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Posted: 11/22/2012 8:47:30 AM EDT
I shot my first AR over the weekend and had a blast with it. The AR that I had the pleasure of shooting was a S&W M&P 15T, I have never owned one, and prior to Saturday never shot one. I now want to get one and have some fun with it. I will be using it mostly for target shooting, as well as a little varmint shooting. I have a budget of around $1200, give or take a little. I am not worried about the optics atm (Christmas present from the wife hopefully  ). I really did like the one I was shooting, but I have seen a lot of other brands since I started looking. The M&P 15T I can find locally for around a grand and I am ok with that. Is that a fair price? I do prefer to see and hold it before I buy one so that limits my options to what the local dealers have on hand. I am quickly becoming hooked on shooting and doubt that this will be my only one, but I would like to have a good buying and shooting experience for my first purchase. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
I know everyone has a favorite manufacturer, and I am sure that a lot of responses to this question will be based on that. Please consider my budget, and experience level as well as your personal preference when answering. Thank you in advance, and happy Thanksgiving to all of you. |
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the most tempting rifle i see right now is the troy rifle at dicks (assuming if i did buy one it would have to fit pmags). you get a lot of gun for $800
http://www.slickguns.com/product/troy-carbine-79998-store-dicks |
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let's see....
Colt. solid reputation and history, (but with today's corporate american ideas, it would not surprise me in the least if they cut corners everywhere they can to maximize profits. UAW built also.) 1097 - 1200 at walmart depending on options on the rifle. PSA gets a lot of great reviews here also. Supposedly their rifles meet/exceed the "mil-spec" standards that everyone likes. I know nothing of them personally, but would certainly consider one for my next purchase. Not sure of pricing but looks like under a grand for a nice carbine. Bravo Company stuff looks good also. No experience with them other than what I've read. Just bought a Windham Weaponry SRC. Specs look good, but being the original "Bushmaster" factory and workers, there are a lot here that want to hold their qc issues of the past against them now although it appears that they are trying to start new and better. I've not had it long enough to give a solid opinion, but I like it so far. 799 plus tax at walmart. That's all I got at the moment. Oh, in regards to the Colt, yes, I have a problem with the union aspect of it, BUT, for resale, that rifle will hold it's value better. |
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I built mine for about $1100 without optics and it was a great idea for me at least.
You learn a lot about the rifle and you can also build it exactly how you want it. Mine was built with magpul furniture, a chrome lined/hammer forged barrel, and 12" quad rail which is pretty nice for only $1100. |
| I would get the smith. I was recently in the same position. I was going to buy the M&P 15T, but then I saw the troy carbine on sale at dicks for $799. I held both and fell in love with the troy, and you can't beat the price, so I bought it. If you can get to dicks today you can probably grab one, or at least order one for the asle price. If that's not an option, you can't go wrong with the smith. I have done a ton of research on the M&P 15T, and I was set on it (just couldn't pass up the troy). I have read nothing but good reviews about its quality and accuracy. If you have shot one and like it, then I would buy one. |
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Quoted:
let's see.... Colt. solid reputation and history, (but with today's corporate american ideas, it would not surprise me in the least if they cut corners everywhere they can to maximize profits. UAW built also.) 1097 - 1200 at walmart depending on options on the rifle. PSA gets a lot of great reviews here also. Supposedly their rifles meet/exceed the "mil-spec" standards that everyone likes. I know nothing of them personally, but would certainly consider one for my next purchase. Not sure of pricing but looks like under a grand for a nice carbine. Bravo Company stuff looks good also. No experience with them other than what I've read. Just bought a Windham Weaponry SRC. Specs look good, but being the original "Bushmaster" factory and workers, there are a lot here that want to hold their qc issues of the past against them now although it appears that they are trying to start new and better. I've not had it long enough to give a solid opinion, but I like it so far. 799 plus tax at walmart. That's all I got at the moment. Oh, in regards to the Colt, yes, I have a problem with the union aspect of it, BUT, for resale, that rifle will hold it's value better. I’ve heard using commercial receiver extension is one way for cost savings, 7075 T6 cost more; manufacturing is more difficult and required more energy. I'd keep an eye on that |
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One thing to note on the Smith is that the M&P15T from years past is not the same gun as the M&P15T that is sold now. So depending on how old your buddy's gun is, you may or may not be getting the same setup with an off the shelf M&P15T today.
I second the motion on the Troy carbine. Hard to beat for the money, and the current price makes the sting of the goofy integrated rail/front BUIS a little easier to stand. |
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J&G Sales has Spikes Tactical Midlengths for right around $900 in stock. I would get the Spikes rather than M&P and some others mentioned. I would put it right up there with Colt, Bravo Company etc for less money. As far as I know no one else has Spikes in stock. I was pretty surprised when I saw J&G had some.
Just my $.02 |
With the way things are going - very badly - unless you already have arms, ammo and spare parts, then I'd say now is not the time to piddle around building a "dream rifle". Have SOMETHING ready to go and then do battle with the current conditions of high prices and "Out of Stock" and "Unavailable". Find a local FTF sale (Face to Face) and get a solid, basic rifle. Don't look for the tricked out "Low Drag Super Ninja" gun. Instead, find that guy that bought one or several good quality guns but hasn't added hundreds in the "cool" accessories. This way you'll get a good base gun for a better price. Local shops will have the Plain Jane's that few people want as long as they can still get those super guns ordered the way they want. Look for one of those. It is a cool and addictive platform - just now is the time to focus on the basics first. Best Wishes & Safe Shootin' 
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I broke down today and bought a S&W MP 15T, I got it for 899 at Dick's sporting good. The not spent money will now go to mags, and ammo. Thank you all for the information that you have posted on here. I want to get used to this one, then it will be time to build what I want (which is I have no idea right now).
Thank you again for all of the help, and PM's about this overwhelming subject. |
| I purchased a Daniel Defense M4V4 yesterday and am really happy with it. I considered the S&W but felt it was very similar go m Bushmaster M4A3. The Daniel Defense was a little more cash but I believe the quality of the weapon warrants the higher price. I paid $1,350 for it and went ahead and added an EOTech XPS2 along with the Magpul MBUS pair. Bad thing now is it has me thinking about some updates for my Bushmaster... |
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