Budget AR-15s

[jagibbons]

Double OTS

I'm looking to buy an AR15, but my budget is only around $400... What are my best options! Help me out!

I know it wont have a scope or any fancy bells and whistles. I just want to make sure its a reliable, good quality rifle.

Thanks for all your opinions!

Just about anything off-the-shelf right now will cost double that. The Black Friday sale price at a local chain is around $850 for a Ruger in 5.56.

You can probably build from a kit for less, but you'll be waiting weeks for shipping. If you really want an AR in the next 2-3 months, I recommend being ready to drop a grand for the firearm, accessories and sales tax.

If you can swing that, I highly recommend not waiting long. The particular chain that I'm thinking of has three stores (2 in Indy, 1 in Merrillville) that will each have stock of the Ruger 5.56 rifles available Friday morning.

 

[380Mike]

I just saw a Rural King ad for S&W M&P15 for $611.99, after a 10% in-ad coupon. I don't imagine this will last long.

 

[Meathead2011]

I just bought a PSA 15 but before that I was looking for somthing around that price myself looked everywhere couldnt find one but I wish you luck

 

[Hohn]

We have always been baseline prepared. Across the board.
Sandy Hook was a serious lesson to anyone that was watching.
It appears many were not.

It was. And I was. That's what turned me from a generic conservative into an actual gun owner. I bought my DD that Feb after. My first AR and I barely remembered cleaning and operation from way back in basic training (my AFSC didn't require being armed and only carried a sidearm when deployed).

But the struggle I have is balance. I have a scarce amount of resources to devote to reloading supplies, bullets, primers, brass, etc. How many lowers do I stockpile? Uppers? Mags? BCGs? How much 9mm brass? Powder?

The learning is evolving.

The learning from most recently is PRIMERS PRIMERS PRIMERS. I'm good as is for the foreseeable future but could be un-good if I had to burn 5k or so unexpectedly and cut my stash in half. (a good argument for small primer brass in your larger calibers is not having to stock up on both primer sizes).

You know how the military has a tendency to always re-fight the previous war, because our leadership has confirmation bias from their formative experiences? We as gun ppl aren't immune to that. We live through a 22 crunch, we stockpile 22. You live through a primer crunch, you stock primers. Last time it was pistol powder that was so hard to find. Yet here we are now with pistol powder readily available.

x39 Ammo is still abundant now. Is this what will have a massive shortage next when a Biden admin bans ammo import? Could be. Given how many sources of US made STANAG mags there are, we might never see a shortage.

He who prepared for all prepares for none. Finding that balance is art, not science.

I'm more prepared than I have ever been. But it's a mixed blessing because, having actually learned a bit about what it might take, I feel inadequate to the task. I cannot store enough water, period. No amount of food is ever "enough" -- there's just the reality that some is better than none, and more is better than less. Degrees are the differences here, and diminishing returns on one must be balanced against another.


Last year I bought two more lowers even though I don't want a huge collection of guns. I'm happy to have a half dozen or so that are well-sorted and well-equipped. I'm the guy that would rather have a single KAC upper than 5 PSAs, but can afford neither at present.

I've got a qty of magazines that I consider OK, recognizing that more would be better, even though I can't stack deep at the moment.

Learning a lesson is easy. It's balancing the mutually-exclusive actions you can take based on that learning that is such a challenge.

 

[Noahp45]

I was able to build one for less than 300. I'll post some pictures later.

 

[Lacthaus]

I'm looking to buy an AR15, but my budget is only around $400... What are my best options! Help me out!

I know it wont have a scope or any fancy bells and whistles. I just want to make sure its a reliable, good quality rifle.

Thanks for all your opinions!

At this point of the year I'd just get anything that shoots if don't have anything that already shoots! Alternatively you can wait for next year or so when things go back to "normal". When it's to that point, shop used, Palmetto State Armory and Anderson for parts.

 

[Route 45]

Alternatively you can wait for next year or so when things go back to "normal".

 

[gregkl]

It was. And I was. That's what turned me from a generic conservative into an actual gun owner. I bought my DD that Feb after. My first AR and I barely remembered cleaning and operation from way back in basic training (my AFSC didn't require being armed and only carried a sidearm when deployed).

But the struggle I have is balance. I have a scarce amount of resources to devote to reloading supplies, bullets, primers, brass, etc. How many lowers do I stockpile? Uppers? Mags? BCGs? How much 9mm brass? Powder?

The learning is evolving.

The learning from most recently is PRIMERS PRIMERS PRIMERS. I'm good as is for the foreseeable future but could be un-good if I had to burn 5k or so unexpectedly and cut my stash in half. (a good argument for small primer brass in your larger calibers is not having to stock up on both primer sizes).

You know how the military has a tendency to always re-fight the previous war, because our leadership has confirmation bias from their formative experiences? We as gun ppl aren't immune to that. We live through a 22 crunch, we stockpile 22. You live through a primer crunch, you stock primers. Last time it was pistol powder that was so hard to find. Yet here we are now with pistol powder readily available.

x39 Ammo is still abundant now. Is this what will have a massive shortage next when a Biden admin bans ammo import? Could be. Given how many sources of US made STANAG mags there are, we might never see a shortage.

He who prepared for all prepares for none. Finding that balance is art, not science.

I'm more prepared than I have ever been. But it's a mixed blessing because, having actually learned a bit about what it might take, I feel inadequate to the task. I cannot store enough water, period. No amount of food is ever "enough" -- there's just the reality that some is better than none, and more is better than less. Degrees are the differences here, and diminishing returns on one must be balanced against another.


Last year I bought two more lowers even though I don't want a huge collection of guns. I'm happy to have a half dozen or so that are well-sorted and well-equipped. I'm the guy that would rather have a single KAC upper than 5 PSAs, but can afford neither at present.

I've got a qty of magazines that I consider OK, recognizing that more would be better, even though I can't stack deep at the moment.

Learning a lesson is easy. It's balancing the mutually-exclusive actions you can take based on that learning that is such a challenge.

This is a good balanced post in my opinion. Like you, I have to balance my other commitments. I was neck deep in my home reno for the past 5 years dumping 1000's of dollars into the project every month. I went through the Sandy Hook thing and at the time I wasn't shooting much, so I came through it okay. After things loosened up a bit I did buy quite a few AR mags as speculative investment.

Ammo and reloading is where I fell short. With the low volume I was shooting, I had more than enough. I remember making a larger purchase of .22 thinking I had a lifetime supply.

But then, after completing my home reno, I now had time to actually get out and shoot. I have made a commitment to shoot at least 1X per week and have been doing so for several months now. Because of the increased time at the range, my supply is no longer a "lifetime" supply but more like 2 years. I have enough 9 mm to make it for quite some time but without seeing a relief in sight I have switched into conserve mode shooting approximately 50 rounds and then switching to .22 during my range trips. Sometimes I can't help myself and I will expend 100 rounds, but I try not to.

If things don't come back down in price a little and become readily available by late spring/early summer, I will be switching into "survival" mode, only having firearms for personal protection/defensive purposes. At that point, I will do dry fire and find a new hobby.

I won't sell any firearms as I only have a few and who knows what may happen with the next administration, but I will not spend $100 every time I go to the range.

And to pull this drift somewhat back, I don't think I have ever built an AR for less than $600 though I do buy better BCG's, barrels and triggers for all of the ones I built.

 

[maxwelhse]

Learning a lesson is easy. It's balancing the mutually-exclusive actions you can take based on that learning that is such a challenge.

It's exactly that. Christmas of 2019 I became 100% debt free and that was a larger priority for me than just about anything else. Fast forward about 90 days and the country was literally burning and I was on 3/4 pay wondering if I wouldn't have a job at all the following week.

It is what it is. I'm not panicked about where I'm at (which is still better than where I was a year ago), but I'm not comfortable either.

 

[churchmouse]

 

[Hohn]

And to pull this drift somewhat back, I don't think I have ever built an AR for less than $600 though I do buy better BCG's, barrels and triggers for all of the ones I built.

I firmly believe now that buying "budget" is often penny wise, pound foolish. ESPECIALLY in this present market. The AR market now is mimicking what 22LR ammo did when it was in shortage. The demand for stuff at the bottom pushes prices up and creates shortage. Meanwhile, nobody is buying the top shelf stuff. If you wanted to buy SK Rifle Match or Ultramatch or Eley Tenex or Lapua Midas Plus during the last ammo shortage, you could find all you wanted. And at pretty much the same price as it would have been pre-panic.

Lots of 22 shooter just won't pay for a premium load. And those who shoot them will shoot them regardless.

So now we have a similar thing going on-- "compression" of prices where the bottom gets bid up quite a bit (or is in perpetual shortage, or both) while the top mostly stays exactly where it was.

Which means there's actually a pretty strong argument to going upscale right now. Buying a nicer rifle will let you do it at a better price than buying a cheap one.

But I'm convinced that there's simply no reason to pay more than you need for a given quality. Buy or assemble an Aero lower and slap a BCM upper on it that you like. You won't have an $600 rifle, but you'll have one that performs so close to a $1500 rifle that you won't care.

 

[MCgrease08]

I firmly believe now that buying "budget" is often penny wise, pound foolish. ESPECIALLY in this present market. The AR market now is mimicking what 22LR ammo did when it was in shortage. The demand for stuff at the bottom pushes prices up and creates shortage. Meanwhile, nobody is buying the top shelf stuff. If you wanted to buy SK Rifle Match or Ultramatch or Eley Tenex or Lapua Midas Plus during the last ammo shortage, you could find all you wanted. And at pretty much the same price as it would have been pre-panic.

Lots of 22 shooter just won't pay for a premium load. And those who shoot them will shoot them regardless.

So now we have a similar thing going on-- "compression" of prices where the bottom gets bid up quite a bit (or is in perpetual shortage, or both) while the top mostly stays exactly where it was.

Which means there's actually a pretty strong argument to going upscale right now. Buying a nicer rifle will let you do it at a better price than buying a cheap one.

But I'm convinced that there's simply no reason to pay more than you need for a given quality. Buy or assemble an Aero lower and slap a BCM upper on it that you like. You won't have an $600 rifle, but you'll have one that performs so close to a $1500 rifle that you won't care.

Yep. I bought a new BCM upper back toward the end of August. It cost more than $1k for the upper alone, but I already had a BCM lower at home to pair it with. Once I added a red dot, MBUS sights and a light, I am into it at about $1700, but that's pretty close to what I would have paid last year too.

 

[kawtech87]

OP something to consider. One of the better ARs for under 1k in stock as of this post

https://www.classicfirearms.com/iwi...r-15-rifle-16-barrel-223-5-56nato-30rd-black/

 

[churchmouse]

OP joined in 18. Made 1 post 3 weeks ago and gone.

Guess we did not have the info he was looking for.

 

[1775usmarine]

OP joined in 18. Made 1 post 3 weeks ago and gone.

Guess we did not have the info he was looking for.

Or an AR to sell him at his price?

 

[churchmouse]

Or an AR to sell him at his price?

 

[gregkl]

These threads are fun. A guy starts a conversation in a room of people, slips out the back and the group carries on like he is still there.

Good thing we all like to talk!

Now, how about a nice 1911 for $400?

 

[fullmetaljesus]

These threads are fun. A guy starts a conversation in a room of people, slips out the back and the group carries on like he is still there.

Good thing we all like to talk!

Now, how about a nice 1911 for $400?

Way back around 2012 or sometime.
There was a 1911 you could buy from like turkey or some such place way the fudge over there. The 1911s were made out if rail road scrap and they were like $350.

I remember reading an article that said they were cool but a little rough and they also were a good starting platform for customs builds and upgrades.

Back then I couldn't afford it but really wanted one.

And now I can't seem to find them or even find any reference to them it's like it never happened and I'm just crazy.


Anyone have any idea what the hell I'm talking about?

 

[churchmouse]

Way back around 2012 or sometime.
There was a 1911 you could buy from like turkey or some such place way the fudge over there. The 1911s were made out if rail road scrap and they were like $350.

I remember reading an article that said they were cool but a little rough and they also were a good starting platform for customs builds and upgrades.

Back then I couldn't afford it but really wanted one.

And now I can't seem to find them or even find any reference to them it's like it never happened and I'm just crazy.


Anyone have any idea what the hell I'm talking about?

I do and I have owned 2 of these if they are the same brand. Metal was from Krypton. But the name escapes me. I need more apparently.

 

[t-squared]

Maybe it's the Tisas ????

[video=youtube;6MK8ffcLL3A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MK8ffcLL3A[/video]