What's the current best value for a Md legal Ar15?

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  • atblis

    Ultimate Member
    May 23, 2010
    2,011
    Not after the cheapest, but value

    Ideally a 16" mid length gas. Mlok float tube would be nice

    Asking for a friend as I prefer to roll my own. Also the reason I have no idea what to buy as a complete gun.

    Industry partner would be great too.
     

    babalou

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 12, 2013
    16,017
    Glenelg
    Gymratz had a couple no profit rugers for sale recently. By no profit i mean the prices were under $500
     

    Steve_Zissou

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 11, 2017
    1,042
    Baltimore City
    Not after the cheapest, but value

    Ideally a 16" mid length gas. Mlok float tube would be nice

    Asking for a friend as I prefer to roll my own. Also the reason I have no idea what to buy as a complete gun.

    Industry partner would be great too.

    Go Windham if you want a bare-bones MD compliant M4 clone.

    Their stuff isn't the cheapest, but it's certainly cheap enough and the build quality is miles beyond the cheap Rugers, etc.
     

    joppaj

    Sheepdog
    Staff member
    Moderator
    Apr 11, 2008
    46,452
    MD
    I'll go a different route with this. If you can find a Colt 6920 SOCOM, they're MD legal and for what you're getting they're a pretty solid value at the price most IP's have sold them for.
     
    Last edited:

    Adam Conover

    Member
    Aug 6, 2013
    21
    I'll go a different route with this. If you can find a Cold 6920 SOCOM, they're MD legal and for what you're getting they're a pretty solid value at the price most IP's have sold them for.

    This. When I saw they were listed as GTG by MSP I nearly fainted. If I where in the market for an AR this is the one I would snatch up real quick.
     

    Sirex

    Powered by natural gas
    Oct 30, 2010
    10,380
    Westminster, MD
    Go Windham if you want a bare-bones MD compliant M4 clone.

    Their stuff isn't the cheapest, but it's certainly cheap enough and the build quality is miles beyond the cheap Rugers, etc.

    I love my Windham. Great build quality, great warranty, and a nice shooter. I got mine brand new off Gunbroker, a Hbar, for a very low price, so keep your eyes open.
     

    rockstarr

    Major Deplorable
    Feb 25, 2013
    4,592
    The Bolshevik Lands
    I'll go a different route with this. If you can find a Cold 6920 SOCOM, they're MD legal and for what you're getting they're a pretty solid value at the price most IP's have sold them for.

    what exactly is the love for these things? for what these things cost, and most other colt ar-15's for that matter, I just don't see the value other than saying, look its a colt.

    to me most colts are base model ar-15's for twice the price.

    seriously curious.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,168
    Sun City West, AZ
    Colts are mil spec which many, if not most others are not. They also work. It all comes down to how it will be used...if only sparingly it really doesn't matter what brand you buy. If you want one to hold up under harsh treatment and a lot of use...get one you know will take it. I own a number of AR-based rifles...Colt, Olympic Arms and Armalite. They all work, are wonderfully accurate and all have proven perfectly reliable for years.

    I understand dollars and value are important but I'll stick with what I know works and fits my needs and that's just as important. If you're patient and do some research you can buy what you need without spending any extra money over arguably lesser makes.
     

    rockstarr

    Major Deplorable
    Feb 25, 2013
    4,592
    The Bolshevik Lands
    Colts are mil spec which many, if not most others are not. They also work. It all comes down to how it will be used...if only sparingly it really doesn't matter what brand you buy. If you want one to hold up under harsh treatment and a lot of use...get one you know will take it. I own a number of AR-based rifles...Colt, Olympic Arms and Armalite. They all work, are wonderfully accurate and all have proven perfectly reliable for years.

    I understand dollars and value are important but I'll stick with what I know works and fits my needs and that's just as important. If you're patient and do some research you can buy what you need without spending any extra money over arguably lesser makes.

    I get the buying the colts because of liking the colt brand, but is that the only reason why so many are willing to spend the extra money?

    Are you saying colts use parts that are twice as good as windham weaponry, or delton etc?

    ive seen tons of other makes put through hell and back and function just fine.

    Colt ar-15s usually sell for between 1,000 - like 1,200 ish, right?
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,168
    Sun City West, AZ
    Nowhere did I say Colt uses parts that are "twice as good" as anyone else's. I'm saying the parts Colt uses have gone through and passed all mil spec standards. That's a level of quality other's parts may or may not meet. One reason Colts are generally more expensive is that those tests their parts go through are in and of themselves expensive and the added costs have to be recovered by passing them on in the wholesale cost to distributors and retailers who also have to recover those costs.

    Like most, if not all gun companies, Colt buys parts from vendors...and those vendors may sell parts to other companies as well. Those parts maybe just as good or even better...they simply haven't been run through the mil spec testing so no one knows their end quality. They might even be parts that were rejected for various reasons...quality control, cosmetic, dimensional...who knows. These rejected or blemished parts can be bought up for much less by discount makers.

    Other makes can be put through hell and back and still function. It means they've put in the time and effort in build quality. I don't know if all could say that. When the big panic buying was going on prior to the 2016 election I saw many AR-rifles with brand names I'd never heard of and seem to have disappeared since. I wonder how good the quality was in some of them...makers were taking advantage of a market where anything could be sold and they took quick advantage and then jumped out when it was over.

    I've seen and bought new Colts for less than $1k...as low as $800 depending on the model. Some go for more. It depends on who you buy it from much of the time. The same with other makes. Whatever you want to buy...have at it. If it makes you happy I won't criticize you. The AR-platform is very modular and you can make one the way you want it or even buy it that way.

    There are many good makes out there...Colt is just one of them. I just feel better knowing the quality control behind the product...you simply can't know that about some others than their advertising hype and that they're available. As I said before...I have Colts, Olympic Arms and Armalite AR-pattern rifles and carbines...none has ever disappointed me.
     

    smokey

    2A TEACHER
    Jan 31, 2008
    31,412
    I get the buying the colts because of liking the colt brand, but is that the only reason why so many are willing to spend the extra money?

    Are you saying colts use parts that are twice as good as windham weaponry, or delton etc?

    ive seen tons of other makes put through hell and back and function just fine.

    Colt ar-15s usually sell for between 1,000 - like 1,200 ish, right?

    The price is due to the quality control measures they have in place throughout production. Basically, others MAY work out of the box but the colts WILL work out of the box. They also have great resale value, so you won't be losing money if you sell it off later on.
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,665
    Not Far Enough from the City
    what exactly is the love for these things? for what these things cost, and most other colt ar-15's for that matter, I just don't see the value other than saying, look its a colt.

    to me most colts are base model ar-15's for twice the price.

    seriously curious.

    Here's my thoughts on your question, for what they're worth, and from perhaps a different angle.

    The AR isn't personally my favorite firearms platform. I am well aware that because of that, I probably don't have sufficient knowledge to build a truly convincing argument
    regarding why an $1100 Colt may be worth twice the asking price, over a $550 Ruger, if in fact it is.

    That said, I do indeed respect and own the platform. So what I've chosen to do is to gear my choices toward the recommendations of someone like Clandestine, who comparatively speaking eats, drinks and breathes AR.

    Why should that matter? Because he is a smith, and I'm not. Smiths aren't on every street corner, and are a lot more highly trained than parts swappers. And perhaps more and most importantly, he and others of similar credentials have absolutely zero vested interest in what I may or may not buy. Kinda like the factory trained mechanic who works on cars every day for a living, and who also happens to be your neighbor, who says to steer clear of brand X. Or like the doctor or dentist I go see, because they have the training and the capability to fix things I can't. And because while I might have a problem, their leg and their tooth feels just fine.

    The brand I hear most of the time from those I believe to be most knowledgable for guys like me, who want primarily to buy and shoot rather than build, and wish furthermore to significantly increase my odds of being able to actually rely on an AR platform rifle? That's Colt. Wanna go less expensive, and probably still not regret your choice? That's Windham.

    The only answers? Nope. But all things considered, that I know I'm likely to personally consider in meticulous detail, given my own personal comparative interest level in the platform? I've pretty much seen fit to defer my choices to others more keenly attuned to this platform. They're the 2 answers I've accepted as being best for me.
     

    H-Bar

    4th MD Regiment Militia
    Jun 29, 2017
    50
    Kick the tires if you can

    Almost any of the mil spec AR-15's are pretty good anymore. Most are better but it will cost you more for better internals. Barrett, LWRC, Noveske, FMC, Rock River, Aero, Windham... just to name a few. If you know someone that would let you handle function and shoot theirs you have a better chance of buying what you like. Its your investment so why not test drive before you purchase. Cheap is not always better when you might rely on the item in the future. Besides some cheap guns come in cardboard boxes with no packing.

    Good luck to your friend on his purchase and I hope he has happy targeting.
     

    rockstarr

    Major Deplorable
    Feb 25, 2013
    4,592
    The Bolshevik Lands
    Nowhere did I say Colt uses parts that are "twice as good" as anyone else's. I'm saying the parts Colt uses have gone through and passed all mil spec standards. That's a level of quality other's parts may or may not meet. One reason Colts are generally more expensive is that those tests their parts go through are in and of themselves expensive and the added costs have to be recovered by passing them on in the wholesale cost to distributors and retailers who also have to recover those costs.

    Like most, if not all gun companies, Colt buys parts from vendors...and those vendors may sell parts to other companies as well. Those parts maybe just as good or even better...they simply haven't been run through the mil spec testing so no one knows their end quality. They might even be parts that were rejected for various reasons...quality control, cosmetic, dimensional...who knows. These rejected or blemished parts can be bought up for much less by discount makers.

    Other makes can be put through hell and back and still function. It means they've put in the time and effort in build quality. I don't know if all could say that. When the big panic buying was going on prior to the 2016 election I saw many AR-rifles with brand names I'd never heard of and seem to have disappeared since. I wonder how good the quality was in some of them...makers were taking advantage of a market where anything could be sold and they took quick advantage and then jumped out when it was over.

    I've seen and bought new Colts for less than $1k...as low as $800 depending on the model. Some go for more. It depends on who you buy it from much of the time. The same with other makes. Whatever you want to buy...have at it. If it makes you happy I won't criticize you. The AR-platform is very modular and you can make one the way you want it or even buy it that way.

    There are many good makes out there...Colt is just one of them. I just feel better knowing the quality control behind the product...you simply can't know that about some others than their advertising hype and that they're available. As I said before...I have Colts, Olympic Arms and Armalite AR-pattern rifles and carbines...none has ever disappointed me.

    I never said you said this, if you read my post, I was ASKING YOU if the parts were twice as good, to justify the increased price. LOL, you went way off the deep end and over thinking it on this one. Was just a question

    I thank you for your opinion on the part of this post that was an answer to my question.
     

    rockstarr

    Major Deplorable
    Feb 25, 2013
    4,592
    The Bolshevik Lands
    The price is due to the quality control measures they have in place throughout production. Basically, others MAY work out of the box but the colts WILL work out of the box. They also have great resale value, so you won't be losing money if you sell it off later on.

    Smokey, You are certainly correct on the resale value argument, I cant dispute that. There are a lot of folks that see colt on something and start dumping out their wallets, just due to that fact.

    Kind of like a Honda car buyer, I suppose. The name sells the product. BTW, I am in no way saying colts are junk incase anyone is questioning. I was merely asking if folks thought that the willingness to pay the extra cost for them is truly in the parts used, or just for the name or something else I didn't know.
     

    rockstarr

    Major Deplorable
    Feb 25, 2013
    4,592
    The Bolshevik Lands
    Here's my thoughts on your question, for what they're worth, and from perhaps a different angle.

    The AR isn't personally my favorite firearms platform. I am well aware that because of that, I probably don't have sufficient knowledge to build a truly convincing argument
    regarding why an $1100 Colt may be worth twice the asking price, over a $550 Ruger, if in fact it is.

    That said, I do indeed respect and own the platform. So what I've chosen to do is to gear my choices toward the recommendations of someone like Clandestine, who comparatively speaking eats, drinks and breathes AR.

    Why should that matter? Because he is a smith, and I'm not. Smiths aren't on every street corner, and are a lot more highly trained than parts swappers. And perhaps more and most importantly, he and others of similar credentials have absolutely zero vested interest in what I may or may not buy. Kinda like the factory trained mechanic who works on cars every day for a living, and who also happens to be your neighbor, who says to steer clear of brand X. Or like the doctor or dentist I go see, because they have the training and the capability to fix things I can't. And because while I might have a problem, their leg and their tooth feels just fine.

    The brand I hear most of the time from those I believe to be most knowledgable for guys like me, who want primarily to buy and shoot rather than build, and wish furthermore to increase my odds of being able to actually rely on an AR platform rifle? That's Colt. Wanna go less expensive, and probably still not regret your choice? That's Windham.

    The only answers? Nope. But all things considered, that I know I'm likely to personally consider in meticulous detail, given my own personal comparative interest level in the platform? I've pretty much seen fit to defer my choices to others more keenly attuned to this platform. They're the 2 answers I've accepted as being best for me.

    Fair enough Duke, I cant argue with you here :)

    Thanks for your reply :thumbsup:
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,880
    Since the original question is hopelessly subjective , how about this :

    Give us a max and minimum price range, and a sense of what features or aspects you would prioritize , and we can give some recommendations .
     

    grimnar15

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 21, 2019
    1,645
    The weapon that has Fought and Won every conflict since the 50's has been a Colt and that alone is why I spent more for a Colt. I never once lay awake at night wondering if it will pew pew. Buy what you want, love what you love but never question the value of a Colt.
     

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