Do You get what you pay for?

[gunman496]

In the rifle world do you get what you pay for? I know my first pistol was a Taurus PT111 pro (or something) subcompact 9MM. it was like 320 and it served its purpose. It has been very accurate, and has heldup pretty well after years of mistreatment. (sold it to my cousin that knows nothing about guns) while there are more expensive subcompacts that would cost more and perform the same.
so as i price rifles can i expect the opposite? if it cost more does that make it better? in my local gun shop AR prices range from 900 to 1700 for a gun that is identical to the untrained eye. literally nothing is different but length and its partly the adjustable stock. so does it make sense to shell out the cash for a better rifle? if you can afford it?

[Deadcenter]

yepper ... but then again, it helps to know how hard you gonna run it

[Longballsd]

Originally Posted by gunman496

In the rifle world do you get what you pay for? I know my first pistol was a Taurus PT111 pro (or something) subcompact 9MM. it was like 320 and it served its purpose. It has been very accurate, and has heldup pretty well after years of mistreatment. (sold it to my cousin that knows nothing about guns) while there are more expensive subcompacts that would cost more and perform the same.
so as i price rifles can i expect the opposite? if it cost more does that make it better? in my local gun shop AR prices range from 900 to 1700 for a gun that is identical to the untrained eye. literally nothing is different but length and its partly the adjustable stock. so does it make sense to shell out the cash for a better rifle? if you can afford it?

The age old question..........

There are going to be names at the high end like Colt & Noveske and there are going to be names at the bottom like Olympic and there will be all of those in the middle like Bushmaster, Armalite, Rock River etc.

Is there a BIG difference between the most expensive models and the cheapest models? Well, yes.

Is it worth the price difference? Well maybe.

Usually, with EVERYTHING. I look at the best/most expensive and then I compare it with the least expensive models and then I buy something in the middle figuring that the top brands are overpriced and the cheapest models are too cheap with respect to quality.

If you don't know the differences between the most expensive models and the cheapest ones then you'll need to spend some time figuring out what each of them use for components.

I would look at something in the middle which is why I picked a Bushmaster. I looked at Armalite, RRA etc. and went for something middle of the road. It is my first AR and it has been everything and more than I expected.

At some point, I will buy a Colt 6920 but is it going to be better than my Bushy superlight? Who knows. Will it shoot more accurate? Who knows. Will it cost more? Yes. Will you "feel" good about the price difference? Who knows.

Do you want it for "showing" your friends or just for shooting at the range? Some people are into the "best" and some people are into the "best for the money". Nobody can tell YOU what is best for you.

If money is no object, buy the Colt 6920. Nobody can argue about the quality of this AR. If you don't have one, you want one. If this is important, then just buy the best one right off the bat.

If you don't know and money IS an object then buy something in the middle. I can afford any gun I want. I bought a Bushy. Do I want a Colt.....not really. The name thing just isn't that important to me. I am comfortable in my skin and with my purchase.

People buy "things" for different reasons. What are YOUR reasons?

[mvician]

Yes you get what you pay for, it is just not a name you're paying for.
Buy once, cry once......buy nice or buy twice.

did you read this yet ?
So you want to buy an AR-15 - FAQs

[Lazarus]

Originally Posted by mvician

Yes you get what you pay for, it is just not a name you're paying for.
Buy once, cry once......buy nice or buy twice.

did you read this yet ?
So you want to buy an AR-15 - FAQs

+1. I knew someone would post the FAQ. This explains those 'untrained eye' differences such as what materials are uses, barrel twist rates, etc. Research, research, research before buying. Whether something is worth it depends on what you're going to be using the rifle for. I got a Stag Arms AR but for paper and zombie killing it was a great rifle. I mean I would trust it to do a lot more but it reality the only time its going to get used is at the range.

[bigphil]

That Taurus PT111 was my first carry pistol.

I will never own another Taurus Auto........Ever.



That FAQ analyzes the whole AR thing. Take your time reading it.

In a nut shell....there are several mfg's out there that charge more for their name on the side.....IMHO.

[IHasanXD]

Originally Posted by mvician

Yes you get what you pay for, it is just not a name you're paying for.
Buy once, cry once......buy nice or buy twice.

did you read this yet ?
So you want to buy an AR-15 - FAQs

A lot of the time it is the name you are paying for. It's like that in everything, not just guns.
Though case in point with guns. I can buy a Springfield G.I. 1911 for $500 (which I did) or I could have gotten a Rock Island 1911 for $350. At the time I didn't know much about Rock Island and assumed that since it wa ssuch a cheap gun that it must have been a crappy weapon. Well low and behold, the Rock Islands are good guns and have great customer support if something does happen.
What you need to do is do some research and find out who really makes what. Stag Arms receivers are used by several companies, I'm at work now so I can't search to much on guns since they block a lot of sites.

[blindpig]

I've owned Colts and while they are quality rifles, they are overpriced. I'd never buy another one unless I got some kind of fantastic discount. I've also owned a DPMS, a brand that is at the lower end of the scale. It was OK for a beater rifle but I wouldn't want to bet my life on it. My current favorite is a S&W MP15A which is somewhere in the high-middle price range. Of course, I've modified it to the point that's it's now a $2000. SBR but it only cost $900 to start with. The choice you make should be dictated by what you intend to use the rifle for and, of course, your financial situation. It doesn't make a lot of sense to spend a ton of money on a rifle to take to the range a couple of times a month if the cost will cause you to miss a house payment. The weapon that I bet my life on is my CCW, a Kimber Pro Carry II .45. It's a bit pricey but given its intended purpose, worth every penny to me.

[T.J.]

For simple range duty pretty much so anything is going to be fine even the cheap rifles, the name wont make any much difference. you won't be crying if you buy a OLY or DMPS for punching holes in paper. if if you buy cheap you can always upgrade parts later nearly all peices can be upgraded seperatly,

ive got both a DMPS and Bushy and they are both accurate at the 30 to 100 yards i shoot at ive had zero ftf or fte or any other jams whatsoever out of either of them the only problem i had with my DPMS was the bolt failed to lock back when using cheap ammo, switched the ammo and the problem disappeared.

in all fairless my lower is DPMS with a STAG LPK and the upper is a del ton which is actually owned by DPMS

don't let anyone here tell you that you need to spend boo koo bucks to get a big name brand to punch holes in paper.

if your going to be carrying this thing next to you every time you hit the streets because you are a LEO then by all means spend the extra money on high end of the middle spectrum after all it since it will be used for work its tax deductible

[EricCartmann]

For the most part I believe you do.