Why is AR-15 so costly?
- Thread starter sidney
- Start date
I bought my first AR for $1600 in 1990 (Colt AR15A2 Gov't)
Cheapest I've got was a CAR-AR Olympic Arms (YUCK.......) for $600 (it did not work - typical Oly :wink: )
In the last 15 years prices have been pretty steady.
Cheapest I've got was a CAR-AR Olympic Arms (YUCK.......) for $600 (it did not work - typical Oly :wink: )
In the last 15 years prices have been pretty steady.
redleg said:
Like I said in the USA not in Canada,yes you can find used ones for alot less then what we pay for them up here,you just have to do search in local buy & sell classified papers,websites and bulletin boards in the USA.If a widow or someone else had an AR-15 and did not want it and you knew them personally you could get it for free.Surely most of you must have friends or relatives in the States,of course otherwise getting one for $200 or so is hard bu not impossible I noticed many people sell the pimped up newer ones used for $500 or so in US Dollars.
Or don't want to loose too much when they sell it.
Keep in mind the $Cdn fluctuates. ARs are cheaper now than 10 years ago, mostly because our $ is worth more. If you paid $1800 for your gun then and a new one is $1200 now, do you really want to get only $600 for it?
Keep in mind the $Cdn fluctuates. ARs are cheaper now than 10 years ago, mostly because our $ is worth more. If you paid $1800 for your gun then and a new one is $1200 now, do you really want to get only $600 for it?
Frozen Snake
Regular
- Location
- 49°29'28" N 119°35'19" W
Do you think with the prospect of the XM8 being the replacement for US military The AR will go see a price drop due to the loss of that military contract? Or is there enough of a market to sustain the high prices. Sort of like the 1911 and the m14s from Springfield.
Glock4ever
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Edmonton, AB
I don't understand why ppl think that a rifle that is made to tighter tolerances/better quality expect to pay less then say a basic boltgun from Rem/Win/etc. I look around and see pretty much new sporter boltguns that usually range in the 700-1000 dollar range for standard rifles. A quality semi automatic should cost almost double a boltgun as there are more parts involved and it is a more complicated mechanism. As for an AK to AR comparison I think that it is an unrealistic comparison as labor/materials are neither comparable (N. Americans are not going to work for $2.00/hr) and sheet metal vs aircraft quality aluminum is also not comparable. Just my opinion.
Frozen Snake said:
There is more than enough market. Frankly there is a near glut of assemblers, and the prices are still solid.
I have to echo Redleg. Unless another rifle design come out that is head and shoulders above the m-16 system, there is no way the US and the other user groups will drop it. Upgrade - yes, drop - no.
Frozen Snake
Regular
- Location
- 49°29'28" N 119°35'19" W
I have to agree. The only thing that should be dropped are the planners who thought up the XM8.
Lets face it the only thing that blows is the restriced class the AR is in. Many people have told me they cannot justify spending the money on a rifle they can only shoot at the range. If they are going to spend that kinda money they would rather step into a unrestriced class so they can shoot and hunt anywhere.
Lets face it the only thing that blows is the restriced class the AR is in. Many people have told me they cannot justify spending the money on a rifle they can only shoot at the range. If they are going to spend that kinda money they would rather step into a unrestriced class so they can shoot and hunt anywhere.
Here is a guy in USA who bought a Colt AR-15 SP1 for only $200:
"Hard Rock 09-15-2004 08:01 AM
4 digit serial numbered Colt AR-15 SP-1 rifle in 95% condition for $200.
Mike".
Tankn from:
http://www.armslocker.com/forums/printthread.php?t=28807&pp=40
"Hard Rock 09-15-2004 08:01 AM
4 digit serial numbered Colt AR-15 SP-1 rifle in 95% condition for $200.
Mike".
Tankn from:
http://www.armslocker.com/forums/printthread.php?t=28807&pp=40
Frozen Snake
Regular
- Location
- 49°29'28" N 119°35'19" W
M16 rifles, issued to US troops in the Vietnam, severely jammed in combat, resulting in numerous casualties. There were some causes for malfunction. First of all, during the introduction of the new rifle and its ammunition into the service, US Army replaced originally specified Dupont IMR powder with standard ball powder, used in 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. The ball powder produced much more fouling, that quickly jammed the actions of the M16 unless the gun was cleared well and often. This pitifully combined with the fact that the initial M16 rifles were promoted by the Colt as "low maintenance", so, for the sake of economy, no cleaning supplies were procured for new M16 rifles, and no weapon care training was conducted fro the troops. As a result, soldiers did not know how to clean their rifles, and had no provisions for cleaning, and thing soon turned bad. To add the trouble, the ball powders also had a different pressure curve, so they produced higher pressures at the gas port, giving the rise to the rate of fire, and, thus, decreasing accuracy and increasing parts wear.
1967 - 1970. The deficiencies discovered in previous years began do dissolve. 5.56mm ammunition was now loaded using different powders that produce much less residue in the gun action. The barrel, chamber and bolt of the rifles were chrome-lined to improve corrosion resistance. Cleaning kits were procured and issued to troops,
1967 - 1970. The deficiencies discovered in previous years began do dissolve. 5.56mm ammunition was now loaded using different powders that produce much less residue in the gun action. The barrel, chamber and bolt of the rifles were chrome-lined to improve corrosion resistance. Cleaning kits were procured and issued to troops,
BattleRife
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- of No Fixed Address
Unless they are in really rough shape, a used AR-15 that left the factory complete sells for probably 20-30% less than new in the US. Figure about $750 for a new Bushmaster, $600 for a used one. The only guns that sell for much less than that are hobby specials, built by users in their garages using mystery parts.
In Canada, the prices climb because it is subject to many legal requirements for export / import, and it is sold in small numbers ( a few hundred per year?) out of small shops.
While it is true that Colt gets almost $800 for each M4 carbine, they only get about $480 for each M16A4. The difference is due to Colt milking their exclusive status on a good thing. They know just as well as everybody else that once 2011 comes along, they will lose a good chunk of that business, so they are covering their development costs while they can.
Lots of people are making the AR-15 because the technical package of drawings was handled very badly in the early years, and most of the drawings got out. There is a copy of the lower receiver blueprint on AR15.com that anyone can look at for free. With the guns having been in circulation for so long, and with demand so high, all of the other parts have been reversed engineered. Once the patents expired, it was a free for all to make as many AR-15s as they could sell.
Companies that have US military contracts to make AR-15s are doing so under license, and are paying royalties, and are prohibited by that license from selling to other markets. Everyone else is essentially a copycat. Some are very good copycats, but copycats none the less.
In Canada, the prices climb because it is subject to many legal requirements for export / import, and it is sold in small numbers ( a few hundred per year?) out of small shops.
While it is true that Colt gets almost $800 for each M4 carbine, they only get about $480 for each M16A4. The difference is due to Colt milking their exclusive status on a good thing. They know just as well as everybody else that once 2011 comes along, they will lose a good chunk of that business, so they are covering their development costs while they can.
Lots of people are making the AR-15 because the technical package of drawings was handled very badly in the early years, and most of the drawings got out. There is a copy of the lower receiver blueprint on AR15.com that anyone can look at for free. With the guns having been in circulation for so long, and with demand so high, all of the other parts have been reversed engineered. Once the patents expired, it was a free for all to make as many AR-15s as they could sell.
Companies that have US military contracts to make AR-15s are doing so under license, and are paying royalties, and are prohibited by that license from selling to other markets. Everyone else is essentially a copycat. Some are very good copycats, but copycats none the less.
