I definitely want to buy a completed first rifle from a reputable manufacturer. Once I familiarize myself with my first AR then I am all for building a second one. I've been reading a lot on the following three guns to buy as my first AR.
Ruger AR556
S&W M&P 15 Sport II
Colt LE6920
At this point I've ruled out the Ruger. Mostly due to it being made up of more proprietary parts (**Update**: ThrottleTony pointed out only the SR556 has proprietary parts). The Colt and S&W both have really good reviews online. However, the S&W seems to be easier to come by at a price quite a bit lower than I've found the Colt. The Colt has actually been hard to find in stock. Is there anything I am missing with the S&W M&P 15 Sport II? When looking at other guns such as the Colts and BCMs that cost much more, I just wanted to bounce this off someone else to make sure the S&W is decent gun despite it being so much cheaper than others. I also like the fact the 2nd generation S&W has a dust cover and forward assist unlike the gen 1. Online Ive found it for $629 in stock and locally I've found it for $639.
Ruger AR556
S&W M&P 15 Sport II
Colt LE6920
At this point I've ruled out the Ruger. Mostly due to it being made up of more proprietary parts (**Update**: ThrottleTony pointed out only the SR556 has proprietary parts). The Colt and S&W both have really good reviews online. However, the S&W seems to be easier to come by at a price quite a bit lower than I've found the Colt. The Colt has actually been hard to find in stock. Is there anything I am missing with the S&W M&P 15 Sport II? When looking at other guns such as the Colts and BCMs that cost much more, I just wanted to bounce this off someone else to make sure the S&W is decent gun despite it being so much cheaper than others. I also like the fact the 2nd generation S&W has a dust cover and forward assist unlike the gen 1. Online Ive found it for $629 in stock and locally I've found it for $639.
Last edited: