I’m thinking about buying an AR15. Which one should I buy?
Quick! Get inside! Did you tell anyone on the gun forums about this? DO THEY KNOW YOU’RE HERE?! Okay, lock the door and stay away from the windows. It’s time for Uncle TJ to give you “the talk” when it comes to America’s favorite rifle.
The AR15 is a gas-operated, semi-automatic rifle first designed by Eugene Stoner for Armalite, who sold the design to Colt, who sold the rifle to the U.S. military as the M16. The civilian version, the AR15, is one of the most popular firearms in the U.S. It is, essentially, “America’s rifle.” It’s easy to use, disassemble, maintain and customize. It’s so easy to customize, in fact, that an untrained Luddite like me is currently building one as a project. They can be used for plinking, competition, hunting and home defense.
Because of their popularity, just about every firearm manufacturer and their moms produce an AR15 variant with Mossberg being the latest big manufacturer to announce theirs. Remington has a line of AR15s, the R15, in some popular hunting calibers and come fully decked out with camouflage furniture. Because they’re so modular in nature, customizing one to your preferences can be easily done without a gunsmith. So if you don’t like the handguard, buy one you like and swap them out. Want to shoot a bigger round? Replace the barrel.
Now because you’re reading this blog, I know you’re on the internet, and unless by some miracle this is the first webpage you’ve ever visited in your life, you know what the internet does to fandoms. Because of the two points mentioned above, the internet is chock-full of AR15 “experts,” about a million per AR15 model or modification, and each one is 100 percent secure in their opinion of which AR15 is “the best.”
If you’ve been looking for advice on an AR15 online, you’ve probably read posts on gun forums debating the finer points of the perfect AR15. Then, as soon as you go to another forum, you find someone claiming that the one you were just told is perfect is, in fact, a piece of junk that will probably murder you and your family in your sleep. Then there are the fans of the other platforms who will tell you that for the price of a decent AR, you can buy two WASR10s and some ammunition, or four SKS’s, or a Mini-14 and one magazine. In the end, you spin yourself around trying to find good advice, and you end up with a thousand different opinions from people who may or may not, in fact, know the difference between an AR15 and a hole in the ground. That’s the internet.
So how do you go about finding the right AR15 FOR YOU? Because that is the only right question. The good news is that it doesn’t matter what your biggest priority or limiting factor is for you. Because it’s so customizable, there is an AR15 out there that will do what you want it to do. If all you want to do is shoot at paper targets on your grandpa’s back 40, you don’t need a $1,600 weapon. If you want to shoot in a competition, you’ll have to spend a little more. Whatever you want to do, there’s an AR15 out there that will do it. The first question you have to ask yourself is: What do I want this rifle to do? When you have your answer, then you’re ready to start looking.
As for what brand you should get, that gets back into the world of personal opinion. I’m not going to say “Buy this brand,” or “Make sure you get this.” What I am going to do is give you a couple of things to think about.
-Know what you want to do with this rifle. Think hard about this and be honest. You will be much happier with your purchase if you get the rifle that you want rather than the rifle you think you’re supposed to have.
– Get something from a company you’ve heard of. There are a million companies out there that make AR15s. Some of them are big companies like Remington and Bushmaster and some of them are guys who put rifles together in their garage. If you have a lot of experience with AR15s, you might feel comfortable buying a custom gun from a small outfit. But if you’re reading this, you’re most likely a noob, and being an AR noob myself, I felt better buying a rifle from a company that had been around for years and had a solid reputation. That said…
- – Fill out the warranty card. You want a warranty. Even rifles from big, established manufacturers can have something wrong with them. This happened to me with my first AR15, but when I contacted the company, Bushmaster, they said, “Send it on in.” They sent me a shipping label, and off it went. About a month later, I got the rifle back and it worked perfectly. So ask about a warranty because they run from “no warranty” to “lifetime warranty even if you’re the 50th person to own this rifle.”
- – Don’t bling your rifle up right away. Look, I realize that one of the best things about an AR15 is the ability to trick it out and add accessories. There’s a reason it’s called a Barbie for men. But before you start filling all your rails with tacti-coolness, take it to the range and break it in. Learn how it functions and get used to shooting it. This will help you figure out what you really need and want in the way of accessories.
- I’m not gonna lie. AR15s are FUN! And if you want one, get one. But don’t spin yourself dizzy trying to get the perfect AR15. It doesn’t exist. AR15s are like kids. Your own is simply wonderful, but everyone else’s is a problem child who could do with a good taste o’me backhand. What’s important is that you find what you want, whether that’s a plinker, a hunter, a defense gun or just something that looks cool that will impress your more easily-impressed friends.
TJ
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