I'm looking to buy an AR-15. I've been shopping and trying to do my research on them for quite a while. Unfortunatley, you can't "test drive them" to make sure you're buying the right one. Still, don't want to make a mistake and purchase a piece of junk that jambs alot or scatters bullets, ect. I've been advised to stay away from Armalite and Olympic. Any opinions or additional input would be great.
Thanks
Max

Probably LaRue Tactical, if it isn't the best it is up there. Now I have no first hand knowledge just going off of research. Just can't justify spending 2500 of one. I can get a .50 bmg for around that price.

That's a little more than I budgeted. Seems most of the makers are close in price, roughly $1000 - $1200 stripped. It seems AR owners are similar to boat owners: they all think the one they own is the best.
So, which one would you purchase from these makers: S&W, Colt, DPMS, Bushmaster, Rock River, or Yankee Hill?
Would you go with the one that had the most accessories or the name?

Forgot to add Stag arms in the list.

The Rock River Varmint rifles I have been around shot extremely well. Reliability is generally high for most all brands (including Oly and Armalite). My DPMS and Stag AR's have been 100% for function, with good accuracy from a modest effort thru reloading.

I have a stag arms AR-15, a DPMS AR-15, and a DPMS LR-308. All of them are about the same on accuracy, and all are 100% reliable. Those are the only ones I can comment on with lots of knowledge. I have shot others, but between these 3 guns the total of rounds is probably around 40k. Most through the DPMS AR-15, I have had it for about 13 years.

I like BCM they are hard to beat for factory custom uppers. They are built of top notch components. On the cheap I'd go with Palmetto State or Spike's. For a bull barreled upper I'd go with a Rock River or Stag.

I also like guns from Colt, Daniel Defense, Noveske and others.

There are guys that know a WHOLE lot more than I do about black guns on here, but I did as much research as I could when I got my first one and ended up going with a Daniel Defense.. Think it was around $1,100.. Been very pleased with it..

Tons of threads on this very topic all over this section. Read through several pages or do a search. Its been beat to death and I say Oly Arms ! LOL

Grab that brad new rock river on here and be done, I love mine

LT, Noveske, Centurion, LMT, BCM. Cant go wrong with those.

I have a Spikes Tactical M4 and the fit, finish and function has been flawless. It eats my reloads like candy.

Cant beat it for the money. I like the midlength gas system better though. It is smoother, has less felt recoil and has less muzzle rise that halps you get back on target faster.

How are you going to use it? How much do you want it to weigh?
What kind of bullets do you like to shoot?

I just went through this even though have owned a few. If you read closely , alot of the custom makers and barrel makers use a 1/8 twist Wylde chamber. These guys are the ones making "precision" ar's for target and varminting.
The ar makers make varminters but they are stupid heavy and worst of all out of balance nose heavy.

Several brands listed here are good and very functional. Some are tested in conditions that 99% of us will never encounter so it really doesnt matter.

Over the counter for accuracy and a .75 or better moa , Rock River Predator Pursuit.

I am gambling now, but I have a Larue Predatar on order that should be due anytime now. You can get into one cheaper than you think. Or you could go with the Larue Stealth upper on your lower. Lead times are growing so I wouldn't wait. ( See TXgunner308 on here for you Larue needs)

Both these brands use the 1/8 wylde.

You may also check into the Rainier arms match or Ultramatch barrels. Ultramatch or Shilen blanks.

Good luck

agreed

I just spent weeks researching and there is a heck of a lot of similarity and no small amount of brand loyalty - although I am still a newbie to ARs myself

I got a S&W M&P-15 because I got a great deal on it, but I would have just as easily gotten DPMS, Bushmaster, Rock River, Colt, etc. This is just based on hours comparing reviews on the internet.

Oh, and the S&W is totally solid and has so far performed flawlessly, just as it apparently did in the reviews

I am in the same boat as maxflipper, so just in case you weren't having a hard enough time trying to decide check out this link. Not sure if the link works but you now have the webb address.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_124/551774_Palmetto_State_Armory_16_M4A1_Carbine__599_99.html

I ordered one of the Palmetto 16" carbines during their black Friday sale. I got the one with a red dot sight and Geiselle 2 stage combat trigger for $799. I have only run about 25 rounds down the pipe without any problems.

25 rounds has nothing to do with Accuracy and dependability

i have the rock river arms out of the box i can hit 8' steel plates at 400 yrds

http://www.laruetactical.com/16%E2%80%9D-larue-tactical-predatar-556

http://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/detail&product_id=1021

http://www.spikestactical.com/new/z/complete-rifles-c-113.html

http://palmettostatearmory.com/rifles-556.php

8' steel plates? I'd hope so. I think you meant 8" steel plates! Sorry, I'm bored.

Is a 1/8 twist barrel more accurate than a 1/9 twist? Is there any barrels that should be avoided, like a chromolined barrel or something?

From my experience, my Spike's was chrome lined & never could shoot better than a 2" group & I tried about 7-8 different weights/brands from 55gr to 75gr w/the 75gr TAP being the best group. Expect w/a chrome lined bbl for the company to tell you 2-3" groups are the norm. My SS ARP 6.8 will shoot 1" or less when I do my part.