"Worst" AR-15's to buy?
So, if I'm looking to get an AR-15 style rifle at auction, I know the more you spend, the better a gun you'll get, but on the low end, what things should I look to avoid when reading descriptions? If NO manufacturer is listed that would be a possible red flag to questionable quality, but are there any brands/manufacturers (either in or out of business) that are generally known to have more problems with their product? Recommendations for a starter rifle to get? Any feedback appreciated.
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Vulcan, Hesse, Blackthrone, same company, had to change their name 2 times because of their poor quality.
Below that for me would be a rifle someone else built the upper for.
What do you want to do with the rifle?
Most any brand M4 carbine or midlength rifle will suit your needs if you just want to go plinking and what not.0 -
quote:Originally posted by shoff14
Vulcan, Hesse, Blackthrone, same company, had to change their name 2 times because of their poor quality.
Agreed. If experience has taught me anything it is that at some point in time a member will pop in and tell us how his Hesse/Vulcan AR (or AK) is the most accurate rifle he's ever owned and that he has never had a single problem with it. Good for him. Unfortunately very few others have been as lucky and the company has been dodging angry consumers for many years.0 -
go on and get you a colt, you will always be glad. 0 -
Mark, I'm not going to pop in and brag on my Blackthorne. Apparently, I'm one of the fortunate few. My advice is expect to spend $700-850 on a rifle made by a known company depending on how much your dealer is making on the transaction. It is possible to get a deal if someone has rifles on the shelf that are not selling quick enough. I'm an inveterate tinkerer and builder. Over a period of time I accumulate parts until I can put it all together. Here's a list of what my last AR build cost shipping included on individual pieces.. Big ticket- complete upper w/bolt= $400,lower parts kit=$55,butt w/buffer assy=$45, stripped lower=$60. Total=$560.
Takes me about one hour to put it all together=$20. In some of cases, I had to buy several items to get price shown. That $700 rifle doesn't look so bad now.0 -
To Shoff14: Yes, just looking for a simple target/plinking rifle with a little more "oomph" to it than a .22. If money were no object a Colt would be my first choice (love the other Colt guns that I have!), but I've seen some decent prices listed for Rock River AR-15 model guns, so I'm considering them as well. Thanks for the replies so far, any other suggestions? 0 -
Blackthorne/hesse/vulcan probably have the worst reputation. . .that doesn't necessarily mean they are the worst guns, or every single one is bad, but you are looking for a brand to avoid those would be the ones to start with.
There are probably home-made builds out there that are just as bad, or even potentially unsafe.
Particularly if you're new to these, I'd say away from anything that appears to be home-built, or an assembled "mongrel" gun made out of parts from various manufacturers. The latter does NOT mean the gun is bad (and to the contrary, it might be quite good), but why buy something with no customer support, whose provenance and build quality are unclear?
You might get a good deal on a built up gun, if you are fairly knowledgeable about parts and builds, but unless you are, its better, in my opinion, to pay a little more for something with a company standing behind it.
To answer the basic question, I think its pretty hard to go wrong with any of the bigger "name" manufacturers (Bushmaster, Stag, DPMS, Olympic, Smith and Wesson, Colt, Armalite, etc, etc). The market is pretty darn competitive, and the companies wouldn't last if they didn't put out a good product at offer at least passable customer service. [Edit: Rock River is fine too]
As to which model you should get, that depends entirely on what you want to do with it. First decide that, then look for one that meets your criteria.
In general, the M4 clone rifles are quite popular; pretty much every maker offers one. One of those will work OK for "general" use as a plinker or defense rifle.
If you want match-type accuracy, then get a match-type gun. If you want to hunt with it, get one designed (with the appropriate barrel) for that purpose. If you know you are going to mount an optic, you might consider a flat-top model, etc. If you feel a need to hang lots of "stuff" from your rifle (light, laser, bipod, vertical foregrip, etc), then consider one with lots of rails on it, etc.
EDIT #2:
quote:You never see any DPMS or Olympics where anything serious is involved.
I think you'd seriously NOT want to be shot by either of the above.
A bit more "seriously" the thrust of the question was about low-cost guns. Sure, you can pay more to get more, but you're not going to see anything "Colt" (for example) where "low cost" is involved!
On M4-clone guns, I'm not a big "fan" myself, but lots of people like them. Whether or not one is a good choice for you depends again on what you want to do with it.0 -
Hi, I'm "that member"... 0 -
The worst?
Any M4 carbine style AR...
They are poorly made, usually FN parts (Bad name only on AR's), and highly unreliable.
Buy a STANDARD A2/A4 with 20" barrel, either a flat top, or rail, either heavy barrel or standard weight.
DO NOT BUY A4!!!
Best Makers are Rock River (my favourite), Armalite, Bushmaster...
Colt is ok, but quality on some parts varies.
This is the best advice I can offer, one serious rifleman to another.
Best
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Forgot to mention..All the brands mentioned in other memeber replies are in general very good, EXCEPT Olympic and DPMS....
You never see any DPMS or Olympics where anything serious is involved.0 -
Well, my Oly"s are both dependable, and good shooters. My Colt's work well. I can't tell you about the others, because I've only owned the Oly and Colt. 0
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