They say the kits are worth avoiding. Also, home-builds unless you know and trust the person who built it.
A good quality AR-15 can be had with the Smith and Wesson M&P 15 rifles.
They're lego guns... If you start with quality parts and know your way through a toolbox you can build an AR. Read a few links, watch a few videos, build a nice carbine.
They arent like 1911s were only a few parts are drop in, and even then, some fitting may be required. Out of the 4 ARs I've built, I dont think I've had to "fit" anything, other than a cheap milspec* stock body on a take-off commercial receiver extension, for my rimfire.
*advertised as milspec, since it fit the milspec buffertube.
I recommended starting with a 6920 because its a quality rifle that's fairly easy to come across. The bolt is milspec (shot-peened, MPI, HPT), the charging handle and receiver extension are forged rather than cast or extruded, and everything is properly staked.
Having broke one bolt (DPMS), two charging handles (RRA, BM), having a gas key (RRA) and castle nut (?) come loose, then breaking a buffer tube (?), I wont apologize for being a little picky.
I know Smiths and Stags were a lot of bang for the buck a few years ago, but if I got one today I'd stake the gas key and castle nut once I got it home, then order a BCM bolt and probably a charging handle, which would put me at about the price of a 6920... But with the Smith or Stag, I'd have a spare bolt...
