AR15 setup recommendations for a friend

[mikefraz]

Being the resident "gun guy" among my group of friends, I regularly get asked questions concerning what is the best "X" to buy and where to buy it, and what a good price is. That kind of stuff. Well one of my friends is ready to take the leap and willingly contract BRD (Black Rifle Disease). He asked me what I'd recommend. His price range is $1000 and that has to include the red dot that he wants to throw on top of it. He's looking for a lightweight, close quarters (won't ever shoot at ranges over 100 yards) type setup. He isn't/wont be a high volume shooter, so my initial thought was to go with a pencil profile barrel to shave a decent amount of weight right off the bat. I also think that some lightweight Magpul hand guards or similar would be a good fit since tack driving accuracy at long distances isn't a priority, a free floated barrel isn't as important as the weight. Basically I'm asking INGO for a recommendation on the best bang for the buck in off the shelf AR15's right now as well as the best bang for the buck with red dots. He's not looking to spend $500 on an Aimpoint quite yet, so I'm thinking of something from Primary Arms/Bushnel TR-25?

And yes, I've explained to him the joys of building your own. I also think I scared him away by showing him my $2000+ build... Eh, he'll come around. So what say you, INGO?

 

[wsenefeld]

PSA 16" cold hammer forged, midlength, ultra-light complete upper

PSA 16" Midlength 5.56 CHF Ultra Lightweight Upper - with BCG and Charging Handle

Complete PSA lower Magpul CTR edition

PSA AR-15 Complete Lower - Magpul CTR Edition - Black, No Magazine

Then add a Primary Arms Advanced Micro Dot and you're just over $800 including shipping and transfer fee. $2,000 in an AR build? Haha, you're just getting started.

 

[mikefraz]

And I think we have a winner. Keep them coming though.

 

[phylodog]

We've had good experience with the Bushnell TRS-25. Great little optic for the money and easy to find, just paid $79 delivered for one off of Amazon. I'm obviously a fan of Magpul furniture if you look at my Colt thread. Also a great buy for the money.

 

[wsenefeld]

I'm still waiting for my Aimpoint T2 to ship but it was a hard decision between that and the Primary Arms Advanced Micro Dot. Both have a 50k hour battery life, very durable, light weight, 2 moa dots, but for me the Aimpoint has such a proven track record and I didn't want to end up wishing I had bought the T2.

Normally I wouldn't recommend a light or ultra light barrel as the accuracy really starts to diminish during prolonged strings of fire. Being that the one I recommended is CHF, I know PSA has it made for them by FN so the quality will be outstanding and it should remain constant under heavy fire.

 

[mikefraz]

Honestly, he'll probably run like 2 mags or less whenever he shoots it. No worriedworried about degraded accuracy after prolonged fire. I think he wants it mainly just to say he has one. I still want him to have quality gear though regardless.

Edit: I have a 1.5x mini ACOG as my main optic. It hardly ever gets mentioned in talks with the aimpoints and the eotechs due to its price, but I think it's the perfect optic for 200 yards and in on my 300 BLK build.

 

[cop car]

PSA full assembled magpul lower.

DSA upper of your choice. I'm fond of 14.5 with permanent flash hiders.

I would never suggest anyone skimps on optics, and would suggest the extra cash for an Eotech that uses CR123s

 

[sloughfoot]

Have him go to the Rock River Arms website. Let him pick out a gun. There is nothing out there any better.

 

[Bfish]

I would also look for something PSA... They sometimes run deals where you can get an aimpoint Pro and and upper for a decent price that would keep you under 1000. Heck if you catch their deals you could get a freedom rifle and an aimpoint for like $915 and have some high quality stuff! You could even then add a light or sling if that's something that plays to it's purpose.

 

[Electronrider]

Rural king has the DPMS oracle for less than 600 bucks complete. I have a build that I used an oracle upper on, and it works great. I would try to talk them into building a lower and buying an upper, you learn a LOT about how an AR works by assembling the lower, and it makes life easier later when you ahve to swap out a spring or trigger.

PSA makes great stuff for the entry market, hard to go wrong with them.

 

[seedubs1]

As already posted upthread, a PSA CHF rifle would be a good choice. But since everyone already suggested that, I'll throw in some other options.

For under $1k with an optic, he could also look at a Colt 6920, a Sig M400, or a Spikes ST-15. All of those are high quality and can be found for $800-900 out the door.

Or, if you're smart about spending, you could get him a BCM complete upper, BCG, and charging handle for $510. Something like the link below. BCM is always running deals these days, so keep your eyes open:
BCM 14.5" Mid Length LIGHT WEIGHT Upper Receiver Group
Put on a hand guard, and build or buy him a nice lower for another $2-300 and have a great rifle for $7-800.

Right now, there's some AWESOME deals to be found on the used market as well. Lots of people are unloading AR's that they bought during the last scare. It is a buyers market.

Personally, I'd build one with him if it were me. But if he wants to buy a complete gun, that's cool too. Just let him know that he'll get a nicer rifle for the money if he builds it himself.

 

[T.Lex]

My own advice, and this seems bass ackwards, is to get the optic first. He should take a look at a bunch and get answers to the questions he doesn't even have yet. Which reticle is he expecting? Does he want quick detach? Does he want the red dot co-witnessed or not? Will he want BUIS, or even old school iron sights?

The optic will take away a certain % of the budget, but is very important. If it doesn't seem "right" then he won't shoot it as much.

After the optic, I have 2 words: PSA and HardenedArms. (That might be more than 2 words, but math is not my strong suit.) Those are the main vendors (lower and upper, respectively) I used for my budget build.

 

[Tangero]

PSA is a great choice (I've run a 16" mid length HBAR from them for almost 2 years, not one problem after about 1K rounds), though I built my lower because it's easy to do. PA red dots are good, but another option is the Bushnell TRS-25 on an Alamo Four Star DLOC mount

Complete Upper ($385):
PSA 16" Mid-length 5.56 NATO 1:7 A2 Profile Upper - With BCG and Charging Handle - Barreled Upper Assemblies - AR-15
Complete Lower ($190):
PSA AR-15 Complete Lower Magpul MOE Edition - Black, No Magazine - Lowers - AR-15
TRS-25 ($100):
Bushnell® Trophy TRS-25 Red-Dot Sight : Cabela's
DLOC mount ($90):
DLOC-TRS25

Total is $765 plus shipping and FFL transfer on the lower. Tack another $40 on there so he can get a Magpul BUIS and you're at $805. I am an adamant supporter of Alamo Four Star's mounts--my DLOC-TRS25 is fantastic

 

[PGRChaplain]

Grab a Gun has Colt 6920 Mag Pull, Tan or Black for $799.00 frequntly. That leaves 180.00 for the Red Dot.

 

[throttletony]

Ive always built mine, but i (and friends) have very good experiences with s&w m&p rifles and rock river arms. I also wouldn't hesitate to get a Stag or Windham Weaponry.

 

[cwillour]

Ruger AR556 for $575 (price from LGS w/in the past month) + MOE furniture for <$100 + Vortex SPARC II for $200 (or save a few $$ and go with the TRS)

 

[Double T]

Build a lower, buy an upper. You can get what you want when you assemble the lower.

 

[Small's]

Another vote for the psa build route or buy a bcm upper and get the complete psa magpul blem lower for like $180ish. I have a psa lightweight chf 16" upper with a mi free floated rail and its probably my favorite one i have. If you wait on the right deals you could put an aimpoint pro on the gun and still hover around $1,000 and have a nice rifle and a good optic that you replace next year with the one you wished you would have bought.

 

[seedubs1]

If you're building the lower, you may as well build the upper. Uppers are easier to build than lowers.

Build a lower, buy an upper. You can get what you want when you assemble the lower.

 

[cwillour]

Another option, just slap some basic take-offs or MOE on it and a TRS & you are still well under budget and with a brand he will recognize:

Colt LE6920 5.56mm OEM Rifle