Cheapest AR you’d trust?

• Apr 4, 2021

• #21

M

Melnic

Ultimate Member

MDS Supporter

Dec 27, 2012

15,348

HoCo

I agree with buy stripped lowers, maybe get the LPK with Trigger and build later. Wait for deals/sales on assembled uppers. upgrade trigger later if you are on a budget.
you can get a rear peep for a flat top upper with FSB and put optics on later if you like also.
I've have delt with , have and helped friends with Delton as a budget upper or budget complete rifle.
I"ve been hot/cold w/ Radical uppers, with the worse performance barrel being from about 5 years ago and a pretty decent stainless one just last year.

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #22

Biggfoot44

Ultimate Member

Aug 2, 2009

33,162

At the moment, $1000 is the new $700 , subject to change in a heartbeat with the next round of buying frenzy .

Option 1 - Buy whatever you locate at price you can currently afford , and suspend disbelief .

Option 2 - Invoke the Spirit of Clandestine ( Chad) , and invest in a plethora of gages and tooling .

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #23

SkiPatrolDude

Ultimate Member

MDS Supporter

Oct 24, 2017

3,377

Timonium-Lutherville

Windham Weaponry makes a respectable complete AR that is MD legal. Prices are tough right now but before Covid they could be had for roughly $1,000.

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #24

johnkn

Ultimate Member

Feb 27, 2012

2,153

Complete Maryland compliant ARs are available on Gunbroker from a shop in Va. He has 2 versions at $600 and $650 and ~30 available.

He also has a bunch of police trade-in Colt 6721s that are Md compliant.

I have no personal experience with the seller/shop but they have an A+ Gunbroker rating with 5600 feedbacks.

Seller is Southern Tactical1

Good luck....

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #25

Biggfoot44

Ultimate Member

Aug 2, 2009

33,162

Don't even look at SGN , internet searches , etc , you'll just frustrate yourself . Most nationally advertised AR's sold in high volume are the " Free America Compliant " versions .

Either shop from Md based LGS , or search by SKU for specific MD Complaint versions . It sucks , but it is what it is .

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #26

O

omegared24

Ultimate Member

Dec 23, 2011

4,747

Ijamsville, MD

In this market QC isn't good all around. Even "quality" manufacturers are having issues.

My favorite rifle was assembled for under $500. However, it was fully gauged and inspected. So it's possible to get reliability for a decent price. It's just a tough market right now and you have to have access to the right tools, gauges and knowledge.

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #27

Muleskinner

Ultimate Member

Apr 6, 2013

5,918

East of the Mississippi West of the Atlantic..

I have a Delton that cost $399. I wouldn't go to war with it but I trust it for home defense.. the trick right now would be finding one in your price range. Try Hanover armory. They build there own

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #28

rseymorejr

Ultimate Member

MDS Supporter

Feb 28, 2011

26,193

Harford County

Melnic said:

...you can get a rear peep for a flat top upper with FSB and put optics on later if you like also...

Click to expand...

I put a bolt on carry handle on mine, temporarily when I built it about 12 years ago.
I liked it so it's still on there!

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #29

engineerbrian

JMB fan club

Sep 3, 2010

10,149

Fredneck

If you are looking for a stripped lower, get on the AIM Surplus mailing list. They have poverty pony lowers in stock from time to time for $45 each.

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #30

D

Dave.B

Ultimate Member

MDS Supporter

May 15, 2011

2,912

Ask yourself what do you plan on doing with the rifle? No one on any of the internet gun forums is going to war with their rifle, whether a budget build or boutique model. I get buying a quality product if you can afford it, but be realistic about your need and what you intend to do with it.

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #31

G

grimnar15

Ultimate Member

MDS Supporter

Jul 21, 2019

1,645

Windham Weaponry HBC.

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #32

Michigander08

ridiculous and psychotic

MDS Supporter

May 29, 2017

7,741

Dave.B said:

Ask yourself what do you plan on doing with the rifle? No one on any of the internet gun forums is going to war with their rifle, whether a budget build or boutique model. I get buying a quality product if you can afford it, but be realistic about your need and what you intend to do with it.

Click to expand...

Exactly, if there is a war we'll take it out off the national guard armory. And forget about AR15...that is a small thing, you have to know how to operate other big stuff.

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #33

O

omegared24

Ultimate Member

Dec 23, 2011

4,747

Ijamsville, MD

Dave.B said:

Ask yourself what do you plan on doing with the rifle? No one on any of the internet gun forums is going to war with their rifle, whether a budget build or boutique model. I get buying a quality product if you can afford it, but be realistic about your need and what you intend to do with it.

Click to expand...

Plenty of other reasons why you want quality. Reliability for home defense and not wanting it to blow up in your face are two good reasons.

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #34

AssMan

Meh...

MDS Supporter

Jan 27, 2011

16,419

Somewhere on the James River, VA

My advice is to buy an aero lower or two and wait it out. That said, I'd look at the S&W M&P series (or Windham) as a quality lower priced option if you need a complete gun.

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #35

mac1_131

MSI Executive Member

MDS Supporter

Jan 31, 2009

3,285

grimnar15 said:

Windham Weaponry HBC.

Click to expand...

^^^^
This. About $950 though, more than you wanted to spend but they are very nice.

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #36

smokey

2A TEACHER

Jan 31, 2008

31,508

Buy a bunch of aero m4e1 lowers and build them later with quality parts

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #37

Muleskinner

Ultimate Member

Apr 6, 2013

5,918

East of the Mississippi West of the Atlantic..

Dave.B said:

Ask yourself what do you plan on doing with the rifle? No one on any of the internet gun forums is going to war with their rifle, whether a budget build or boutique model. I get buying a quality product if you can afford it, but be realistic about your need and what you intend to do with it.

Click to expand...

You must not read the same forums as some of us..

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #38

3paul10

Ultimate Member

MDS Supporter

Mar 6, 2012

4,895

Western Maryland

parttimer said:

Buy two lower receivers and some magazines. You have plenty of years to go before you will have to worry about buying the rest of the parts.

Congratulations on the twins and may God have mercy on you. You have a lot of no sleep nights ahead of you for a while. My twins are almost 2 years old and they have only both started sleeping through then night in the last month or two. I hope yours are better sleepers than mine are.

Click to expand...

This...buy lowers and mags....and good luck with twins!

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #39

3

303_enfield

Ultimate Member

May 30, 2007

4,681

DelMarVa

One I built. ARFCOM has tons of threads dealing with donated parts, used parts an sub $300 AR's. Still can be done. But ammo will cost more then the rifle.

 

• Apr 4, 2021

• #40

T

Tungsten

Ultimate Member

Jan 1, 2012

7,283

Elkridge, Leftistan

JRisBundyboyz said:

For example, Palmetto has a $800 16” 300AAC Blackout would you trust it?

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Normally I'd say shoot it a couple 100 times and if you have no issues, then yes I would trust it. These days I don't have the money to burn that much ammo testing something new.

The name on the side of it is somewhat irrelevant. It is either reliable or it is not reliable. For an upper, I'd make sure to get a quality BCG, but otherwise it is going to be very obvious if there are issues or not. We aren't talking the most accurate rifle here, just one that is reliable.