Entry Level AR

I have been asked a couple of times about what someone's first AR should be.

That's a sticky wicket.

Pithily, I say Colt.  They really do set the standard, but they also the most expensive.

I would avoid DPMS because there's better out there at their price point.  I avoid Bushmaster because they've lied to me about what was in stock and when it would be available.  Remington is in the market, but they want a fair chunk of change.  DPMS, Bushmaster and Remington are all part of Cerebus' Freedom Group of companies.  S&W's M&P line reviews well.

Bravo-Company USA and Spikes Tactical are my most recommended brand.  They offer excellent quality and top-end features without raping you on the price.  Stag Arms makes a good product and they offer guns made for lefties!

The best deal going right now is Palmetto State Armory's.  M4gry with an Aimpoint PRO for a grand!

But then the reality of budget hits.  A grand sure seems like a lot of scratch.

There are also a multitude of smaller companies out there.  Essential Arms in Iowa comes to mind for this niche.

That's when I say, build it!

Del-Ton has kits starting at $465.  J&T has them from $520.  M&A Parts has them from $500.  You'll need some kind of rear sight, figure $60 for a Mag-Pul MBUS.  Magazines can be had for as little as $15.

Lowers can be had for as little as $76.

Hit up the hometown section of Arfcom for someone local to you who has the tools and some experience to put the kit together (or just follow the how-to guide).  On departure I would make from the guide is to use a pair of sliding-jaw pliers to press in the roll pins instead of a punch and hammer.  Be sure to wrap the jaws in masking tape!

Complete AR ready to shoot for about $650-$700!  Hard to lose in this market.  Just about any of the above vendors will sell you most anything else associated with an AR too.  On top of them, there's also Midway USA and Brownells; go-to places for most anything gun related.

Don't get cheap with optics!  Or rather, shop carefully when buying a red-dot.  Nothing sucks worse than your great deal dying because it got wet in the rain, or that the battery is dead because you left it on and the batts are only available from one expensive internet site.

One thing you may notice I have not mentioned.

The exact configuration.  That is very hard to pick from the internet.

Harvey (the lovely Mrs Thag) went through several variations of hers before she settled.  I did as well.  What you think you want may not resemble what you end up liking.

My best recommendation is to get an M4 clone with a 16" barrel as your first gun.  You can then start customizing from there.  AR's are modular like Lego so most anything can be done.