Lesson about Money and AR's

[E_Johnson]

I think one of the most critical points mentioned here was what to spend more on, and where you can save money. The nuance there that requires technical knowledge is what that means in terms of value. Value does not always correspond to price. A $150 receiver set from Aero Precision is a good value, a $600 set from Cobalt Kinetics (or other aesthetics-oriented manufacturer) is not. A $50 QMS trigger from ALG defense is a good value. That $250 hiperfire trigger may not be. The list goes on and on.

That's why I've found this forum so helpful over the years. It allows me to acquire the technical knowledge to ascertain value independent from price. If you want to save a few bucks and still have a rifle capable of reliable performance, this is where you should focus your efforts.

[MistWolf]

I think one of the most critical points mentioned here was what to spend more on, and where you can save money. The nuance there that requires technical knowledge is what that means in terms of value.

That's why details matter. One small but important detail is the ejector spring. Economy brand ARs use economy brand springs and they suffer premature wear. Many shooter lack the technical knowledge to diagnose an extraction issue correctly. This leads to unnecessary downtime, cost in ammo, range fees and time. This is why I advocate shooters to simply replace the ejector springs of offbrand ARs and BCGs with Colt or Sprinco M4 ejector springs as soon as possible.

[TMS951]

Barrel and BCG deserve the most money spent.

In spec forged lowers and uppers is probably one place where there is a huge price discrepancy for the same thing. An in spec forged lower ranges from about 39$ to 199$.

A 99$ LaRue trigger is as nice as a 200$ Geissele trigger.

A 30$ yhm phantom flash hider is a great piece. So is a 50$ smith vortex. There are tons 100-200$ muzzle devices that are a total waste.

Some rails are a great value. Like BCM or Geissele at about 200$. There are tons of crap rails out there that turn, come off and flex. Spend money on a good rail. But no need to spend over 200$.

[E_Johnson]

Barrel and BCG deserve the most money spent.

Agree. I shake my head in the custom build forum when someone posts up a gun with a $300 rail and high end billet receivers, and the barrel is listed as "unknown manufacturer, 1/7"

[BrigandTwoFour]

Agree. I shake my head in the custom build forum when someone posts up a gun with a $300 rail and high end billet receivers, and the barrel is listed as "unknown manufacturer, 1/7"

I’ll tack on optics here.

BCG, barrel, optics. Those are not the things to be pinching pennies on. Everything else is window dressing. Im not saying you need to spend big $$$$ for those items, but they are not the place to go buying “just as good as. “

[rocket 442]

Exactly what above poster said. Armslist is flooded with "custom built AR's" with DD & BCM uppers &
an Anderson lower :-( for the same price as a new DD or BCM rifle complete!

[Cokie]

I’ll tack on optics here.

BCG, barrel, optics. Those are not the things to be pinching pennies on. Everything else is window dressing. Im not saying you need to spend big $$$$ for those items, but they are not the place to go buying “just as good as. “

I've come across some terrible handguards before. The old school plastic ones are good, and also not spendy. There's garbage out there for much more $. There are amazing options without breaking the bank too. I'm sure there are bad stocks, grips, parts kits, but they will get the job done, typically in a better way than bad HG/rails get the job done. Like you said though, the BCG, barrel, and however you see your target are critical.

[Swstock]

It's all about perceived value.

Some will say, Why get a Milspec Mega lower when you can get a "mil-spec" Anderson for $29.00.

It's only $70 but it's also 70% which is huge.

Some people just don't get it.

[The_War_Wagon]

How much is your gun really worth to you?

MY life, and the life of my family. I've bought/built them accordingly.

[hotrodder636]

I think most of us here and those who are serious shooters know and understand the AR platform well enough to know where corners can be rounded and where value in pricing can be found. Those parts do exist and often the desired role of the gun determine what is acceptable or not.

I live my life fairly frugal with the goal to retire early. With that said, I don’t skimp so much I cannot enjoy my life at the present, there is a balance and I am able to find it. Those who know me also know that there are areas in my life/hobbies that they don’t understand why or how I spend the money I do. For instance on firearms (parts) and car parts. At some level you do get what you pay for (materials used, QC, etc). Knowing and understanding where you can cut the corners is crucial.

As long as there are those who only want an AR to “have an AR” and shoot dirt about once a year with it, that market will exist. I think it goes without saying that 90+% of the people on this forum do not fall into this category.