NEA AR-15; A good first AR-15?

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chicu1981

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Hi
I am looking to purchase my first AR-15. I am considering NEA. Any words of advice?

Also on the radar are
  • Colt LE6920
  • SIG AR-15
  • or cheaper S&W M&P 15


I am inclined towards NEA, for price and quicker availability.

Your advice is much appreciated.

Cheers
 
I, myself bought a Norinco for my first AR ($700).

The fit between the lower and upper is a bit shaky, and the selector switch is QUITE tight, but apart from that it seems like a good deal. Upgrading the selector switch shouldn't be expensive, I wouldn't suspect.

As it turns out, a higher-end upper (.50 Beo) fits nice and tight to the lower, which was a relief.
 
It might be a good first ar. My first ar was a nea and problematic..the good thing is it made me become very familiar with the internals of an ar
 
Use the search function and set the default to at least a year or longer. Then make up your own mind.

What you're asking right now is a topic many will no longer answer for fear of infractions and being banned. You'll have to do your own research and then decide what works for you.
 
Would defiantly recommend the NEA. The newer ones are very reliable and have had very few problems. It is one of the only AR's on the market that comes stock with decent furniture that doesnt cost a small fortune. Also great to support a Canadian company ontop of that they can also honor whatever warranty issues you might have (if you have any problems which is unlikely).
 
There were some QC issues early on. To my knowledge these have been remedied and it is a solid rifle. If youre worried, if/when you order just ask whether it is the latest generation of NEA15. For the price point you get a lot for your money with an NEA. There are many on these forums that go jihadi whenever NEA is mentioned though so take the pro and the negative stuff you see with a grain of salt. I am currently looking at NEA for a number of componants for a scratch build, especially the barrel which is exceptional.

Other great options?

Windham Weaponry. Remember Bushmaster pre remington ownership? Same people and factory, diffrrent name. Seem pretty solid.

Core15 series look pretty good.

Norinco im sure is fine. My only concern is I have heard of issues with them being metric vs most other brands being standard, so i thought there were some issues fitting aftermarket parts. I have no first hand knowledge though on them so...

Colt. Great but good luck finding one in the same price range as the others anymore. I got one at the price lowpoint and absolutely love it.

Could go brand by brand... Forged US imported ARs should all be pretty close in QC and price till you start getting into name brand issues. A lot comes down to what symbol you want on youf magwell tbh...
 
Personnally, I decided to avoid all the crap floating around, so my 1st AR I built the lower myself and the upper was a 14.5" LMT + FA BCG from Questar way back when they had good stuff. That was a couple of years ago mind you.

Today we have complete Daniel Defense rifles for a good price and BCM coming in the future from One Shot Tactical.

Giving the history of NEA, I would not buy one as a first or as a 25th AR.
 
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Look, I have an NEA. It was within my budget, and outside of some issues that were handles, it is a good gun.

That being said, if you can afford a Colt or Sig, I would go with those. I mean, I would buy a Noveske if I could afford it.
 
I have one, and I really like it. I used to be a militia bum, and handled the "real thing" extensively. The norinco functions well, and aside from the finish being not quite as nice as the higher end rifles, and some internal machine markings, it's great. And that's being nit picky. For the price of a rock river or even most budget AR's, you could have your norinco dressed with optics. Good deals.
 
Dont buy a NEA unless you know how to basically build a AR-15 because more than likely it will need some tweaks, tightening and staking .. I would look at a Windham Weaponry, Stag , RRA or CORE 15 for around the same price , i even think Norinco would be a better first AR ..
 
NEA quality control is dodgy at best. So you can get a good one or a bad one. Spend a little bit more for a LMT, Armalite, Stag etc and you'll get a much better rifle.
 
both my NEA and norinco run great

I wouldnt hesitate to buy another of either brand, and I have shot plenty of other brands (colt, noveske, lmt, dpms, bushmaster) and found no functional difference between them, I have seen very expensive guns crap out in the middle of 3 gun, and I have seen inexpensive guns crap out in 3 gun,


the extra 1/16 moa or whatever people claim you will gain from a 2500-3500$ AR over a 700-1200 one wont matter until you are a very, very, proficient shooter.



you can always sell it on the EE later to upgrade as well,
 
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