Help choosing AR

kthomas said:
Mil-spec doesn't mean much. Military doesn't buy the best equipment - they buy the equipment that meets their standards at the lowest cost.

There are a lot better options out there than mass produced mil-spec AR's.

Don't get hung up on the mil-spec thing, you miss out on some great AR's otherwise ;)
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Yep... like the E3 Bolt on my SR-15 is a departure from milspec as well.
 
Any of them will be fine. I personally like dd and lmt but there are lots out there in the 1200 to 1500 range. Keep an eye on the ee.
 
b_w. said:
Any of them will be fine. I personally like dd and lmt but there are lots out there in the 1200 to 1500 range. Keep an eye on the ee.
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After considering what people have posted (thanks all) and if my refund was in hand today I'd be buying the DD M4 v7. The EE is an option for sure, but warranties generally are only for the original purchaser and I want a warranty.
 
tpirovol said:
Who has the best price on one??
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So far its Canada Ammo. They beat Wolverine by $9 bucks (with Wolverine's current sale). Other than CanAm the only price I've seen is the same $1509. Reminds me of trying to find a Mac that is cheaper than the going rate, essentially you can't, they're all the same price.
 
If you want a piston rifle also have a look at Core. I have no experience with them but the price is nice and I haven't read many posts with people complaining about them. I think Wanstalls carries them.
If you don't mind DI then have a look at Spikes Tactical and Stag Arms, both are well built rifles. I had a Stag lower and it came with one of the nicest AR triggers I've used. I should have swapped it out and kept it before I sold the lower.
I've also owned a couple Armalite AR's and never had any problems with them.
If you go with a DI rifle with anything longer than a 14.5 inch barrel try to get a mid length gas system. The longer the gas system the smoother the rifle will run.
If you have a choice try to buy one with a free floated forend. Preferably one with a continuous top rail and smooth sides and bottom, quadrails are heavy and uncomfortable and unless you have a bunch of GiJoe crap to hang off them they are mostly useless.

If you plan to do much shooting with the irons then you won't like the flip up sights, they work but aren't great. You will probably want to go with a rifle that has a front sight post and a removable carry handle. The front sight post disappears as soon as you are over 1× mag with an optic and can also be replaced with a low profile gas block down the road for very little money.

It really doesn't matter which one you buy because anything that you don't like or just want to change down the road is easy to do. Everything can be swapped out. Pick the one with the best warranty that comes with the closest configuration and color to what you want.
Don't buy a Chinese built AR, you get what you pay for and when you buy aftermarket parts to repair or customize it sometimes they need some fitting where they wouldn't with a brand name rifle. Also pretty much no warranty.
I personally stay clear of Chinese ammo as well but that's a personal choice and everyone is free to run whatever they want in their rifles.

Good luck and be sure to post pictures when you get it.
 
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cr5 said:
If you go with a DI rifle with anything longer than a 14.5 inch barrel try to get a mid length gas system. The longer the gas system the smoother the rifle will run.
If you have a choice try to buy one with a free floated forend. Preferably one with a continuous top rail and smooth sides and bottom, quadrails are heavy and uncomfortable and unless you have a bunch of GiJoe crap to hang off them they are mostly useless.
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You just essentially described what I'm after, a 16", mid-length gas system with free floated forend. The DDM4 V7 is just that and while it has the full length top rail, the other three are short and can be moved or removed.

cr5 said:
If you plan to do much shooting with the irons then you won't like the flip up sights, they work but aren't great. You will probably want to go with a rifle that has a front sight post and a removable carry handle.
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Could you expand on that please, why aren't they great?

cr5 said:
The front sight post disappears as soon as you are over 1× mag with an optic
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Yes, I'd heard that. Good to hear it confirmed.

Thanks,
Doug
 
They work; those A2 fixed front sight posts are going the way of the dodo. I'm not a fan of any plastic sights like the magpul junk. The whole idea of ''back up sights'' is to ensure that you have something to use after an optic dies. If you saw how far Larry Vickers went to kill a DD rifle and a aimpoint micro, you'll know some modern optics can take a helluva beating before dying.

I have the KAC micros.
 
Doug_M said:
Could you expand on that please, why aren't they great?Doug
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Most of the flip up irons are not solid and rattle around a bit. I would buy a removable solid rear diopter sight like the HK or Swiss Arms type sights. I don't know who sells them but some searching of our site sponsors should find you something nice. Nice and expensive ;)

Yohann 160 is right that the front sight post is going the way of the dodo for the most part but if you actually plan to use irons regularly it's your best option. And can be replaced easily down the road if you decide you don't want it anymore.
If you only plan to use the irons till you get a nice optic then the flip-up's will be fine.
I don't worry about my optic "going down". I don't use my AR in battle or competition so if my optic were to somehow fail me I would just remove it and replace it with something else. I would just use one of my other rifles till I get a new optic for the one that failed. Too many people get caught up thinking their rifle needs to be outfitted like a special forces rifle that is heading out on a mission overseas.
Buy quality and you won't have issues. $500 is the minimum I would spend on any battle rifle optic I want to be reliable.
For a red dot I would only run either an Aimpoint or an EoTech (I have an EoTech) for magnified optics $1000 is a better number. I have an Elcan Specter DR and used to have a Trijicon ACOG, both are awesome optics.
If you're planning for longer range shooting then any quality scope will do, my non restricted ACR has a Leupold 3-9 mark AR and it works great and was only just over $400.
For a nice 1-4 have a look at the Hi-Lux CMR. Wolverine sells them for around $400.
 
Well I will be using irons likely for a year as when it comes time to buy an optic I just may decide to splurge on something like an ACOG. But I will also be shooting thru iron sights because I like to. It is what I am used to. I suppose flip sights aren't really necessary, they could be removable instead. Once I get an optic I can't see myself wanting to switch back and forth often. yohann, I didn't know the magpul were plastic. Not interested in plastic sights!
 
I ordered a DDM4 v7 from Canada Ammo, just waiting for the CFO to approve the transfer. must...be...patient I almost went with a Sig 516 (no I don't believe piston is better than DI) from Jo Brook. They have it on sale right now and are about $250 cheaper than their nearest competitor. But I had concerns of QC and customer service. This thread (from ARF) in particular had me worried. I simply didn't want to take the chance. So now I wait. Thanks again to everyone for helping me make an informed decision.
 
Quick question. Does the barrel length on a DDm4 affect the classification (restricted/non)? Or is it just the style of gun that makes it restricted?
 
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