Who makes a good budget AR15?

[ABNAK]

Yeah that Colt 6960 mid-length for $1000 is what I'd go with.

[kirkland]

What budget AR15 for under $1000 would you recommend for home defense and range shooting 300 to 400 yards? I am 69 years old and retired from the Army (I can shoot an AR16 at a distance). I would prefer a mid-length gas port, 16-inch barrel. I plan on shooting it a lot, so I need a good barrel. I currently use a 12 gauge and would like something with a little less kick.
Are the Radical or PSA ARs dependable? I have read mixed reviews, some say they are good, some say they are junk.
Is the S&W M&P barrel with a 1:9 twist accurate out to 300, 400 yards?
Would the S&W be any better that the Colt?

If you're going to be using it for home defense, it means you would need to trust your life to it. In that case get a Colt. Forget PSA. S&W is not better than a Colt. Don't piece together a rifle like some here have suggested, get a factory made combat ready complete rifle. Midlength vs carbine gas is not important. What is important is that it goes bang every time and never lets you down when you need it. I would be hard pressed to pick anything over a 6920 for a rifle I would need to trust my life to. They are made for exactly that purpose.

[TMS951]

I think colt makes a good budget entry level carbine. Like a 6720 or a 6920 if you like dumb barrel profiles. Both are not worth more than 1000$ and no one should ever spend more than that on one.

[Hank6046]

I'll second most on here and say go for the Colt or the IWI. I wouldn't waste my time on anything else as far as an out of the box gun, but you can probably build something to your liking for around $1250 that retail would cost you around $1750. I would also search tacswap and Armslist or the EE section here to find decent parts with low round counts.

[CatBacker88]

A question for those who think Colt is over rated-
Do you know enough about the failure points of the AR (particularly the "under rated" brands) to walk a new shooter through good troubleshooting steps?
Can you identify the source of malfunctions without the usual "out-running the magazine" bullshit?
Do you know the difference between "over gassed" and "under buffered"?
Not many do and that's why Colt's are not over rated.
zsnowman, get yourself a Colt 6920 or 6960.

I don't usually say much here. I just read and try to learn as much as I can. This, right here, is solid advice and I would absolutely advise the same.

[VIP3R 237]

Yeah that Colt 6960 mid-length for $1000 is what I'd go with.

It’s a fantastic rifle that flies under the radar for some reason.

[Pappabear]

You might want to keep an eye out for Geissele blemish uppers, I have seen them pretty cheap.
PB

[HKGuns]

You might want to keep an eye out for Geissele blemish uppers, I have seen them pretty cheap.
PB

Dang dude! That is some "budget" you have PB!

[Pappabear]

Dang dude! That is some "budget" you have PB!

Go easy on a brother HK, I saw a blemish upper for about $600 if my memory serves me. I guess you can buy a full gun for that, but it won’t have a SSA trigger.

PB

[Hank6046]

Go easy on a brother HK, I saw a blemish upper for about $600 if my memory serves me. I guess you can buy a full gun for that, but it won’t have a SSA trigger.

PB

I did see these blem Geissele uppers onsale at Primary Arms recently, this plus a aero lower and an H or H2 buffer would probably come in at less than $1k, you could do a Larue or centurion trigger for less than a $100 which remarkably improves the standard milspec trigger