Hello,

I am a first time buyer of an AR-15.

This is a gun that I have always wanted but never found an oppertune time to purchase one.  Recently a friend of mine came to me and mentioned that he wanted to sell one of his weapons.

I am exstremly interested but dont know what I should be looking for.

Thus far he has told me that he has 3 diffrent options for me.  He has one weapon that he would have to get a Lower for and he said he would let it go for $900

Then he has a weapon ready to go he would sell for $1200

And he has his personal weapon that is totaly set up for $2400

I dont know what I should be looking for however and dont know what is a good deal and what is not.

I assume the $900 weapon is one that has been just thrown together with extra parts he had laying around after upgrading the two other ones so I dont know if that is the way to go.

And I am sure the $2400 one is only so expensive because it is his personal one and he really does not want to part with it.

He keeps telling me how they are all Colt weapons and how each and every piece has the C Stamp on it.

What I am looking to purchase one for is long range accurace.

I live in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan where we do not have a lot of Long Range shooting oppertunities however a few friends and I love to go out and see who can hit that target from the farthest. We also have dreams of one day going on a Praire Dog hunt and at this time I do not own a firearm that would suit this type of hunt.

I realize that just about any weapon I purchase can be upgraded with barrels and such to suit that specific sittuation however you cant build a mantion on a crumbling foundation.

So what I would like to know is when I go look at these weapons what should I look for?  
Because I am planning on building the weapon for long range or ultra long range should I just buy the cheap one to avoid buying usless parts?

Are there any red flags I should look at to see if the gun has been over shot?  

Any suggestions are welcome when I go and look at these weapons and start to dicker on price I would like to be able to bring as much knowledge with me as possible.


Any input is welcome and I thank you for your time to do so.


Derek

Nice to have another Michigander on the board.

Colt ARs are usually top notch.  If you trust your buddy, I would go with his advice since they are his weapons.  For long range, the longer the barrel the better.  Flat top upper receiver is a must for a scope.  1 in 7 barrel twist rate would be best, but is not mandatory.

As far as being over-shot, a chrome lined AR barrel should last from 10 to 20k rounds.  Ask your buddy for an idea of how many rounds he has put through the barrels.

Does the $900 upper include a free floated handguard or a scope?  If not, that is alot of money for a used upper.  New Colt uppers go for $895 (see www.sawlesales.com).  If you can get more specifics on the weapons yer buddy is willing to sell (age, barrel length, forend system, optics) we could give you much better responses.

If you are are hell bent on having a little pony on your rifle, that may be a good price depending on # of rounds, condition etc.

If a pony or snake isn't important to you and only quality counts, try Rock River Arms.

Dang fine AR for much less than the animalized versions.

Heck RRA is right on line with any Colt or Bush, I'd put mine against one anythime. Colt's proprietary parts like the take down pins are an 'avoid' for me.

If you want a great AR for less $$ and equal quality? Go RRA.

btw, you can buy a brand new RRA AR for under 800. That'll give you a NM trigger too.

I'd avoid Olympic Arms. To me they feel cheap and too many complaints to make me comfortable owning one. YMMV

Good Luck!


oh yeah, the longer the barrel, the more accurate and faster muzzle velocity you'll be able to get. Free floating bbl is more accurate than non-free floating.
My16" RRA will make a silver dollar sized pattern at 100 yards... (1.5MOA) EASY! Definately less if I was a better shooter and used match ammo. I believe RRA claims .5 MOA out of the box.
RRA AR's will take the .223 and 5.56 round (wylde chamber)

Especially avoid Vulcan arms like the plague.

Zippo - Welcome to the board!

I have to agree on RRA.  I just put mine together for about $750.  20" heavy Wilson SS barrel, 1:8 twist, RRA forged lower with NM trigger.  All in "pre-ban" A2 configuration.  I'll put it up (with me as the shooter) against anyones.

Get a good quality foundation until you learn to shoot one properly.  Don't spend the big bucks for nothing.


Just my 2 bits.

Semper Fi!

Don't forget, Rock River did win the DEA (and FBI) contract a few months ago...not Colt or Bushmaster. The gun that beat 'em all was simply a flattop CAR with a 14.5" barrel, a flip up rear sight, rail system, EOTech 552, and a Surefire light. In other words, with the exception of a 14.5" barrel (which you can have if you have a fixed flash hider), you could go to their website and put together the EXACT rifle used by the nation's top law enforcement agents. Colts might be great guns, but neither I nor Uncle Sam believe they're worth the extra premium.

I am not bent on Colt.

Personaly I want a good shooter.

I will call him today and get the exact run down on all the guns and let you guys know what I find out.

It just so happens that he has Colts and needs to get some extra cash fast so that is what he has to offer.

Knowing that I can get a diffrent make for the same price or lower however helps because it gives me a bargening point. and will let him know that he is not going to take me for a ride.

If he wants to be hard nosed on his prices then I can just tell him that I can go buy an equal gun for the same money or even less.

ADCO firearms

This is one of the most respected AR sellers on the board.
They will treat you right, and make sure you get what you need,
not necessarily the most expensive rifle they stock.

Rock River Arms guarantee 1 MOA on most of their rifles and 3/4 on the varminters.
I would suggest you look at the A2 standard, or A4 standard (1:9 rifling), or if you really want to look at the higher end rifle, the Varmint A4 1:8 rifling (3/4 MOA guarantee) or A2 National Match (it is a competition rifle).  None of them are more than $850, except the National Match.

If you like any of these, the folks here can most likely save you at least another hundred bucks by helping you piece your rifle together, by buying it in two parts; a complete upper, and a complete lower, which just pin together and you go shoot.  Just ask.  It is easy to do, and can help you save enough for a good scope and bipod.

Surf the net and the EE alot before you outlay that cash so you can get an idea going rates and what exactly you want:

jobrelatedstuff.com/forums/board.html?b=7


aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Bushmaster_Rifles.html

Quoted: If he wants to be hard nosed on his prices then I can just tell him that I can go buy an equal gun for the same money or even less.

Even better, it will be brand new!

If you go NEW, you'll have the comfort of knowing that the rifle wasn't used in a crime.

On the other hand, if you get a used one, you'll aleready have fingerprints on it

Personally if I was offered a deal on a used Colt for $800 and a brand new RRA for $800(everything else equal) There'd be no question I'd go for the RRA.

Biased? yep, for good reason.