AR manufacturer debate - let's have some fun

[cyphertext]

Colt was once the standard, but now so many build to that same standard or better. Colt is also not always friendly to the civilian market. Just a couple of years ago, they exited the civilian market when prices were low. Fast forward to riots, pandemic, and high AR prices and Colt decides to enter the market again. May be good economics, but I won't support them.

 

[rwsmith]

The two 'home builts'.....

...I have

Anderson Lower, Daniel Defense lower kit, Palmetto State Armory Upper.

Anderson Lower, PSA Lower kit and upper.I

I'm very happy with both. I did have to get a couple of new parts to replace some really crummy ones I had. Stock extension tube was cheap trash and trying to install an ill fitting buffer plunger detent chewed it up. Both kits were missing some parts, but they made good on them.

 

[quikdraw67]

I have a old Bushmaster , Maine production.

It shoots great. The other 2 are ones I put together as parts kits. They shoot well too.

 

[jake1945]

DPMS Panther .223. Never a problem with it.

 

[Mike0251]

CMMG and POF

 

[Hair Trigger]

I voted "custom". I built both my AR's. It allowed me much more freedom of choice for caliber and features, and quality of parts. I have a 300BLK M4, and a 6.5 Grendel long-range uppers, built a single lower to use with both of them. Rainier Match barrel for the Blackout, Odinworks for the Grendel; Geissele 2-stage DMR trigger, Geissele Super Modular rails for both, and various Spike's Tactical, Wilson Combat, Magpul and other parts. Redfield Red dot 1X sight with laser for the Blackout, Warne 20MOA scope mount and Vortex Viper HST 6-24x50 scope for the Grendel.

 

[Bladeswitcher]

It doesn't matter what picture or name is stamped on the side of the receiver, all ARs are mixmasters. As a general rule, these brand names aren't producing their own small parts. They just assemble them together to make a rifle and put it in a box with their name on it. They're not doing anything you can't do yourself at home in under an hour (or less if you're buying a complete upper).

They're all the same. An AR is an AR. Get a good barrel and a decent bolt. Pop for an upgraded trigger. Slap on the furniture that fits your fancy. You're good to go.

Once you've built a few of these things, you quickly realize the brand on the side doesn't matter. Parts is parts.

I own five ARs and have had several more in the past. One of my favorites was built from a Del-Ton kit.

 

[Chukar60]

I have owned several AR's and never been fully satisfied with them. Usually mediocre accuracy was the issue.
Never cared for the mix masters as my knowledge of components is weak, plus the question of who put it together and their qualifications always haunted me.
Ended up buying a Head Down rifle last year. Great warranty, and they guarantee MOA or better accuracy.
The Craftsman series example I got delivers the accuracy and seems a very well built gun with forged upper and lower. Thus far 100% reliable. Only change I made was a different trigger.
Next thing is a 6.5 Grendel upper from the manufacturer which comes with the same accuracy guarantee.

 

[Bladeswitcher]

I bought three Colt ARs several years ago. They've been fired extensively, function perfectly, and are accurate. Copies may work as well, but Colts retain value better than copies and are more desirable to potential buyers should it become necessary to sell or trade. Spend a little more and get the original. It's worth it.

It's certainly true that home-builds are harder to sell.

People who are hip to building ARs generally just look at other people's builds as piles of parts. They have their own ideas about what they want to create, so they're mostly interested in canibalizing the gun.

For people who don't build their own, the rifle is some sort of mystery so they count on a brand name for assurance. They're turned off by home-builds because of the uncertainty.

It's a perception/familiarity thing. It has more to do with the buyer than the gun.

 

[Engine49guy]

Colt early SP1 & SP2 series get top Mark's for collectability,
The Colt Sporter series rifles that followed have alot of junk that Colt foolishly and voluntarily installed to neuter their rifles like a pinned in sear block and cut bolt, larger trigger pins to prevent installing M16 trigger parts and grinding off the bayonet lug, in later years they ceased threading the muzzle and pinned on a muzzle break and in its final iteration ceased having anything on the muzzle at all
After the useless Clinton era AWB twilighted Bushmaster of Windham Me. began offering rifles that were much closer to the M16a2 as you could get from Colt, those were great guns and get high Mark's for that era IMO.

The others that seem to be very well made were the milspec M&P AR15 series offered by SW, these came with a hefty price jump over the economical Sport 2 series, they can be distinguished from the Sport 2 by their hinged flat trigger guard and M203 barrel cut.

PSA is a very good budget alternative to the Sport 2 as well and you get alot for your money but no SW lifetime warranty.

 

[Mdclinks]

I am surprised that FN hasn't been mentioned yet. They've been making the bulk of the US military rifles for years. Everyone says they make some of the best barrels.

 

[03hemi]

From the results of the poll, it's obvious many don't really know which is a high end AR? Hint, Colt ain't it.
None of those listed can even compare to a Daniel.

 

[Fishinfool]

I own an early HB Colt, DPMS, Ruger, Rock River, and a early post ban Bushmaster. Have shot a ton of Colts, mostly M4's with the fun switch.

My favorite would have to be the Bushmaster. Accurate, well made, and reliable, as in thousands of rounds without one failure of any kind. It's my go to gun when I feel I NEED to have an AR in my hands.

Larry

 

[terry_tr6]

IMHO, accuracy is the barrel. the rest just has to function. Mine are all mixmasters and over time lowers and uppers have been swapped. That being said, my newest are PSA uppers and anderson lowers. The ony issue was a PSA AR10 that had ejection issues. @2trips back home to PSA but now it works fine. And turnaround was fast and free.
It is also now my first pass at bedding the barrel to an upper. results on accuracy not in yet.

My match gun was a mixmaster with a chrome lined colt H-bar barrel But I also was shooting near clean prones at 200 yd with a used H-bar without any name that was on my first AR. shocked rest of the line

 

[Bladeswitcher]

From the results of the poll, it's obvious many don't really know which is a high end AR? Hint, Colt ain't it.
None of those listed can even compare to a Daniel.

Well, they certainly have a skilled marketing department.

 

[Bladeswitcher]

Does the gun function? Does it eject and feed a round every time you squeeze the trigger? Do the rounds consistently hit where you're aiming? What more is there? Beyond that it's just fashion and brand envy.

Any manufacturer and most basement tinkerers can assemble an AR that works and doesn't break. It's neither art nor science. If you could handle a Tinker Toy as a kid, you can "build" an AR.

 

[03hemi]

Most gun guys could assemble a functioning AR, but comparing them to a high end maker is like comparing a Colt 1911 (of which I have several) with a Nighthawk, Wilson Combat or a Stan Chen.
The difference is in the precision of assembly.
Apples and oranges.

 

[CH4]

From the results of the poll, it's obvious many don't really know which is a high end AR? Hint, Colt ain't it.
None of those listed can even compare to a Daniel.

Definitely not in price or bragging rights anyway.

 

[Bladeswitcher]

Most gun guys could assemble a functioning AR, but comparing them to a high end maker is like comparing a Colt 1911 (of which I have several) with a Nighthawk, Wilson Combat or a Stan Chen.
The difference is in the precision of assembly.
Apples and oranges.

Hardly. A 1911 requires hand fitting of parts. Almost nothing is truly drop-in on a 1911. The AR15 requires nothing like that. Quite the contrary. It was designed from the beginning to be plug and play.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

My first ar was a very nice Seekins in 300 blkout that I eventually bought a dedicated CMMG .22 upper for it. After that I started building my own ar pcc's using CNC Enterprises greasegun mag lowers and OA blowback upper parts initially but my last used the much better cmmg rotary bolt/bbl. Here's my 300/.22 Seekins.