, BCG, and action spring, and a floated handguard and quality iron sights. After that, it's more like a prom dress than a rifle.

If you ask 100 different guys who built their own AR, you'd probably get an equal number of different responses to "what's the best". Your best bet is to define the mission the rifle is expected to fulfill, look at the various AR-15 specific forums, and assemble your rifle on paper before buying the first part.

Optics is another big question. Which red dot sight? Which magnified scope?

This stuff will often break down into religious discussions between people who like "this' and people that like "that".
 
The things im looking for... full rail, good trigger for bench rest, very reliable with the possibility for hd. Varmint and deer hunting. (Don't say the. 223 isn't adequate for deer, that is not the point of this thread ) and 1 moa. And in the 1k range. Does colt provide this?
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0) Why do you want a full rail (or ANY rail) for bench-rest?

1) The .223 isn't adequate for deer.

2) 1 MOA from an AR at 1000 yards? No way, not with a .223/5.56. Even a .308 is at the very edge of effectiveness at that range, but it is used for long-range matches in the military.

What I think you really want is a quality bolt-action rifle chambered in 300 Win Mag.
 
I want my rifle for multi purpose use. I have already listed these uses several times. Like I said, please to not comment on weather or not. 223 is enough for deer as that is not the issue. I want a full rail( for lights, lasers bipods, grips etc if I want them on. I want it to be 1 mo@ accurate AT&T 1-300 yds. Purposes are bench, hd, and hunting. Reliable as possible for around 1k$
 
Don't let anyone tell you the AR w/223s wont shoot at 1000 yards. They will, and with iron sights.

In service rifle competitions the AR is out shooting the past records set by the M14/308s.

You get a good rifle/barrel and good loads and you're not shooting 1 MOA at 1000 yards then its you not the rifle.
 
Some of your choices are somewhat mutually exclusive for a "best" setup.

A rifle that is going to give the average person the ability to repeatedly shoot into tiny targets at 300 yards might not be very good for personal defense at "bad breath" distances.

What is your primary use? Secondary? Tertiary?

My Colt 6920 with an Aimpoint M4S is my primary "fighting" rifle. It has a MI FSB rail with a Surefire Classic LED held on with a VLTOR Scout mount and a Blue Force Victory Sling and Larue Fixed BUIS. It is accurate enough with 55 gr/62 gr Surplus I usually shoot out of it to 300 yards. I don't shoot for groups with this rifle. I can hit what I aim at with it and that is enough for me.

But doing the shooting that Kraig is doing, it wouldn't be acceptable. It isn't repeatable enough.

But it isn't so great shooting really small crows at 200+ yards in open fields. I switch to a 6724 with a 4.5 X 14 magnified optic. But that isn't something that I would want to haul around where I am going to be doing alot of walking or where there are going to be close shots.

A rifle set up "best" for home defense won't be "best" for bench shooting and vice versa.

You will be much happier if you get a rifle that suits you primary use.

Like Kraig. His rifle is setup for his primary use, HP shooting.

I am assuming by you posts that you are new to this and there is nothing wrong with that. We ALL were at one time.

Get a good quality rifle with a removable carry handle and 500 rnds of ammo. Use up those 1st 500 rds and see where you have the most fun, and get used to shooting the rifle and the weapon manipulations by then you will know what else you need to get. You will most likely find out that you don't really need or want all that HSLD gear and that will save more money for AMMO!! :)

Don't be "That guy" with the swiss army knife rifle and no knowledge of how to run it.
 
This is the sort of poll where the answers will almost always be "the one I own."


Seriously though - there are so many good choices today. You can't really go wrong with Colt, Spikes, Daniel Defense, PSA, or BCM. If you want to spend the extra money (though I'm not sure it's necessary), Noveske and LMT are great too.

I wouldn't put S&W, DMPS, Bushmaster, Del-ton, Rock River, or even Stag in the same list as above, but they all make a good product.
 
I guess I shouldn't be trying to get every possible use out of one gun. Come to think about it, there are way better choices for hd than an ar. I guess I could narrow it down the to plinking, hunting and shtf. I would like to stay within the 16 in, and could probably exclude the full rail system, but a top rail is important, and the capability for 1the moa. All for around 1k. Also, do you need a bottom rail for a bipod mount?
 
A rifle set up "best" for home defense won't be "best" for bench shooting and vice versa
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Exactly. You could probably do both by getting a Noveske but the Noveske will be more than $1000. You have to let something give.


Seriously though - there are so many good choices today. You can't really go wrong with Colt, Spikes, Daniel Defense, PSA, or BCM. If you want to spend the extra money (though I'm not sure it's necessary), Noveske and LMT are great too.

I wouldn't put S&W, DMPS, Bushmaster, Del-ton, Rock River, or even Stag in the same list as above
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Agreed but if you had to chose something other than "top tier" the S&W comes the closest to true "mil-spec" the main difference is the barrel is 4140 steel instead of 4150 and has a 1/9 twist instead of 1/7.
(Rock River and Stag are after that,then the Del-Ton's and Bushmaster/DPMS's)
 
You can do it all with one rifle. It just won't be the "best" at it.

In my experience a bipod is more of a hinderance than it is a help. It makes the front of the gun heavier, snags on every single tree branch in the woods, and makes the rifle bounce when I fire unless I press into it good and "preload" it.

I prefer using a bag shooting off a bench or a pack or tree branch or something in the "field" cushioned on my hand.

Why is 1 MOA that important just out of curiosity? Are you personally capable of shooting 1 MOA or less from field positions on demand? (I am not). Most rifles out there shoot way better than their owners.

My advice, is get a Colt SP6920 or a S&W M&P, 5 good USGI magazines (NHMTG/OKAY/CENTER IND) and 500 rds of ammo. Take it out to where you shoot. Try it out. See where you like to put your hands, how you manipulate the rifle, how you shoot from standard and jackass positions and then you will have a better idea of what you actually need to make the rifle suit you. You could find out that you really wanted a good bolt action or an AK or something. If so, you could more easily sell a Colt or S&W than you could a Noveske or LMT or BCM.
 
I want top tier. I don't like settling for less. But what determines tiers?
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How close it is to true "mil-spec".


Are you personally capable of shooting 1 MOA or less from field positions on demand? (I am not). Most rifles out there shoot way better than their owners
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Exactly think long and hard about this statment. Because unless your useing carefully handloaded/match ammo then 1 MOA probably isn't going to happen with any rifle.
Second shooting 1 MOA is well beyond the capabilities of most shooters.
(unless they are useing a high power scope)


Where's the LWRCi love?
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There isn't a "mil-spec" for piston guns. Every company that sells a piston AR uses their own design. So without a standard I choose to omit them from my "list".
 
And by mil-spec, he means: barrel steel, twist rate, chrome lining, HP testing, MP inspection of bolts, etc. Not "fit and finish"
 
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