Ar around 800$

S&W M&P15s are $799.99 at academy here in Houston. (these the ones with the dust cover and F/A). I had a Windham and it shot everything I put through it, never had one failure what so ever. Or like stated go with PSA. I got a PSA premium MI upper put a Fail zero BCG and a BCM charging handle and put it on a magpul PSA lower for $820.

I got one a few months ago from ARFCOM for $650. 16", quad rail, F/A, dust cover, multi-position stock

Don't be misled into thinking that a Windham is an "entry-level" AR. Windham's are good rifles. I suspect that they're prices will be going up over the next couple of years, after them become more established.

Check out the Windham @ JoeBob's @ $749. Chrome-lined, 4150 steel barrel, etc. Hard case and 30-rd. mag.

Get the Spikes Tactical at Aim its a no brainer. High quality, very reliable! I would buy it over any similar priced firearm!

If you don't know much about ARs, then that Spikes midlength at AIM is where it's at.

If you know what you're looking at, then you might be able to get closer to your desired configuration by getting a PSA upper and sorting out a lower yourself. Be careful with PSA; you need to read the specs carefully and then when you receive it you'll want to go over the rifle with a fine-toothed comb before testing it out and trusting it completely. They seem to have lots of issues with Quality Control and Quality Assurance.

Hard to argue with a $1k Colt these days.

I would probably get the Spike's. You could save a little more and get a Colt....but at that point I'd be looking at jumping up to a Daniel Defense for an extra $100 or so. And from then on it's an extra hundred here for this and a hundred there for this or that.

Windham is essentially a Bushmaster. They are made in the previously shut down Bushmaster factory by most of the same people that made the Bushmaster rifles. Good story behind that.

Someone linked to this earlier.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.as...&search=spikes

Click to expand...

Spikes makes a top-notch rifle (if you can get past the stupid-looking rollmarks). I would definitely rate them a peg or three higher than S&W. In my experience, the quality is equal to Colt, and the fit & finish is actually a little better.

*Cough*

Dont buy anything called a PTAC from them though, those arent quality at all. They have deals like his all the time, sometimes even better on better products.

So, for $570 you get a complete rifle....

Lot's of comments about S&W and Spike's in the previous posts.... not sure if this info is still accurate regarding S&W but Aero Precision manufactures the upper and lower receivers for Spikes, S&W, and a whole host of private branded (such as SAA) ARs. Many barrels are made by Wilson and many others are made by DPMS. If it were me buying a new AR, I would stay away from Bushmaster (I had a bad experience with one of them) and DPMS. Colt really is the "gold" standard (I personally know of a 6920 with 20K rounds down the tube and it still functions flawlessly and shoots where aimed). That said, most Colts do "rattle" when you shake them, upper to lower fit can be a bit loose but they are a rock when it comes to function. S&W ARs typically have a nice finish and are tight. Spike's are the same way. I've never held or shot a PSA but there is a huge support group for PSA rifles. I don't think you can go wrong with a S&W or Spike's, if you can save a little more money, buy a Colt. One added benefit is that Colt's will hold value better than many other ARs - something to consider if you ever get cash strapped. Check out CDNN for deals as well.

Blessings,

Paul

I just checked CDNN - S&W MP15 flat top for $789. Armalite AR15 flat top $789. Rock River carbine with removable carry handle for $849. Colt 6920 with Rogers stock for $1099.

First if you get a 6920 Colt please buy it somewhere else than W@lmart. That way my kids' kids wont have to work there someday. Secondly, no body ever mentions Del-ton but they are well UNDER 800 and mine have been great.

PSA for sure. Best value by far. They mostly sell the uppers separate from the lowers. If you don't feel like putting together your own lower, they sell complete lowers for a very good price too.

roll your own--build out your lower and look for upper--save the excise tax and you can build a shooter for 600ish (psa works great)

Does that include the $50 rebate? It's what I paid with the rebate.

Sorry, I am referencing the DPMS Oracle. It's my first AR. Looking for a small, variable optic that would fit in with the price of the gun. ...any ideas?

My PSA has been flawless. It is amazingly well built. I saw some on sale at a LGS not long ago for $599 -- if I didn't have fifty other projects going already I would have bought two more of them at that price.

It is interesting to see what people call a good gun.

For $800 I would look for a Spikes Tactical.

A S&W M&P 15 should be alright as well.

I'd rather have a Colt than either, but it is harder to find one of those for less than $1k (although it can be done, grab a gun had them for $855 shipped back in December).

PSA is cheap and quite a few people have quality problems with the product, not to mention their terrible customer service and shipping that could take a month or more. I hate to see people spend money there.

Really, trying to stick to a budget, I think the Spikes Tactical route is your best bet.

edit, nevermind all the uppers were sold out. I would still save up the coin for a Colt if nothing else because it will hold it's value. Those cheaper brands have flooded the market but people will still pay fair value for a Colt.

Buy a Colt. They can be had for that price, or $50-$100 more. It doesn't even matter if they are actually better. They will always bring a higher resale than any other AR in that price range.

If you were buying a new truck, would you buy one that everyone said was just as good as X for a few dollars less, or just buy X? You can easily see that X is more desirable, brings a higher used price, and sells much faster than the other makes that were touted as just as good. On top of all that, you could actually buy X at nearly the same price.

THIS.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/inde...tm_campaign=Constant+Contact&utm_medium=email

What am I missing? Why not this instead.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/...ts_id/716007083/COLT+CSR+LW+CAR+556+16+BLK+30


Edited. I see that palmetto is the dealer, not a brand. I would definitely pick either Colt depending on my needs. Personally if I bought another AR it would be without a fixed front sight since it offers more options.

saw an m&p 15 the other day for right at 600. if i was interested in an ar-15 i think that would be hard to beat. if you can find them at that price, i would say go for it.
Im didnt because im not interested in them.

I know you want a dust cover and a forward assist but I am very pleased with the S&W M&P15 Sport...which lacks both. I have never missed them. What is there is great. Much better looking parts than my Stag, which I will say worked flawlessly right out of the box. Very high level of fit an finish.

$600. Gives you $200 to play with for accessories before you get to ammo. Might be able to get an optic which gives you an AR with optic for $800.

Just a thought.