It's DI though. I want piston for several reason. Price isn't an issue. Getting what I want without buying a lemon is,
Advantage of going Core is that it already has Magpul Furniture. Assuming you go for MOE or higher.
Probably just the MOE or lower actually. I have all the goodies I want as far as furniture goes.
I have the LE enhanced carbine version of this rifle. The only criticisms are the 1:9 twist and the commercial buffer tube. Fit and finish is excellent, the trigger is pretty good and it's nice to shoot. For a base AR the Armalite is a solid deal. I'm happy with mine.
I have handled a few Core rifles when they were new. Fit and finish was good. On par with Armalite, Aero precision etc. Specs looked good and the price was good.
I wasn't as impressed with the piston version. The one I saw had a chunky handguard which I didn't like. It was awkward and looked funny. Plus the GTO engraving looked lame. All though I don't condone such sentiments I once heard it referred to as heterosexually challenged.
Lots of good rifles out there and the prices are decent.
THAT'S the review I was looking for. I know CORE's DI stuff is pretty damn good and the fit/finish on every one I've seen has been great. The barrel issue is a non-issue as I'll end up replacing it with a match barrel from ATRS or Noveski in the end if the rifle works for me. I do find that DI Armalite from Wolverine a tempting deal, but piston is so attractive for me for it's familiarity. I'm no stranger to tooling on a gun and tweaking it as I build it so I'm not scared of getting into the guts and making it perform. Just want to make sure it's a solid platform and something that won't turn me off AR's now that I've finally decided to break down and get one for the stable, LOL!
Thanks man! (Oh, and I'll make mine non-heterosexually challenged,

)
for $100 more why not go with the DD? If you come to the WRAS match this weekend you can take a look at mine.
It's DI, that's why,

I won't be able to make it this weekend... stuck in Albania for 3 more days and 3 days of flights to get home... yuck.
How is that an argument to buy DD?
A pistion core15 cost $100 less than a DI Daniel defense. Pistion ar15 are move expensive than DI Ar15.
You can get a DI core15 for $1100. Save the $400 to buy 1000 rounds of .223 Rem.
I completely agree. Save money for ammo and do-dads. So long as the platform is g2g then I can build it up as I see fit for my hands,
For only a hundred dollars more, you can avoid a piston AR, AND get a rifle from a better builder...win-win.
Sounds like a lose=chance to me. I haven't heard or seen anything that says DD is better than CORE, just that it's more expensive and shinier. The AR I plan to build up from a stock platform is going to get thrown in the dirt, kicked around, shot a LOT and in general used like it should be used. It won't be a range bride or a "Hey guys, let's go put 20 rounds through my AR and then go to the bar." kind of gun. It will be a working girl, flat out. All the shiny engraved DD stuff would be a waste on me. I don't care what it looks like so long as it goes bang every time.
Even the Norc M4 is a "real" AR (just not a really great AR). Unless your new AR has "NEA" or "Olympic/Eagle Arms" stamped on the box, you should be good-to-go. You'll probably get a bit better buy with the Core15, because quite a few of them have some Magpul and other upgrade options. While running you a bit more coin, a piston system will run cleaner and cooler (you can also have minor issues like carrier tilt, though). You certainly can't go wrong with a Daniel Defense, either.
If you're looking for the cheapest, good quality AR - get a DI Core15. If you're looking for a slightly more expensive (and slightly higher quality AR) - get the DD.
Not looking for cheapest, but closest to what I would say is the perfect AR for me. Then I'll tweak and add and remove and modify till it's right for me. The clean/cool is what I'm after in the piston. I'm all about low-maintenance. Guns are like girls to me... If I have to primp them every time I take them out I trade them off for something less time consuming,

Being stationed in Albania for 2/3rds of my time leaves little room for the old days of cleaning, polishing, shining, and loving my guns. Loving my guns now is shooting them till I run out of ammo and throwing them in the vault. When they stop shooting I DCOA them and run it till it's hot again, lol!
Cheers all and thanks for the input! An AR newb like me needs as much help as he can get to dip his feet into the pool without getting bent over with no reach around,
