AR Sponsor
Posted: 10/28/2007 7:42:10 AM EDT
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After a couple years of being a Member In Good Standing of the Dark Side, I'm seriously considering making a purchase of a quality AR. I've been lurking here on the AR side for a short while and note that far and away, the Colt seems to be the brand of choice when money is not really an object. LMT also seems to be pretty well regarded. A brand that I notice is NOT covered is the Wilson Combat. My brother and I were at Silver Bullet in Grand Rapids, MI on Friday and I saw a Wilson rifle. Looks to be pretty nice in comparison to others I've looked at. FWIW, around here, the S&W M&P15 rifles seem to have a pretty good rep also. So, here's a couple questions: 1. How does the Wilsons stack up against the Colts? 2. How does the S&W stack up against the Colts & Wilsons? 3. If money were no object, but you were going to buy a "stock" completed rifle, what would it be? ETA: this is more or less just a fun gun. I'm not going to go to war, I'm not going to go into LE, I'm not going to be shooting in kind of serious competitions. It would be used as a HD rifle, in it's most serious role. FWIW I put a couple thousand rounds a year through my AKs, so I'm guessing an AR would see similar round counts. |
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Most here seem to think that if money was no object then buy a Colt. I still haven't bought a Colt yet but would love to have one. About the Wilson AR. The people that have dropped the coin to get one seem to love them. Everytime the Wilson and Les Baer AR is mentioned here it seems to cause problems, especially when people start calling others idiots for paying so much for an AR that they don't think is worth the extra money. If you want a Wilson I say go for it as you may have your mind made up. If you are still open minded I say you can get a Colt cheaper and would do that if it were my money. You can also look into an LMT, CMMG or RRA for a quality firearm and still have plenty of money left over for hookers and blow...I mean mags and ammo. LMT seems to be a popular choice but you may still have to buy a lower and upper seperately as i am not sure if they have started selling to civis yet like they are supposed to. And one more option to consider. Knight's Armament is supposed to be selling their complete rifles very soon. I almost forgot about them and now that I rememeberd, I would buy one in a heart beat if money was not an option. |
+1 I have yet to read, on this forum or anywhere else, of anyone complaining about Wilson Combat Ar15 quality. It's usually price that gets some flak. There are a number of quality AR manufactuers (LMT, CMMG, RRA, Colt, Bushmaster...), plus numerous vendors listed in the Industry section that can build you an AR to your exact specs... |
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Wilson AR's are pretty rare among the enthusiasts here. Conventional wisdom is that Wilson sells these to their fiercely loyal 1911 customer base, who will buy almost anything with WC on it. They do not have any premium features or extras to warrant the extra coin they charge, other than top-shelf customer service and a solid reputation in the handgun marketplace. The Armor-Tuff finish is nice, but un-necessary for most. YMMV. (disclaimer) |
I tend to agree on this one. I myself am planning on an Armalite. In the last year they have added/changed a lot of stuff and now claim to use mil-spec vanadium steel in their barrels. Customer service from ArmaLite also seems to be superior to that of Colt. At least if you are a civilian like me. If money were NO object I would buy/build a Noveske. I feel they are far superior to Wilson just based on what I have read. For my $$ I will stick with Armalite though, especially as I want an A2 and not an M4. Another thing I like is the bolt-lug design, keep bolts from breaking a lot better than the standard (Colt, Bushmaster, ect.) configuration. |
Wilson Combat shotguns offer Vang Comp and other features. Their AR's don't really offer anything beyond a bit better fit/finish and A+ customer service (which any reputable company should/seems to offer, although I would bet Wilson's is some of the best.) I still feel that Noveske is the best, given a no $$ object scenario and agree w/the above post. |
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Right now LMT looks to me like the best value in AR's. They appear to be extremely high quality of the "Tier 1" variety with Tier 2or 3 prices. I own a Bushmaster 16 inch Hbar that I've been very happy with, and has been very reliable, however it is slowly being upgraded to the point that by the time I finish I expect the only original parts left will be the lower receiver, the barrel, and the internals. Had I known in 2004 what I know now I probably would have bought the LMT then. |
If you have ever handled a Wilson Combat 1911 then you prolly drool everytime you see one now... if I could afford one I would buy one of those pistols in a heart beat! You would think the slide is made out of glass when you rack it.... so smooth.  As for thier AR's... I haven't handled one but they don't mention a whole lot in thier catalog about them... Seem to be sorta plain jane to me... at least for the money. I'm sure they are beautifuil and well built but don't see why so much money... But like I said before thier 1911's are amazing so who knows... maybe their AR's are too. As for the Scattergun Remington 870's... good god it's a pump action shot gun! It's like trying to reinvent the wheel! I could buy 10 stock 870's for the price they sell them for.... Personnally I would tend to think that 1911's are their thing not AR's and 870's... |
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I have held and shot the Wilson and they are nicely finished, but they are no where near 2X the quality of my RRA's....no way...I too believe they are mainly for those loyal WC customers... Now, as far as quality for the $, the JP rifle I did hold not too long ago was the finest AR's I have ever held...it is one I would spend the extra for. 77Bronc |
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