If you’ve spent even a little time kicking around AR-15 World, you know there is a huge variation in AR-15 prices. A bare-bones budget model may cost as little as $350, while the sky’s the limit for a high-end rifle. Is there a genuine difference to justify the price differential? There are folks who insist a cheap AR-15 is just as good as an expensive one. Are they right? Brownells Gun Techs™ Steve and Caleb are here to prove or debunk that myth. This requires a long, carefully though-out, nuanced answer: NO. At first, a cheap AR-15 CAN be as accurate as an expensive one at 50 or 100 yards. But as it wears, it won’t retain that parity for long.
A rifle is basically a tool. If you plan to use that tool a lot, or use it for very important tasks, are you going to buy it from the Strip Mall Discount Tool Emporium? Or from Snap-On®? Or even Brownells? If you’re getting an AR-15 for casual range fun a few times a year, the cheap one will probably do just fine. But if it is going to be your primary home defense gun, do you want to buy this life-saving tool from the Discount Emporium?
The maker of a cheap AR-15 has to cut costs somewhere in order to make a profit. That means crudely molded low- quality plastic components (definitely not Magpul or B5 Systems quality!), softer non-“mil-spec” aluminum alloys, chalky low-grade anodizing, “Picatinny” rails that are not true MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny spec, and more cost-cutting. Sure, this rifle will work for a while, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to work as long or as well as the quality-built AR-15. Quality, by necessity, costs more.
So the myth is BUSTED…. Wait, the guys did that right out of the gate, didn’t they? A high-quality AR-15 will out-perform and outlast a built-to a-price budget model. You get what you pay for. Of course, you also have to be wary of a cheap AR-15 with a big price tag on it. That’s a topic for a future video!
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First of all, it was -18 when we filmed this. Second of all, there seem to be a larger amount of lower quality manufacturers that use a three letter acronym for the name, with that being said! I can think of one that is more popular than the rest and fortunately they actually have decent quality stuff lately. I'm not saying any names here, but you guys know who I'm talking about.
haha i frikkin love harbor freight for the exact reason you said! I am not a mechanic or technician who needs to invest in expensive tools so I for most stuff I do go to harbor freight. Fully aware of what I am doing! But like yall said it is super important to consider the context and amount of usage! Love he expensive stuff for rhe qualitt but alas don’t really need it.
Milspec should be the minimum.
0:47 haha i can relate… sorta… Don’t live up north but do work in a “freezer warehouse” for a grocery corp and they keep it -15 Fahrenheit in there! Hahaha so yes a whole ‘nother level of cold but still not the same as going outside in it. There is still something hugely different about a zero degree freezer warehouse and zero degree outside temperature…. hmmmm🤔🤔maybe the wind chill is the difference? Haha ok I will go with that unless a northerner corrects me.
You present zero facts. Plastic feels Chinese?
Snap-on is not as different to the competition as they once were before as well.
I heard there's like 3 foundries that make the same aluminum receivers for all ARs.
good job on the video please keep up the good work , i think the most important thing is to learn the platform sort of like how to check the fluid levels and tire pressures on your vehicle is time well spent 😉
I have one that is about 600$ with a FN cold hammer forged chrome lined barrel. But what do I know!
My 550.00 AR -15 Will Certainly Hold It’s Own Against Your 1000.00 AR-15 Steve 😀😊👍🏼
Aero precision uses 6061-t6 for rifle length buffer tube on the Ar-10. I'm probably going to replace that part.
Well, I went the discount route with Radical Firearms and PSA. All have cycled thousands of rounds without issue.
When I had a bolt failure (7.62×39 AR) that sheared the extractor, RF shipped a new complete BCG immediately, no questions asked.
Hate to break it to all the cool guys, but even a low-end AR will outperform the shooter 99 times out of 100. The gun itself is nearly identical from every single manufacturer. It’s two chunks of machined metal with some attachments. If it has a decent barrel, the rest will be virtually identical from one manufacturer to the next. You’re paying for an occasionally superior barrel, some tighter machining tolerances on irrelevant parts, and maybe an improved trigger mechanism, but ultimately for the brand name.
I built one on a budget out of necessity but it was a fun learning experience tuning it and getting it running right and in the end it's not for everyday use and I haven't shot it enough to notice a problem yet and it's exactly what I want optimized for the exact round I wanted to shoot. I used Anderson receivers (INB4 'poverty pony')
harbor freight’s Daytona floor jacks are made in the same factory as snap ons jacks, and my shop uses a lot of harbor freight stuff that lasts well, every day, for years. Not the best example lol
So what you're opinion on where SW SPORT 2 and Ruger 556, Springfield, fit into those weapons?
I like the car analogy, spending thousands on rims and tires does not make the car better. Likewise careful choices and spending a few extra dollars on key components can be beneficial and may yield better return. And like tools picking one that fits budget and usage sounds like a wise plan.
Typical up-sell sales pitch…
Get the parts you think will serve the purpose of the rifle best. A $350 ar pistol is better for cqb than a $5,000 24" 15lb benchrest gun. That's just common sense. The Swiss army knife do-all approach is a modern fad and a silly one if you ask me. A dialed in scope will always be better and faster for long range than turning on a dot and flipping a magnifier and a simple dot will always be faster to swing around and easier to see around without hanging magnifiers, range finders, and bipods everywhere if you are indoors. You need multiple guns.
Each one of my guns serves a different purpose. There's a lot of scenarios where my $370 abandoned trash heap will vastly outperform my $2200 rig. A 4# blacksmithing hammer made of solid gold and encrusted with diamonds is still absolutely useless to a roofer that only needs to pull a nail.
I've built a couple never had a problem other than needing to upgrade to anti walk pins have around $500 in each of mine
My dad can beat up your dad
You sell gun parts. Your opinion is suspect on this subject. "Don't buy cheaper parts from someone else, buy expensive parts from us."