I know you get a lot of these, but with all these new companies popping up, I'm weary that the previous threads may have out-dated advice.

I'm in the market for an AR-15 for use in local 3-gun and rifle matches. Just for fun, not serious competition. I'm wanting to spend around $700-$800. The choices are complicated as it is with factory guns, but I'm willing to build up with a kit if there's any advantages to doing so. I'm open to any suggestions and advice.

BCM or Daniel Defense.

16" barrel with Midlength gas system. Collapsible stock of your choice (Magpul CTR or LMT SOPMOD are nice choices).
Daniel Defense 1.5 fixed rear sight.

Might be a little over budget, but not too bad.

PSA whill come in a little lower and looks to be on paper nearly the same quality, time will tell.

Also shop the EE here
This is a very good deal

For a first, I would just find a Colt SP or LE 6920 for under $1000.

Spikes, Armalite, BCM, or PSA should all fit your budget.  Maybe even a used Colt.

That price range pretty much limits you to iron sight division. I would suggest a 16-18" midlength. Your best bet is probably the EE. You can get some high quality uppers for pretty cheap if you look hard enough. You can also get some very effective brakes in the $30 range.

That price range is just slightly too low for a quality gun imo
I would save up $900-$950 then you can build a BCM or one of PSA's quality uppers. (price includes shipping and transfer)

buy a PSA LPK or lower build kit, and a surplus arms and ammo stripped lower from aimsurplus for $60.
Then you just need to get an upper. BCM uppers are $400, but have no handguards or BCG. Or keep an eye on the uppers at PSA and get one of there 4150 or hammer forged uppers for about $400 with their premium BCG.

Thats what I would do, and did do

Excuse my ignorance "BCG"?

bolt carrier group (heart of the AR rifle, probably the most important thing to get quality)

couldn't figure out the g was or group.

The more I read about builds, the more I want to just build one. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard the rule of thumb is, get the cheapest lower you can find, then get a decent lower build kit, find a cheap stock and get a good upper assembly.

I kinda half-heartedly made one on these guidelines. I got:

Stripped lower $60
Daniel Defense lower parts kit $80
cheap stock $50
DPMS AR-15 Oracle A3 upper $420
muzzle brake $30
total    $650

This leaves me $150 for optics.

On the other hand, what opinions do you guys have of the RPG-AR15-LE classic arms has for $700?

IBTL

These kind of thread usually don't end well, members here drink different flavors of Kool-Aid.

The quality of AR manufacturers doesn't vary lets say in six months or even a year, usually their quality gets better over time, rarely their quality doesn't go down quickly.

Here's an older thread but the quality of manufacturers are still the same or a little better, there might be one or some makers listed that are not in business now like Sabre Defence and Charles Daly.


So You Want to Buy an AR-15 - Features to Consider - tacked thread link

I read through that and man is it overwhelming. Good info though.

From members consensus here I would just repeat what most of us usually tell new members that Spike's Tactical, Palmetto State Armory (PSA), are good value with high quality.

Slightly more money are brands like Daniel Defense, BCM (from Bravo Company USA), Armalite, Colt, etc, are good brands to get good quality parts that are important like lower parts kit, bolt carrier group, etc.

Here are my suggestions to narrow down the brands:

Stripped lower: Palmetto State Armory or Spike's Tactical
Lower parts kit: Daniel Defense or Spike's Tactical
Cheap stock: Vltor Modstock (sale $49.00 from Bravo Company)
Buffer tube (receiver extension): BCM (from Bravo Company) - get the H (heavy) carbine buffer
Upper half: Palmetto State Armory (wait for sale for best low price) or Spike's Tactical (there's a long waiting but worth it if you're not in a hurry)

The Vltor stock body that I stated are a very high quality stock and are now half off the regular price, why settle for a low quality brand if you could get them at the same price.

Also take a look at AR15.com Equipment Exchange section sometimes good brands parts shows up there at good low prices.


Vltor Modstock stock body only no buffer tube - Bravo Co. sale link


BCM Stock Hardware Mounting kit mil-spec size - Bravo Co. link


http://www.palmettostatearmory.com


http://www.spikestactical.com

Don't forget LMT. They're right up with BCM and DD. If you buy a quality BCG and a barreled receiver you should have the start of a good rifle/carbine. I'm not talking dpms. If you invest a little cash in these parts you can go cheap on some others.

I second this suggestion. Barrel and BCG are the most important, don't skimp on them.

My suggestion is to buy what you want no matter how expensive.  If you do that, you will be less tempted to buy more and more since that is hard enough for most people.

I just put together a rifle using all PSA parts. I think it feels and looks great, and for the price, you cant beat it! It has everything I wanted for about $200 or more less than any other rifle I looked at