I am new to the AR scene and I can use some advice please.  I have always wanted AR-15 and am very close to getting one and thought that Colt was the way to go. But CMP has the Bushmaster with the logo laser engraved on the receiver and is slightly built up.  Both are close enough in price to not be a deciding factor.  I want a good quality rifle.  Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome Hangfire77! Read some of the different posts/ threads on the site. Ask questions. Ive had Colts, Bushies, Olys, and an Armalite. I'm kind of partial to Bushmasters. They are very nice. You will make the final decision as to what is right for [b]YOU![/b] Enjoy! [:D] Milldude

Everybody loves giving advice, so here's mine: Get a Colt and a Bushmaster! You are going to end up with more than one AR anyway (just ask anybody here). Plan a budget over a reasonable length of time to buy two rifles. Get a rifle and a carbine, a fixed and a detachable carry handle.

WELCOME

Armalite ar15a4 ($750.00)

with a red dot. Have fun!

Welcome Hangfire77! I think you will like it here. Everyone here will give you their honest opinion, but it will be up to you to make the ultimate decision on your AR. What kind of shooting will you be doing? What kind of ranges will you be shooting at? Do you want an A2,or an A3 upper? Will you be shooting in matches, or plinking? These are all questions you have to answer yourself. I have to agree with Garand Shooter, the last Colts I've seen looked rough. The finish on the barrel looked like a paint job, rather than a mil-spec finish. If you want to change uppers, you need to buy offset pins. I prefer a Bushmaster, but everyone has their favorite. Whatever you buy, just enjoy it.

Thank you all for the info.  I will be reading post's here and asking alot of questions.  Thanks again for the help.

Hangfire77,
I just wanted to warn you that your choice of screen name is a risky one. We have a board TROLL around here that goes by the name HANGFIRE. He's annoyed just about everyone he can, has had MANY threads locked due to his hostile, emotional, hysterical responses. Just look at some of the threads on the 1st. 2nd and 3rd pages of the Gen. Discussion forum, you'll see his trail of locked threads.

Just a little fair warning.

Mil-Spec is a meaningless buzz-word.
NO Bushmaster, Colt, or ANY OTHER AR-15 is truly 100% "mil-spec", but some people just don't seem to get it. If you sold any AR-15 to any military in the world they would be made MAD. Flame away, boys...

Which AR?
I suggest Colt, Armalite, or Bushmaster (in no particular order), 16-20 inch barrel only, 1-9 twist, A1 upper is accurate and durable, an A2 is very accurate but no as durable, and an A3 upper will give you the option of putting on some really nice optics, and don't let anybody tell you you NEED to put a brake/comp on it- if you like the way they look , fine, but don't buy any claim that the muzzle MUST be protected by one. Might as well put an AK brake on that .30-06 deer rifle...
Welcome, and happy shooting!

I agree, the looks of the muzzle break are cool, but anyone who needs it for recoil management must be really weak.
The Bushy has worked great for me, and my friend's preban Colt is very nice too.
I would go DCM upper, I made a mistake and went with a shorty upper on my Bushy, but my next upper will be a DCM one.
[sniper]
good shooting!

This is very true! I'm new to the AR scene as well. Fairly new anyway. I got my first AR about a year ago. It was a Bushmaster V-Match 20". I was an "AK" guy for the last 10 years and swore up and down I would never own an AR. Damn what an idiot I was! I just bought my second Bushmaster a post-ban M4 carbine that I'm very happy with as well. Good luck in your choice.

John

Welcome, Hangfire77!  Good to have you join in.  Pull up your easy chair and enlighten yourself with the wisdom of the well-informed on this site.  BTW Bushmaster is top choice in my opinion.  Don't tell anybody I own stock in the company.   [:I]   I wish!

-RoadDog

having compared a bushy next to the colt, i personally say go with the bushy.  course, it is my bushy and the boyfriend's colt, so some say i could be biased.  but even the boyfriend says the bushy is a little better.  for one thing, the tolerances are a better on the bushy.  but when it comes down to it, it's really a matter of personal taste.  get a bunch with different configs and then you can be truly happy.  [:D]

If the price of a CMP (or limited edition) Bushmaster is OK for you, I suggest you look into Armalite as well.

Bushmaster puts out fine stuff and is slightly cheaper than Armalite when comparing similiar AR variations.

I happen to love Armalites.

Stay away from Colt. Quality sucks on them. They "commercialized" their AR15s and are not as good as the other two I mentioned.

Welcome to the boards Hangfire77.
Many good ARs out there. I have good luck with my ArmaLite M15A2. ArmaLite's service is excellent also.

What do you plan to use it for?

If you are going to use it for Highpower competition, I suggest getting a Bushmaster lower, and an upper from someone like CLE. The Bushmaster DCM is a good rifle (the last match I shot in, the guy next to shot some [i]very[/i] impressive groups with one), but you can get a better upper for just a little more. By better, I mean your choice of rear sight, a stronger float tube, and your choice of barrel.

If you aren't going to shoot in matches, I'd suggest getting a standard Armilite or Bushmaster rifle.

One poster mentioned that no manufacturer is truley Mil-Spec. That is true, but Bushmaster comes the closest. Armalite also comes close. Colt has distanced itself from Mil-Spec with funny pin sizes, etc., in some sort of funny attempt to protect us from ourselves.