I'm looking to get my son an AR-15 for his birthday in May.
He already loves shooting my Bushmaster and it's a pain swapping back and forth. He wants his own, obviously! His Ruger 10-22 isn't cutting anymore :)

I'm a name brand type of guy and love my Bushmaster but RRA, Arma and Colt are also great rifles.
Point being, should I build an inexpensive A-3 type rifle and how much will it cost and where?
I'd love to stay around $600.00 soup to nuts.



Any help or suggestions, in whatever the direction, will be appreciated and thanks for a great forum!

John,

Olympic makes a good budget AR-15. You can pick them up NIB at the local shows for $550. They go bang everytime you pull the trigger. They just won't allow you access to the KoolAid gallery.

joe

Just go to EE amd look around. You should either be able to get a used rifle to fit your needs OR get a stripped lower, lower parts and complete upper.

The EE. Your one stop shop.

Funny, after spending gobs of $$$ and having fun with my AR's, my last purchase was...a 10/22!

Well building you own would be the best way to come close to your desired final cost (and still end up with a quality AR) but $600 will be tough-to-impossible figure to meet, especially using all new components and even tougher considering your fairly short time frame. This is what I would do...

Stripped lower, which ever one floats your boat and is priced around $100.
LPK for ~60 and a decent stock for between $30-$75 depending on whether you go new or used, fixed or collapsible. Building your own AR lower is a simple and beautiful thing. It will be a great project that you and your son can do together and will help him (and maybe even you) see exactly how everything works.

On the high end, you will have about $235 into it at that point leaving you $365. This is where it gets tough. The easiest and probably cheapest way to go would be to get a used upper off of the EE but even then, getting a complete upper for $365 that isn't a POS or shot out will not be easy to find. Most decent used uppers in the EE go for between $300-$350 but that usually does not include the Bolt\Carrier (~$100-$125 new) or the charging handle (~$20-$25 new). Also keep in mind that if you get an A3 upper, then you will still need to figure out something for sights\optics (assuming you don't already having something lying around he can use?).

This is where having the tools to assemble your own upper comes in handy, you can build a new upper for close to what most used uppers sell for. BM barrels sell for ~$200, CMT A3 upper for ~$90, gas tube ~$8, hand guards ~$30

I don't know how much play room you have in the budget but if you can swing it and can't\don't want to build your own upper, you are not likely to find a much better deal then these factory built uppers...
CMT/STAG ARMS - 2H Complete Upper

Stag upper and lower!

My Stag ran me $725.00.  You might be able to shave some off that by shopping around a bit, but either way, you'll end up with a damn fine gun.

AT the low end I think an OLY or DPMS. I had bought a DPMS Panther Lite for 600-700 new awhile back. Check the EE you might find something there.

Quoted: Well building you own would be the best way to come close to your desired final cost (and still end up with a quality AR) but $600 will be tough-to-impossible figure to meet, especially using all new components and even tougher considering your fairly short time frame. This is what I would do... Stripped lower, which ever one floats your boat and is priced around $100. LPK for ~60 and a decent stock for between $30-$75 depending on whether you go new or used, fixed or collapsible. Building your own AR lower is a simple and beautiful thing. It will be a great project that you and your son can do together and will help him (and maybe even you) see exactly how everything works. On the high end, you will have about $235 into it at that point leaving you $365. This is where it gets tough. The easiest and probably cheapest way to go would be to get a used upper off of the EE but even then, getting a complete upper for $365 that isn't a POS or shot out will not be easy to find. Most decent used uppers in the EE go for between $300-$350 but that usually does not include the Bolt\Carrier (~$100-$125 new) or the charging handle (~$20-$25 new). Also keep in mind that if you get an A3 upper, then you will still need to figure out something for sights\optics (assuming you don't already having something lying around he can use?). This is where having the tools to assemble your own upper comes in handy, you can build a new upper for close to what most used uppers sell for. BM barrels sell for ~$200, CMT A3 upper for ~$90, gas tube ~$8, hand guards ~$30 I don't know how much play room you have in the budget but if you can swing it and can't\don't want to build your own upper, you are not likely to find a much better deal then these factory built uppers... CMT/STAG ARMS - 2H Complete Upper

Wow, fantastic reply!
Outstanding.
That is exactly what I was looking for and I guess I should add another parameter.  I'm thinking about putting a trigger in my Bushmaster XM15 and would consider doing the swap. My Bushmaster is brand new and will add it's parts into the mix.  I did look into the EE today and quite frankly, I'm just getting back up to speed with AR 15's and kind of want an out of the box whole deal. I'm doing a big addition and roof job on my house in between running my business and would love to just pour over the info and build one but the reality is, I'll start and not finish with the little time I have now.
I was in the Marines and actually did a few weeks in the Armory and, I don't have the tools but, I would be willing to get them and know how to use them. Again the free time thing and I think buying a complete rifle, for me, is the way I should go.
I also like new, maybe I should look to just get another Bushmaster set up the way I really want it and give this one to my son. I'm an open sights and service rifle guy so I guess the A-3 is out. A Bushie DCM would fill the bill for me I guess. What is the exact equivalent in RRA and Armalite model?

I have been wanting this AR since I got out of the Marines in 1980. Since I bought my Bushmaster a month ago, I've been pouring over all the info I can find, I can't believe I didn't buy one years ago! I haven't had this much fun shooting in years.
I've been lurking here for years now and I'm happy to become part of the black rifle community hanks

Here is my current Bushmaster

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d186/ghosthorsfarms/march14mandysbrowning029.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d186/ghosthorsfarms/march14mandysbrowning028.jpg

God I love guns!

Tough to hit $600 with quality, but for a hair more, you could pick up a stripped lower for around $90-100 and then get a RRA complete rifle kit for around $590.  Top it with a detachable handle or cheap optics or something you have lying around for your rifle.  That would give you the quality and brands you're looking at for the lowest cost.

I paid $649 for my Olympic A2 (model K4B) about 1.5 years ago and it's been a great rifle.

Quoted: Tough to hit $600 with quality, but for a hair more, you could pick up a stripped lower for around $90-100 and then get a RRA complete rifle kit for around $590.  Top it with a detachable handle or cheap optics or something you have lying around for your rifle.  That would give you the quality and brands you're looking at for the lowest cost.

What I meant with saying "up to speed" was, are the complete RRA kits just missing the stripped lower and that's all available without a Gun Shop involved? When buying my Bushmaster, I found exactly the Bushmaster I wanted, a DCM and no local gun shop would do the paper work to get it in. The gun shop I ended up buying it from actually acted annoyed at the suggestion. They claimed they used to do it and people claimed they took parts off the rifles and didn't get paid. I offered to pay in full, in advance and sign a contract. They still said no way and also wouldn't order it.
 
After looking through RRA's web site and looking at the Varmint target barrel kits and I'm thinking my Bushmaster ($899) is cheap and should probably give it to my son and set up a real Varmint Stainless 1 in 8, beaded 20" full upper and a good two stage equipped lower....leave the Bushmaster A-2 as my service set up.

I'm sorry to ask such redundant questions, I guess I'm thinking out loud.

Quoted: Just go to EE amd look around. You should either be able to get a used rifle to fit your needs OR get a stripped lower, lower parts and complete upper. The EE. Your one stop shop.

While the EE recommendation is a good one, he runs the risk of creating a monster if he chooses to builds his own.

His son will forever be infected with BRD!

Quoted: get a RRA complete rifle kit for around $590.

Who is selling those?

Thanks

My first EBR is a DPMS Lite 16... 680 at a gunshow, seems to be the going price just about anywhere. So far I have a little over 120 rounds through it with... I think five different brands of ammo (wolf included) Worked flawlessly so far. I love it, and the price was right.

This board has some dpms haters... I don't understand their problems with it. It's a fine gun.

My friend also has a a rifle he built himself using a Stag upper and lower... price and quality were both great...
You can't go wrong with stag or dpms.

Quoted: My first EBR is a DPMS Lite 16... 680 at a gunshow, seems to be the going price just about anywhere. So far I have a little over 120 rounds through it with... I think five different brands of ammo (wolf included) Worked flawlessly so far. I love it, and the price was right. This board has some dpms haters... I don't understand their problems with it. It's a fine gun. My friend also has a a rifle he built himself using a Stag upper and lower... price and quality were both great... You can't go wrong with stag or dpms.

Price wise, DPMS and RRA are almost the same.  Take their M4 version, full retail is DPMS $899.00 and RRA $975.00.  It looks like RRA is the higher priced rifle.  But when you account for the accessories included DPMS:  two thirty round magazines, cleaning kit, sling, rifle case and
RRA: One 30 round magazine, rifle case, two stage NM trigger, Hogue Grip, Side sling mount, upgrade charge for the tactical carry handle.  The two are priced almost exactly the same.  So how did DPMS get the reputation for inexpensive rifles?  Yes, they offer models that are less expensive for entry level shooters.  RRA use to with the Tasc.  Then they had a tremendous price increase on that model.  When RRA entered the AR market their rifles were extremely low compared to the others.  Then they started raising their prices.  Adjusting for accessories included they are priced the same as DPMS, less than Bushmaster or Colt.

Quoted: Quoted: My first EBR is a DPMS Lite 16... 680 at a gunshow, seems to be the going price just about anywhere. So far I have a little over 120 rounds through it with... I think five different brands of ammo (wolf included) Worked flawlessly so far. I love it, and the price was right. This board has some dpms haters... I don't understand their problems with it. It's a fine gun. My friend also has a a rifle he built himself using a Stag upper and lower... price and quality were both great... You can't go wrong with stag or dpms. Price wise, DPMS and RRA are almost the same.  Take their M4 version, full retail is DPMS $899.00 and RRA $975.00.  It looks like RRA is the higher priced rifle.  But when you account for the accessories included DPMS:  two thirty round magazines, cleaning kit, sling, rifle case and RRA: One 30 round magazine, rifle case, two stage NM trigger, Hogue Grip, Side sling mount, upgrade charge for the tactical carry handle.  The two are priced almost exactly the same.  So how did DPMS get the reputation for inexpensive rifles?  Yes, they offer models that are less expensive for entry level shooters.  RRA use to with the Tasc.  Then they had a tremendous price increase on that model.  When RRA entered the AR market their rifles were extremely low compared to the others.  Then they started raising their prices.  Adjusting for accessories included they are priced the same as DPMS, less than Bushmaster or Colt.

Is the Wilson barrel chromed?

I built my son an AR for his 13th b-day last year. All used parts with the exception of the barrel and lower parts kit. Right now he’s running an M261 .22 conversion kit, but in a year or so it will be time for the swap to a standard bolt.

I think you can’t go wrong building an AR with used parts from the E n’ E board. Just ensure the person your buying the parts from is a upstanding member with good feedback. If not entirely from used parts off the E n’ E, you could at least off set some of the cost by buying what you can from the E n’ E.

All three of my AR’s are FrankenAR’s built with parts from numerous companies and all three are 100% reliable. I don’t believe that only “name brand” AR’s can be reliable.

Complete RRA upper from ADCO= $435
Complete RRA lower from Eagle= $235

$670 plus shipping and FFL.

Great rifle and still backed by the RRA warranty.

Quoted: Complete RRA upper from ADCO= $435 Complete RRA lower from Eagle= $235 $670 plus shipping and FFL. Great rifle and still backed by the RRA warranty.

That's hard to beat right there!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: My first EBR is a DPMS Lite 16... 680 at a gunshow, seems to be the going price just about anywhere. So far I have a little over 120 rounds through it with... I think five different brands of ammo (wolf included) Worked flawlessly so far. I love it, and the price was right. This board has some dpms haters... I don't understand their problems with it. It's a fine gun. My friend also has a a rifle he built himself using a Stag upper and lower... price and quality were both great... You can't go wrong with stag or dpms. Price wise, DPMS and RRA are almost the same.  Take their M4 version, full retail is DPMS $899.00 and RRA $975.00.  It looks like RRA is the higher priced rifle.  But when you account for the accessories included DPMS:  two thirty round magazines, cleaning kit, sling, rifle case and RRA: One 30 round magazine, rifle case, two stage NM trigger, Hogue Grip, Side sling mount, upgrade charge for the tactical carry handle.  The two are priced almost exactly the same.  So how did DPMS get the reputation for inexpensive rifles?  Yes, they offer models that are less expensive for entry level shooters.  RRA use to with the Tasc.  Then they had a tremendous price increase on that model.  When RRA entered the AR market their rifles were extremely low compared to the others.  Then they started raising their prices.  Adjusting for accessories included they are priced the same as DPMS, less than Bushmaster or Colt. Is the Wilson barrel chromed?

Chrome lining is an option from either company.  You can even get a 1:7 twist from DPMS.

Stag lower and upper from Bravo Company... Email Paul at Bravo Co, Denny at Denny's Guns, or Grant at
G&R Tactical for a first class 16" mid length Cr Lined Govt Profile out of the next batch Bravo
releases...

Bravo Co also puts together some mighty fine 20" and 16" uppers as well..the middy is my personal favorite


These are dealers listed in the Industry Forums...there are a lot of other good dealers here with
good prices and good after care...

my .02

I did the RRA for my last AR and it is tops.  

Stripped RRA lower=$100.00 from my local dealer.
New RRA LPK= $59.00
New collapsable RRA stock from the EE=$45.00
New RRA complete chrome lined Middy upper from Pete at Legal Transfers=$419.00
New RRA carry handle from the EE=$70.00

            Total for my new Kiss AR=$693.00  

Quoted: I did the RRA for my last AR and it is tops.   Stripped RRA lower=$100.00 from my local dealer. New RRA LPK= $59.00 New collapsable RRA stock from the EE=$45.00 New RRA complete chrome lined Middy upper from Pete at Legal Transfers=$419.00 New RRA carry handle from the EE=$70.00             Total for my new Kiss AR=$693.00   i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/bs101177/RRAMid.jpg

Nice job too!