Home AR-15 How Much Should You Spend On An AR-15? Tips & Buyers Guide

How Much Should You Spend On An AR-15? Tips & Buyers Guide

By
Honest Outlaw
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A comparison of 5 different AR-15s in 5 different price ranges from $300 to $3000. To help you decide how much money you should spend on your new rifle.
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34 COMMENTS

  1. If i had a ar15 and if the handguard didnt have a rail id drill a hole into then handguard to bolt on a short rail to put a flashlight, keep the barrel at 20 inches and just stick to flip up irons not bothering with optics. Since i dont, im jist glad i have a plain jane ak47

  4. Just as James Yeager always says when it comes to AR's you def get what you pay for, and I couldn't agree more. If you plan on buying a $500 AR…DONT! You will be better off saving more money and buying something better. Anyone who has shot an AR that cost $500 and one that cost $1000 or more there is a world of difference…dont cheap out!!

  7. I absolutely love this channel! Great info, no BS. I'm here to tell you that I'm a big fan of Palmetto State Armory's stuff, especially their rifle kits. If you buy the upper and lower of your choice separately, you can literally save hundreds of dollars (not to mention the 11% Federal tax on all complete rifles sold in the US!) on a build. And if you pick your components right, you'll end up with a CHF FN-made (machine gun grade!) barrel, a solid forged upper, a lightweight M-LOK rail, and even Magpul MBUS sights for anywhere between $300 – $400 dollars for the upper. Catch them on sale like I did a couple of months ago on an 18" SS rifle-length gas system with their EPT (Enhanced (nickel-boron coated) Polished Trigger), and you'll come away with a rifle that has basically what amounts to an ALG ACT-style trigger as part of the deal that's way better than the standard mil-spec trigger you would otherwise get in a standard PSA rifle kit. I upgraded my build with an Aero Precision M4E1 lower and installed a LaRue Tactical MBT-2S-SB trigger, and it shoots MOA easily at 300 meters.

    I did this build on a strict budget, and including a brand new Vortex Strikefire II red/green dot optic I bought from a buddy for $100 bucks (they run $179 on Optics Planet all day long), I spent less than $800 bucks on the complete build (try to never pay full price for your components – there's just too many sales to pay full price on anything!), and that got me one helluva good 18" rifle for about half what it would cost to buy COTS. Also on the rifle I have a Magpul MOE grip, Mission First Tactical Minimalist stock (the kit came with a Magpul MOE stock, so that's an extra part I can use for another build coming up), a Strike Industries ARCH-EL charging handle, an anti-walk trigger pin set, Odin Works extended mag release, and Troy Industries custom Bolt Release lever (I like it better than the Magpul BAD lever, and it cost half as much), and an Aero Precision VG6 Epsilon 556 Muzzle Brake all included in the build.

    Of course, not everyone is going to want to build their own rifle, but it's one great way to learn a LOT about the AR-15 platform, and what you need and, more importantly sometimes, what you don't need on or in your rifle. I'm really looking forward to very soon be building a 16" AR-15 mid-length rifle and a 10.5" AR pistol using Palmetto State Armory kits, uppers, lowers, etc… They're a great way to get a good, solid base for a build you can upgrade with whatever you want and do it on a budget without sacrificing quality or reliability – if you do it right. I prefer Aero Precision forged M4E1 lowers for my builds, so I'll probably stick with those for my rifle builds, but the pistol lowers from PSA are what I'll use for my pistol build. For the price, they really are hard to beat!

    Sorry for the long post, but I'm a writer – call it "occupational hazard." Thanks again for all the hard work that goes into creating content for this channel. It's much appreciated! Cheers, brother!

  10. While the likes of Noveske, KAC & LWRC Piston offerings, are great guns, it seems to me once your over that $1200-1500 price point of BCM/DD/SOLGW/or even a mutt using aero m4e1 receivers with guts of one of the above n spend your money on good barrel& bcg, you’ll still land in the same price point, but one over this range, demising returns as to the value in received in return $4$, significantly decreases. You typically are paying more for fully ambi features, upgraded triggers, or built in bolt hold opens which may/may not be important too you. So while for whatever reason I seem to have a Noveske addiction, I won’t say that the extra money they cost really offer much practical functionality, given a .25 + moa accuracy improvement in aren’t going to matter for minute of man even out to 500 yards. As a aero m4e1 with fluted ballistic advantage barrel with src dlc bcg, will shoot just as good as the Noveske that’s 2-3x the price but not near 2-3x the performance even if one barrel may last a bit longer, if you can afford to shoot out a gun in 15k+ rounds you can scratch up an extra $2-300 for a spare barrel to replace shot out one& carry on as usual.

    However, I like the review and honesty in your videos weighting of the pro’s snd cons were fairly spot on, explaining what you get for you money. As to me the main benefit of “rolling your own” rifle, isn’t to save money, only to get a purpose built rifle with the parts you want from the get go& not pay twice for parts your only going to take off, sit in s box, until they are traded/sold, repurposed, or simply collect dust.

    My only wish is they 6.5grendel ammo would become available in affordable bulk brass, >.40cents a round given it shoots flat, hits harder than 5.56 & preforms well in anything from 12.5-20” barrels which for a SPR/DMR is a much better option in a small Frame ar15 given its niche roll n lower round counts the price per round v match grade 77g otm rounds is not a whole lot different.

  11. $300 or $3000? I’ve done both. I’m guilty of treating the Barret like a safe queen and bringing out the Del Ton. Maybe I’m not good enough to tell the difference. I like both of them. Never had a problem with either.

  14. Have you had a chance to shoot any of the Wilson Combat ARs or the Taran tactical AR? I am looking for a new AR for my wife and I was looking at the WC Tactical light or the Taran Tactical TR-1 ultralight. She is a pretty small so I need a lightweight option. It will be used for home defense and possibly some competitions. Thanks.

  17. Very informative vid. Thanks for not using a Palmetto State Armory AR for an example of an entry level rifle. Based on quality they can be compared to the Radical Arms or S&W in my opinion. I can build a PSA for $320 but its a high value rifle (vertically integrated USA manufacturer) and it really compares to your $500+ off the shelf gun shop rifle. So with the PSA even after I have it decked out with accessories and a half way decent optic I'm still under $600. This is still way less than I paid for my Stag and the PSA actually worked much better out of the box. For your average working guy on a budget, this is a pretty solid option and you can always add on or buy up from there.

  19. You should put out an ebook on your parts experience, a slight fee to help the homeless and food pantry! Just a suggestion. Being for the farmland myself, I love the views

  28. You can literally build a quality fully functional AR for $500 or less. To have the Omni in the lineup for that price point is a little ridiculous. It’s just going to make less experienced folks feel like they have to buy something more expensive than they need. You should have done a Bear Creek, PSA, or Anderson in place of the Omni. I have had great luck and full function with all three of those brands

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