Hello everybody, I have been thinking about buying an AR-15 for quite some time and am finally ready to make a purchase. I have considered building my own but after looking at kit prices and lower receiver prices I figure that I will probably not save more than $100 and maybe not even $50.

I live in a city where nearly all of the gun shops are notorious for over pricing their firearms and I may end up ordering an AR-15 from an online gun dealer and hope that I can find an FFL that will do the transfer for me at a fair price (under $50).

question #1 is this... I have located a like new Colt AR-15 A2 HBAR 20"(owner claims it is unfired) for $839. I am used to seeing ARs at the local gunshops for anywhere from $1200 to $2000 and am wondering if there is something about this particular Colt that I should watch out for? Is this rifle something that I should jump on ASAP? Or is the price so-so?

Question #2... Online I see that one dealer has the Bushmaster XM15-E2S 20" A2 Heavy Bbl Rifle priced at well under $700. Any opinions on this rifle?

Thanks, Robert

I will assume they are both post-ban rifles. IMHO, Colt is alot of name nowadays. Their preban stuff is grea, but the postban stuff is, well, kinda weak. Bushmaster however, is a great company that delivers great products. I own two Bushmasters and love every second I spend with them. The Bushmaster is a better weapon than the Colt in the post-ban versions, and cheaper as well.

Get a used Bushmaster off Gunbroker.com or on the Equiptment Exchange here. There are good deals out there.

Get the BUSHMASTER!!!

That's a good price for the Bushmaster.  Just find a FFL for the transfer and you're good to go.

Either weapon I believe will more than satisfy your desire to own an AR.

Like Spartan suggested , try looking on the Equipment Exchange. You'll find a link in your HomeTown Forum for weapons in your state for sale. Good Luck

If you order a RRA or Eagle Arms lower from www.eaglefirearms.com or www.quanticoarms.com for $85 then buy a model 1 or J&T kit then that's about $400, you have a complete rifle for $485 and no sales tax.  Or you could go with the upper of your choice from any of the dealers on the industry section of this site and get a fully costomized-to-your-desires rifle for much less than $700.  The uppers come assembled and headspaced and a lower receiver is simple to put together by following the instructions on this site.  You can choose your own stock and your done.  Some of the kits come with a stock and pistol grip.  I just built a 16" rifle using a RRA upper and Olympic lower for $550 (could have been less but I bought most of my parts locally rather than shopping on the internet).

Check out the build it yourself section.

ArmaLite.

[url]www.adcofirearms.com[/url] has Rock River Standard A2's (20 inch)  and CAR A2's (16 inch) for $675 right now.

Colts are very good, but they use some nonstandard parts.  They are also pretty expensive.

I have been very satisfied with RRA and Bushmaster.  Get a chrome lined barrel; I honestly don't think it makes that much difference, but I always end up regretting it whenever I try and save a few cents.

Seriously consider getting a 16" barrel and a flat top.  It is quite a bit handier and lighter than the 20" heavy barrel, and optics are a big part of what makes ARs fun.

What he said!

I am building a postban thats going to be a total of $550 (when i get the BM postban M4 barrel). Using the same lower High-Ground got. Its great to know where everything goes and what it does.  The new parts were the lower, flat top upper,lower parts kit, and the barrel also when it comes in. Everything else was used and in great condition. EE has good deals on parts like the A1 stock i got from midwest tactical.

Robert,
I have recently purchased the BM XM15 E2S in the 20 inch A2 setup, awesome gun.  You need to be careful with the SS barrel, it has a very specific break-in I have just found out about.  It seems a small amount of accuracy is affected by not following it.  If I had it to do over, I would have done the A3 instead.  I would like to have more options for optics than I do with the A2.  Just my opinion.

Mike

Thanks everybody, for the replies.
    You all made my decision easier. I ordered a XM15 20" Bushmaster locally (Albuquerque)for a very reasonable $735 whereas all of the other gunshops wanted no less than $999 for that same rifle. One shop wanted $1,289 for the exact same model.  

I'll be back with more questions as soon as I get the rifle in. Robert

Sounds like a good deal. Congrats!

THE BUSHMASTER is the way to go chrome lined barrel and chamber all in all for 699.99 no one gives you all the right stuff except Bushmaster 4150 barrel and customer service that is outstanding .AIM has them for$699.99 use an ffl and do a transfer (NO SALES TAX) and a free gun case .hope i'm not too late