I have 3 AR's.

The first is a Colt LE6920.  This is my "Go To".  Its my "Work Truck".  Its a pair of durable jeans.  Its a tool.  It gets the most use.  This is what I use for a carbine class, etc.  I use it in all types of shooting...Practical Rifle type stuff or just bullseye bench shooting.

As other have said, out of the box, the only thing I'd really noticed was the finish had some little niggling issues.  Nothing glaring or obvious.  Now, some time later, its not 'beat up' or anything and I've taken good care of it but it has definitely been used.  I'm glad its not something I need to baby.  At first I was all worried about this scratch or that ding...now its just more "character"

Aside from that, it just had the standard plastic handguard and stock and, for my own preferences, I wanted a light free-float railed handguard, QD sling mount on the receiver end plate, and a different stock.

I also have a Bushmaster "Patrolman" carbine with a quad-rail.  This was my first AR.  Colt's were much more expensive when I purchased the Bushy and so the cost savings was worth it.  Others may bash the Bushmaster but for me, it worked just fine for its intended purpose.  I didn't run it hard, I didn't take classes with it, I didn't compete with it.  I shot it for enjoyment, and off the bench, and plinking.  Its always worked just fine.

The Bushmaster was actually the reason I purchased the Colt.  I'd done a good deal of reading and respected guys writing articles were saying that it was always the Bushmaster's and similar AR's that went down in their classes and they all seemed to recommend the same collection of names.  The prices on Colts came down in my area and I was able to get one for a reasonable price.

The Bushmaster also had a 16" barrel and a YHM quad rail that, for me and my small frame, was very end-heavy.  It still has that heavy quad rail and I haven't attempted to change it as I only shoot it off the bench these days anyway.  Like the Colt, I had also replaced the receiver end plate to one with a QD Mount and replaced the stock.

My third AR is a "Franken-gun" build that I'm currently working on.  It will be my first build from stripped receivers.  I wanted to learn more about the AR platform, learn more from guys on these forums that know alot more than me, and leverage my previous experiences and preferences to be able to build something more tailored to me, my shooting, and my uses.  Slow but sure I'm still working on that one so the jury is still out.  If its like anything else, I'll make alot of mistakes, get very frustrated, spend a ton of money, but learn alot in the process

I'm not a Colt Fanboy by any means, but a Colt is a GOOD rifle. I had a 6920 a while back. Cosmetically, it wasn't very pretty, and the trigger was gritty as hell. A friend has it now, and he says the trigger has smoothed itself out somewhat. My "go-to" rifles are a BCM and a PSA upper with one of the 14.7" FN M4A1 CHF barrels on an old Bushmaster lower. Unless you are into cosmetic issues heavily, you won' be disappointed in a Colt, though. DON'T buy an Olympic, Hesse/Vulcan/Blacthorne, and you should be OK.

Oly
Hesse
DPMS
RRA
PSA
Bushmaster

That my no go list

lol good humor , psa over a bushy, not that bushmaster is the best , but psa really? Maybe if colt bought every one else's rejects and called them Blems people would rave about what a good deal it is, buy cheap you get cheap

I'm new to the black rifle, new to the site here, been reading for a month. I've wanted an AR for years and finally got one a couple of weeks ago.  I bought the bushmaster m4 a3 and I love my new rifle. Only run a couple of hundred rounds through it, only problem was the rifle acts like it dont like that cheap tulu ammo from walmart. Got some reloads and it cycled through no problem. I pretty much thought that all AR's were pretty much the same. I know, I have alot to learn.

  They are for the most part and bushmaster is a fine gun, you hear guys bash one brand or another and complain about finish like on a colt , for god sakes it's a battle rifle, mostly snobs that have to justify spending way to much , like they are operators I don't own a bushy but iwould not pass one up either , wait till u see them use the term top tier ar lol

I respect your thinking but to me RRA makes a good, durable, and accurate AR.

I've never had any problems with an RRA AR.

I have a PSA rifle and I love it. I've put about 1000 rounds through it with zero issues.

FWIW, my agency issues M&P Sport rifles to those who wish to carry one and can qualify with it. Or you can carry your own personal rifle if it meets policy. I prefer my PSA, since you can't do anything with the county rifle... iron sights, that's it. I have an Aimpoint PRO and a couple other things on mine.

I don't know too many guys here that carry Colt... most have PSA, RRA, and Stag. PSA has a retail location in our county, and the ability to take it directly to them for mechanical issues is a huge draw. I was looking at a Stag but ultimately went with PSA for the convenience of carrying it to them with any problems.

BTW, this is my first post here. Looking forward to joining the madness!

Inexpensive, but decent rifles.  I know several people who have them and don't know of a single problem.

OP - in the world of ARs, you DON'T always get what you pay for...

I would never own a BCM.. By far the worst rifle I've ever shot/handled.

<image removed.......save it for GD......dpmmn>
 

 

I love my factory built PSA AR-15. Would highly recommend.

+1 on plastics till they get the mix right...

Just don't buy a dpms or a bushmaster. I like colt bcm and Windham. Don't let anyone talk you out of a colt. There is nothing wrong with the finish on any colt I have ever had. Bushmaster and dpms have given me nothing but problems. I could type a page on both of those brands and the problems I have had. I live buy the creed buy once, cry once.

First post did not nail it.

OP get a Colt. If you were happy with the old AR, you will be happy with a new Colt.

Honestly, the only universal opinion I've seen is that DPMS is the bottom of the barrel... Yet they have plenty of happy customers.

The biggest mistake(s) I have made regarding AR-15 purchases is buying rifles with heavy quad rails.  There is no need for them.  I don't care if you need to attach 20 different things to the handguard (and you DO NOT need to do this), you do NOT need a heavy quad rail.  



If you really want a quad rail, there are some relatively lightweight options out there.



I would suggest you look into a handguard with Keymod or M-lok.  These systems allow you to attach just about anything on a handguard while keeping the rifle lighter weight.  Keymod has many manufacturers making products for it.  M-lok is growing in popularity, too.  It's amazing that it took this many decades for engineers to realize that a negative space system is just as effective as a positive space system.  



I am especially interested in saving weight b/c I have chronic pain in my offside shoulder.  That said, Clint Smith has said that he can fill a decent sized car trunk with all the heavy crap people take off their rifles during a typical training course.  I'm sure most trainers would agree.  Heavy, bulky items are all cool to look at with your rifle sitting at home.  Go do some real work with said rifle and your whole perspective will change.  



Good luck.

Strange that I haven't seen one of the myriad of brands listed here.. and it's the brand that the OP already owns.  

I have four AR's right now.  I'll give you the ins and outs of what I feel about them... the only real complaint I have is that they seem to be multiplying LOL!    

-First is an ArmaLite M15 Rifle, midlength with a 16" barrel.  The only thing I regretted about it when I bought it was A.  It didn't have my favorite OD green furniture (was easily fixed) and B.  the trigger was too heavy.  I found out later that the trigger was easily fixed also.. the Tactical Two Stage trigger they come with is adjustable.  The accuracy is great, the finish is a deep black on the receivers and is holding up well.  The hand guards are a little loose, which is fairly normal for most standard handguards.  I'm going to be putting a rail on it anyway for its use.  

-Next came the wife's AR.. it's a "Frankengun" that I built, functionally the rifle is a Rock River Arms, meaning the barrel, BCG, lower parts kit and trigger are all RRA parts, but I put them into PSA receivers because they were cheap but the quality is pretty good in my book.  I have no regrets on this rifle, except I need to install an ambidextrous selector switch on it as my wife is a southpaw.

-I couldn't decide between a magnified optic and a red dot for my ArmaLite, so I ended up building another, it is an ArmaLite flat top midlength upper with no front sight post, the lower on it has ArmaLite's 2 stage National Match trigger, which is a very nice piece.   It is very accurate and a very smooth shooting rifle.  

-The fourth was kinda an accident.  When I started shopping for my Aimpoint optic for my ArmaLite, PSA had a deal on an upper with the Aimpoint PRO included with it, and they had $150 blem lowers assembled with the buttstock and everything.  I already had a BCG laying around so I ended up slapping together a rifle for about $475.00.  In a way, it has become my most "fun" rifle, because it's cheap enough that I don't hesitate to beat it around.  It has proven to be reliable.    

I have a lot of experience shooting Colt rifles.. had an M16A2 in Germany and a couple of different M4's issued at Ft. Polk and Ft. Bragg.  I haven't looked extremely hard at the civilian models, but my biggest complaint was always the trigger.  Assuming the Colt LE6920 comes with the same trigger that the military uses, it's not much fun.  Ours had about an 8 lb pull, you could literally hold an unloaded M4 up by the trigger with the safety off and it wouldn't release the hammer. It wasn't designed for extreme accuracy, it was made more for Soldiers who never fired a rifle before basic to safely shoot without shooting themselves in the foot.  Honestly, at their price point, in today's market, they really need to have a better trigger and a good finish on them.  I feel that they are $750 rifles with a $200 "Colt Tax" affixed.  And besides that, it doesn't even fit the barrel length that you want.  

pita45, If I were in your shoes, I would probably be looking at ArmaLite's new 11.5" barreled M15A4 Carbine.   The added length of the suppressor would make me lean toward a barrel shorter than the 14.5" version.  ArmaLite offers a lifetime warranty, which is above and beyond the industry "standard".  Somebody will surely pop up and say that the current ArmaLite company isn't the same one that made the original rifle.. that is true, but that doesn't mean they're making junk either.  I've been using their AR's since 2001 and I've never had a reason to regret it.  There are other great companies out there as well, this is simply the one I keep coming back to.

I don't think the Armalite he has is the same as the Armalite built now.

Awesome response!

I can't say which brand not to buy because I only have Colts and a mostly Spike's Frankengun and I'm happy with both brands.

My advice is to buy a Colt, you will not get a better rifle for the money. There are deals now for $900. Colt is the only company that has the TDP (technical data package) if that means anything to you. Yeah the finish is not stellar, but it is not bad either.

I did get a chance to look at DD rifles at the NRA show this year and they have a really really nice finish if that is what you are looking for. There are other brands that are also very aesthetically appealing but cost more than the DD.

I would stay away from BCM if you want a complete rifle because they generally only sell uppers. Never understood why....

Well I was referring to your last paragraph in particular.

I addressed that briefly.  If anything, ArmaLite under Mark Westrom has probably had its best run so far in the company's history. The logic of that statement seems to escape me...  Sam Colt isn't exactly the one stamping out M4's is he?    So the same could be said of a lot of companies.

Don't buy LWRC.

Can't go wrong on this deal.

The owner of the company changing since Sam Colt is not even the same animal as Armalite's history. The Armalite of today basically only shares the name of the company that built OP's gun. I wasn't making a comment about the quality of current Armalites. I have never owned one and am not in such a position. I was merely pointing out that the "brand" OP owns now is most definitely not the same "brand" that is built under the name Armalite today. I think many people are confused about the history of guns made by "Armalite" so I was just trying to point out the distinction. Your Colt comparison would only hold water if Colt went out of business and closed its doors and years later some guy purchased the company and made guns called Colt, then closed shop and sold the name "Colt" to another guy who now has the rights to call his guns Colt, but in no way can claim it is the same company that Sam Colt started. All Mark Westrom bought was the name and logo for Armalite. The current company cannot claim to be any other way associated with the original Armalite company.