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

[calicojack]

These from Windham Weaponry, esp at $700:

Windham Weaponry R16A4T Rifle SALE - AtlanticFirearms.com

Windham Weaponry R16A4T AR15 Rifle , Heavy barrel carbine with a ton of great features and backed up by a Lifetime Warranty . M4 Patrol Rifle 848037000019

atlanticfirearms.com

Windham Weaponry R16DA4T For SALE - AtlanticFirearms.com

Windham Weaponry Dissipator Model Heavy Barrel AR15 Rifle R16DA4T. Semi automatic AR-15 Rifle chambered in 5.56NATO. 848037036339.

atlanticfirearms.com

I am partial to the Dissipator model

 

[joppaj]

These from Windham Weaponry, esp at $700:

Windham Weaponry R16A4T Rifle SALE - AtlanticFirearms.com

Windham Weaponry R16A4T AR15 Rifle , Heavy barrel carbine with a ton of great features and backed up by a Lifetime Warranty . M4 Patrol Rifle 848037000019

atlanticfirearms.com

Windham Weaponry R16DA4T For SALE - AtlanticFirearms.com

Windham Weaponry Dissipator Model Heavy Barrel AR15 Rifle R16DA4T. Semi automatic AR-15 Rifle chambered in 5.56NATO. 848037036339.

atlanticfirearms.com

I am partial to the Dissipator model
View attachment 411289

Dissipators look so cool. I love that design.

 

[sleev-les]

I am a fan of my LWRC rifle. $1500 roughly in black, $1700ish in a cerakote color.

 

[MaierApril]

The LWRC di rifle is hard to beat for the budget you mentioned. Great quality and a local company as well. Mine has run flawlessly.
Another great, cheaper option would also be the IWI Zion. Its a good rifle for the price and you will be able to include good optics for the budget you mentioned.

 

[MattFinals718]

How is that even possible?

It's got the indented barrel, right?

MSP says the M4A1-SOCOM is not banned. The LE6920 is. (according to them)

Firearm Search

An official website of the State of Maryland.

mdsp.maryland.gov

Correct. Any M4A1 clone (in either SOPMOD Block I or Block II configuration) with a SOCOM-profile barrel is MD-legal. With the exception of BCM, all of the companies that make SOCOM barrels (Colt, FN, Daniel Defense, Centurion, etc.) advertise them as "heavy", and even the USG Technical Data Package for the M4A1 describes the SOCOM barrel as a heavy profile. I personally own two SOCOM-barreled M4A1 clones (a Colt Block I and a Daniel Defense Block II).

 

[trickg]

This thread made me curious what it cost me to put together my son's FDE AR. This whole project started around a barrel I bought when someone posted it - Faxon had an overrun of 16" HBAR barrels they were selling for $99.

I've pieced this together partly from an order I made to PSA for parts, and partly from looking stuff up - I didn't feel like finding all of my order history from various vendors, so some of this is an approximation:

$99.00 Faxon 16" HBAR
$50.00 - PSA Blem Stripped Lower
$119.99 Palmetto State Armory Magpul MOE EPT Lower Build Kit - Flat Dark Earth
$60.00 - Aero Upper receiver
$35.00 - Upper parts kit
$99.99 Premium 5.56 Nickel Boron BCG with Carpenter 158 Bolt - No Logo
$104.95 PSA Custom Cross-Cut Lightweight 12.5" MLOK Partial Picatinny Handguard
$15.99 PSA AR15/M16 7075 T6 Forged Mil-Spec Charging Handle - 24080
$8.96 Spike's A2 Birdcage Tactical Flash Hider 5.56 NATO, Black - SAFH510
$13.20 Yankee Hill Machine Low Profile Gas Block (Set Screw) YHM-9383
$12.99 PSA AR15 Gas Tube - Mid-Length
$0.99 PSA AR15 Gas Tube Roll Pin

Grand total: $621.06

That doesn't include some of the tools I bought, such as the barrel dimpling jig - Faxon barrels don't come with a set screw dimple, and I wanted to make sure I had positive alignment for the gas block, so I bought the jig figuring I could use it in the future, which I have. It also doesn't include the Brownell's Aluma-Hyde II that I used to color the anodized aluminum parts, or the aftermarket stuff like the JP trigger springs, the current Radian Raptor charging handle, or the custom dust cover.

It seems to me that from an economical perspective a person will never do better than buying a completed upper they put on a lower build, but if you build it yourself, you know exactly what's in it and how it went together.

This is the rifle built from the parts above - that $621 doesn't include the optic, mount. This rifle is a shooter though - I don't know if it's the barrel or the sum of the parts being decent, but it's the most accurate of the ARs I own. The least accurate AR I own is a PSA completed upper.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

This thread made me curious what it cost me to put together my son's FDE AR. This whole project started around a barrel I bought when someone posted it - Faxon had an overrun of 16" HBAR barrels they were selling for $99.

I've pieced this together partly from an order I made to PSA for parts, and partly from looking stuff up - I didn't feel like finding all of my order history from various vendors, so some of this is an approximation:

$99.00 Faxon 16" HBAR
$50.00 - PSA Blem Stripped Lower
$119.99 Palmetto State Armory Magpul MOE EPT Lower Build Kit - Flat Dark Earth
$60.00 - Aero Upper receiver
$35.00 - Upper parts kit
$99.99 Premium 5.56 Nickel Boron BCG with Carpenter 158 Bolt - No Logo
$104.95 PSA Custom Cross-Cut Lightweight 12.5" MLOK Partial Picatinny Handguard
$15.99 PSA AR15/M16 7075 T6 Forged Mil-Spec Charging Handle - 24080
$8.96 Spike's A2 Birdcage Tactical Flash Hider 5.56 NATO, Black - SAFH510
$13.20 Yankee Hill Machine Low Profile Gas Block (Set Screw) YHM-9383
$12.99 PSA AR15 Gas Tube - Mid-Length
$0.99 PSA AR15 Gas Tube Roll Pin

Grand total: $621.06

That doesn't include some of the tools I bought, such as the barrel dimpling jig - Faxon barrels don't come with a set screw dimple, and I wanted to make sure I had positive alignment for the gas block, so I bought the jig figuring I could use it in the future, which I have. It also doesn't include the Brownell's Aluma-Hyde II that I used to color the anodized aluminum parts, or the aftermarket stuff like the JP trigger springs, the current Radian Raptor charging handle, or the custom dust cover.

It seems to me that from an economical perspective a person will never do better than buying a completed upper they put on a lower build, but if you build it yourself, you know exactly what's in it and how it went together.

This is the rifle built from the parts above - that $621 doesn't include the optic, mount. This rifle is a shooter though - I don't know if it's the barrel or the sum of the parts being decent, but it's the most accurate of the ARs I own. The least accurate AR I own is a PSA completed upper. View attachment 411482

trickg,

I will also say that your build also checks off another box the anti gunners squawk about. IT is not a scary BLACK gun.
Makes me wonder if I should do one in Pink.

 

[trickg]

trickg,

I will also say that your build also checks off another box the anti gunners squawk about. IT is not a scary BLACK gun.
Makes me wonder if I should do one in Pink.

I'm going to try to do one in dark purple for my daughter - I'm not quite sure how I'll go about doing that though because Aluma-Hyde II doesn't come in purple, and I haven't really gone down the rabbit hole of other gun coatings to see what I could do that's viable.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

I'm going to try to do one in dark purple for my daughter - I'm not quite sure how I'll go about doing that though because Aluma-Hyde II doesn't come in purple, and I haven't really gone down the rabbit hole of other gun coatings to see what I could do that's viable.

I hear ya bro.

Good Luck

 

[Sirex]

I'm going to try to do one in dark purple for my daughter - I'm not quite sure how I'll go about doing that though because Aluma-Hyde II doesn't come in purple, and I haven't really gone down the rabbit hole of other gun coatings to see what I could do that's viable.

I got Aluma-Hyde 2 for a couple of my rifles, and in the basic colors it seems to hold up ok. I got a Duracoat aerosol kit in purple for my daughter's M&P15-22 and my wife's .410 Mossberg 500. If I recall, there's a button on the bottom of the spray can you smack to break and activate the hardener in the can, then shake it like crazy. Then you have realistically maybe 12 hours or so to use the can of paint. It also seems to hold up fairly well. A few shades of purple.

duracoat purple for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for duracoat purple at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!

www.ebay.com

 

[Sirex]

I'm going to try to do one in dark purple for my daughter - I'm not quite sure how I'll go about doing that though because Aluma-Hyde II doesn't come in purple, and I haven't really gone down the rabbit hole of other gun coatings to see what I could do that's viable.

Here's what the Duracoat aerosol kit looks like done. I can't remember the shade of purple it's called.

 

[Magnumite]

I built a 16" mid length using an HBAR Delton barrel kit I bought at a very good price at the end of the Obama/Maryland FSA fiasco. Shoots very well but only really used just the barrel. Rest is in the parts box. Set up as a multigun/3gun rifle. As assembled, without optics and MBUS, in Feb 2021 this build cost $395 for the lower and $587 with the Mikulek compensator. Total $982

Link:

Aero YHM

One of my latest assemblies. Aero lower and select fit YHM upper receiver. Upper receiver was faced/bedded. I couldn’t believe how far off the front of the upper was. DTI middy barrel in 5.56, UTG 15” free float. This is a nice handguard. Aero BCG and a Strike Industry charging handle...

www.mdshooters.com

 

[Alkupik]

If an online seller advertises a M4A1 Socom le6920?, is this legal to own?

 

[Bountied]

LWRC DI.

 

[outrider58]

If an online seller advertises a M4A1 Socom le6920?, is this legal to own?

As long as the barrel is a Colt 14.5" SOCOM and the muzzle device is pinned and welded or silver soldered on, then yes, it should be good to go in Md.

Or, if it has a 16" barrel marked or marketed as Heavy or Heavy Barrel or Hbar, it too should be OK.

Any AR15 that fires the 5.56/.223 round must have a heavy contour barrel(either marked as or marketed as...)

 

[mpollan1]

Slight "correction" to the above in which I am certain B assumes a new purchase given the thread title, nonetheless... Standard profile are legal to own but no longer legal to purchase.

 

[Biggfoot44]

As long as the barrel is a Colt 14.5" SOCOM and the muzzle device is pinned and welded or silver soldered on, then yes, it should be good to go in Md.

Yes . Since Colt sadly discontinued the 6721 a cpl years ago , this is the MD Legal Pony Gun .

For trivia interest- Last weekend at Chantilly, I saw an actual Colt Sporter HBAR ! IIRC, it was priced at $1795 . ( In Maryland it is politically notorious, but in general, the Sporters of that Era in original configuration are collectable for their rarity .)

 

[MattFinals718]

If an online seller advertises a M4A1 Socom le6920?, is this legal to own?

Can you post a link? Colt has sold several different rifles that they marketed as the "SOCOM." The first, sold ~2012-13, had a 16" M4 Govt-profile barrel and would not be legal to own if purchased post-2013. They've also (more recently) sold 14.5" SOCOM-barreled rifles under a similar designation, and those would be legal.

My own Colt 6920 is fitted with a SOCOM-profile barrel, and I own it here in MoCo, MD.

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

Best value all things considered? Hands down the IWI Zion 15.

Best value if you want 'top tier'? LWRC DI

Best "Sh*t-Tier" value? PSA or Aero - both will largely run just fine if assembled correctly. You can roll yourself a wholly capable rifle for sub $700, but I'd argue if you plan to follow youtube instruction and don't have the right tools, to fork over a few hundred more for something complete from IWI. Having stripped down and reassembled a number of complete PSA and Aero uppers, I wouldn't recommend them as a complete package (I haven't yet seen PSA's premium SABRE line so I can't comment on that). I have a Fathers of Freedom BCG that is fantastic from them (really just a PSA white labeled Microbest carrier).

I agree that the Colt 6920 SOCOM (which is the legal variant) is also a decent deal, although you're getting a very basic rifle (mil spec furniture, clam shell handguard, etc). They can also be tricky to find in general. I got me one a few years ago that's marked "M4 Carbine" although on the box it clearly says 6920. Bought from a reputable dealer here in MD so I know it's kosher. Also, Colt can go F themselves for continuing to give us an integrated sear block in their lowers.

Myself and @Ammo Jon went to check them out and I briefly inspected 5 or 6 of them before we took a few home with us. Colt may be solid workhorse guns but they sure as hell don't care about fit and finish. Marks all over the phosphate finish and one had an obviously canted front sight post. YMMV.

 

[RRomig]

Yes . Since Colt sadly discontinued the 6721 a cpl years ago , this is the MD Legal Pony Gun .

For trivia interest- Last weekend at Chantilly, I saw an actual Colt Sporter HBAR ! IIRC, it was priced at $1795 . ( In Maryland it is politically notorious, but in general, the Sporters of that Era in original configuration are collectable for their rarity .)

I came across my late 80s HBAR colt in the safe the other day and my first thought was I should sell it. My second thought was it probably wasn’t worth selling. Maybe I should reconsider.