[alex2]

I recently just got into firearms and purchased a handgun but now I want to get an AR-15. I've done some homework online and talked to some guys at a few shops around me but I could still definitely use some help. One model that kind of caught my eye was the smith and wesson M&P 15 MOE. Ideally i would like to spend no more than say $1300 after taxes but if there was some outrageous deal for a rifle that wasn't too much more I could see myself allocating more money towards it. I've read some posts with people recommending building a rifle but I'm kind of hesitant to try to piece one together when i wouldn't know what the heck i was doing. Any recommendations would be awesome...

[PrimePorkchop]

I was in your same shoes about a month ago. I ended up going with the Colt LE6940 for $1400 after taxes...a few reasons:

#1. It's "Colt"
#2. I was reading that Colt just retired its Law Enforcement lines of rifles...so I was hoping this would be worth quite a bit down the road.


With that being said, however, I was really diggin' that M&P 15 MOE like you mentioned, it was seriously second on my list...in some ways I regret not getting it, in others im happy I got my colt.

One thing i've learned from my experience, however, is that it's really what you will be happy with. For me, it was rewarding to say "I own a Colt" and pay the extra money.

Whereas my good friend loves his Rock River (who are a great company themselves) and he spent almost 50% less on his than I did on mine.

Look at the rifle...if you love the looks, get it.

With a name like Smith & Wesson you simply can't go wrong (thats just my opinion, however...and im not a professional, so take it for what its worth)

[alex2]

thanks porkchop thats some food for thought. AR's seem like it's just a whole 'nother ball game. You mentioned colt as a good brand name, what are some others that a real high quality make?

[Powersportgiant]

I picked up a S&W AR Optics ready version for $700 OTD. For what I do it's awesome and I love it. I shoot once or twice a month 75-250 yards with it just for fun mostly. I have about $150 in options on it with a RDS, quad rail, magazines, and a foregrip. I am pleased with my investment. You will get different answers from everyone and it's a lifelong investment. Just weigh out how much you will use it, your purpose, budget, and how it feels to you. My .02.

[synical]

I have a S&W MOE that I got on sale at Academy Sports. Sometimes they run them on special and I got mine for 899. when reg price is 999 so after that then I put a bunch of accessories on it and about 1500 dollars later it looks like this. The pic does not show the laser or the flashlight well but I like the way she turned out and she shoots nice!

[mjkeat]

The best value in an AR is going to come from PSA, BCM, Daniel Defense, or Colt.

People will go and spend up to $1000 on an AR at some retailer when they could have spent the same or less and ended up w/ a much better AR. For $1300 you can have a BCM and money in your pocket. And the most important part, you'll have a high quality AR to enjoy.

S&W is decent but $899? You could have had a Colt for $46 more. The gap in quality b/w the 2 is much larger than the difference in price.

[AgentTikki]

$1300

Best deal out there

My review on M4carbine.

Rainier Arms' RUC 16" Lightweight AR15 review; initial observations - M4Carbine.net Forums

[PrimePorkchop]

Originally Posted by alex2

thanks porkchop thats some food for thought. AR's seem like it's just a whole 'nother ball game. You mentioned colt as a good brand name, what are some others that a real high quality make?

Well, again this is just my opinion, based on things I read and people I talked to when deciding which rifle to go with...also, based on a few responses in my most recent thread (where I was worried I got ripped off on the price of my Colt) i'm even more proud to own the Colt LE6940 =)

What the overwhelming majority of people who I talked to recommended to me was to "build your own AR15". So I did a lot of research on this, and it is by and far the best way to get what YOU want in a rifle (aesthetics, performance, etc)

I shy'd (shied?) away from this in the end because it seemed pretty intimidating up front. All of my experience with firearms since my first shotgun as a kid has been 100% handguns and shotguns...never owned a rifle, and knew nothing about AR-15s...build your own seemed like something a total newbie shouldn't be tackling on their own to me


After I ruled that out, I kept bouncing back and forth between several different rifles:

"I like the looks of this one, but I love the price of that one"
"This one comes with a red dot"
"That one comes with ________"
"I like the brand name on this one, but lots of reviewers said they weren't too enthused"

Basically, I ran the gambit because I did NOT want to be disappointed a month down the road.

So I set down and made a list of everything I wanted in a rifle, and forced myself to make a determination...after all, the more time I spent thinking about it, the less time I spent holding it in my hands

I decided first and foremost on my budget, but next the most important thing for me was the way it looked (call me shallow...just being honest lol)

Sure, you can switch out all kinds of parts on an ar-15 to get the look you want...but i didn't want to da'Vinci it and make my own masterpiece...I wanted a great looking canvas that was paint-by-number where I could fill in the details and make it look badass my own way

I really liked the look of a few rifles:





Smith & Wesson M&P15T





Colt LE6940







Black Rain Ordnance PG-8






Those were my top 3. The Next step was to decide where within my budget I wanted to be. The S&W was on the low end, Colt was spot on and BRO was a little outside my budget, but I was willing to go that route if necessary (my budget was $1400)

Another brand I considered based on looks was Bushmaster. And I know someone will want to kick me in the ass for saying this, but I read a lot of reviews on product pages where people were disappointed with jamming on their Bushmaster rifle...I looked at a few different places (buds, cheaperthandirt, etc) and lots of people were saying they had issues with jams on certain models of BM. Whether or not that's true, I will not be the judge of, but it was enough for me to not consider them as an option (look around for yourself, however, before/if you rule them out...you might find a model I didn't that people are glowing over!)



So I asked around both to people on here, and people IRL, and what I learned is that everyone loves different AR-15s for different reasons...I was going to have to make this decision on my own.

My final determining factor was Brand Name...again I know that sounds shallow, but hey...You gotta be honest about what you want, or you'll regret it for all time (at least thats what I decided for me)

So I threw out the BRO...firstly because until i accidentally stumbled upon it in a Google Search, I had never heard of them (not saying they're not a great company...but to me "Name Brand" should almost be household name (Colt, S&W, Remington, Winchester, etc) and BRO was almost $400 out of the budget I told myself to stay within.


So it came down to the S&W v.s. the Colt. Both great names, both great looking rifles (almost identical in look if you ask me) and I settled on the Colt mainly because nobody in my inner circle of gun buddies owns a Colt AR-15...they are always complaining about how expensive they are. I've got the money saved up and I can own one...might as well make them jealous (aren't I a great friend, lol)


For a few days I regretted my decision because a good friend of mine whose word I took too much to heart told me I got ripped off...but after some great advice from other members here on firearmstalk, i came to realize my buddy was basically just trying to make himself feel better for buying a different, less expensive rifle =)

...I know that was a LOT to read...but I hope in some way it helped

[Quentin]

Alex, Porkchop pretty much covered it above. There are a lot of great AR choices out there plus a lot of poor ones and no one can tell you what to get. You have to figure out what you want which takes much research on your part. That includes budget, your applications and your skill level if you decide to do a build. And your patience and ability to root out the best deals while avoiding junk.

We all have our biases and I'm sure no exception. I know exactly what I want but is it right for you? Probably not. So watch out when I recommend something and watch out when someone else does too. Only you can figure out what you want. Of course we'll all be glad to tell you about our favorite sons!

I do think building forces you into doing the research more than buying off the rack. I like choosing every part that goes into my rifle but it does take work and probably won't save you money. If you make wise decisions though, you end up with what you really wanted.

[alex2]

How would you guys say daniel defense compares to say colt or BCM?
Here's one I was looking at
https://danieldefense.com/rifles/daniel-defense-m4-carbine-v4.html
A shop not to far away had it for $1219. Any suggestions? and is that a decent price??
TIA