first AR gun to buy

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Savage78

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Hey I posted a thread about first hand gun to own and was also wondering the same about black guns should my first AR-15 be a DD or a Colt or a Spike tactical I already know what precision long gun I want and just need some help with the AR platform. Thanks guys.
 
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Right now Farmboy at One Shot Tactical has some DPMS ARs going for roughly $620 after taxes and mail in rebate. That's the best deal around. I think SFRC might also being doing that sale as well.
 
I was about to start the same thread focusing on the options currently available from the big names like Colt or Daniel Defense. I'm not against the DPMS exactly, just don't know enough about the AR platform to know whether it is of the same quality as a Colt. Also I want the hand guard which is "rail ready", not the round plastic type which come on the DPMS. What would the experienced shooters suggest for the best deal on a top name AR right now? I'm thinking 16" or 18.5 " barrel.
 
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Stevebot-7 said:
Right now Farmboy at One Shot Tactical has some DPMS ARs going for roughly $620 after taxes and mail in rebate. That's the best deal around. I think SFRC might also being doing that sale as well.
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I think OST was also throwing in a $50 BFG sling, making it an even better deal. I don't need one, but am think of buying one to have as a new lender and to give my spare Aimpoint a new home.
 
I think you should buy what you can afford.
Just like precision rifles you get what you pay for here. A cheap AR will function fine but a higher end AR is nicer to shoot. The better companies usually put more time into tuning the gas system to the buffer system making it smoother shooting, they usually have better coatings, come with better furniture, and usually a much better barrel and trigger and also better QC before letting that rifle leave the factory.

I would stay with a direct impingement rifle over a piston rifle simply because of parts availability (even through I have 2 piston operated AR's that I love).
A DI rifle can use parts from any other AR and from almost any other brand. A piston rifle usually has a proprietary gas system and bolt carrier and you can only use parts from the same company making repairs more of a pain if something ever breaks or wears out.

Just like optics, spend as much as you can comfortably afford, getting a cheap one will leave you wanting and then you will have 2 AR's, then 3, then you'll buy that expensive one you always wanted anyway.
 
I am well aware of the 6k trigger and bolt life of DPMS rifles (after $3000 worth of ammo your rifle needs $150 in parts). I would rather see a guy on the line with a decent rifle and optic, than a guy who is still "thinking" of spending double on a better rifle.
 
My preference was for a higher quality AR rifle that would have very good accuracy (better then 2MOA and preferably 1MOA) a M16 profile BCG, be of Mil-Spec. tolerances and come from a very reputable store in case I ran into any issues. Wolverine made it an easy choice with their recent DD sale where I was able to find a DDV7 for only $1,199. The DD's having a Cold Hammer Forged barrel was a bonus I wasn't getting in any other AR for under $2,000 (that had all the other requirements listed) and due to the sale I'll have some cash left over for quality sights.

If I was looking for a more affordable rifle (under $900) then the Smith M+P 15 comes to mind, but it doesn't have the front rail you want unfortunately and the Smith's that do are higher priced. If you can swing the DD you won't be disappointed as they are a rifle that has it all for the lowest price even before the sale. Also going with a DD means re-sale and re-sale value would be easy and good respectively if for some un-imaginable reason you wanted to sell it.

I agree with Gunnerlove though, it is better to see someone shooting a more affordable AR then dreaming of shooting an AR of twice the price. Another common theme is that the more affordable AR's (under $900) seem to sell quick so if the time comes to step up to a more expensive rifle that less expensive one should sell fast.
 
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If you want a quality AR with a railed hand guard to start with DD and Stag come to mind. Many get great milage out of budget ARs (I did) but if you know you want to buy a quality North American made AR to start, don't piss around.

If you are looking at spending big $$$ and want quality Canadian made, wait for Diemaco/Colt Canada to release the Integrated Upper Receiver models hopefully this fall.

Really, it's hard to get garbage if you stick with Stag, DD, Colt, Noveske etc ( lots of good manufacturers). I would consider DPMS a budget AR. Not bad but not great. I would not go with Norc (mine worked well but why bother with low end for you) or NEA.

What type of shooting do you want to do? Any thoughts on optics?
 
My first AR-15 was a Bushmaster 16" Hbar and I paid 1200$ brand new for it. Loved it.

Then like everybody else went out and got interested in everything else!! haha



cheers
 
thanks everyone for the recommendation after looking at all the AR's I have came to a conclusion that a DDv4 is the AR that I am considering just because it comes with the full rail hand guard.
 
Just ordered a DD m4v7 from wolverine. I don't know much about ar's but it seems like a good deal. It's only a little bit more than the dpms deal if you include the hand guard. And I'm hoping it's a little bit better quality. I'm hoping to put a hi lux or Burris 1-4 scope on it, or maybe even a sightron 1-8.
 
Canada Day I just purchased a Canadian made NEA lower just to stick in the safe (so that I'm already registered as having 1) and plan to pick up quality parts as I go and my paycheck permits... by next year sometime I might have a quality shooting rifle.
 
rl4930 said:
Just ordered a DD m4v7 from wolverine. I don't know much about ar's but it seems like a good deal. It's only a little bit more than the dpms deal if you include the hand guard. And I'm hoping it's a little bit better quality. I'm hoping to put a hi lux or Burris 1-4 scope on it, or maybe even a sightron 1-8.
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Your Daniel Defense is light years ahead of the DPMS in the quality department. Good choice.
 
I have a Daniel defense and a stag with many rounds each and zero issues.the quality and fit/finish are also great. Colt,dd,stag,novesk,kac are all great
 
Thanks for the encouragement. Considering a norinco was about 800 by the time it got to your door not too long ago. I think the Daniel defender isn't too bad. I looked at them both side by side last year. And one of them looked more like a novelty. Not that the norinco wasn't functional, it was just flunky.
 
Allot of great replies. I had pretty much decided on a DDM4V7, then I noticed their site lists them as 556 with no mention of 223. The Colt site lists theirs as 223/556. Is this a substantial factor?


EDIT - I found the sticky showing it is okay to shoot 223 in a 556 chamber, thanks everyone.
 
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