Not all AR's are Built the Same

Last time I walked into my local gun store, they had probably 30 different AR-15’s that all look mostly alike. Why are there so many different variations of the same thing out there, and why is one $400 while others are over $4000? If you are not super familiar with AR-15’s this has probably been your experience too.

What if I told you that the most expensive AR you can get your hands on may not be the best choice for you? Or maybe that going with the cheapest off the shelf option isn’t the best for you either?

The analogy I will use here is comparing Ferrari to Toyota automobiles. The Ferrari is fun, fast, and turns heads, but a vast majority of the time, you can’t actually use it to its fullest potential. Outside of just looking cool, you probably spent a lot more money for an uncomfortable ride into work. Not to mention it is common for them to need maintenance, or end up needing a tow-truck to make it home. Now a Toyota may not be the flashiest or turn heads, but they are reliable, comfortable to drive, and you can red line that tachometer all day long and the engine won’t blow (ask me how I know).

Which would you rather be on the range? The guy with the Toyota that can shoot very well and turns heads based on personal performance, or the guy with the Ferrari that breaks down and doesn’t really know how to drive it fast without crashing.

A lot of choosing the right AR for you comes down to the application in which you will be using it. The need of a duty rifle compared to a range rifle can be two totally different configurations but also will come with different price tags too. After a bunch of thoughts on what is the best rifle for your first AR15, the answer wasn’t clear at all and really it comes down to what you need and expect out of your new firearm.

Below, we are going to touch on the thought process you should go through before going to your local gun store. This will help you narrow down what options will be best for you, but also can help save not only time, but save some money in the long run too.

To Build or Buy my First AR-15?

We are just going to get this out of the way first, DO NOT BUILD YOUR FIRST AR-15 unless you like a challenge, are OK buying specialty tools, and have a bit of stubbornness.

Overwhelming

AR-15’s are pretty simple in how they work and how the parts go together, but between some dependencies like gas block diameter, gas tube length, etc. along with the hundreds of different options for each part, it takes a lot of research to ensure you get exactly what you want.

Tools

To properly build an AR-15 you do need some specialty tools. Now, if you hope to do more and more building in the future, you may want to start with a build, but at a minimum you need a vice, and it is highly recommended to have a few tools, like a torque wrench, AR armorer's wrench, punches, vice, a magazine block for the lower and a reaction rod for the upper receiver. Without the proper tools you will struggle to properly assemble your new parts into a working AR-15.

You Won’t Save Money

On-top of the tools you will need, it is common to purchase parts from multiple stores, which may incur additional shipping charges. Also when AR manufacturers do their production runs, they get better prices on parts, and can ultimately build it for cheaper than you may be able to.

Warranty & Support

Buying an off-the-shelf AR-15 comes with a warranty but more importantly support. Building your own out of a bunch of different brand’s parts will make it hard to fully help diagnose any issues you may have. Even if you get all the parts, assemble your AR and then get out to the range and it doesn’t work, then you are on your own. Unless you got that good friend that knows AR’s well and will take the time to troubleshoot the issue, this could be the end of your enjoyment with AR’s.

What are you going to use it for?

There are a few different applications to what AR’s are commonly used for. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need a different AR for each instance, but if you know what you will primarily be using the rifle for, that will help you make the right decision the first time.

• Range or Hobby: You want something fun, comfortable, and easy to shoot repeatedly, but also cost effective to shoot.
• Duty & Home Defensive: Reliability and simplicity matter most. You want something quality, dependable, and easy to run under stress.
• Hunting: Accuracy matters very much when it comes to hunting and depending on the game you are after and location you are in, an AR chambered in an exotic cartridge may be needed.
• Competition: Now performance, weight, optics and recoil impulse start to matter more. Speed to manipulate and transition between targets, while being accurate is required.

Range & Hobby Use

This is easily the most common use case for first time AR buyers. They want to get better at the fundamentals, comfortable to shoot where you can shoot a couple hundred rounds without having a bruise on your shoulder at the end of your range session. Also, you don’t want it to break the bank every time you go out and shoot.

Our suggestion for this is to look for something that doesn’t have a lot of accessories. Working on fundamentals is easily the most important thing here. Don’t focus on it having ambi-controls all over and that super match grade barrel. Just look for something simple that fits your budget and don’t get caught up in the hypes.

These guns usually include the basic Mil-spec parts that are no-frills. They aren’t going to be the best performing parts, but they will be reliable and easy to upgrade in the future.

Hunting

AR’s are becoming more and more common for game hunting. They are great for Coyotes, but also with more, what I would call, exotic calibers, AR’s are very viable for taking animals of different types. The biggest thing to take into consideration when looking for an AR for hunting, is to check out the laws in your hunting zone to make sure the cartridge and rifle don’t get you in trouble with the men in green.

.350 Legend and .400 Legend are gaining popularity for white tail deer and being a straight wall cartridge, they are allowed into shotgun only zones.

Other cartridges that are becoming more and more popular are the blackout cartridges. 300 and 8.6 Blackout are gaining popularity with the hunting community because there are subsonic options. Pair it with a suppressor and you and your hunting party are going to have a great time.

Depending on where you hunt and what it takes to get to the blind, weight may be a consideration. No one wants to trek out to their blind just to be exhausted because you had to carry a 15lb rifle to your stand.

Duty & Home Defense

This is where you need the gun to simply just work when you need it to. Accuracy matters but being confident behind your rifle and having controls that are easy to manipulate under stress matter most. This category probably isn’t the best for a 1st time AR owner, but if you know that is where you are going, you may want to buy one and cry once.

Most duty AR’s will include upgraded 2-stage triggers, possibly enlarged mag release and bolt catches. Also, they usually have parts made out of higher quality metals, that are a bit stronger and can take a beating compared to the “hobby” grade parts.

If you plan on bringing your AR into the LEO space, you will want to check with the department to see if they have any restrictions on parts, triggers, or aftermarket parts.

Competition Use

There are a few different disciplines when it comes to the competition realm. Each type of competition may require different accessories, but more importantly, you will want a barrel, trigger, and recoil system that is tuned for what you are doing. Again, this isn’t a super common choice for 1st time AR buyers, but if you know you want to go this way, like the duty and home defense, get what you need the first time or it may cost you more in the long run.

3-Gun / 2-Gun usually you will see shooters rocking 16” or 18” .223 Wylde match grade barrels with a large compensator or brake to manage muzzle movement. On top of that, they will more than likely use an adjustable gas block paired with a lightweight bolt carrier group and buffer system so that the firearm can be tuned to give you the least amount of felt recoil possible.

Many 3-gun shooters will prefer a lighter gun to make transitioning from target to target quicker and easier.

For precision shooting, like PRS matches, precision is the utmost important factor. You will naturually want a longer barrel, but in many cases, the traditional 5.56/.223 cartridges wont work well for precision matches. It is common to find precision AR-15’s chambered in 6mm ARC or 6.5 Creedmoor. Many matches will have a division just for gas guns, like AR-15’s.

What Matters Most To You?

This is where you may need to think a little bit, but we funneled this down to 4 categories.

• Budget: You have a budget and can’t break it. This is easily the most common category for first time AR owners.
• Simplicity: You need the gun to fire when needed, and don’t need all the bells and whistles.
• Performance: Accuracy, easy to manipulate, light-weight, and minimizing the recoil impulse all go towards a “fast” AR.
• Looks: You want a nice gun, but also want it to be an expression of your personality. Maybe just something other than Black, or that gold plated AR. Never forget, looking good matters.

Below is where those priorities start to separate the right rifle from the wrong one.

Budget

If you are new to shooting, you could have the most accurate, easiest to shoot gun in the world, but that won’t make you a great shooter, unless you have the fundamentals down.

The most common thing we see is people overspend on their gun, and have no budget left for accessories. In most cases the firearm will be less than the required accessories. There are a lot of great options for budget AR’s from Radical, Diamondback, and lets not forget to mention the most popular Smith & Wesson M&P 15. If you walked into a gun store with $500 you could walk out with a very nice, budget AR. Is it going to have all the go-fast and cool looking parts? More than likely not, but you can always upgrade parts over time as your budget allows.

This is probably the best place for a 1st time AR owner to start. I like to say, you need to figure out what you don’t like before you go spend money on something you like.

Budget guns will usually come with mil-spec parts which are tested and simply just work.

The budget option is great if you plan on going to the range and shooting with buddies every now and then. We aren’t saying you can’t spend more for a range gun, but trying to keep thing as practical as possible, on a 100 yard range, you won’t see a ton of difference from the $2000 AR and the $500 AR. Mostly what you will feel is the trigger is different and possibly recoil impulse feels different too.

Simplicity

Keep It Simple Stupid, is something a lot of AR owners overlook. You want something that fires when you need it to, and the controls on the firearm are right where you want them to be. You don’t need a ton of special features, and just want something that when you hear that bump in the night, or if you are on patrol, you are confident with and will simply just work when you need it.

This is where simple mil-spec parts shine and are about as reliable as it gets. You may not have the cleanest breaking trigger out there or the fancy new charging handle, but in most cases, you really don’t need those features, because you will more than likely be shooting under stress, and things like a clean trigger break or that fancy lightweight handguard just don’t matter here at all.

There is an argument here for ambidextrous controls here. Being able to switch your safety on/off with either your left or right hand can become super important, especially when you may be working in non-ideal conditions.

Performance

You will pay for performance, like the Toyota and Ferrari example above, this is where I think a lot of new AR owners want to be, but really don’t know how to use it to its full potential. A finely tuned AR can make a bad shooter look like they are good because of the nice and crisp trigger, nice optics, and comfortable furniture, but that is just a bandaid hiding someone that lacks fundamentals.

If you want to learn how to drive an AR fast, this is a great option, but you will most likely pay north of $2500 or more for an AR that is actually meant to go fast while being accurate. As you go higher up in the performance realm, you will find the rifles can get lighter and lighter, but that also comes at a cost of using non-standard metals, like titanium, aluminum, or even polymer for parts to shave weight.

If you really want to get into 3-gun or another competition discipline, you don’t need to start here, but it is nice knowing that the equipment isn’t the problem when you miss targets.

Looks

Some may say this is the most important thing about shooting, especially when you are uploading pics to the gram, but in most cases, the best looking guns have standard, run of the mill internals. They may upgrade things you can see and feel, like an aggressive charging handle, muzzle device, fancy buttstock or grip, or decked out with all the accessories like lights, lasers, foregrips, or maybe that crazy custom camo Cerakote job, but a lot of those accessories can be changed out quickly and really if you are in the market for looks, look at the base platform.

For example, a charging handle can be swapped out in well under a minute, but a barrel, a lower or upper receiver, that requires a bit more invasive work to change out anything you may not like.

So if you are buying for looks, make sure to ask questions about the core components of the gun, because you want something that will perform as good as it looks, right?

What Does This All Boil Down To?

Out of the 30 AR’s at your local gun store, hopefully by picking one of the applications, competition, hunting, duty, or range use applications and then applying what you are going to put the most value into you can get the right AR-15 for you, the first time out.

Now will this be your last AR-15? Hopefully not, but for your first AR-15, don’t worry about getting the coolest looking AR or the one with the best accuracy. You are probably going to pay a premium for those and get no real value out of it, when you are still working on your fundamentals. Going back to the Ferrari and Toyota analogy, if you start out with a Toyota, learn how to drive it fast, it makes jumping into the Ferrari much more manageable, and you are a lot less likely to crash and burn.