Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles First Black Rifle?

What would you choose in terms of price, value and quality?

I am thinking about possibly a new Colt 7620 with pencil barrel and then adding an optical sight for night, medium range coyote and predator purposes. I do not want to break the bank on this.

I currently have nothing between .22LR and 6.5-06.

Smith & Wesson makes the best quality bargain-priced ARs.

My colt 6720 was a good accurate gun. Wish I had not sold it. Saw a used one for $800 the other day.

Whats your budget?

Colt is a good choice for under $1,000.

Hard to beat the 6720.

Stag Arms or a Walmart Special Colt.

http://www.gandrtactical.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=6720

pretty good price on the 6720

Thanks! That is about as low as one can expect, now that the Walmart closeouts are long gone. I may just go with it.

Colt LE-6930-OEM1
This is a colt without furniture.
Just add what you like
Magpul? Badger? Etc.

My first AR was a heavy barrel varmint configuration thinking at the time that would suit me better. Shortly after that, I bought a Colt LE6920 (Magpul version) and have a lot more fun with it. I'd say you're on the right track with the Colt...

I prefer a Frankenstein

My choice of parts........not some other guys

I'm in the market like the OP. I've been recommended to look into something with a chrome lined bbl. Is that what the Colt has?

My brother has a S&W M&P sport and really likes it, non -chrome bbl and all. Prices seem really reasonable on those too.

Anyone have experience/ knowledgeable opinions on Del-Ton? Windham? Alexander Arms I think has a <$1000 model or two also?

OP, thanks for posting as I had been considering the same.

Geno

Store here has Ruger AR's for $599.99 new.

they probably all work, the Colt has a chromed barrel, the others I don't know.

Most folks probably don't know why a barrel is chromed anyway......or why any AR part is chromed

Sad to say, most of their offerings are out of stock.

Nope

The Ruger AR556 has the most for less period !

They had a 6920 for $878 shipped a few days ago.

If something is out of stock I'd call him, he sometimes has stuff stashed away.

This is just me, I guess, but I admit to having a prejudice against both Smith & Wesson and Ruger for their craven knuckling under on gun control issues in prior years.

I have not forgotten, though 1) S&W says it has changed and 2) I already have some very fine (VERY fine) revolvers from it. Jerry Miculek has a YouTube on why he likes its revolvers and I agree. Not sure I will buy another, though.

Some do like Ruger products, but I have never been thrilled with the 77s I bought and sold off. As I wrote, maybe that is just me.

i keep hearing that while Colt screws up many parts of its business, its ARs are pretty darned fine. My casual impression is that the prices are increasing a little, so it might be a good tie to stock up since there has been a dip. What do you think?

It shows still in stock but I was told they are LE restricted on the off side.

If you can find a Rock river arms on sale, buy it. last year I got lucky and found a Rock river lar 15 on sale and I have never been sorry. With my favorite hand load it will shoot groups slightly over a quarter inch at 100 yards, shot a group a few weeks ago at 400 yards that measured just under 1 3/4 inch.

I had a RRA chromed lined barrel gun, it was a bit heavier than my friends 6720, the carrier was not staked, which I did, but it shot fine. I think overall they are reasonable guns. I guess I will say DD as well, their chromed barrels seem to be a bit off now, but its still a good gun, the new one I have has a 15 inch rail on it which gives it a "cab forward" design and steadier on off hand shots.

It's been a couple of weeks now but I believe I was told the chrome lined bbl and chamber is for longevity and ease of cleaning.

If I haven't forgotten all the information that they tried to provide me, longevity was explained as mostly pertaining to folks who use their AR's in "rapid fire mode", folks who shoot competition, 3 gun type stuff, or just like to run thru mags of ammo.

Ease of cleaning? My limited knowledge gained from places like here and some magazines and friends, and from what I believe the gentleman at the store (a competitive pistol shooter who tried the 3 gun game) was trying to get across to me had to do with the direct impingement guns and "dirty" gas getting back into the chamber area and also perhaps a smoother bore from the chrome plating? Perhaps it doesn't apply to piston guns, but I'm not looking to spend that kind of money.

If I knew more I wouldn't have posted here, I'd be out buying whichever AR I thought would work.

Thanks for the pointers folks,

Geno

You got some of it right

Rust and wet conditions with no ability to clean for days = plating

Smoother....no

Chrome is only as smooth as the steel it has been aplied to

I have a mix od chromed and plain ol 4140

My long range p-dog rifles are not plated

Understood. Based on what little I know about barrels, mostly learned from Harry McGowan, plating and stainless or exotic metals do little for accuracy,

A very fine rifling job creates a smooth and consistent interior finish. Internal forces in the steel also affect performance. Harry, mostly retired now, did button rifling. He told me that my mountain rifle with his pencil barrel would shoot to point of aim repeatedly just as well as any heavy barrel. (You couldn't prove it by me, but that's what he said.) Good steel seems to work best and there are stories about Civil War sharpshooting rifles that were amazingly accurate at distance by the standards of any era.

AR barrels serve different needs and I would not expect such quality from a short, mass-produced barrel. I expect that chrome-plated AR barrels do just fine for their role.

Thanks for that info, now I can make a more informed decision.

I may retire to a wetter part of the Pac NW (not much moisture on this side of the hill ) and that may enter into my calculations.

Geno

or nitrited...for me its either SS, Chrome, or Nitrited, I actually believe (with no evidence) that nitriding may retain the native accuracy of the barrel better than chrome lining. Too many deer hunting friends have single shot Remington 742's, and BAR's.

I would take a look at Palmetto State Arms, unless you want a big name rifle, you will not find a better priced rifle than a PSA. You can get a complete mil spec AR from them right now for $400 shipped.

http://palmettostatearmory.com

Besides the link to the home page, do you have a link to the "complete mil spec AR: you are referring to?

I can't find it on their PSA rifle page:

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/firearms/rifles/palmetto-state-armory.html

Thanks,
Geno

Rifle kit for $369

Add a stripped lower for $50

Rear sight and a magazine for $50

Complete AR for $470

I agree completely.

Eventually over time I would add:

Geissele Dynamic trigger

Optic of choice

VTAC or similar 2 point sling

Free float rail

Flashlight of choice.




That's pretty much it. You would have one top notch carbine. In fact I have been running a fairly similar Colt since pre Y2k. It has been slowly reconfigured over the years.





This is in its current form.




Go with the Colt. Or an FN. Impossible to go wrong with either brand.

With prices being what they are right now, I'd just get a Colt.

If you are strictly wanting a .223, I'd get a Ruger All-Weather Hawkeye from CDNN for $499.00.



Travis

Unfortunately quite a few Ruger ARs have had issues for which they have had to be sent back to the factory. Mine is one of them.

Nah, I am just going to pay more and get some weird off brand gun my wife's, brothers, sisters husband shot once at a gun range in Las Vegas.

What issues

All of mine have given me no problems.....but then again....I wouldn't send an AR back to the factory

Go read over on the Ruger Forums. I couldn't get magazines to seat in mine.

Like Travis was saying, for what you can get a Colt for now, it's an easy answer. Problem solved.

CDNN has these 2 plus 2 free mags for $799.99

6920MP with Camo furniture
http://www.cdnnsports.com/email-spe...gpul-moe-wildfire-camo.html#.VepEcSVViko

6731 HBAR Match Target
http://www.cdnnsports.com/email-spe...23-competition-hbar-ii.html#.VepEeSVViko

Add this one to the mix. $699. Armalite with removeable A2 and 1/2x28 threaded barrel ready for a can.
http://www.eurooptic.com/armalite-m15-556-defensive-sporting-rifle-16-a2-sight-def15f.aspx

Maybe for later, but I do not have the confidence or the knowledge to do that for my first one. I just have not researched it enough.

I know others have done it and it makes sense, but not for me.

Anjin, get yourself on some mail lists like CDNN and such. You'll find a good one at a good price in short order.

what did you decide to get?

Colt complete pencil barrel. I'll tell you when it actually shows up in my hands.

They are getting harder to find at a low price and Potus is causing greater demand. CDNN is currently sold out.

I got a copy of Shotgun News yesterday and it shows many off-brand choices and even more components. I have no idea how many are really in stock. In my case, as a first one, I really prefer a Colt based on advice here and my own prejudices.

Why does it have to be Black?

My son and our new deer rifle for this year.

yep, I hate that I sold my Colt 6720 to buy a DD with a 15 inch rail on it. Have not seen much of run on black guns here in GA.

I don't think Colt is ever a bad choice.

Very nice weapon. I wish I had one of the camo'd ones, but all mine are black.

We dipped that ourselves. Bought a kit online and played with it until we got it.

Nice job. where did you pick up the kit?

Got it off ebay and used True Timber HTC camo.

heres the build thread

http://www.msrhunt.com/post/my-6-5brx-build-thread-7488483?pid=1288472039

Camo dip thread

http://www.msrhunt.com/post/hydro-dipping-7181456?trail=15

Great. Thanks!

Bought a Windham Weaponry.. Very accurate.. But I am not really and AR guy.

After reading a couple of threads on this site and posts here
I decided to by an AR. First one - though I fired them several times while in the USAF.

I wanted to go in modest, then see where it takes me on further additions.

I bought the Black Forge optics-ready rifle from CDNN. I'm too old and half-blind for iron sights so I plan to start with a SPARC II Red Dot or a modest scope. Impressed thus far as its nicely fitted and finished. We'll see how she shoots.

The real reason for my post here is to get a recommendation or two on a good entry-level guide to ARs that includes detailed and clearly illustrated cleaning and take-down along with operation tips. Don't need a gunsmithing level publication. Appreciate any input.

Any of the books by Patrick Sweeney would be a good start. For more, I hear that The Black Rifle II and the AR-15 Complete Owners Guide are better for take-down info. Amazon, naturally.