For a first time buyer of a AR-15, what should one look for?

Ir0nSpIkE said:
Hi All

I guess I've get the age where a man should buy an AR-15. What should one look for when buying one?
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Avoid NEA, Norinco, and Dominion Arms (re-branded Norinco), for a few hundred dollars more you put yourself into a quality US made AR, most with warranties. I highly recommend: Windham Weaponry, Daniel Defense, LMT, Noveske and KAC.


I would recommenced a flattop model, a decent set of back up sights, and a decent optic setup. After that add accessories as you feel necessary as a shooter.

Buy quality once, or garbage twice..
 
Thanks guys for all the responses!

As of next week the house is payed off, so I have will have more disposable income. I was thinking in the $2,000.00-ish range. My long term goal is to use it for 3-gun matches, so I guess just 5.56 (but you guys would know better than I on this too). Since I'm just a pistol shooter now, I'll also need shotgun before I can do 3-gun matches, but that's a post of much later.

Thanks for all the tips!
 
At the risk of dooming this thread by suggesting <gulp> NEA, hear me out. I have a 14.5" NEA-15 that I use in 3-gun competitions, have about 6K rounds through it, and it has served me quite well never missing a beat. For $1150, you get a Canadian made flat-top, free-float handguard AR-15 with a lifetime warranty. If your $2000ish budget is just for the rifle, then I'd be looking at something else. But if you are talking "$2K and ready to play" then give some thought to an NEA with a decent red dot and perhaps an upgraded trigger and stock. Add a few LAR mags or better yet, some ATRS 10 rounders, and you will be ready for some multigun fun.
 
runningfool said:
at the risk of dooming this thread by suggesting <gulp> nea, hear me out. I have a 14.5" nea-15 that i use in 3-gun competitions, have about 6k rounds through it, and it has served me quite well never missing a beat. For $1150, you get a canadian made flat-top, free-float handguard ar-15 with a lifetime warranty. If your $2000ish budget is just for the rifle, then i'd be looking at something else. But if you are talking "$2k and ready to play" then give some thought to an nea with a decent red dot and perhaps an upgraded trigger and stock. Add a few lar mags or better yet, some atrs 10 rounders, and you will be ready for some multigun fun.
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love my nea
 
Simplest way to put it
Something within your budget
Something that you like in your budget
Something that is well reviewed and goes bang near every time
Save a bit on the gun without the bells and whistles (keep to the basics) and buy more ammo instead.

No matter what ..unfortunately with the current laws ..they are religated to a restricted status in canada and arnt much use anywhere else (even though the ar10 is a phenomal hunting arm and so is the 15 for varminting south of the border)
My 2 cents and imho.
 
Shin_Gunto said:
Avoid NEA, Norinco, and Dominion Arms (re-branded Norinco), for a few hundred dollars more you put yourself into a quality US made AR, most with warranties. I highly recommend: Windham Weaponry, Daniel Defense, LMT, Noveske and KAC.


I would recommenced a flattop model, a decent set of back up sights, and a decent optic setup. After that add accessories as you feel necessary as a shooter.

Buy quality once, or garbage twice..
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Just curious ..since when is a Noveske "just a few hundred more" than a norc :p :stirthepot2:
I do agree..in the longrun it's being cheap costs more :)
 
Ir0nSpIkE said:
I was thinking in the $2,000.00-ish range. My long term goal is to use it for 3-gun matches, so I guess just 5.56 (but you guys would know better than I on this too). Since I'm just a pistol shooter now, I'll also need shotgun before I can do 3-gun matches, but that's a post of much later.
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With a $2000 budget, you're looking at some quality gear. I would recommend a rifle chambered in either 5.56 or .223 Wilde, as they let you use 5.56 or .223 without worrying that anyone will freak out about you trying to blow your rifle up.

Whatever you choose, I know you're going to have fun. Happy shopping!

On a side note, take a look and see if anyone is running 2 Gun matches near you. That way you can get playing before finding your scattergun.
 
Love the NEA & my DD
 

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This is what I bought Core 15 TAC Piston. comes with a Life time Warranty
 
Ir0nSpIkE said:
I know what "MIL-SPEC" is. Is it important? Is it worth it paying more for?
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As a civilian it isn't absolutely required but it does ensure that any mil-spec parts you buy will fit without problems, it also means the parts have been tested to a higher level than non mil-spec and your chances of problems are much lower. Think of it as a higher form of QC. If that's worth more to you then yes it's worth the money, if not then you'll be ok with a lesser quality rifle. You have to decide if it's worth it as everyone will have a different opinion but ultimately your opinion is the only one that matters since you are the one spending the money.
 
cr5 said:
As a civilian it isn't absolutely required but it does ensure that any mil-spec parts you buy will fit without problems, it also means the parts have been tested to a higher level than non mil-spec and your chances of problems are much lower. Think of it as a higher form of QC. If that's worth more to you then yes it's worth the money, if not then you'll be ok with a lesser quality rifle. You have to decide if it's worth it as everyone will have a different opinion but ultimately your opinion is the only one that matters since you are the one spending the money.
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I just wanted to second this comment. While not necessary, companies that are reputed for producing rifles to military specification such as BCM, Daniel Defense, and of course, Colt, will be less likely to have problems. They perform additional testing to try to reduce the number of infant mortality failures (such as crack testing on the bolt) as well as additional procedures such as staking the gas key.

Some people will tell you these things don't matter to people in Canada due to our mag restrictions and other things. I won't try to convince you either way. My personal opinion is that I'd rather be shooting than trouble shooting, so I like the idea of the additional QA/QC.

In the end it's up to you to decide if you want to pay for it. Buying a cheaper rifle doesn't mean your are going to have issues, but you might.

Ben
 
cr5 said:
As a civilian it isn't absolutely required but it does ensure that any mil-spec parts you buy will fit without problems, it also means the parts have been tested to a higher level than non mil-spec and your chances of problems are much lower. Think of it as a higher form of QC. If that's worth more to you then yes it's worth the money, if not then you'll be ok with a lesser quality rifle. You have to decide if it's worth it as everyone will have a different opinion but ultimately your opinion is the only one that matters since you are the one spending the money.
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Mil-spec does not mean quality. It means it will accept parts of the same size as other mil-spec guns. You can still have a POS gun that is mil-spec.
 
bearmaz said:
Mil-spec does not mean quality. It means it will accept parts of the same size as other mil-spec guns. You can still have a POS gun that is mil-spec.
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It also means that the company must do additional testing on their parts such as mag particle inspecting the bolt and barrel looking for flaws in the metals to reduce the chances of failure. It isn't just a sizing thing but that is part of it.

Yes you can buy a mil-spec rifle and have problems but you are far less likely to have problems than if you but a rifle for under $1000 that hasn't been tested to the same standards.
 
smak_daddy said:
Mil-spec is waaay overrated.

Buy a Les Baer AR-15 and tell me how many parts are mil-spec? Then see how much more accurate the non mil-spec Les Baer AR-15 is from your mil-spec one.
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That isn't completely fair using Les Baer as a comparison, that is a top end target rifle made by a well respected and known quality manufacturer. They have very good quality control and have built a reputation on quality and accuracy. Most people think of companies like Norinco and NEA and a couple others when they are referring to non mil-spec rifles and them being more likely to have problems.

Stag is not mil-spec but they are a quality AR manufacturer, so your right that a rifle doesn't need to be mil-spec to be a good rifle but in general it does mean that it is more likely to be of higher quality than it's non mil-spec counterpart.
 
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