I have recently become interested in Ar-15's, to say the least, I think I have a new love. The problem is, that there are so..so  many options. I am looking to buy a nice M4 carbine. I have been looking at the new Bushmaster post ban M4 with the fixed telescoping stock. The price is right... but is it a good gun, or should I be looking at other options?? I would love to have a nice pre-ban M4, if I could find a really good one at a reasonable price..

Get a Pre-Ban Colt M4. They are expensive but well worth the money. Price can't come down any lower but it will sure go up.

I sort of stumbled on this approach, but I think its the best.

1. Get an Essential Arms pre-ban lower. If stripped, get the parts kit to make it a complete lower. Buiding your own may seem intimidating at first, but its really quite easy. The EA lower should run you $600-700, and they are excellent quality, and GUARANTEED to be PRE-BAN as EA didn't sell any stripped lowers, and they went out of business prior to 1994.

2. Put a pre-ban telestock on it.

3. Get a pre-ban M4gery upper complete. A complete upper is one that can be readily installed on your lower, with a bolt / carrier, that requires no assembly. By M4gery I mean a non-Colt. Preban uppers cost the same as postban uppers, so WHY NOT get the bayo lug and flash hider??? Bushy makes a good one. IMO, Olympic Arms makes a good one, but for some reason people don't like Oly, which maybe due alot more to Oly attitude than Oly quality.

4. (Optional) Put a two stage trigger on it. It'll cost you another $150, but worth it, if hitting your target is at all important to you.

All together you'll spend maybe $1,200 - 1,400. IMO the Colts ain't worth it. Unless you are gonna buy it to keep it safely stored away, and never shoot it, hoping someday before you die you'll be able to sell it at an appreciable capital gain. But I buy rifles to shoot.

Buy the Bushmaster post-ban if you want inexpensive and legal. The Colt's are expensive and regularly bring $1800-2000. If you were not planning on shooting it the Colt would be the best bet.
If you go with some Franken-gun make sure you get one that can be verified as pre-ban. The burden of proof will be on you not the feds!![:(] There is a serial # list on AR15.com that will tell you the rifles that can be verified. For me it was worth the extra $200 bucks or so to buy the Colt.
It may not be worth it to you if you just need (or want) to just get a good looking shooter. The Bushy M4 post-ban would fill this description. I will probably buy one myself in the future. I would have already bought one but I missed out on one for sale for $500.[:(]
I hope this helps.[:)]
Lynn  [uzi]
     

Knights Armmanent

Let me know if you want the Bushy. We sell them for little over dealer cost. Upper alone or complete gun shipped to your FFL for less than he would sell you one I would guess.