Question on Black rifle

[chuck]

I have a care giver that the VA provides fer me and she wants to get her son who is in his late 20s a AR something fer Christmas, I don't know anything about them as per what brand to buy and what caliber or how much to give fer one.
Could some of you younger guys help me out?

 

[tsubaki]

Gift certificate for $600.

After all these years my wife took my advise and picked out her own.
She said it was like buying shoes. It is very much like that, true and to the point.

 

[contender]

Well, this IS the Ruger Forum,, and Ruger DOES offer a nice plain jane version of an AR-15. It also has the SR-556 which is a much nicer gun. Both are good guns.
After that,,, I'd suggest you look at name brands & NOT some of the off the wall "built" guns from parts kits. Reliability, and a warranty can mean a lot.

 

[kmoore]

If you can,, head to Curts AR15 store in Milwaukie. Why? good prices, lots of choices, sales staff knows ARs real good. So far every guy working in the store is nice to me and what I hear while they are talking to others. None of the I am better than you and know everything, this is the only gun to buy because I sell it salesman.

 

[Mobuck]

I second what Contender said.
I'm not a brand snob and can honestly say that most of the "name brand" AR platform rifles/carbines will perform adequately for most users. The AR is unique in the firearms world as it is so adaptable-often called the "gun guy's LEGO set".
With that said, it is quite like picking out shoes and just grabbing one off the shelf is likely to create some level of "mis-fit". A gift certificate might be the best way to gift something like although it does take away from the WOW factor of opening a long narrow box.
I feel comfortable recommending these brands: Palmetto State Armory, DelTon, CMMG, Ruger, and S&W. The AR supply chain is full and it's a buyers' market so some careful shopping should put a new owner in a decent quality AR with some accessories for that $600 figure.
Prior to the last election, I sold a slightly used AR to a family friend to fund another project I had in mind. The AR, 5 magazines, 1000 rounds of ammo, a used $200 red dot optic, a "tactical" case, zeroed and ready to use cost him less than $800.

 

[7p's]

I'd also recommend a gas piston configuration in whatever manufacturer you select.

 

[Luckyducker]

Rainier Arms sells some decent ARs. Their name is on their rifles but I think the parts are made by Mega Machine Co. I have a Mega Machine lower receiver that I built from parts and a Ranier upper in 5.56 that uses a piston system and I will stand by it's quality. Some arms companies building their own version of an AR are not parts interchangeable with the system designed by Stoner of the Armalite Co, and usually these knock-offs don't run reliably. I have witnessed some of these issues personally. They may sell at a lower price point but they don't have the reliability that a purist AR delivers. I would suggest to the buyer to get one with a lined chamber and bore, and for that I prefer melonite coating over a chrome lining because it applies more evenly and that tends to enhance accuracy compared to chrome, but either will allow the gun to run without the problems associated with an unline barrel as the unlined ones can have cycling problems when they get a little dirty. As far as piston vs. a gas charging system it seems to me to be a matter of preference such as Ford vs. Chevy. The operator can choose his own as he see's which is better. Hope this read helps some.

 

[toysoldier]

Is the boy left-handed? That would significantly shorten the list.

 

[kmoore]

I am a lefty (only left handed that is). The mag release is fine but, should have a ambi safety added. They no longer reject in the face of a left hand shooter. A lefty works the safety Off with left hand thumb. On with the trigger finger middle joint. That only works with ambidextrous safety. At one time I was going to buy left handed Stag ARs but, really no need.

 

[Busterswoodshop]

I would suggest a Colt.
If you look around they can be had for not much more than the other brands.
There are a couple dealers on Gunbroker that have penny start auctions and there Colts have been selling for right around $700 or a little less. After shipping and FFL fees you can get one for $750 or less.
Budget brand guns are selling for around $500 - $600 and for a little more you can get a Colt.

One thing I would definitely tell her is not to buy some gun that someone has cobbled together from a bunch of parts they purchased over the internet , no matter how much they say they spent putting it together.

 

[mac66]

An AR for Christmas is a pretty generous gift. If the son is a gun guy or knows something about guns he probably has an idea of what he would like or want. It would be a mistake to buy him something he might not want. Might have your client look into it and maybe talk to her son a bit more.

 

[Biggfoot44]

This is May, Christmas is almost 9 months off. The prices of AR's and EBR generally are very volatile depending upon events in the news, and minor blips in the political status. That said, here's how things look at this moment in my region. I know this is a Ruger Forum, but I'm going to mention other brands.

$600 - Windhams - As per my AR 'smith best quality, quality control, and consistency in this price point.

$800 - Colt - The yardstick upon which every other AR is compared . Retains value better than any other AR . From a monetary standpoint, the dancing horse IS worth $200 .

$1000 - LWRC Direct Impingment - Yeah, they are famous for their piston design. But the quality of their DI guns is also outstanding. MSRP of $1600 , they have had multiple recent wholesale price cuts. One dealer in my State now offers them for $990 .

 

[22/45 Fan]

I'd also recommend a gas piston configuration in whatever manufacturer you select.

I disagree. Piston guns are more complex and significantly more expensive. There are no problems with a DI gun that occasional cleaning won't prevent.

 

[RSIno1]

All the ARs I've had have been "parts" guns. Buy a lower and add the necessary parts. All have worked fine. I have 3 now that I made starting with 80% lowers and one that started as a raw forging (which was far too much work to finish). One scoped varmint gun with a 20" full float bull barrel. A 16" carbine with open sights and I just ordered a 458 Socom upper today I'll probably put some type of red dot on it. Wife has been working up the nerve to finish her 80% lower for her 16" carbine. I've only assembled one upper. It wasn't a great saving so it's just easier to order a complete/tested upper.
They are a good platform and the mil-spec parts all seem to interchange with no problems. I've heard that some of the Ruger parts are specific to the Ruger which would sway me from buying a Ruger. Finally stay away from the polymer lowers.