Best AR for Under $1,000

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Sold off most of my collection, including all rifles, prior to moving to GA about 18 months ago. Would like to start the process of building it back up by adding an AR.

I did some searching and found 2 old threads (Search results for query: best ar 1000) on this subject. Just wanted to see if anything has changed in the AR market and if being outside of MA has any impact on selection.
 
Two PSA builds, minus optics.😆🤣

p.s. welcome to America!! Nobody cares how you did it in California.
 
Your outside the prison walls and asking if anything has changed ? Buy what you want.

Simply asking in 2020 what is the best out of the box AR for under $1,000. Other two threads are old and from a MA compliant perspective.
 
"...best out of the box AR for under $1,000." Really depends on what USE you have planned.
Best for home defense?
Best for range days?
Best for competitions (entry level at <$1k)?
Best for XXX?

Your original question is rather open ended without a qualifier. It's like asking "what's the best car for under $15k?" without saying anything more. Change the amount to whatever you want, the results are the same.

There's plenty of solid AR's out there for a grand or less these days. But, if you're looking to buy a complete AR, best to do it before the election goes into full swing. Since if there's even a hint that the libtards (or grabbers) are going to win, the prices of those same AR's have a very real risk of going up. Not by a small amount either. We've seen this time and again. Same with ammo prices.

Check your LGS to see what they have on site in your price range. You can also go the route of getting a lower of your choice, then a few uppers (over time, either buy complete or put them together yourself). There are several good vendors/sources for such things.

Personally, I've bought just one complete AR over the years. But I've built several. Most from 80% lowers. I've assembled uppers myself with what I want as part of them. I've also bought one complete upper (AR10) so far but plan to buy an AR9 upper soon (pistol build).
 
Do you have a LGS with a decent selection ?
Go and fondle all that is $1000 or less. One will speak to you.
Right now in the free states you can get what you want. i have seen some good deals on quality parts so building a $1000 AR gets you some nice options.
 
Simply asking in 2020 what is the best out of the box AR for under $1,000. Other two threads are old and from a MA compliant perspective.

There is no generic best AR because what the best AR for you is probably different from the best AR for me.

The AR isn't so much one specific rifle as a platform. Some guys will picture a 20" A1 or A2 clone when asked "what's the best AR?" Others will say a 14.5" carbine. Depends on a lot of factors and sometimes just subjective personal preference.

Unless you've got a specific purpose in mind, like say multigun or home defense or hunting, where stuff like barrel length, the amount of rail, etc. really matters, just buy the cheapest PSA with a collapsible stock in black and spend the other $500 on a decent optic and mount:

PSA PA-15 16” Nitride M4 Carbine 5.56 NATO Classic AR-15 Rifle, Black

$475 rifle + around $25 for shipping + around $25 for FFL transfer fees = $525 for the gun and $475 left over to buy mags, optics, mounts, etc. Then shoot the shit out of it. Then build better rifles.
 
There is no generic best AR because what the best AR for you is probably different from the best AR for me.

The AR isn't so much one specific rifle as a platform. Some guys will picture a 20" A1 or A2 clone when asked "what's the best AR?" Others will say a 14.5" carbine. Depends on a lot of factors and sometimes just subjective personal preference.

Unless you've got a specific purpose in mind, like say multigun or home defense or hunting, where stuff like barrel length, the amount of rail, etc. really matters, just buy the cheapest PSA with a collapsible stock in black and spend the other $500 on a decent optic and mount:

PSA PA-15 16” Nitride M4 Carbine 5.56 NATO Classic AR-15 Rifle, Black

$475 rifle + around $25 for shipping + around $25 for FFL transfer fees = $525 for the gun and $475 left over to buy mags, optics, mounts, etc. Then shoot the shit out of it. Then build better rifles.

Said elsewhere on this thread, but Señor Stockwell said it best. Go fairly cheap and then shoot it til it melts. THEN buy what you now know you want/need.

We have a Stag in the family. We all shoot it. No problems for years. Jack.

Jack's into bestiality??? Oh brother. ;)



OP - How'bout a pistol, FWIW? :)
 
There are few bad choices these days. Find one that fits what you are looking for, either complete rifle or complete upper/built own lower. So many companies make AR’s and most work just fine.
 
I vote for a Colt. You being in a free state should be able to find a good used one for under $1000. I have a couple pre 94 Colts and neither one of them has EVER failed to do anything right. Just put a high quality Mag into them and they just run, for me at least. Lucky you, can look at any year you want.
 
Given that you're not restricted on what you can buy in GA, I'd go with a couple of PSAs and a case of ammo and still be under budget, but if you do you'll be considered a "skinflint" 😆
 
Very happy with my Springfield Saint with the free float barrel. Very nice trigger compared to the other budget ARs. Many choices under 1k but that's mine.

Also worth checking out SOLGW Sons of Liberty gunworks. It's literally the most popular brand on the huge AR builder FB community.
 
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The best AR under $1000 is the one you buy under $1000! They are literally all the same. The nut behind the trigger is the only one that counts.

I’m getting more and more of this mindset. Unless you need a super accurate gun with a match SS barrel, then most of the guns and parts will get the job done. Just buy what you can afford and makes you happy.
 
From the FWIW department.

Yes, I will trust my life to any PSA rifle I own.

I couldn't get past the accent to listen to the whole thing, but at about 30 seconds I believe he said he said his test wasn't without hiccups. One definitely does not want any hiccups, the moment they are relying on their rifle to save their life. In full disclosure, I've had PSA stuff. It wasn't as good as the Colt 6920s I have, or any of the others I have come across. I hope you have better luck than I did.

Dave
 
I, surprisingly, have never had a problem with my Bushmaster XM-E2-S. Admittedly, I haven’t put thousands of rounds through it or it’s 300BLK sister (I built that one).
 
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