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What AR do you own and why

Madball13

Madball13

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It seems every week a thread starts asking what is the best AR and why. I read some of the responses and cringe that people think XYZ manufacturer makes a solid rifle.

There also seems to be a core of 5-10 people that think the same way and try to steer the OP by asking the purpose of the rifle which eventually dictates the recommendations of these 5-10 people.

Instead of soliciting info and people blurting out "I have XYZ and it runs fine" I would like this thread to serve as a go to thread on individual experience with more info than make and model. Please post here with the AR you have, why you bought it and how hard you run it.

Edit: Also what is the most you have put through the gun in a single session and how did it do?

I'll start:

I have a Daniel Defense M4 and an LMT M4. I bought these to serve as my go to guns and they will eat any ammo, every time i pull the trigger. I want a gun that shoots and refuse to have a M4 that is picky on ammo. I chose DD and LMT because they make and test there uppers to MIL-SPEC and specifically properly staked key, chromed lined carrier, 1/7 twist barrel, HP and MPI bolt and barrel.

The DD is new to me this past fall and have only sighted it in. The LMT is used from a friend and I personally saw 3-400 rounds run through the gun in a single day with no problems.
 
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Colt Match Target HBAR (20") - because I found a used one at a semi-reasonable price and the ARs I had in my yute were Colts.

Stag Model 2L (flat top 16.5" M4 style carbine) - I just like the quick handling of a carbine, and being left-handed it is SO nice to not have the hot brass flying across my face.
 
s&w m&p15 16" carbine (ORC) - bought it days after shooting my friends AR for the first time, this was during the time when AR's were few and far between in the early days the big o's term. many many many rounds later it has eaten every type of ammo I have put into it. it is fairly accurate, but I'm sure when I get some training I will find out the rifle is more accurate than I thought.
 
Emoto said:
Colt Match Target HBAR (20") - because I found a used one at a semi-reasonable price and the ARs I had in my yute were Colts.

Stag Model 2L (flat top 16.5" M4 style carbine) - I just like the quick handling of a carbine, and being left-handed it is SO nice to not have the hot brass flying across my face.
Click to expand...

How many rounds have you put through them in a single session?
 
Spikes LE midlength w/ 9" free-float rail.

1) Reputation for quality goods.
2) Price.
3) Awesome customer service.
4) Product to match what I wanted in a rifle (lightweight, FF quad rail, midlength)


I was looking for something to replace the 20" HBAR upper I had, which I had been having some problems with if I let it go too far between cleanings, and which was finnicky about ammo, and was heavy! I looked at all the usual "tier-1" manufacturers. Noveske is too expensive. LMT didn't have what I was looking for. I don't trust myself looking at the BCM website, so I x'd out of it [laugh]. I didn't feel like paying for a new pony. So I went with Spikes.

Thus far, it's leaps and bounds above my old Colt. I haven't really gotten it out and put it through it's paces yet (damn ammo budget!), but as long as it continues to take what I dish out (which will hopefully include 400+ rounds in a day sometime in the near future), it's the right fit for me.
 
I've got a Stag because I didn't know any better. I've been very lucky in that it's been a solid shooter- because of that I've no reason to get rid of it. I've heard horror stories though. Were i to do so I'd likely go LMT for most bang for the buck.
 
BCM 16" 1:7 Mid Length Upper w/DD rail & BCM BCG

Rock River Complete Lower with A2 and 2 stage trigger

Troy BUIS, LaRue SPR QD scope mount, Sightmark 1.5-5x scope. (Yeah I know the mount costs more than the scope! I'm working on moving to a Leupold MRT when my money tree blossoms again)

I have roughly 7k rounds through it now. I haven't used any ammo that's caused issues. I typically run Wolf/Tula (new polymer not lacquer), but it's been fed everything from PMC 55gr to 77gr Black Hills.

I had 2 failure to extracts in the 5000-5500 round count range. Did a tear down after the second one and found the extractor spring was no longer in tolerance, visibly shorter than a new one. The extractor itself was fine with no obvious wear/rounding even though I shoot mainly steel. It's been fine since I replaced it.

Both failure to extracts were cleared by reseating with forward assist and pulling charging handle, not classic style lacquered steel seize ups requiring a punch.

Accuracy is fantastic.

The gun absolutely loves the 77gr of any variety, I can shoot 1" groups at 100 yards everytime I use it and I'm by no means great.

Haven't used 75gr yet.

62gr M855 is spotty, ATI works OK ~2.5" groups for me, it doesn't like Winchester Ranger for some reason best i got was 3.5" group on the 200 rounds I shot.

It groups Tula and Winchester 55gr ~2" groups better than PMC .223, Federal XM193 or AE XM193 ~3" groups.

ETA: Single session max is around 1k rounds. Also I only run Pmags and always load to 29 rds.
 
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Current AR is built by me because

1. I like to build things
2. It was built to my liking (lightweight, interesting to me parts)

Goal was a go to rifle that would be used a lot in training and rarely see beyound 500yds.

AWS Zombie lower......Quality piece in spec and looks interesting
Vltor MUR upper......got at a decent price and known to be super close on spec.
LMT FA BCG......reliability and spec
DD 14.5 LW Mid length barrel.....Can handle the rate of fire I'd most likely ever have to put at it, while saving weight for carrying.
DD LP gasblock.....serves purpose and was aligned at factory.
12" Samson MFG Evolution Rail profiled for Rainer Arms (triangle vent holes).....Super lightweight while still rigid
Geissele Super Dynamic trigger.....reliability and feel. I love the feel of the straight face. I seem faster with it.
KNS anti roll pins......were not needed but had from somewhere.
MAGPUL Slut items: MIAD grip, AFG2, Enhanced Trigger guard, UBR Stock (pinned), Backup sights, BAD Lever
Springs and Pins from DPMS
Trying a spikes buffer and a CS spring. so far so good.

Love the balance with the heavier stock.
 
I have not bought an off the shelf AR for a long time, I would rather build it myself. I use Spikes lowers for most of my builds becuase the quality has always been great as well as the price. For uppers I use BCM if it's a carbine, again good quality/price. For the two A2 builds I have done I used DPMS uppers as not to many mfgs sell A2s.
 
Emoto said:
I don't keep records, but I would guess 200-400. Why?
Click to expand...

It speaks to reliability. Id you take your colt out for 100 rounds 5-6 times a year you might never know how truly reliable it is because it eats 100 cools down and gets cleaned. You run it for 400 in a day that's a good amount of abuse and a decent sample for reliability.
 
Madball13 said:
It speaks to reliability. Id you take your colt out for 100 rounds 5-6 times a year you might never know how truly reliable it is because it eats 100 cools down and gets cleaned. You run it for 400 in a day that's a good amount of abuse and a decent sample for reliability.
Click to expand...

Ah, I see. I tend to just go "shoot a bunch" but next time, I will try to keep track. Since I got the Stag, the Colt mostly just gathers dust, though.
 
The only AR I have is the one I built.

S&W M&P lower
YHM upper
Compass Lake barrel 1:7
YHM Diamond forearm
Magpul CTR stock
Troy BUIS
Aimpoint Micro on LaRue mount

It eats everything I've thrown at it and haven't had a FTF/FTE in 3k rounds.
 
Emoto said:
Ah, I see. I tend to just go "shoot a bunch" but next time, I will try to keep track. Since I got the Stag, the Colt mostly just gathers dust, though.
Click to expand...

It's not super critical, i just think it is more credible when someone looking in reads you have XYZ and really put it through it's paces
 
Aside from the sea of AR parts floating around, these are my current built rifles:

- Two BCM complete uppers with BM Lowers.

- A BM Upper/ASA Barrel on a BM Lower.

- BCM Upper/ASA Barrel on a CMMG Lower.

As far as I am concerned, the most important part of the rifle of ALL the parts, is the barrel.
This is why my primary two rifles have complete BCM uppers, 1/7 CL barrels etc etc etc..

The secondary (non-primary use) rifles still sport a CL barrel, and are mixed 1/7 and 1/9.

ALL Rifles have M16 bolt carriers, and sport H Buffers in the MILSPEC buffer tubes.

All lower recievers are from decent/quality brands. As far as lower recievers go, there are only a coulple you need to stay away from that are known to not be manufactured to "spec" ie: tight magwell, uneven sidewall thicknesses, etc.

I have a lovely Noveske lower I need to figure out what to do with too.... [grin]
 
Stag Model 3:

I bought it because I wanted an AR and Acme Armament lets me do payment plans.

I had issues at first, but they fixed it. I run the gun hard and the most rounds in one session was @600. It hasn't been cleaned in over 1500 rounds and still runs great.

I am yet to shoot my second AR, but I'll probably beat the hell out of that one too.
 
Recently been buying primarily BCM/Spikes Tactical. All Mil-Spec, affordable, and accurate. Also backed by lifetime warranties. Good enough for a duty/SHTF/match/varmint issues.
 
I have a Colt lower with a CMMG upper. I can beat on it all day with no problems.

I bought it becuase it was the only pre ban lower i could find, and the only upper i could find at the time. To me, an ARs and AR.

I had a Bushmaster M4 which I absolutely beat the shit out of and that thing was just was fine the day I sold it as the day I bought it.

I used Colt and FN in the Army, and guess what, they were the same thing. Couldn't see a performance difference.

I think a lot of AR problems go back to shitty mags and crappy ammo. My bushmaster for instance would not feed wolf at all.
 
Colt.
Just go with the tried and true and you don't have to look back. Yeah, you may get more accuracy or spend less money with others or built on your own. I figure there is something to be said with milspec factory that all others are compared to.
 
pj150 said:
Colt.
Just go with the tried and true and you don't have to look back. Yeah, you may get more accuracy or spend less money with others or built on your own. I figure there is something to be said with milspec factory that all others are compared to.
Click to expand...

Do you have a Colt? Please share you experience with them.
 
http://www.dpmsinc.com/store/products/?prod=1067

http://www.dpmsinc.com/firearms/firearm.aspx?id=47

DPMS lo-pro classic

I bought it mainly because of price. I have many, many rounds through it, not sure of an exact count, but so far so good. Next one will be one that I will build myself.

edit: most rounds at once is about 300, at the club between 50 and 200 yards. no issues but my shooting. :)
edit 2, I have been somewhat careful in buying mags, but I run cheap ammo all the time.
edit 3 no "mods" per say. Just an eotech and YHM pop up sights.
 
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Colt 6520 16". All I've done to the gun was get a different buffer tube, sling attachment thing (which I have yet to use) and put a Magpul CTR on it and a set of MOE handguards.

I beat the crap out of this gun. I typically go between 500-1000 rounds between cleanings depending. Average outing might only be a couple of hundred rounds
though most of the time.

I bought it because it was preban, the price was right (it was an excellent deal at the time) and I knew it would be reliable. I've only ever recorded a few malfs with this rifle... out of thousands of rounds poured down the tube, it's malfed less times than I can count on one hand. Most were traced back to really bad magazines. (And at this time, they've all been thrown downrange and shot!) Recently there was one mystery malf with Fed XM193 but the rifle was really dirty (over 1K down the tube without cleaning, by my best count) and dry when it happened. It could have been the ammo too, as that lot wasn't exactly the best I had seen. After clearing that malf though, the gun ran fine.

I would definitely buy another colt, or buy/build another Tier-1 type product. Maybe when I win the lottery..... lol.

-Mike
 
Madball13 said:
Do you have a Colt? Please share you experience with them.
Click to expand...

I have a Colt Pre-ban lightweight sporter 16". Nothing special, has all the preban features. Does what it supposed to as long as you keep it clean and lubed.
Accuracy is ok but I don't run hundreds of rounds through it in one session. Just too expensive. Eats everything I feed it. It's not my SHTF rifle, that is my AK. I just keep it because it's dependable, plethora of aftermarket parts if you want to ninja it.
 

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