AR15 - which is the best?

pazzo

pazzo

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i really hate to dig this one up AGAIN, but i had a fairly lengthy discussion w/ people at the range today (warden included) about which AR was the best quality! i guess the 3 which were discussed the most were Armalite, Bushmaster and Colt...
so, the question is: Which is the best quality/ most popular AR15 today? (i'm considering getting one, and money is no issue)

thanks
 
Depending on whether you're talking about the mass-produced guns or the small production high-end stuff.

Of the mass-produced guns, Colt or Stag Arms gets my vote, although there are various other makes like Bushmaster and DPMS that are certainly a long way from being crap. A lot of these companies use the same forgings and subcontractors, so generally all you're looking at is a few differences in the bits they make themselves and how they put them together and finish them.

The only make I really don't like much is Olympic Arms. They're a bit hit and miss, imx, if you get a good one they're okay, but I often hear about problems with them and I've seen a couple that definitely had problems with them, I saw one where they forgot to put the gas hole in the barrel!

Armalite and DPMS had problems way back when (10+ years ago), but the current stuff works.

If you get into the higher end stuff that usually ends up being a pissing contest. "Oh, you paid way too much for your super duper zapper, I got something from Jimbo's Super Guns that does the same thing for only $5,000."

E.g., Les Baer, LMT, Knight's Armament, Compass Lake Engineering, etc.

They all work, for that kind of money they should do. Whether you actually need to spend that much money depends on just how much of a gun geek you really are...
 
how is LMT? i fired a 5.56 chambered LMT AR today, and it was nice! (thanks WEEGEE!!)
 
Armalites and Stags are both good and have excellent service and support from their distributors within Canada. Not so much for other brands.
LMT is great, but expensive.
 
Also boils down to how mcuh shooting you will do.

The more rounds you shoot the more your going to want the added insurance of people to inspect their parts before building the gun.
 
Mike K said:
Armalites and Stags are both good and have excellent service and support from their distributors within Canada. Not so much for other brands.
LMT is great, but expensive.
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I'm surprised you say that LMT is "expensive". While they're proprietary high end offerings like the MRP uppers are quite pricey, the basic LMT rifle that would be comparable in features to an Armalite or Stag is priced in the same range as those other brands isn't it?

A standard LMT 16" with chrome lined 1:7 barrel barrel, standard s/a bolt carrier group, charging handle, handgrips, and L7C2 Lower (collapsible stock, Mil-Spec extension tube, etc.), will run you $1,531.75 Canadian Retail.

How is that "expensive" compared to the other brands listed?

If you add some of the special features that LMT offers then you are obviously going to drive the cost up, but then you would be comparing "apples and oranges" :) The SOPMOD stock is quite expensive... it's also considered by many to be one of the best stocks available on the market today. The LMT enhanced bolts and carriers are also a bit more costly, but again you're paying for additional features and can't use that as a comparison of prices.

The base LMT rifles are an excellent value and definitely NOT "expensive" when compared to other brands... at least not in my opinion :)

Mark
 
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Stag is the least expensive and the closest to milspec for the buck. No question they are probably the best deal on the market in Canada thanks to dangertree.
 
Questar said:
A standard LMT 16" with chrome lined 1:8 barrel barrel, standard s/a bolt carrier group, charging handle, handgrips, and L7C2 Lower (collapsible stock, Mil-Spec extension tube, etc.), will run you $1,531.75 Canadian Retail.

How is that "expensive" compared to the other brands listed?


Mark
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That is a great price. LMT rifles that I have seen locally have been priced considerably higher than that.
 
I've had Colt, Stag, LMT, RRA and a mutt. LMT is awesome stuff. I've had 2 of them and both performed superbly. But, being a Kool-Aid drinker, I have Colts now. I am giving Stag another try since I never fired the first one I had. My 9MM RRA seems to be an excellent gun as well.

fwiw, I am just a recreational shooter. But I like quality in my guns.
 
The best mfg'er is the one that you can convert into a bear defense shooter .416 Rigby fired from a 10.25" upper with a Larue MT upper with 5 rails 360 degree handguards and weapon light with pressure switch. :)

Okay, back to the real world, the one that works for your game and budget. :evil:

Sorry folks, I could not resist the bear defense thread mixed with the mirror Kommando slant.

Cheers,
Barney
 
I'd like to back-up what Mark/Questar had to say, LMT is by far the closest to the military's technical data package (which Colt and FNMI are contractually obliged to adhere to manufacturing the M4/M16) and for the price, I'd say represents the best value. You get features limited previously to Colt (such as chromed, 1:7, MP-tested, correct profile barrel, MP'd bolt, mil-spec. receiver extension) at prices comparable to commercial manufacturers. Stag/CMT also turn out a great AR with similar features. CMMG, also worth looking into. I can't say anything bad about Rock River Arms either, apart from the weight on their heavy profile barrels, they work flawlessly.
 
I really hate it when people throw out the term "mil-spec" :onCrack:

From Armalite:

1. All claims from any manufacturer that they produce commercial rifles fully in conformance with the MILSPEC are false. Only M16A2 rifles produced by Colt or FNMI, and accepted by the Army’s Tank automotive and Armaments Command fully meet the requirements of the MILSPEC, and they are not legally producible for sale to the public. Even Colt brand commercial rifles are not in conformance with the drawing portion of the MILSPEC. In fact, ArmaLite’s rifles are closer to the government designs than Colt’s.

2. The M16A2 Rifle is manufactured in accordance with MILSPEC MIL-R-63997. A MILSPEC (military specification) describes a product. There are two key elements to a MILSPEC; a verbal description of what the product is and does, and a list of reference documents governing production of the product. In the case of the M16A2 Rifle, the key document is Drawing 9349000, which is a package of drawings setting forth the dimensions and tolerances for the M16A2 Rifle.

3. No commercial, semiautomatic rifle from ANY manufacturer meets both the verbal descriptions of the M16A2 and the technical drawing package.

4. ArmaLite does not claim that its rifles are made to the full provisions of MIL-R-63997. All ArmaLite/Eagle Arms rifles, however, are manufactured to the written requirements set forth by MIL-R-63997.

5. ArmaLite and Eagle Arms rifle parts feature excellent interchangeability with MILSPEC M16A1 and M16A2 parts. With the exception of parts designed for semiautomatic use only, no known incompatibilities exist.

CONCLUSION: Claims to production of fully MILSPEC rifles are untrue, and should be regarded with considerable suspicion.
 
I've got a Armalite lower with a Bushmaster 14.5 upper with 500 rounds through it. I've had it out to the range three times now and other than some magazine issues with the 10 rounders its been running perfectly. I saved about 300 bucks off a prebuilt new rifle and I could not be happier. Its all what your looking far.

The ABC's of AR-15s are always good (Armalite, Bushmaster and Colt) but here in Canadian if I wanted a complete rifle I would go with a Stag from AEI, LMT from Questar or a Armalite from Wolverine.

I am cheap when it comes to PST so I probably won't buy a complete rifle from Questar because I'll have to pay about 200 bucks in taxes.

Buy something, shoot it and you'll be happy with it. Keep in mind ammo costs however.
 
If money is no issue, buy the one you've always wanted (by name and by configuration).

If money is still not an issue and if they all still look the same to you and you are unsure, then buy one each. That way you'll be covered.

Quality between these three will simply be unnoticeable. What is popular today in general changes tomorrow. If you are chasing 'popularity', you will forever be chasing it.

I think the more important question is what CONFIGURATION fits you best and the type of shooting that you plan on doing with it.
- Hbar versus light barrel versus bull barrel etc.
- length of barrel.
- std stock vs collapsable.
- standard upper versus flattop.
- standard for-grip or weaver type for-grip
- .... many many many dozens of other details, but the main ones listed.

Hope this helps.

on-ca

pazzo said:
i really hate to dig this one up AGAIN, but i had a fairly lengthy discussion w/ people at the range today (warden included) about which AR was the best quality! i guess the 3 which were discussed the most were Armalite, Bushmaster and Colt...
so, the question is: Which is the best quality/ most popular AR15 today? (i'm considering getting one, and money is no issue)

thanks
Click to expand...
 
thanks for the replies people!! can anybody identify these models??
AR15-4.jpg

AR15-3.jpg

AR15-2.jpg

Colt?
AR15-1.jpg
 
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