Most Important Quality When Buying An AR?

[Ggreen]

All great answers and very helpful info. I am looking into getting into 3 or 2 gun competitions and was leaning towards just buying an off the shelf rifle from a good company to start with. I know I can build one cheaper but I want it to run like a top as well. I feel that the only thing that matters in the lower is the trigger. After that most everything is roughly the same besides furniture. Keep the suggestions coming this is some great stuff.

Go to a few matches before investing in comp gear. I had similar intentions and my schedule keeps me from even going to spectate most events. An m&p sport, M&P 9 and a decent pump 12 ga will get you in the door of a three gun for less than I see a lot of wannabe multigunners (like me) have in just the ar. I regularly shoot pistols now and rarely pull out any one of my 3 ar's.

Personal experience and use will drive what is most important in an ar to you. I have built 5 sold 3 and bought one. I now wish I would have just bought a nice Daniel defense with a midlength gas system. I will never see the money back out that I have in my homebuilt ar's, I enjoy them but I wish I would have put the extra cash into my pistol fund, or ammo.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

I no longer own any off the shelf AR's as I prefer to pick my own parts and build them myself.
I have had a turd but it was easily fixed. The rest have all ran just as designed.
When you build them it is easy to put some of yourself into them.
Say what you will but I enjoy doing color combo's on my range toys. There are specific HD pieces in the group but they all run very well. Accurate and reliable. Some are actually pretty handsome. Point being is build them like you want them. Do not cheap out on the internals.

Especially my Ingo pieces. There are 3 of them. This is the 1st one. It rocks. Never sees less than 400 rds every time it goes to the dance and it has been to more than a few dances.
I like the angled for grip. Works for me. The X's3 lets my tired eyes work the red dot out past 100 if I choose. I like the single point as well. Again, works for me.

Sweet rifle, Mouse. I see the terrorists have been working the deck!

 

[thecapn2004]

I like the PSA offerings. I can build a quality rifle myself or buy it ready to go.