Help me decide. First Black rifle.

matty86suk said:
Really?? Piss poor HG design, various feeding problems, inconsistant finish...the only saving grace to the NEA is the life time warranty, which i suspect will keep NEA busy for years...If you want a cheap functional gun out of the box go norc, if you want to chase the lifetime warranty tail, go with the NEA....d:h:
Click to expand...

Have you owned/shot/held one?

I think not based on your comments.
 
oneup.jpg
 
Allstone said:
Really? Not according to the prices I see on EE. Certainly not HALF its value...otherwise there would be a slew of $350-400 Norc M4s on the EE...and when was the last time you saw one of those?

Keep the factory parts on the Norc, and when it comes time to upgrade, remove all the upgraded parts and swap the factory Norc parts back in.
Click to expand...

Give it time. Affordable AR's are only just showing up and as availability starts to keep up with demand, watch the price of the Norinco plummet.

Remember $350 Norinco SKS rifles? I do. They are what now? $80 new?

Do you seriously think the importers are paying anything like $600 for these from the factory? I'd bet they are costing under $250.

Now watch the usual suspects pile on to convince us that $350 markup is reasonable because of all the "import expenses". Hint: These are not ITAR items from the states ;)
 
Claven2 said:
Give it time. Affordable AR's are only just showing up and as availability starts to keep up with demand, watch the price of the Norinco plummet.

Remember $350 Norinco SKS rifles? I do. They are what now? $80 new?

Do you seriously think the importers are paying anything like $600 for these from the factory? I'd bet they are costing under $250.

Now watch the usual suspects pile on to convince us that $350 markup is reasonable because of all the "import expenses". Hint: These are not ITAR items from the states ;)
Click to expand...

Claven i suggest you double check your numbers SKS from china are not 80 dollars new, they are 80 dollars when you spend a bunch of cash, as a bonus.
 
Clavens point is well made though - even from the big box guys SKS can be had for under $170 out the door.

I need to save money to buy anything firearm related. If an extra couple of months saving will get me to a Canadian made AR over something stamped out with little thought other than "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" then it's well worth it IMO. The next batch of Norc M4gerys will be cheaper in my expectation.

It's not like he is comparing a Swiss Arms to a Norinco, where the vast price differential makes a difference. $300 is what many people waste each month on smoking or going to restaurants.

I've drunk the NEA koolaid. They are on the ball IMO. No i don't own one.
 
How can you make a judgement and give advice on something you have never used, only "read on the 'net" about?

Sorry, not attacking you, just saying your comments are unfounded.
 
matty86suk said:
No, i own an upper only, but reading most reviews gives me this impression...oh the truth hurts the fanboy club...:ang
Click to expand...

Lol... ok. I'm a fanboy for counselling people that a sub-$1000 non-chinese AR is a good buy.

Do you have problems with YOUR upper? People on the internet are often there BECAUSE they have a problem. For every internet issue you see, there are many many satisfied owners of any rifle who aren't rushing to post about how their rifle is problem-free ;)

if your NEA product is working well, then I think it's a bit strange to be trashing their whole lineup...?
 
Claven2 said:
Lol... ok. I'm a fanboy for counselling people that a sub-$1000 non-chinese AR is a good buy.

Do you have problems with YOUR upper? People on the internet are often there BECAUSE they have a problem. For every internet issue you see, there are many many satisfied owners of any rifle who aren't rushing to post about how their rifle is problem-free ;)

if your NEA product is working well then I think it's a bit strange to be trashing their whole lineup...?
Click to expand...


It is not a good buy if you have to send it back to the shop 5 times before it works as advertised, I'll admit I don't own a complete NEA ar15, I pieced mine together using the components I wanted, haven't even shot it yet, but compared to numerous norcs I have used and the current impressions I have got from rack grade NEA ar15s, I'd go with the norc and with the extra 3-400 dollars saved customize the gun as I see fit, I have used lots of NEA parts and never had a problem with them, just the NEA ar15 hasn't given me the warm and fuzzys yet to buy one or recommend to others...
 
matty86suk said:
It is not a good buy if you have to send it back to the shop 5 times before it works as advertised, I'll admit I don't own a complete NEA ar15, I pieced mine together using the components I wanted, haven't even shot it yet, but compared to numerous norcs I have used and the current impressions I have got from rack grade NEA ar15s, I'd go with the norc and with the extra 3-400 dollars saved customize the gun as I see fit, I have used lots of NEA parts and never had a problem with them, just the NEA ar15 hasn't given me the warm and fuzzys yet to buy one or recommend to others...
Click to expand...

I would be VERY surprised if anyone has ever sent ANYTHING back to NEA (or any other Ar maker?) for warranty five times.

I know of a very few guys who phoned NEA and got set replacement hand guards as a batch apparently got out that had a machining error according to an NEA response in a thread.

Also, knowing now that you pieced together some NEA parts into an AR upper, I would suggest to you that if it does't work well, it might not be NEA's fault. Not all ARs are assembled equally.

If you don't want to buy one and prefer a norc, then do so. I would NOT spend $300 on Norinco upgrades though because afterward it will still just be a $600 AR. Nobody is going to pay you $900-1000 for it, no matter how cool the new hand guard looks ;)
 
A better question is how did this turn into a Norc vs. NEA thread? The OP was leaning to a Norc on price...so obviously the extra scratch to go to other AR models was a concern. So that being the case, grab the Norc. If the extra $300 is no big deal then $1000 opens up all kinds of options for an AR. As Claven2 has said you can also build one yourself under that price (I have done that also). Also, there are other reasons to buy the cheapest AR you can...I grabbed a Norc (and yes, I've modified it) for the simple reason that I let my sons beat on it/strip it/learn it. It's the one I also let others try when I go to the range with them. I sure don't let them touch my high end custom job. It's definitely a good starter AR.
 
Buy the NEA, it just makes sense financialy compared to buying a Norc and doing any mods to it (which you WILL).

Or if you are short on cash, buy a used Norc, you can flip it for the same price in 6 months if/when you want to upgrade to a nicer one.
 
So i went to the range today to do some shooting, while i was there i handled a Norc AR they had, as well as a Colt, the quality on the Norc seemed real good and felt "solid", of course the colt did too. The guy at the range told me to look at Brownells, as have many in this post. So when i got home, after cleaning my guns, i went online to Brownells, i was on there for a couple hours, what a sweet site, anyway, i strated looking at Spike Tactical AR upper and lowers, i like the look and the price point, a little more than the Norc, but maybe better quality? Dunno for sure, but i think i'll do a little research on "Spike". Anyone have any experiance with Spike AR's?
 
Spikes are great AR's (but almost double in price over a Norc). Questar is the retailer for them. They don't have anything in stock right now (other than a stripped lower). I've built a bunch of AR's off of their lowers. Good stuff (if you want to go that route). I believe the lower is still made by Aero precision (except the billet set...that is made by Seekins Precision).
 
So, WHICH NEA do I buy? they make many models, im a total AR noob.

why choose 10 inch, 14 inch, etc ?

what sights do I put on it? (I dont really want a scope on it, it would be for 100 yards or less)

what about stag arms vs NEA ?
 
Brordo said:
A better question is how did this turn into a Norc vs. NEA thread? The OP was leaning to a Norc on price...so obviously the extra scratch to go to other AR models was a concern. So that being the case, grab the Norc. If the extra $300 is no big deal then $1000 opens up all kinds of options for an AR. As Claven2 has said you can also build one yourself under that price (I have done that also). Also, there are other reasons to buy the cheapest AR you can...I grabbed a Norc (and yes, I've modified it) for the simple reason that I let my sons beat on it/strip it/learn it. It's the one I also let others try when I go to the range with them. I sure don't let them touch my high end custom job. It's definitely a good starter AR.
Click to expand...

Probably my fault. ;)

Kryogen said:
So, WHICH NEA do I buy? they make many models, im a total AR noob.

why choose 10 inch, 14 inch, etc ?

what sights do I put on it? (I dont really want a scope on it, it would be for 100 yards or less)

what about stag arms vs NEA ?
Click to expand...

No idea how they stack against the Stag. The NEA I fired went bang when I pulled the trigger and hit where I was aiming at.

As for which one to choose: whichever one it seems like you'll have the most fun with. ;)
 
If it's a first AR and you buy NEA, I would get the 14.5" - it's less likely to require any special AR knowledge to run it right. Shorties in general are more likely to have the odd issue.

As for the Norinco, respectfully, if you did not immediately see the HUGE difference in fit and finish between a Norinco and Colt, then you probably aren't able to gauge gun quality very well. Not many AR's are better made than Colts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom