Best AR15 manufacturer & why?

Shannahan · Jul 3, 2012

I'm going to shoot my first AR 15 on Wednesday morning! I'm super excited because I am told I will fall in love with it and have decided to put it on my list of "must-haves" even before I shoot one. So in preparation for my purchase I want to know who makes the best one & why. Thanks and I
hope you all have a safe & eventful 4th of July!

Bosco · Jul 3, 2012

There is no "Best". You compare what the different manufacturers do and decide what's important to you. There are some infamous "charts" out there but not sure if these are the most current versions of them...

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pwswheghNQsEuEhjFwPrgTA&single=true&gid=5&output=html

goteron · Jul 3, 2012

I disagree with Bosco, there is a Best. Not what that "Best" is... I don't know. And there is certainly a "Best" for your requirements.

I believe Daniel Defense builds the best carbine around. First and foremost they are a manufacturer, it wouldnt matter if they were building guns or turbine engines, they have expensive equipment, trained employees, and a process that is second to none for quality control and sustainable manufacturability.

I would say a list of the top brands include DD, LMT, BCM, and Noveske.

Of course not all of these manufacturers "Build" everything. For instance, Noveske does not manufacture barrels, FN does for them. Where as DD owns a cold hammer forge. But may not make some of the other components of the carbine.

You will be happy with any top name brand.

Talk to Jason at Pelican Firearms, he has ridiculously low prices and a broad selection.

Bosco · Jul 3, 2012

You disagree with me but then you agree with me... :confused:

It's like saying there's a best car manufacturer or a best shampoo. There's no such thing as "this is the best of the best of the best"

You compare what the different manufacturers do and decide what's important to you.

And there is certainly a "Best" for your requirements.

I guess some just like to argue for the sake of arguing even when they're arguing your point.

zbaw · Jul 3, 2012

If you search the internet, you will find literally thousands of threads asking the same question as you are. Saving you some time, you will find out that the "best" is actually dependant on you. The "best" is different for everyone. You need to decide what you are going to use it for first, hunting, target shooting, SHTF, etc.... Next, you need to decide on your budget. How much do you want to spend? Keep in mind that you will have to buy glass for it as well, so if your budget is 2K total, then you will want to make sure you split that between the gun and glass for it. In the end, there really isn't a "bad" AR out there, so it really depends on you. There are plenty of people that will tell you that Armalite or Colt are the best and not to buy anything else, and that is fine, but they are also some of the more expensive rifles out there. Also, in the end, you can save money if you build it yourself, which is actually VERY easy to do, even if you don't know anything about guns. There is plenty of how to's on the net that show you how to do it step by step. You will also find that a lot of people hate certain brands and will tell you that they suck, even though they have never owned one of that brand. Not saying this is true for everyone, but there are quite a few out there that fall in this category. They just spout out what they have read online. Decide what you are going to use the gun for and what your budget will be, then we can give more advice based off of the manufacturers that you should look at.

Guate_shooter · Jul 3, 2012

Could it perhaps be the best in your price range ????? instead of the best of the best ever and forever .........

as mentioned before there are a few who make Grade A products, some of them actually manufacture in house and some buy grade A parts and simply put them together.

what kind of money do you plan to spend and what is the purpose of said rifle could get you a better answer ........

dfsutton · Jul 3, 2012

You will not go wrong if you purchase one of these 3 brands. Bravo Company (BCM), Daniel Defense, or Colt. Between the three of them, you should be able to find something for almost any budget.

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
- Jiddu Krishnamurti

goteron · Jul 3, 2012

Bosco,

Not at all, I am respectuflly disagreeing to answer his question. Not argue.

I believe that DD makes the best carbine. I cannot prove it. But it is what I believe. Regardless if we can agree or not. There is a best.

The AR is a modular system, but lets look at complete factory carbines. If you look at a traditional AR (Not piston or some other design) and look at the core components, some are built better than others. If manufacturer A builds 90% of those components to a higher standard (Better materials, processes, finishing, QC, etc) it is the best. Even if a few of their components are bested by manufacturer B. All of the accessories are personal preference, though those are built to higher standards as well.

We know that meloniting is better than Chrome. We know Type 3 anodizing is better than Type 2. We know what dimensions should be.

There is a "Best", and it could be agreed upon by a panel of non-biased experts. But that is apex overthinking. There is also a "Best" for your needs as I was referring to. My first post was likely organized poorly.

If we built a metric on things that mattered, not "The Chart" though it does have some important items.

Quality Materials
Quality Manufacturing
Quality QC

I believe DD would come out ahead. That is my opinion based on my experiences. Everyone will have a different opinion, and thats fine. But if you had a non-biased standards organization grade them strictly on functional quality, there would be a best.

Not arguing with you at all.

zbaw · Jul 3, 2012

The charts above are great info. I had never seen those before actually. Thanks for those. However, I think that they are still dependant on how you are going to use the weapon.

For someone wanting a gun that will only shoot it occasionally at the range and it sit in a safe the majority of the time, then meloniting and chrome may not be needed at all. I'm not saying that I would get one without one or the other, but the truth is, if a gun will only be used lightly, then they aren't as important and money can be saved. Again, it all depends on budget and the use of the gun.

The top chart above is great for deciding on budget as well. All of the manufacturers from DPMS to Colt are good. I own a DPMS based rifle myself.

Also, deciding what chamber will matter as well. If you plan to hunt with your rifle, then you may want to get something in a 7.62 instead of the 5.56 which will change the price range somewhat and change the
manufacturers that you look at.

dfsutton · Jul 3, 2012

zbaw said:
How much do you want to spend? Keep in mind that you will have to buy glass for it as well, so if your budget is 2K total, then you will want to make sure you split that between the gun and glass for it. In the end, there really isn't a "bad" AR out there, so it really depends on you. There are plenty of people that will tell you that Armalite or Colt are the best and not to buy anything else, and that is fine, but they are also some of the more expensive rifles out there. Also, in the end, you can save money if you build it yourself, which is actually VERY easy to do, even if you don't know anything about guns.

Bad Advice.

Worry about your rifle first and learn to shoot it. After you learn to shoot the rifle, then worry about glass.

Armalite is not the best. I don't think anyone would say that. Colts are great rifles however and can be had currently for a little over $1000. Wait for a sale and you can find them for as low as $950 for a complete 6920. If you can't afford around a $1000 for an AR, then you really should save longer and wait to get a good rifle.

I would not recommend building your first rifle, just because you will probably not have the experience to pick the best quality parts for the build. So yes, you would probably save money, by sacrificing quality. Not a good tradeoff IMO.

zbaw · Jul 3, 2012

Glass was important to me, because I bought my gun with deer hunting in mind. IF that is the case, then glass is a concern if you plan to shoot it at distance. OP might be in a different situation.

I wasn't claiming that Armalite was the best out there. I was only using an example of what I have seen others say on the internet. Insert whatever manufacturer you want in that sentence. I was only saying that the best is different for everyone. Everyone thinks that what they have is the best.

1K is pretty high for a rifle alone if all you are going to do with it is shoot at paper every now and then. Considering you can pick up a S&W 15 at Academy right now for $650, and there are several others out there for under 1K, that IMO is one of the higher end rifles. For 1K and up, you are starting to get into the price range of the cheaper .308's.

Also, building can be done correctly with the correct research done, however, I agree with you that buying a complete rifle and then trading out parts little at a time is much better for learning the parts and what is better in
the parts department. That is what I did and I learned so much by doing it that way before trying to build a complete rifle.

Shannahan · Jul 3, 2012

All of these replies are most helpful! The charts are cool, and my previous research lines up with the above mentioned manufacturers. I LOVE the idea of trying to build one myself, then I could pick & choose the best AR15 "assets" from each manufacturer. It will take a good bit of research as I'm new to guns & have not built one yet, but I am really handy and think that it would be a fun! I'm really only going to shoot it for fun, so I guess I
have to get the best one.
I have to start somewhere right! And I was researching the exploding target thing, and found a bunch of videos involving fruit/veggies,
which is perfect since my gardens are overflowing right now!

GunRelated · Jul 3, 2012

As far as exploding targets go, it is hard to beat the Sure Shot .22 Magnum targets. You can buy them from BJ Pawn, or gmshooter on here. DO NOT waste you time or money on Star Targets. There are a few other brands on the internet that are comparable to the sure shot, but they are more expensive due to shipping. Red Jacket also has good targets.

Rie2183 · Jul 3, 2012

Personally I think Spikes Tactical makes the best AR for the money. An all MilSpec rifle for under $900 is hard to beat. Although I think DD, BCM and Colt are great rifles I bet my money on Spikes.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1341334628.647209.jpg

kcinnick · Jul 3, 2012

I don't have over $500 in any of my AR-15's and I have never had a malfunction from any of them,even with cheap steel cased ammo with 8 groomsmen doing mag dumps (some not even using sights). I did have to take my lightweight DPMS from them, I was worried they were going to melt my front sight (MBUS). I like KISS rifles, so I don't worry about all the tacticool gadgets. I am sure there are some nice gadgets out there, I just don't want to know about them, then I might want to go buy one.

I much prefer to shoot pistol, but I have a SMG in my sights.

Hitman · Jul 3, 2012

GunRelated · Jul 3, 2012

PSA or Spike's. Both are affordable, full mil-spec (if that means anything to you), and use quality parts. PSA, to me, is the best performing rifle you will get for your money , but Spike's rifles have a nicer fit and finish.

Shannahan · Jul 3, 2012

SHTF?

Bosco · Jul 3, 2012

Shannahan said:
SHTF?

S hit
H its
T he
F an

zbaw · Jul 3, 2012

**** Hits The Fan

Best AR15 manufacturer & why?

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