Which AR-15 to buy?

Hello all, I have been looking into getting an AR-15 for awhile now, I have seen that WalMart is carrying them now and with the holidays coming WalMart is now allowing layaway for the holiday season, I am thinking one putting one on layaway and get it out before December just in time to use it one hogs and deer before the season ends. Now, I have seen that they have several brands to choose from, they have a bushmaster, a windham weaponry, a dpms, and also a colt. prices range from about $600 to about $1200, I am leaning towards the colt but wanted to see what you guys opinion were on the brands listed above from either from what you have heard or your first hand experience. Thanks for reading and I look forward fro reading your replies....And as always thank you for your input.

Get either the Colt, or if it is out of your price range, the Windham. I would pass on the DPMS and the Bushmaster, you can get better quality AR's in the same price range.

In before the Bushmaster crowd....

I can just tell you which one I bought





I believe the Le6920MP-B is 1168$ at walmart.

With the iron sights, I was able to group cheap steel case ammo 1" at 50 yards.

With the leupold scope, 1" at 100 yards. Haven't shot any further yet.



I have put a several hundred rounds though. Tul Ammo, HPR Vmax, Winchester FMJ and Winchester SP hunting ammo. It has fed all of them without issues.

I shot about 30 rounds before the rifle seamed to "break in" and start shooting very consistently.

Heard a lot of bad things about stock AR triggers, and I was planning on investing in a nicer trigger. Fortunately, this rifle has a nice trigger, and I didn't need to upgrade.

Texas Heat, thanks for your reply. Yeah... I am looking into getting the colt but was looking for a runner up choice wise. I have heard the Windham was a good AR for the money. Again thank you for your response.

Colt W, Nice set up.. That is the one I am looking into getting at wally world. I was wondering what gr loads have you fired through your AR, have you fired any of the heavier 60gr-65gr ammo and how do they shoot? I plan on using that grain ammo for deer and hogs...

Just 55 so far. I have a box of 62 and 75 HPR, but I haven't put them through the rifle yet.

Colt, Windham, Bushmaster, DPMS. In that order.

Colts are nice, but for the money I would get a Windham. They are good guns for the money.

Of those listed, Colt for sure. If it were me and that was the budget I'd just build one. It would wind up being better than any you can buy at that price point.

Palmetto State Armory

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/firearms/rifles/palmetto-state-armory.html

I would advise looking for a 16" midlength gas system, 5.56 chamber, 1/7 or 1/8 twist barrel.

if in Dallas or Austin check out GT Distributors

I just sold a RRA Tactical Operator 2. $200 cheaper than the Colt and shoots every bit as good. Killer factory trigger, full float quad rail, nice stock, flip-up front sight, etc. I've had the cheaper models and it's worth the money to upgrade IMHO.

But for what they cost and if that's all your budget permits, the cheaper models do shoot pretty good. Just make sure you avoid the light profile barrels and get a flat top for optics.

A4 Flattop for sure. Optics ready.
Lightweight profile barrels are fine for civilian use. No sustained high volume
fire fights going on and easier to carry longer distances.
LW is your friend.

Why would you avoid LW barrels? LW barrels rock, and heat doesn't effect them much at all. I have a couple I run on my M16 lower. Our government used LW barrels forever, and they are back in style now big time.

Agree. Matter of fact all I run now are lightweight barrels, even turned my 308 AR barrel down to LW.

My first AR-15 was a DPMS Panther A3 Lite. Shot lights out until you got past 30 rounds. Went from 1.5"-2" groups at 100 yards to dinner plate groups.

Just my experience. Maybe some companies' light barrels are better than others. I just don't see the point in sacrificing any accuracy if you're not carrying it around all day. It's a minimal weight difference.

A bottom barrel DPMS, is not comparable to a BCM 1/7(or similar, LMT, PSA etc) hammer forged barrel 4150 steel barrel, they definetly won't open up to a pie plate.

My Wilson Combat 16" will hold hold MOA out several hundred yards with cheap XM193, fluted stainless 1/7 twist, 5.56 chamber

i got rid of my dedicated 18" rifle length for 3g, yeah, they shoot a tad smoother but I just couldn't justify it..

Go with the Colt at Walmart, unless you see another Colt cheaper close by....

Thank you guys for the replies, I am definitely looking at getting the colt. They also have one called or made by a company called diamondback . I have never heard of that brand and do not know it's reputation... Anyone ever heard or have experience with that brand of AR?

Diamondback is Taurus, stay away from them. Have handled a few Dimondbacks and the quality was junk.

Seriously, take a good look at RRA. $200 cheaper than the Colt and every bit as good.

Nope. Rock Rivers are heavy pigs, and I have seen a good amount of them with issues out of the box and needing to be fixed.

That surprises me. The gun shop that I use regularly is a dealer for them and several others. They say they rarely have any issues with them. They're definitely the best bang for the buck on the spec sheet. Myself and 2 buddies all have one (well I just sold mine), but all of us loved them.

How much heavier is a RRA than it's competitor and what are you doing with it that a few ounces would matter that much?

What type of issues have you seen out of the box? Are you a dealer or a consumer who just happens to have seen a bunch of RRA with issues?

I don't want to sound like I don't believe you, but I've seen the Colts. And you're paying quite a bit for that pony stamp on the side. They make a nice gun, but it's pretty much the worst bang for your buck out there. The stock trigger on a RRA is light years better than the significantly more expensive Colt. You can have a Rock River Tactical Operator with a P223 scope on it for the same price as a Colt, and the RRA will have a scope, quad rail, flip up front sight, better stock and better trigger.

Well, I can't make up my mind I am going back and forth on my decision between the Colt and the Windham, I could get the Windham for a few bucks cheaper and just use the extra money on upgrades and accessories. I just can't decide... What would you guys do? I see that some of you advise to go with the Colt while other say that the Windham is the good guns for the price. I am on the fence and need some advice and a little push in the right direction....How much better is the Colt than the Windham, are we talking just marginally better or better by a substantial amount? This may help me make my final decision.... Again thanks for reading and for any info you can provide me.

I work for a shop, do all the AR Armorer work for them. Yes we are a RRA dealer, and I definitely do not prefer them.

The weight issue doesn't matter to someone who takes their gun out to plink at the range every now and then and the gun spends 99% of its time I'm the safe. But for those of us that run 3-gun, like to take carbine courses or generally "use" our AR's for more than just a plinker the weight definitely makes a big difference.

The issues I have personally seen out of them is headspacing issues out of two separate LAR8's, both were sent back to RRA and had the barrels replaced. One Ar showed up with a crack in the rail . Have had a couple that wouldn't run, had to swap buffers to heavier buffers, just stuff that you shouldn't have to worry about when buying a $1,000+ factory rifle. I have seen less issues out of Delton's than RRA's.

RRA making all their crap proprietary, and using thread locker on everything makes my life hard so I already am biased against them lol.

Colts on the other hand I have never personally seen an issue out of the box. We sell quite a few 6920's, 6940's, a few SOCOM's and all have been good to go.

For the record I am not a Colt fanboy, I don't personally own one. I usually roll my own when it comes to AR's. Yes you do pay a little extra for the pony logo in my opinion, but you also retain value in the weapon better because of that same logo.

Unless you are a Colt fan and really need to get the Colt, get the Windham and fix it up. You are not going to notice a substantial difference between the two out of the box, they will both run great for you.

Save the money and get a stock that is comfortable (I like the STR for the cheek weld), get a decent optic and a free float rail that is to your liking.

I agree with all of this.

Like he said, unless you're going to regret not having that pony stamp down the road, the Windham is a better value.

Good info on the RRA. I'm surprised I haven't heard anything like that from my local shop. You certainly shouldn't see issues like that from a $1,000 rifle.

I'll have to take your word for it on the weight. I'm the occasional range plinker, so it really makes zero difference to me.

As far as the Colt, I agree. You pay a little more and retain value a little better.

I'm a BCM fanboy.




I'm not ashamed!
If I wanted a carbine gas length, I'd jump at the Colt. If not, I might get a lower receiver as cheap as possible, then get a lower parts kits from PSA. If it was a plinker, PSA upper. If a more serious rifle, BCM upper with BCM BCG (though they are priced about as much as gold during the frenzies).

Your average AR is 1.5ish MOA, some a little more, some a little less. The Colts, DD, and the BCM's are made to run more reliable, not necessarily more accurate. They will retain more value. You'll get an H buffer, a staked castle nut, and better steel in the barrel. (You don't necessarily NEED these, btw)

A Vickers sling (VTAC second), 10 or 20 magazines, a case or two of ammo, maybe a light. And you are good to go. Maybe an Aimpoint. Go crazy.

EDIT: And I'd prefer a midlength lightweight barrel. Someone explain to me the benefits of an M4 profile barrel. . . its backwards.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F1STR5035MLS&name=Spikes+Tactical

I have a Bushmaster. Had a problem and their customer service was great! Quick to repair (less than 2 weeks) and they picked up the shipping both ways.

My DPMS shoots great, no problems.

I think there will be a bunch of defects found on numerous ARs and parts this year, and for another couple years to come, due to the monster volume of orders.

If you can spend $1200 I would look at Daniel Defense. The DDM4 V7 is a beautiful weapon. Most gun shops will do lay away.

The v7 is a little over $1200. Where I work we usually beat everyone on price, the V7 is $1275 so your looking about $1,380 out the door.

Spikes tactical all the way. Little bit of a fan boy but they are showing up in your price range try slick guns.com they have deals from lots of vendors. Good luck. But if stuck with Walmart go colt, it's a colt. Quality firearms have true fan boys and boy does colt have em. Good luck.

Well guys, I just wanted to update you on what AR I went with. I chose to go with the Colt so I put one on layaway at Wal-Mart, they had an all black Colt Magpul version in the display case which I was going to go with till my friend, who is the manager there told me that in the gun room they had two of other Colts Magpuls versons with the dark earth stocks so I chose to go with one of those instead. I cannot wait to get it out so that I can use it for some hog/deer hunting. Now, when I get it out what weight/brand of .223 ammo should I use for both deer and hog hunting? I was thinking of using the heavier .223 ammo, for instance the 60gr to 67gr. What are your opinions on this and what would you all suggest? Thanks for reading and I appreciate any info you guys can offer.

Congratulations, Colt is a good weapon.

If you must hunt hogs with a .223, get something with a Barnes TTSX bullet in it.
The bullets are solid copper so they stay together and penetrate the tough skin of a pig.
They also expand to almost twice their diameter and retain most of their weight.
They are just about the best you can get for a pig out of a .223.

If you keep it, you 2 will grow old together. The COLT should be in better shape though at that age.

I too am a BCM fan. That said, Colt is in theatre as is the BCM and has been for many years. They build a highly reliable weapon. There is a lot of good running AR's out there now and the Wyndham is a decent carbine. I have many different AR's and have had few issues once I tweek them a bit. Just little things that I do to any AR I get to make it more reliable. BCM has dropped the prices quite a bit in fact I just got another one and I have about 1100.00 in it. It is a 14.5" mid lenth M4 profile. I was at a gun show at Will Rogers about 3 weeks ago and saw a new Colt 6920 for 1050.00 from a regular dealer. That is with all the Magpul furniture. A great deal. Do you want a cheap rifle or a battle proven weapon? Go Colt or BCM.

Ok, well I see you bought the Colt. Excellent choice! The Colt has a 1/7 twist which will run the heavier bullets more accurately than the 1/9 twist will. I would use at least 62 grain and as someone uppost stated the Barnes is a great bullet for animals. Flies great and expansion is incredible.
Congrats and welcome to the addiction.

It took me Four Years to decide which AR-15 to buy, I looked at every single option and I mean the moment I got home from school I was online looking up some AR and I continued to do so generally until six or later. I went into Academy, gander mountain, cabelas, or any other gun shop at least once a week just to look at A single rifle, I took notes on literally everything, what I came up with was that for the money you can't really beat the Colt LE6920. I got the Magpul FDE edition. The Windham was high on my list but it just didn't rank up as high. The Biggest factor regarding Colt that will beat all other factory AR's and most of your "Custom" guns is the fact that when it comes to what it is worth not only will it never go down, it will most likely always go up. You might say you will never sell it so that doesn't matter however, what it is worth still matters because you have to think of your money as an investment. Yes the Windham will save you some money however overall the Colt is going to be a better rifle. Windham's have 1 in 9" twist barrels whereas colt has 1 in 7", All Colt Rifle's have MP tested bolts whereas Windham does batch testing, Colt comes standard with a F marked FSB while the Windham comes with an A2 style (If any of my information is incorrect someone please correct it, my information is a bit dated however, I assume not much as changed, Windham was one of the last companies I looked at). Overall the Windham would be a great plinker but the Colt is a go to war rifle and has the track record to prove it. If I were you I would spend the extra cash and yes I know it stinks to not be able to get everything you want on the rifle at once because of price (I still don't have a scope, Ambi Charging Handle, Ambi mag release, or a Magpul BAD lever) but overall I think you will enjoy the Colt more.

My vote goes to Colt out of the ones mentioned.

On the contrary, Colt pricing has gone down, and I am not talking about from panic pricing. When Colt had the gov contracts and were not worried about civilian sales, prices were higher. Now that Colt sells their rifles in Walmart, the prices have indeed gone down. Also, Colt 6920s are mass produced by the truckload. Mass produced items such as the 6920 are not good investments. You are not going to earn a high rate of return on your money, unless there is another ban.

The Wyndham with the polycarbonate lower and upper at 5.8lbs is the future of AR15's as far as I am concerned. Absolutely great and as Glock has proven will last as long or longer than most the the thin metal guns.

I have a DPMS A3 Classic with the older style non - collapsible stock and 20" barrel. My son wanted an AR for Christmas last year and this is what he wanted. When it came he looked at it and decided he wanted an M4 style AR.

I originally told him too bad, this is what you are getting. I'm in my mid fifties though and the more I looked at it the more I liked the retro look and thought it might be a good varminter(I'm not an AR guy). So I bought him a stag model 1 and were were both happy. I did install a Timney trigger because I hate heavy creepy triggers and a free floating hand guard.

My DPMS likes Sierra 65 grain GameKings and the a Stag likes 64 grain Winchester PP's. The DPMS shoots sub-moa(barely) and that is good enough for me on coyotes under 300 yards. Over that and I use a .243. While I will probably always be a bolt gun person I think I will purchase or build an AR in .260 Remington. For me that would be perfect on groups of hogs.

If I were going to have and AR 15 for something more serious than occasional hunting I would upgrade from the DPMS.

I carried Colts in the army and I own a Colt now. I have an LE 6920. They're top-tier rifles. For the money though, I'd take a Spike's Tactical all day.

Just saw that you chose the Colt. Congrats. You made a good choice sir.