Entry Level AR15

[jlaner0408]

PSA is great, although their stuff is constantly out of stock so you’ll probably have to sign up for email alerts if there is something specific you’re looking for.

Also for caliber, make sure you start out with .223/5.56/.223 wylde. That way if you ever want to branch out, you can always get a 300 BLK upper sometime down the road since they use all the same parts minus the barrel and muzzle devices. Just make sure you read up on the differences between the .223 and 5.56 if you go that route.

 

[alexanderg23]

It’s real hard to beat PSA. There’s lots available and pretty dang inexpensive. If you don’t want to put the lower together, a complete lower isn’t much more and probably worth it.

 

[SteveCNJ]

I own two S&W M&P AR's which were about $600 each. I did upgrade the triggers but they have been very accurate with any ammo right out of the box.

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[DangerRanger]

Just buy a ruger MPR

Or an aero from armorally when they go on sale

If you want to play legos that’s fine to and I enjoy it, but there are good rifles ready to rock and roll

 

[robtattoo]

I've built 2 rifle's & a pistol from a mix of PSA parts & judicious googling. I don't have $500 in a single one, optics included. These really are the golden days of AR assembly!


If you're patient, you can pick up some silly sale deals from PSA, Primary Arms etc. The PSA daily deals can be a little hit & miss, but their complete upper process take a lot of beating. Source a used, stripped lower locally & I'd be surprised if you have to pay $40 for it. Lower parts kits, if you're ok with a mil-spec trigger, are rarely more than $40 & a buffer assembly & stick can be found under $30 all day.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I have few built with the PSA "blemished" lowers that I have yet to find a mark on. If you can catch then in stock they are like 30 bucks...great for a everyday farm gun.

 

[Carlmcd]

Palmetto state armory
Aero precision
Both great options

 

[Spoonbill]

Sons of Liberty Gunworks will occasionally have specials, lifetime warranty including the barrel. Very happy with my pistol upper I got.

 

[snuzzo29]

S&W M&P is a good basic budget friendly rifle. Ruger makes a good one too along with a bunch of other companies. I built my first AR so that I could get exactly what I wanted. Just be warned, it is addictive.

 

[Watrdawg]

I'm a member on another forum, M4Carbine.net. There are a couple of members here that are there also. Before purchasing an AR I would go there and read as much as you can. You will definitely learn a lot! Springfield Armory, Sons of Liberty Gunworks, Bravo Company Manufacturing, Colt, Sionics are all great companies. I would go online and get a Colt 6920 to start off with. Easily less than $1000 and it's the standard. Even though PSA has a lot of it's parts made by FN The lower receivers and upper receivers have a history of being out of spec. Definitely stay away from Anderson Arms, Deltonics, RRA, Olympic Arms and others in that price range. If you want to build it yourself Aero Precision is a good place to start for upper and lower receivers. They are more than reasonably priced and have a good reputation. You will need certain tools to put it together. AR's are very easy to assemble with the right tools. Still with all of that being said a COLT 6920 is a very good place to start.

 

[sndmn11]

another forum, M4Carbine.net. Springfield Armory, Sons of Liberty Gunworks, Bravo Company Manufacturing, Colt, Sionics are all great companies. I would go online and get a Colt 6920 to start off with. Easily less than $1000 and it's the standard. Even though PSA has a lot of it's parts made by FN The lower receivers and upper receivers have a history of being out of spec. Definitely stay away from Anderson Arms, Deltonics, RRA, Olympic Arms and others in that price range. If you want to build it yourself Aero Precision is a good place to start for upper and lower receivers.

Ignore all the other replies but the one above.

Aero is as cheap as can be found but still quality material. You can buy a complete lower and separately a complete upper from their site for $800. For complete guns, BCM is a good choice that is common. Colts are great but they did make one model for about $600 that was not a real Colt. Be weary or mainstream mfgs like Ruger, SW, Remington, etc who prioritize other types of firearms because there are a fair amount of corner cutting.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

if you're in LE, geissele superduty can be had for pretty affordable $$ and is pretty nice.

 

[Watrdawg]

Ignore all the other replies but the one above.

Aero is as cheap as can be found but still quality material. You can buy a complete lower and separately a complete upper from their site for $800. For complete guns, BCM is a good choice that is common. Colts are great but they did make one model for about $600 that was not a real Colt. Be weary or mainstream mfgs like Ruger, SW, Remington, etc who prioritize other types of firearms because there are a fair amount of corner cutting.

I've built 3 AR's using Aero lower receivers and they have been fine so far. They are probably as inexpensive as you will find and still have a quality lower. I've used BCM blemished upper receivers also and to this day I have never been able to find the blemish. Overall I've used Aero, BCM, LMT, and on the upper end Noveske upper and lower receivers for builds. I only have two AR's that I didn't build in some form or fashion. One is a Noveske SBR and the other is a LMT MWS .308. All the others are builds. Before I started building complete weapons I'd search for a complete lower receiver and then a complete upper. I usually saved some compared to buying a complete weapon but not much. Building from the ground up isn't difficult at all. With the proper tools it's all pretty easy. The touchiest part is the barrel assembly in my opinion. Making sure your gas block and gas tube are set right and not covering any of the gas port. If you do you will have cycling issues. I'm not a fan of fixed front sight/gas blocks because your limited with front rail choices. Most front rail sets come with their own barrel nuts and are usually proprietary. So make sure you get the rail you really want. You may not be able to swap rails later on for a different manufacturer's rail. without almost taking the upper completely apart. I found that out the hard way.

Everything I've really learned about AR's has come mostly from M4Carbine.net Great resource! It's on par with this site.

 

[SEtoNWHunter]

I've gone pretty deep into the AR build hole in the last few years. They are awesome guns for many purposes. In terms of getting started, if I had to do it all over again, for one do-it-all rifle:

I would buy a cheap stripped lower, PSA lower build kit, good quality BCG, milspec charging handle, and this complete upper (if you want high quality and lightweight). I'm not affiliated with these guys but you can't put this together yourself with these parts for less... you get Ti parts, pinned gas block, MI Handguard with Ti nut (which are excellent), and a good SS barrel. More $ than the most basic set ups but WAY better components.

Site Disclaimer

DS Arms is a quality firearms manufacturer specializing in the FAL Rifle, AR15 Rifle and RPD Rifle and latest parts & accessories

www.dsarms.com

They also do free shipping for members of another forum site that starts with ar15 and ends with dot com... just sayin

 

[LNF150]

Just buy a ruger MPR

Or an aero from armorally when they go on sale

If you want to play legos that’s fine to and I enjoy it, but there are good rifles ready to rock and roll

 

[False_Cast]

What is “sport shooting” and what is your budget?

 

[sram9102]

Save up buy a BCM and be done with it. You'll have a quality company that will stand behind their warranty if anything goes wrong.

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[MattB]

I own two S&W M&P AR's which were about $600 each. I did upgrade the triggers but they have been very accurate with any ammo right out of the box.

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Which trigger did you buy?

 

[22lr]

Another vote for PSA or the S&W models. They run great, and while they don't carry a big name/pricetag they are not just relegated for a cheap truck/range gun. The ones I have had (I've had 1 S&W and 3 PSAs) have always ran like a champ through thousands of rounds and as long as you feed them with a good magazine, you will be good to go. I just don't have any emotional attachment to my ARs so I tend to sell/trade with em pretty frequently.

My current AR is a PSA upper on a homemade lower with a PSA parts kit and a Sharps Co BCG, runs like a champ!

 

[Randall]

Watrdawg definitely knows what he is talking about. I'm a member over on M4C too, and it is THE place you want to research if youre going to dive in. I went from knowing absolutely nothing about AR's to choosing and building every single individual component in more than a couple rifles.

It depends what you're going to use the rifle for. If it has even the barest possibility of being used for home defense then dont cheap out. BCM, Sionics, LMT, Colt, Daniel Defense, or a few others. I personally wouldnt use PSA. I also wouldnt build your first one unless you really have the itch. Get a complete lower and a complete upper and go shoot it. Then down the road after you learn a bit you can either swap components and upgrade that way, or start on a whole new gun and build from the ground up.

When friends and family ask me what they should get, 90% of the time I point them to a BCM complete lower with an A5 receiver extension, and a BCM complete upper receiver group with their personal choice of barrel and rails.