Now that the AWB has set, I'm thinking of picking me up an AR.  My first one :)   Anyway, I've done some searches on various sites, but there seem to be a lot of different varients at different prices.  

Heres what I want:
Collapsable stock
M4 fat handgaurd
14.5" barrel or shorter
All black is preferable
A3 carry handle is preferable too
$1400 and below (hopefully).

So, if you guys could enlighten me on what the "best" AR's are that fit my requirements.  I'm a semi-HK convert, so I'm hoping you guys can give me a list on what to look for.  I've heard Bushmaster makes the best ARs, true?  

Anyway, all I'm looking for is a list of the AR's that are best for what I'm looking for.  Or at least some advice on what to look for.  Thanks guys!

Bushmaster M4gery.

The generally accepted brands around here are Colt, Armalite, Bushmaster, Rock River Arms, and DPMS.

I know you would not be disappointed with any of them
You will have little problem getting an M4 style AR15 for that price.

Since I am familiar (and very satisfied) with RRA, I will point you in that direction.
Around here, ADCO firearms is the place to buy RRA equip.
Here is a link to their RRA rifles page...

You can save some money by purchasing a complete upper, and a complete lower, which is how many buy their AR's.  Check out the "Complete Uppers" section, under "Rock River" on the left menu, along with the plain "Rock River" section for lowers.  Notice there are collapsible stocks available.  Steve could swap and A2 for a collapsible CAR stock, or set it up however you need.  He's very, very patient, and helpful when you get started.


Here is an example:

Tactical CAR A4
16" 1:9 barrel M4 handguards
$816.67

M4 ENTRY
chrome lined barrel
$854.44



Or.....

Lower-Complete
standard trigger
$215.56

plus one of these complete uppers:

M4 ENTRY
chrome lined
$566.67

LETactical
LE Tactical CAR A4 Upper M4 handguards
$532.22

A3 carry handles are listed with the "Rock River" parts section and are $110.
I would suggest you get an LMT back up sight, rather than a carry handle, unless you are really set on one. (ADCO carries those, too - look under "LMT" section).  I have one mounted on my RRA M4 style.  Here is a pic of my setup, similar to your intended rifle.  I went this route becasue I want an AIMPOINT M2 red dot scope.  This would still fall under your $1400 total.  Same price for LMT as A3 handle, but leaves ome space on your upper for optics, if you desire.  NO ONE carries AR's by the carry handle.  It would make you point it at people.

If you go this route, you simply need to buy a magazine, pin the upper to the lower (the pins are part of the lower, you just push them together to lock the two pieces) and shoot!




If you do decide to build it yourself, I'd be happy to help you through it, as I just did it last week.
I even have a spreadsheet detailing costs and parts and tools for the rifle pictured in my link.

Build one yourself. That's what I did. Start with a lower receiver, find a nice collapsible stock you like, get a parts kit, and slap on a decent A3/A4 upper. Note: 14.5" barrels fall under NFA guidelines, so you have to pay a $200 tax stamp if you want a short barreled rifle (SBR). The other way to go is to have a flash hider permanently attached to your barrel, meeting the minimum 16" requirement.
Here's the way I see building your own: you know exactly how your rifle works, it's cheaper, and you get the exact rifle you want right from the start, not what someone else designed. Don't be intimidated by constructing your own lower. There's a great guide on this website and and a book called "The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide" by Walt Kuleck and Clint McKee (of Fulton Armory). At worst, it will take you a few hours (especially when your roll pins need a bit of extra force to drive in), at best, you'll be done in 20 minutes. Either way, it's not a lot of work as long as you have a few basic handtools and roll pin punches.
From your configuration though, you should be able to build a high quality AR for well under $1000.

Quoted: Build one yourself. That's what I did. Start with a lower receiver, find a nice collapsible stock you like, get a parts kit, and slap on a decent A3/A4 upper. Note: 14.5" barrels fall under NFA guidelines, so you have to pay a $200 tax stamp if you want a short barreled rifle (SBR). The other way to go is to have a flash hider permanently attached to your barrel, meeting the minimum 16" requirement. Here's the way I see building your own: you know exactly how your rifle works, it's cheaper, and you get the exact rifle you want right from the start, not what someone else designed. Don't be intimidated by constructing your own lower. There's a great guide on this website and and a book called "The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide" by Walt Kuleck and Clint McKee (of Fulton Armory). At worst, it will take you a few hours (especially when your roll pins need a bit of extra force to drive in), at best, you'll be done in 20 minutes. Either way, it's not a lot of work as long as you have a few basic handtools and roll pin punches. From your configuration though, you should be able to build a high quality AR for well under $1000.

Hmm...so even with the AWB set I can't have a 14.5in barrel without paying a $200 tax?

M4gery = what?  (I mean...I know a copy of a M4 by X...but give me an example).

Don't know enough about em to build one, at least not yet.  

They aren't hard to build at all, believe me.  Read the threads over in the build it yourself forum.
Buy the upper the way you want it, and build the lower yourself.  Put the two together and you are done.

Good luck,

What are the Bushmaster varients that I should be looking for?  Are there any that stand above the rest?

Ditto on building it yourself. I bought a Stag arms lower to use on mine and absolutly love it... best bang for the buck in my opinion. I spent about $1400.00 on mine including my Aimpoint CompML2, Surefire M961, and OTAL laser, and rail system.