Hello all. This is my first post. I've been lurking for the last 9 months. In that time I've learned a lot about the AR platform much in part to the knowledge held here in this forum. Bravo Zulu.
I've used firearms for over 30 years but have never had an AR. I never wanted one as I was under the wrongful impression that the 5.56 was insufficient for killing deer. Some would argue that it is, but I I've come to the informed opinion that it is sufficient when used within a certain range and the shot is well placed. I started searching for a caliber that would be mild on recoil for my children to target practice with and eventually hunt coyotes then deer. I have 5 and 8 year old girls as well as a boy who's 10. The 5 year old wants to shoot (hasn't yet) but the 8 & 10 love shooting air rifle and 22lr. My son has his great grand dad's bolt action 20ga that he shot his first turkey with last spring. Hoping that he'd be able to use it this fall for deer, I bought a few boxes of slugs. When I sighted the old gun in I realized that the recoil was quite stout (equal to my 12ga with 3" duck loads). Also, the 20ga has a poly choke on it that led to 6" groups at 20 yards
. So, as much as I wanted him to hunt, I decided to look for an alternative with less recoil and more accuracy. I've finally settled on a AR with a 18" 1:7 barrel to stabilize the heaviest bullets it can accurately shoot. I will also be using the rifle for medium to longer range target practice as well as coyote hunting.
I'm not interested in building my own. I'm not too concerned about weight as the kids will be firing from a rest. I don't want a "less expensive AR that works just as well". I've researched every offering with an 18" barrel out there and boiled it down to this price range. I'm a buy once cry once type of guy. I feel the price range I've chosen to be the best bang for the buck as far as a rifle that you could bet your life on. Even though that's not the intended purpose of this AR, it is a firearm and being so I want to have faith in it working if things get squirrelly. I've narrowed it down to just a few higher-end rifles. My max on a complete rifle is $1550 (not including optic). I've found these three......
$1400 Daniel Defense m4 v9 s2w 18"-
Mid length gas. CHF 18" barrel (not stainless) that is nitrided (not chrome lined)
Flash hider that I would change out for a muzzle brake
Standard DD trigger that I would be replacing with geissele SSA
$1505 Daniel Defense V7 PRO
Rifle length gas. CFM 18" barrel that is chrome lined
Muzzle brake
Geissele SD3G trigger that I would be replacing for an SSA (3G isn't a trigger for inexperienced shooters)
$1525 Barret rec7 DI
Mid length gas (I believe). 18" stainless match barrel (Krieger provides the blank) I believe it's chrome lined?)
Muzzle brake
ALG ACT trigger that I may keep for a while depending on performance.
Questions:
1 does the mid length gas on the V9's 18" make it more or less desirable? What if it's 10 degrees outside?
2 will the DD nitrided barrel be more accurate than the same profile with chrome lining? How much difference in MOA should I expect between the two?
3 which of the three "should" be most accurate?
4 which (if any) is built more ruggedly?
5 DD has a lifetime warranty against factory defects, Barrett only has 1 year. That kind of bothers me just for the simple fact that I would hope that a manufacturer would have the warranty match the faith they have in the product they produce. Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way? Opinions?
6 finally, I'm sure the two are very evenly matched. I wish there was more out there on the rec7 DI cause I really like the looks of that rifle (and it's a Barrett). I know those feelings are irrelevant, but all things being equal precision and durability wise, I'd buy the Barrett.
I thank you for your answers and I'm looking forward to learning more from you all.
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