How to get in the AR game

There’s a Stag Arms 3G Competition on the EE for $1150 shipped. The Stag is a good brand. And this is a good price for a 3G rifle. From the pics, I think the trigger is already upgraded. I would seriously look into this.
This one will need back up sights, maybe a red dot.

The only mods I add to my ARs are a RDS, BUIS, a ACT trigger, sling and a Raptor charging handle.
 
To cover my back i bought last week one AR15 and one AR10 both are M&P S&W.

I was impress to pay less than 2K all in for both of them.

I have no experience with S&W AR's it's like a shot in the dark but they make good products.
 
The lower end ARs all work and feel similar. Trigger, BCG and charging handle feel a bit gritty, there is usually a rattle between the upper and lower, the finish is a bit rougher and you may choose to replace stock furniture. But the trigger and CH will smooth out with use. The rattle doesn’t really affect things. And who really cares about the finish? It’s an AR, go play!
 
Buy a factory built AR-15, and then later on buy a stripped upper receiver to build with your own preferences in mind. That way, you can buy something that will be immediately shootable and can tinker with a project too.
 
The simple answer:

If you plough through all the dealers' posts, you can see that Bushmaster, S&W M&P, DPMS...all the big names have the basic AR15 in the 700 to 800 price range. They are the best for the money.

They are pretty much the same. They are mass produced. They all work.

qiu_lijie said:
Although it might not be the fiscally responsible thing to do, I have been eyeing various ARs on EE for a while now. Since I don't plan to get multiple ARs in the near future, how can I get the best AR for the money (not necessarily looking for the cheapest, but the best I can do for any given budget)?

The way I see it, there are three ways to get an AR:
  • Buy a complete rifle from the factory or some else has put together.
  • Buy complete upper and lower then put them together.
  • Buy components and build it from scratch.

From various online post/videos (mostly US-based), some people suggest that building from scratch would get you the most value. Does this apply up here? My other concern with building from scratch is that I don't have many specialized tools like wrenches, vice blocks etc., and it seems like a waste to get them just for one build. Also if I decided to buy an AR in parts, where should I allocate more budget on (upper vs. lower, barrel vs. BCG vs. trigger etc.)? I'm not in a huge rush to get one, so I just need to know what should I be looking for and I'm fine with waiting around for the best deal from vendors or on EE.

So in what's your take for a guy to get his first AR? Any opinion would help. Thanks in advance!


Edit: Thanks for all your comments guys! After reading them I'm not looking to build from scratch for the moment. However, I'm still considering buying upper and lower separately then put them together. From what I understand, although the lower is the registered part, most of the accuracy and relability of the AR is determined by the upper receiver. So I'm thinking maybe I can spend a bit more on the upper and get a slightly cheaper lower to get an overall superior AR. Is there anything I'm missing here?
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qiu_lijie said:
Not sure what the appeal of Colt is other the brand name. Is the quality that much superior (I'm honestly asking here cause I don't have any experience with them)? Cause for the money I'm pretty sure I can get better furniture on it.
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Colt makes some very decent quality rifles for the price. You will have no problems with them in most cases, whereas some of the cheaper AR's can be very problematic, Just look up NEA & BCL and you'll see the headaches many fellas have. The same goes for building your own, unless you have some experience, and the correct tools, you will probably end up with a gun that will have some issues.
 
caramel said:
To cover my back i bought last week one AR15 and one AR10 both are M&P S&W.

I was impress to pay less than 2K all in for both of them.

I have no experience with S&W AR's it's like a shot in the dark but they make good products.
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It should be a safe bet with Smith..
 
Buy a cost effective start point (ie. the Bushmaster or Smith), you don't know what you like or don't like yet as far as how the rifle is going to shoot. Will the handguard be good enough? Do you want a different stock? That way you get into the game, and have the versatility to make the rifle more your own. There are other quality options out there for made in Canada product that will start around $1,500.00 for a complete build, but that's already about double what you can get in at.

Comes down to how much are you willing to pay to start to play?
 
There’s only one problem with buying a S&W or one of the other cheap guns.
You are going to upgrade, stock,Handguard,etc.

So, maybe a build is cheaper, in the long run.
 
I'm going to be building a Stag and from my calculations I can make most of it with premium parts for the same amount as if I were to pay for a completed gun. Receiver set, BCG, barrel, gas tube/block, buffer tube, buffer and buffer spring, muzzle break would cost the same as the stripped gun. Adding a premium hand guard, stock and pistol grip and it will be slightly over than a complete gun.

The tools do not seem that specialized. You just need a vice, mag well block, and a torque wrench mostly for installation of the barrel.

The goal will be to make the build as strong and light as possible.
 
Since I have 2 KAC in the states a SR15 and a SR25, the ones I bought the
2 Smith & Wesson was to cover my back in case of grandfathering, I didn't need the top notch firearms just fine operating firearms.
 
If you decide to buy a complete AR, buy one with the barrel lenght you like the most. 90% of the parts of an AR can be swapped out with out specialized tools. It's the barrel that will require vice block, wrench etc. Also if you are going to want a free float fore end it's best to go that direction from the start, otherwise if you choose to upgrade later on you will again need to break out the vice block and barrel wrench.
 
I bought a S&W MP15 Sport II as my first AR and have been very happy with it. Couple thousands rounds on it now with zero issues. I put a brake on it, no other mods.
 
DON’T build your own from scratch first go around! I am speaking from experience lol. I have a mil spec AR built on a garbage NEA lower. Rookie mistake. I would suggest buying a complete rifle with a decent lower then upgrade from there. That way you can at least shoot it while you upgrade and learn what you like/don’t like. If you are dead set on a complete build pony up and buy a top of the line lower. Remember it is the only piece you can’t switch out later! Take it from me the guy with a $2000 NEA rifle! 😂
 
Jsncooper said:
DON’T build your own from scratch first go around! I am speaking from experience lol. I have a mil spec AR built on a garbage NEA lower. Rookie mistake. I would suggest buying a complete rifle with a decent lower then upgrade from there. That way you can at least shoot it while you upgrade and learn what you like/don’t like. If you are dead set on a complete build pony up and buy a top of the line lower. Remember it is the only piece you can’t switch out later! Take it from me the guy with a $2000 NEA rifle! ��
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Why can't you swap out the lower for a better one? Couldn't you just buy a high end stripped lower and put your parts kit on it? I'm new to the AR world so maybe I'm missing something.
 
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