Please advise on AR purchase: Spikes vs. Colt vs. Del-Ton vs. ?

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orangeninja said:
Okay guys so I'm planning on getting an AR. I've owned a Bushmaster in the past, it was a good gun but I'd like to buy one and only one AR and the Bushy won't be it.

I am looking for something with a 1:7 twist to shoot heavier milspec ammo. I am open to 1:9 for milspec ammo if someone can tell me how/if it will impact either reliability or accuracy.

I also want a chrome lined barrel and chamber with M4 feed ramps in an M4 carbine pattern. Reliability is of paramount importance, it is factor #1, ruggedness/durability is #2, accuracy is #3, everything else falls somewhere on down the list.

I may put an Adams Arms piston kit on it, but will keep the DI parts to swap back as needed/desired.

The ARs I have looked at and liked so far were of course the Colt 6920, but I have to say, for the price it seems there are just as good of an option available for less money. Also just to be transparent, I’m not much of a Colt fanboy, but neither am I against them. Brand is a non-factor to me, but if the Colt is a better rifle, I’ll spend the extra $200-300.

The other is a Del-Ton Extreme Duty which has all the same specs as the Colt, but can be had for $200-400 cheaper.

Another is the Spikes Tactical M4LE Carbine (identical specs to the Colt and Del-Ton). Again about $200-300 cheaper than the Colt.

Finally there is a carbine that intrigues me, Windham Armory. The specs look good except for the 1:9 twist rate. Also the Sig M400 (which interests me mostly because I love Sig handguns) but the individual reviews have been less than stellar. That’s about it. Any opinions, experiences, etc. I would appreciate.

My use would be for personal/home protection, hauling around in the wilderness, and finally occasional shooting competitions. So in order of importance, reliability, ruggedness, and accuracy.
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Go to M4Carbine.net and post your question.
 
Colt is the ONLY AR built according to the REAL TDP with only the provisions to make it civilian legal.
 
CoThG said:
Colt is the ONLY AR built according to the REAL TDP with only the provisions to make it civilian legal.
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Colt is the benchmark. But they aren't the only game in town, and aren't even the "best" .

It looks like we're going to have to play the AR tier ranking game.

The 'best' AR15/M4 type rifles available in reasonably significant numbers out there in the market are:

KAC (knights armament company)
LMT (lewis machine and tool)
Noveske
LaRue Tactical
Daniel Defense
Colt
BCM (bravo company manufacturing)

Spikes
S&W (smith and wesson)
PSA (palmetto state armory)
 
Have you looked at a Sig 556? It's not an AR it shares mags and it's able to accept a lot of accessories. And it's piston driven too.
 
Colt makes good guns and for $1000ish dollars they make a strong argument to buy the original. Around here Walmart is selling them for $1450 though and I think that is overpriced.

Go to M4Carbine.net and post your question.
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M4Carbine.net is quite possibly the most gear obsessed gun forum on the internet. Buy a budget AR, shoot it for years without a problem, sell it for a loss, buy a Colt, go to M4C telling everyone about your story and become a hero.
 
NWcityguy2 said:
Colt makes good guns and for $1000ish dollars they make a strong argument to buy the original. Around here Walmart is selling them for $1450 though and I think that is overpriced.



M4Carbine.net is quite possibly the most gear obsessed gun forum on the internet. Buy a budget AR, shoot it for years without a problem, sell it for a loss, buy a Colt, go to M4C telling everyone about your story and become a hero.
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Would that satisfy them? I think the obsessed AR guys are more about LWRC LMT DD and whatever is awesome this week.
 
breakingcontact said:
Would that satisfy them? I think the obsessed AR guys are more about LWRC LMT DD and whatever is awesome this week.
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I think you are cynical and/or out of touch.

PS: There is no "whatever is awesome this week". It's quite the opposite actually. An established track record of consistent quality is extremely important. There's no such thing as "awesome this week".
 
I highly reccomend you go to M4 Carbie.net and pose this question.
To be honest from what I know and understand I wouldn't hesitate to buy either the Colt or the Spikes, but I would give the edge to Colt.

I have a Spikes lower with a LMT upper, great rifle; but again a bit of a Franken AR. Works great runs like a sewing machine.
I ran Colts for 20+ years in the Army and everyone of those were great guns as long as you maintained them. Some of that time I was an Asisstant Armorer, so I had my hands on bunch of them.
You're in the 900 to 1100 dollar price point right now. You can spend as much cask on an AR as you like, but I believe this becomes the point of added value vs diminishing visible returns. the next bump up is gonna be a 300 dollar jump and I don't know how much difference you'll be able to tell at this point.
I would get the Colt and a couple of K rounds and shoot the heck out of it and slowly mod it to your specific liking. You can't go wrong by going slow, building skill set and attending a couple classes with that Colt.
 
NWcityguy2 said:
Colt makes good guns and for $1000ish dollars they make a strong argument to buy the original. Around here Walmart is selling them for $1450 though and I think that is overpriced.
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The model that sells for $1,450ish is the LE6920 SOCOM.

The standard LE6920 is about $400 less than that

(Talking Walmart pricing)
 
Ninja, since you're not keen on Bushmaster then I'd pass on Windham, DTI and most other ARs. I'd also pass on a piston upgrade kit or at least put it on indefinite hold.

I agree with those that recommend PSA and Spikes for a low price AR with high quality. If you can budget a little more then the Colt 6920 and BCM are excellent choices. Daniel Defense, too, but they tend to cost more than BCM. I have DD, BCM and PSA uppers on my lowers and can recommend any of them highly.
 
I had a Ruger SR 556 but sold it due to the weight...just too heavy. I bought a DDM4-V2 for $1299 during a sale at Primary Arms and LOVE IT!

Of the guns you mentioned, I'd go with Colt then Spikes, but if you want a solid AR for $800, look at Stag. They have been making AR parts for a very long time, and make parts for many of the big boys, including Colt.
 
I'd say spend a few dollars more and buy one of the Magpul edition Colt 6920's in whatever color you prefer. The Magpul furniture is much more functional than the standard M4 furniture and for the price you can't beat the quality your getting.
 
These days, with Colt 6920's in the local Walmart for around $1K and the general price point of most others being just a little short of the Colt, I'd buy the Colt over anything else.
 
Colt is also now releasing the "M4" carbine version, and that is how it is marked. It is the first civilian marked M4. I believe I would have to buy it. I know there is no difference in it and the 6920, but it is nice to have different roll marks. They aren't worth much money.

I would recommend sticking with a DI gun and shoot it till it wears out. If you have your heart set on a Piston gun , go pay $1500-1700 or the Sig 516. It is the best bang or the buck. The Ruger is old, but not as much as the Sig IMHO. I have the Hk , but most don't want or have the need to buy a piston system much less pay the premium for HK or LWRC.

Daniels Defense is my favorite DI gun. ( just my opinion). I would get it and any accessories if you want, like optic and such.
 
M4Carbine.net isn't so bad...you just have to understand that you're not always talking to Bubba Plinker when you're there....answers can be blunt, but are generally correct...even if they are not what you want to hear.

Don't try to act like you know what you're talking about unless you actually do...

I like M4Carbine much better than that other AR forum.
 
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M4Carbine.net isn't so bad...you just have to understand that you're not talking to Bubba Plinker when you're there....answers can be blunt, but are generally correct...even if they are not what you want to hear.
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Most members will also advise you to search for an answer to your question before posting a question that has been answered a hundred times over. It may be a turn off to new members, and I don't completely agree with it either as often times you get a lot of noise and no decent info. However, having to answer the same questions everyday can get old pretty quick.
 
Bought my LE6920MP last fall about 8 weeks before the election: Could not be happier. At that time Buds was shipping that for $1035 at LE discount price. Mounted an old Redfield Partner scope on it, rattle can painted it fleck tarn pattern of Euro trash Mil camo. a JM comp., and voila. It's a crazy accurate rifle.

Had my reservations as the old M-16s from the 80s were my last reference to Colt, from boot camp and Reserves. The old "sproing" is gone and wow....!

Nice work at the Colt factory!! Thank You!
 
NWcityguy2 said:
M4Carbine.net is quite possibly the most gear obsessed gun forum on the internet. Buy a budget AR, shoot it for years without a problem, sell it for a loss, buy a Colt, go to M4C telling everyone about your story and become a hero.
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I don't think you could be more mistaken.

BTW: Most people who shoot their budget AR (or ANY AR) for years don't even make it through a full case of ammunition, from what I have seen.

Also, IME, you can tell the people who don't shoot much because they use time as the measurement for how much use the rifle has, not round count
 
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