Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

Best AR style rifle??

BowGunHunter
Ok. I know this is a loaded question (no pun intended) but which AR style rifle do you like best. I think my next purchase will be one of those. With all the choices..Ruger, DPMS, Colt, Bushmaster, Remington...how do you choose? My budget will be right around $1000.

I have not even made a decision between .308 or .223 yet.

I will be using it for coyotes and hogs. I know the larger caliber will be best for hogs but overkill for coyotes.

Any input would be appreciated.
0

Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • Nwcid
    As far as brand goes if you stick with any of the major brands you are all about the same. They will all have good warranties to back them up if needed. The big ones to stay away from are Vulcan/Hesse/Blackthorn, not sure on CAI overall the have a moderate rep for guns but have not heard about their AR's.

    Again caliber is going to be a personal choice. The AR-10 (.308/.260/.243/ ect) will be larger and heavier then an AR-15.
    0
  • dbain99
    Got a Bushmaster Predator 20" absolutly love it and a M&P 16" that I got cause I got a DEAL/STEAL on. Next up on my list is a RRA Coyote 16" to take the M&Ps place. Now an 18" RRA Coyote in a heavier caliber . . . thats the stuff dreams are made of.
    0
  • beantownshootah
    .308 may even be overkill for hogs.

    Note that AR-15 platform guns can be had in all sorts of calibers (as can the AR-10/.308 guns).

    If you like you can get an AR-15 in 7.62x39. Or you can get one in .223 and a second upper in a caliber of your choice.

    In terms of which one. . .getting it set up the way you like it is probably ultimately more important than which brand.
    0
  • tsr1965
    They are all good, except the afore mentioned Vulcan/Hesse/Blackthorne, and the CAI. Some will argue that Colt is the only way to go, as every single part is milspec. I say blahpoohey! The Remington, and Bushmaster are pretty much the same rifle, as Bushmaster makes that for Big Green. Ones that you did not mention are Armalite, Rock River Arms(often overlooked), Stag, and S&W. I say if you want the best bang for the buck, RRA seems to be decent. I just stuck a 16" Varmint upper on a pre-ban Eagle Arms lower, and installed a Bushmaster two stage match trigger. If I do my part, it will keep the 75 grain Hornady TAP loads well under an inch at 200 yards, and often when there is no wind, under 1/2".

    You want to pay a lot of attention to barrel twist rates as some will not stabalize the heavier bullets, while the faster twist for the heavy bullets will not shoot the lighter 40-55 grain bullets well. It is my personal belief, that for hogs, you are going to want the heavier bullet, and the faster twist needed for that, will pretty much relegate you to that same bullet for coyote.

    Just some stuff to think about, and If I can do more for you, give me a shout.

    Best
    0
  • 7.62x39Lover
    Does anyone here have any experience with Del-ton AR rifles? They seem to be a good bang for the buck, but I don't know anyone who has had one of those.
    0
  • dfletcher
    quote:Originally posted by 7.62x39Lover
    Does anyone here have any experience with Del-ton AR rifles? They seem to be a good bang for the buck, but I don't know anyone who has had one of those.


    I have a few of their uppers. I use my ARs for fun and "sort of casual" target shooting and find the Del-Ton does fine. I haven't had any quality issues - functions fine, accuracy is fine.

    Regarding the under $1K requirement, pretty easy to do with an AR 15 bit close on an AR 10 style. I have a POF lower with DPMS upper and a RRA 2 stage, ACE stock and a few other odds & ends - I would say I hit about $1,100.00 not including the scope.
    0
  • sandwarrior
    Bowgunhunter,

    You give the two most common species you intend to hunt with this. In my experience with the former ranges can be up to 600 yds. From what I'm seeing and hearing from friends the latter can sometimes be that far as well.

    For the coyote the .223 will work well. For the hogs a heavier bullet is needed. You will need to get a tighter twist barrel for heavier bullets in .223 or you can jump up a couple calibers to 6.5 or 6.8. Both rounds within that range satisfy what you need for hogs. Further out the 6.5 has better ballistics but not necessarily with optimal hunting bullets. Olympia also makes the WSSM AR-15 uppers for around $800-$900. These are the most powerful rounds you can run through an AR-15 platform. Anything more powerful you need to move up to the AR-10 platform. The general problem with these is they are more length limited than the 6.5 Grendel. So you can shoot faster but are limited in some of the bullets you can use in them. For the most part standard hunting bullets fit these cases well enough in an AR to work. So, the WSSM's will work well out to 600 yds if you need to reach out that far.

    My suggestion also is that you get at least a long enough barrel to maximize performance. 20" or longer would be what I suggest. Too many times I've seen someone want a "handier" rifle and shorten the barrel down to where it loses a LOT of velocity.

    Are you going to reload for this AR? That will give you a lot better lattitude in what you choose.

    -hope that helps
    0
  • dandak1
    Colt. You wont be sorry and if you ever need to sell you will get more out of it than you put in it.
    0
  • MrM1A1
    You picked the right time to buy!! The market is flooded with AR's and you can get new complete guns for a bargain. If you do some looking, you can find NEW Colts for about $1k. Considering the price gap has all but closed, I would get a Colt for nearly the same $ as a Rock River or Ruger etc. Colt has a great reputation for great AR's. CDNNsports.com and GunBroker.com are great places to look for cheap but dependable new AR's. Good luck on your search!![;)]
    0
  • ruger41
    Just bought a Rock River UTE2 for $1100 so that is close to your budget. Great rifle, great trigger and lifetime warranty if that means something to you. I originally wanted the Ruger because I'm a fan of their guns but you are not going to buy one for $1000--they are at least $500-$700 more and the average joe shooter will probably never know the difference between a gas gun or a piston one like the Ruger--as far as I know the only piston gun in your price range is Stag Arms and they make decent rifles. I was in your boat a few months ago and did a lot of research on all the guns in my price range plus went and held examples in person.
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity