First AR Recommendations

ADCOLE · Aug 23, 2017

Windham Weaponry, Del-Ton, PSA or Aero Precision gets my vote.

Jollyllama · Aug 23, 2017

I have a NIB Del Ton listed in the classifieds. Send me a pm if you are interested/ have questions.

Also have an LWRC piston upper listed. I wouldn't really suggest this as your first, but crazier things have happened.

All other suggestions are good as well. I have had good experiences with PSA, Engage, BCM, Colt, Del Ton and LWRC.

You are certainly in the buyers market. Just make sure to allocate your budget for an optic, mags, sling and ammo as well.

Good luck!

Neutron · Aug 23, 2017

Check out Hanover Armory. They are off of Dorsey road near the airport. Lots of AR parts, uppers,and they custom build as well.

Michigander08 · Aug 23, 2017

Get this one and you will be happy. I am happy with mine.

http://www.jlowesguns.com/RUGER-AR-556-556MM-223REM-161-BLK-CO-MD-LEGAL-Model-8511_p_582.html

Or you can pick this one up and get HBAR upper or 300 blackout upper to match with it.

http://www.jlowesguns.com/RUGER-AR-ELITE-LOWER-452-TRIGGER-MAGPUL-MOE_p_678.html

Biggfoot44 · Aug 24, 2017

You have a multitude of options in your price range, for both .223/ 5.56/ Wylde , or .308 ( and more cals if inclined). Actually that price range gives you options from budget , up to starting into higher end/ custom. You will see lots of recomendations here for Engage . In addition to a good selection of the usual suspects, they are a Mfg, and can cheerfully build you one of their rifles to your exact preferences .

Red1917 · Aug 24, 2017

I'm a big fan of the del tons too, had one for years and just built another one for less than 500 bucks. Both have run flawlessly and I've found their customer service to be great. That said I'm sure any of the suggestions so far would be a good choice. I always find it helpful to go pick guns up in person and see how they feel, that might sway you in one direction too

Cal68 · Aug 24, 2017

rbird7282 said:
Engage has a huge selection of AR's in their shop and is definitely worth the drive. They carry many different brands and can also build to your specs. They'll treat you right.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

+1 on Engage. Definitely worth the drive to check them out. I've bought several firearms from them and they are great.

I also bought an AR10 from Duffy's and they were great too. I recall that they also had a great selection of AR's so you might want to check them out too.

I agree that 5.56/223 is the way to go with one's first AR.

www.duffysguns.com

Enjoy!

Cal68

3paul10 · Aug 24, 2017

My 2 cents: don't make the poor guy spend big bucks on an LWRC for his first AR.....there are so many solid choices at good prices right now.....

44man · Aug 24, 2017

Gym rats seems to have ruger at pretty often for just under $500, check them out

INMY01TA · Aug 24, 2017

I'm happy with my Del-tons.

Trepang · Aug 24, 2017

Colt 6721.

My first was a Rock River and then I bought a used Police trade-in 6721.

I took both to Chad (Clandestine) for work: The Rock River wasn't staked properly from the factory and I wanted the 20 year old Colt checked out due to it's age and unknown history.

After spending the morning with Chad as he worked on both rifles and kept using Colts as his benchmark for an well built, excellent off-the-shelf AR, I went out the very next week and bought another 6721, a brand new one to go along with the older Police trade in and never looked back.

When I hear people refer to other ARs as "being as good as a Colt" I always wonder why they just didn't buy a Colt to begin with.

Mursey · Aug 24, 2017

3paul10 said:
My 2 cents: don't make the poor guy spend big bucks on an LWRC for his first AR.....there are so many solid choices at good prices right now.....

Any other recommendations? I think I'm more of a flat top rail fan now that I dig into it.

44man said:
Gym rats seems to have ruger at pretty often for just under $500, check them out

That is the weirdest amalgamation of a store I've ever seen haha

Trepang said:
Colt 6721.

My first was a Rock River and then I bought a used Police trade-in 6721.

I took both to Chad (Clandestine) for work: The Rock River wasn't staked properly from the factory and I wanted the 20 year old Colt checked out due to it's age and unknown history.

After spending the morning with Chad as he worked on both rifles and kept using Colts as his benchmark for an well built, excellent off-the-shelf AR, I went out the very next week and bought another 6721, a brand new one to go along with the older Police trade in and never looked back.

When I hear people refer to other ARs as "being as good as a Colt" I always wonder why they just didn't buy a Colt to begin with.

I get the prestige behind Colt as a baseline, but I'm not sure the 6721 is for me. Any other recommendations in the Colt lineup? I might be dumb, but can the handguard and carrying handle be replaced?

omegared24 · Aug 24, 2017

Mursey said:
I get the prestige behind Colt as a baseline, but I'm not sure the 6721 is for me. Any other recommendations in the Colt lineup? I might be dumb, but can the handguard and carrying handle be replaced?

The 6721 doesn't come with a carry handle. I believe it comes with a Magpul rear sight.

The handguard can easily be replaced with a variety of options that pop in.

Ultimately you will end buying more AR's. This is an excellent option that needs nothing out of the box and can be a good starter rifle. Remember, you can buy different uppers later. You may choose to build your own. Several members would probably help you do it.

Mursey · Aug 24, 2017

omegared24 said:
The 6721 doesn't come with a carry handle. I believe it comes with a Magpul rear sight.

The handguard can easily be replaced with a variety of options that pop in.

Ultimately you will end buying more AR's. This is an excellent option that needs nothing out of the box and can be a good starter rifle. Remember, you can buy different uppers later. You may choose to build your own. Several members would probably help you do it.

My bad, basic google searches kept showing some version with one of those raised handles.

Rc29b1 · Aug 24, 2017

Armalite

I just bought my first ar15 a couple months ago.. i was on a budget so i ended up with an armalite ar15. $699 i just had to add a rear sight to make it ready to shoot. Other than that very basic. Hbar. And can be customized however you like. Im very happy with it for the price. I mean armalite pretty much invented this type of rifle. It's considered a .223 wylde which shoots both 223 and 556 safely. I took it the range and shot very accurate at 100 yrds with iron sights.
As far as a range is concerned i live on kent island and have been going to delmarva sporting clays range. Its about an hour from here and probably 1 1/2 from annapolis. Its outdoors and has all kinda of distances. $20 all day per person.
VA ranges seem to be crowded and about $20 per hour.
I would suggest actually going to deleware to get your mags. Similar distance to Virginia but less traffic.
Hope that helps!

Mursey · Aug 24, 2017

Rc29b1 said:
I just bought my first ar15 a couple months ago.. i was on a budget so i ended up with an armalite ar15. $699 i just had to add a rear sight to make it ready to shoot. Other than that very basic. Hbar. And can be customized however you like. Im very happy with it for the price. I mean armalite pretty much invented this type of rifle. It's considered a .223 wylde which shoots both 223 and 556 safely. I took it the range and shot very accurate at 100 yrds with iron sights.
As far as a range is concerned i live on kent island and have been going to delmarva sporting clays range. Its about an hour from here and probably 1 1/2 from annapolis. Its outdoors and has all kinda of distances. $20 all day per person.
VA ranges seem to be crowded and about $20 per hour.
I would suggest actually going to deleware to get your mags. Similar distance to Virginia but less traffic.
Hope that helps!

I keep forgetting DE is a good spot. Shit, I have a cop bud that lives there and can just bring me 30rd mags when he comes to go out downtown.

Biggfoot44 · Aug 24, 2017

Colt 6721 is never a bad choice . There is a reason it is the standard that all other AR's are judged . ( Clandestine aka Chad is in a position to have an informed professional opinion, and he speaks highly of Colt's QC compared to competing AR's .)

Not saying they are bad rifles compared to their direct competition , but the company doing business as Armalite in recent years has no lineage to the Armalite Division of Fairchild Industries that developed what became the AR . Today's Armalite traces lineage to what was known as Eagle Arms 25-ish years ago .

Not saying that's inherently bad . Eagle Arms was one of the pioneers in establishing the non-Colt AR-15 industry .

Mursey · Aug 24, 2017

So, just so I can understand what I'm looking at, would this combination work, minus sights, a charging handle and a mag?

https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/pro...ceiver-magpul-moe-stock-black-736676085163.do
https://hanoverarmory.com/product/223-wylde-18″-spiral-flute-phosphate-upper-assembly/
https://hanoverarmory.com/product/mil-spec-bolt-carrier-group-5-56-300/ (it's uncoated, I think. Here is the nitride coated one https://hanoverarmory.com/product/nitride-angle-cut-bcg/ )

Biggfoot44 · Aug 25, 2017

Fine Print #1 - A lower purchased by itself requires a 77R , 7 day weight, etc , while a complete HBAR rifle is same day cash & carry .

Detail #1 - Cheaper than Dirt catagorically declines to sell firearms to Maryland residents .

Detail #2 - The short paragraphs in the links for the Uppers, I didn't see the word "heavy" . It was implied. But Hanover Armory is Maryland based, and should know .Perhaps the longer product description includes the word Heavy .

gunismyfriend · Aug 25, 2017

Mursey said:
I keep forgetting DE is a good spot. Shit, I have a cop bud that lives there and can just bring me 30rd mags when he comes to go out downtown.

Technically speaking, as I understand it, your bud bringing mags to you is no good, since that'll be considered a transfer within MD.
You need to physically go out of the MD border and get the mags. So, meeting your bud beyond MD border is good even if it's just over the bridge, just as you going to a DE gun shop.
My 2 cents.

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