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Posted: 10/4/2016 12:48:21 PM EDT
| What is the one part of an AR that makes big price differences between AR brands other than the brand itself. I know that each of us has our favorite brand weather it be PSA, Colt and so on. I currently have 2 PSA AR's. One is a PSA upper/lower, 14.5 CHF 5.56 barrel, Surefire flash hider, Fortis 14 inch rail, PSA Nickel Boron BCG and a Magpul CTR stock. Second is the same upper/lower, 18 inch .223 wylde barrel, 15 inch Fortis rail, Lantac Dragon brake, Fail Zero Nickel Boron BCG with a CTR stock, both are mil-spec. Then there are those like LaRue, Noveske and other higher name brand rifles. I do not do any competitions or anything, I am like most of us here and just enjoy going to the range and shooting a few hundred rounds with friends. But back to my question. What is the one part of the AR that makes a huge swing in the value of an AR? Mine have performed well over the years and would like to think I have pretty good setups. |
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I would say the three biggest factors driving up costs are R&D, quality control / customer service and marketing.
If you find a company that didn't have to do a lot of R&D and doesn't care about marketing, you can usually find a pretty good deal on quality parts. |
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Quoted: I would say the three biggest factors driving up costs are R&D, quality control / customer service and marketing. If you find a company that didn't have to do a lot of R&D and doesn't care about marketing, you can usually find a pretty good deal on quality parts. Good answer. OP, you have a couple of good rifles. There was no need to spend bigger bucks to get what you needed. I pretty much have the same kind of AR's myself, and they have all functioned 100% flawlessly (once I cleaned a burr out of the chamber on one of my SPR builds). |
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What makes a Cadillac Escalade more expensive that a Chevy Suburban ? Marketing costs for the exclusive name brand, and fancy doo-dads. They are both the same truck.
If a Colt 6920 costs about $ 8-900 and is the Mil-Spec example all other rifles are compared to, isn't anything more expensive just paying for an exclusive name brand or some kind of tacti-cool stuff ? |
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Quoted:
What makes a Cadillac Escalade more expensive that a Chevy Suburban ? Marketing costs for the exclusive name brand, and fancy doo-dads. They are both the same truck. If a Colt 6920 costs about $ 8-900 and is the Mil-Spec example all other rifles are compared to, isn't anything more expensive just paying for an exclusive name brand or some kind of tacti-cool stuff ? Depends if you consider Ambi controls, lighter weight materials and improved accuracy tacti-cool or not. try not painting with such a broad brush 
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If your weapon suits your needs, that is what matters. Some people want the cheapest thing they can lay hands on, and if that is what drives their need, that is great. Other people are looking for higher quality, and that is great as well. Some people want purpose driven items, or ARs that don't look like that of everyone else, and that is fantastic as well.
Unless someone is on my squad responding to calls with me, is a friend, or family member, I don't personally care what someone has or what they use as justification for it. I don't see why anyone would care either. |
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Quoted:
What is the one part of an AR that makes big price differences between AR brands other than the brand itself. I know that each of us has our favorite brand weather it be PSA, Colt and so on. I currently have 2 PSA AR's. One is a PSA upper/lower, 14.5 CHF 5.56 barrel, Surefire flash hider, Fortis 14 inch rail, PSA Nickel Boron BCG and a Magpul CTR stock. Second is the same upper/lower, 18 inch .223 wylde barrel, 15 inch Fortis rail, Lantac Dragon brake, Fail Zero Nickel Boron BCG with a CTR stock, both are mil-spec. Then there are those like LaRue, Noveske and other higher name brand rifles. I do not do any competitions or anything, I am like most of us here and just enjoy going to the range and shooting a few hundred rounds with friends. But back to my question. What is the one part of the AR that makes a huge swing in the value of an AR? Mine have performed well over the years and would like to think I have pretty good setups. Are you looking for affirmation about the 2 rifles you own? It sounds like you have some nice setups that you are happy with.....I wouldn't put too much thought into it unless you think you might find yourself on a two way shooting range. To attempt to answer your question, In my opinion the one part that makes a huge difference in price from one platform to another is the barrel. Material, cost of equipment, machine time, and labor are all contributing factors to the price of one barrel to another. Again, just my opinion.....others might not agree |
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Quoted:
Depends if you consider Ambi controls, lighter weight materials and improved accuracy tacti-cool or not. try not painting with such a broad brush Ambi controls are not required, they are a personal choice. Unless you are humping a rifle around for endless hours or miles, a few ounces here or there is also a personal choice. Most quality rifles are accurate enough, it is often the shooter, not the rifle, that needs the improvement. If a person has a need for some specific feature or product attribute, or they have desire to possess an exclusive name brand product, go right ahead. But to assume that just because this or that is better simply because it is more expensive, is foolish. |
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Quoted:
What is the one part of the AR that makes a huge swing in the value of an AR? The rollmark on the side, for those who genuinely believe it matters. Otherwise the whole thing is a system. Every part from every maker has a value assigned by the market. Some people build or buy based on resale value. This blows my mind. I build based on my needs and my perceptions of value. |
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Quoted:If a Colt 6920 costs about $ 8-900 and is the Mil-Spec example all other rifles are compared to, isn't anything more expensive just paying for an exclusive name brand or some kind of tacti-cool stuff ? Or it isn't purchased from the lowest bidder by people that will never use it. |
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Don't think I'd name "1" part, but if I had to focus my dollars on three parts, they'd be the barrel, bolt and trigger. With those quality building blocks...well, and sights, unless you prefer optics...even if you buy budget stuff for the rest of the build, you should have a good shooting rifle.
After those building blocks, you generally get into the realm of "like" more than "need." |
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