I've been bitten by the bug. I'm looking to purchase my first AR. I was waiting, hoping I'd be out of this state by now where I don't need to buy a watered down AR, but I realized that's not happening. Last 3 years I've been 24/7 on 1911's, but something just clicked.

 

My 1911 addiction has taught me 1 thing: Buy once, cry once. It's better to buy a more expensive gun that you trust than a cheaper gun that you upgrade by yourself or with trips to the smith.

 

I've been reading M4carbine.net and I've reached the point where the more I read, the more I'm confused.

 

I want a top tier, (DD, BCM, Colt, etc, as long as its around 1500 or less) AR........ the rest.....

 

I believe I want:

 

- Mid length gas system - I want carbine utility but not rifle length

- 1/7 barrel. For home defense or worsts case scenario, I believe heavier bullets are better.

- Fixed front sight

- Leaning towards traditional double shield handguards, or newer, lighter, rounded style rails

 

Unsure of barrel profile....

 

 

What do the experts recommend?

No isn't a "right" answer. All of these various options exist because different people like different things. The brands you mentioned all manufacture great weapons. Get the one that lights your fire, and as you discover what you like and don't like, you can always swap-out parts. It's all part of the modular beauty that is the AR.

Your budget should get you pretty close to where you want to be,

I did a build with a 16" BCM M4 upper, BCM bolt carrier group & charging handle-spikes lower, ACE stock & magpul furniture for about 1K..

Optics, mags, sling put me not too far past that too (I'm not running "pro grade" optics though) so be prepared to spend on glass if you can't survive with budget optics-rail systems can be pretty expensive too, so that's Another consideration.

As far as the specs you think you want, it sounds pretty right on for a general duty rifle that's

1-fun to shoot

2-very effective if a bad situation arises

 

if you're looking to buy "off the rack"

$1500 is a little on the shy side but

there are vendors here on the forum who can help you get what you want, and stay NJ compliant

 

I've had very positive experiences with mastodon ammo n camo

(who are RRA dealers and can get you pretty much whatever config you want)

http://www.mastodonammo.com/

And Arms-n-Ammo also is outstanding to deal with

http://www.arms-n-ammo.com/

In addition to the companies above, check out PSA full uppers. I'm building a Spike's lower/PSA 16" 1:7 hammer forged middy upper, fit is excellent. I also have 2 BCM full uppers. IMO, you can't go wrong with either.

 

Get the rail system/gasblock/brake that you want off the bat, since you'll be pinning the brake on , it won't be easy to change those components later on unless you have a system that is capable.

I have a Daniels defense m4. The gun is great. 16 inch barrel, 1:7 twist, quad rail forend, comes with a for grip and a standard a2 site post. You should check it out, on slick guns they had a site selling one for 1300 bucks which is a great deal. Ur more then welcome to try mine, to avoid that buyers regret. Pm me lmk

With a budget of $1500, you can't go wrong with any of the manufacturer's you listed.

BCM, DD and Colt are all top tier.

One note however, Colt only makes ARs with Carbine Length Gas Systems, not Mid-Length.

But with everything else you want, I think that is your best bet. Get the Colt.

I have a DDM4V5, I love it. But if you don't want rails, no reason to go DD.

For your first AR many people will tell you to keep it simple, which is good advice.

With that said, here are a couple places you might want to check out.

 

Stock Colt 6920. You'll need to send it somewhere to make it NJ compliant though.

http://www.gandrtact...action&key=6920

 

Colt with Magpul furniture

http://www.gandrtact...tion&key=6920MP

http://dsgarms.com/P...LE6920MP-B.aspx

 

Colt with FDE Mapul furniture if that's your flavor

http://dsgarms.com/P...E6920MP-DE.aspx

 

Steve at ADCO Firearms does really nice work to make your AR NJ compliant.

http://www.adcofirea...m/shopservices/

 

I got my DD at Rainier Arms. They did the stock pinning and muzzel break pinning/welding for me.

They will price match (beat by $5) with any vendor that has the same model of DD in stock (must be in stock at competing vendor).

http://www.rainierar...s_danieldefense

 

My advice... if it's in stock, jump on it. As you can tell, lots of people in the market now with the coming election.

If you'd prefer to go through one of the sponsor's here that'd be fine too, but know your prices. Don't pay more if you don't have to.

 

And yes, don't forget to set aside some money for some quality glass. Sometimes this will exceed the money you've put on your rifle.

I have both and Aimpoint T1 and an ACOG TA33G-H.

Both are awesome. But if it's for SD/HD, no need for magnification.

Does the $1500 include optics or no?

 

I would look at Daniels Defense or LaRue Tactical. LaRue makes some awesome gear. I have their handguard on my rifle and its def a quality piece. I have handled their PredatAR rifle and it performed flawlessly. If you want LaRue tho, order it now. Everybody has been ordering from them lately and the backorder on the rifles is a couple months. (You get some really cool goodies with every purchase too )