Ruger SR556 or Nork AR?

saskcop said:
If it is just for punching paper, then the norc is all a person needs. If the AR platform was non restricted, then I would buy the best money could buy, but for one that will always be clean and never used in serious conditions,.then why spend the momey?
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Same reason people buy mercedes and bmws, they want top quality even if they just use the car to 10% of what it was designed to do. Personally i believe in spending more for quality now that I've had experiences with Norinco.
 
I've had four Norincos

I only have my Norinco ar still... I personally haven't shot it for months.

If i could do it all over again. I wouldn't buy Norinco. Yes. All my Norincos have fired. No failures. The only thing I didn't like. Is the finish.

Sometimes. One deserves nice things.
 
Ok- I am now going to look at the 556 instead of the Norc. I know that the Norc will go boom but the 556 will hold better value. Plus the Norc is not worth $2000NZ!!!!!
 
I own a few Ruger firearms and am a big fan of Rugers, and I own 2 Norcs, one being my AR and it has worked without a hitch for over 1000 rounds so far. I cleaned it after a couple hundred rounds and only because we were shooting in a snow storm, havent cleaned it since then, I'm kind of trying to see how long I can run it before it starts to act up on me.

I'll be doing some hand loads for it in the next few weeks to see just how accurate it can be at 100 yards compared to the "cheap but fun to shoot" Norc surplus ammo.
 
Simply buy the best you can afford. If you have a good job/income, buy the Ruger. You'll pay more, but the resale value will probably hold better I would think.

If you're not financially established and want to shoot, get the Norc. They seem to be mostly reliable, and might be as just as accurate as the Ruger. If you're doing mostly CQB type shooting/plinking, you won't see the accuracy difference (if there is one) anyways.
 
If you have the money I would go with the Ruger for sure, or you could get a pretty nice slightly used rig off EE in that price range. Either way you are better off getting the higher quality gun, always. The Norinco are decent for what they are, the cheapest option of an AR, but obviously most are better. Be sure to post pics when you make your mind up.
 
Daniel defense or BCM would be my call, the ruger has a propietary piston system which truth be told I am not impressed by. If I was going piston there is only one piston setup I would trust, and a 416/mr223 is a bit pricey.
Get a quality di ar would be my recommendation. Core15 is pretty good, windham has a good rep to go by, spikes tactical makes solid stuff if you can find it.
 
Right, we drove around and looked at both the 556 and the Norc; the 556 has a superior fit and finish. Actually both will be the same price as I would need to replace the glacier guard on the Norc. There are very few 556's left in country so I have to act fast or the next shipment could be easily six months away.... Now, how to explain to my wife about the new Ruger 556???
 
Armored Metal said:
I have a norc with close to 2000 rounds through it and no failure to feed, no failure to extract.....and no headache!

Actually, it only brought me enjoyment with it's total reliability and some pretty awesome groups with handloads.
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If the Norc was cheaper i would go with it, but given that the Ruger is basically the same price, with a cleaner gas system ( I am a lefty shooter as well) I am going to try and snag one of the last 556's in country, if I miss out i will go with the Norc and not be upset at all. Stay posted for range report and photos with my new toy, sorry, my Main Battle Rifle!!!
 
Our choices of AR-15s in NZ are some what limited. Most importers bring in the lower/mid end brands as the landed cost ends up being quite high. Those truly serious on the AR platform end up importing the rifles or parts themselves, a process that takes months.

That said the following are available over here:
Rockriver arms
Bushmaster
Ruger
Norinco
DPMS
NEA
Stag Arms
Sig 417
Schmeisser
H&K
Colt
Remington

But finding shops that have stock will be the challenge. What Bazza needs to do is call three of the shops in Auckland and ask them what stock they currently have. (Is it against the forum rules to name them here?) There are a number of online retailers in NZ as well that may have stock as well. PM me if you want their web addresses.
 
bazza said:
Right, we drove around and looked at both the 556 and the Norc; the 556 has a superior fit and finish. Actually both will be the same price as I would need to replace the glacier guard on the Norc. There are very few 556's left in country so I have to act fast or the next shipment could be easily six months away.... Now, how to explain to my wife about the new Ruger 556???
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Just tell her it's for when the zombies attack.... :)

The 556 looks pretty solid (fondled one at lgs recently). My only concern would be proprietary parts down the road. But then again, I own a couple of other Rugers and they are both well built. Would expect pretty good service form Rugers too.

There are lots of other mfgs (knot sure about availability in NZ), but if you are planning some varmint hunting, wouldn't it make sense to look for something with a better, perhaps longer barrel??
 
What I did is get the Norinco, which is fine quality out of the box, and use the money you saved to make the upgrades you want to make it perfect for YOU. People need to get over the hang-up that it says Norinco on the side. They shoot great and your d*ck won't fall off, contrary to what some will lead you to believe. Ask Hungry and the M14 folks. You can pay more for a different AR but will you have the trigger you want or the optics you like or the stock you prefer? Cost wise at the end if the day I ended up paying as much as a Ruger or a Colt but I got a rifle configured exactly the way I want with a little left over for ammo and mags.
 
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