Prices for M4 / AR15

[Mr_Wizard]

What is a good asking price for a new M4 or AR15? Shop by me has new M4's for 1800. Sounds a lil steep to me.

TIA

[legion]

I'll probably have $800 into my M4 when it's done, to give you a bottom.

It depends a lot on what features you get and who the manufacturer is.

[VincentVega]

They are in short supply, asking prices are all over the map. $1800 is not unheard of, depend on bells and whistles.

[Mr_Wizard]

Found new Bushmaster M4A2 for 1150 at another local dealer. Gonna pick up tomorrow. Thats more of the price I was looking for.

[PorscheGAL]

I paid $700 for AR15 in December at a shop in Columbia SC. Husband's Christmas Present.

[MotoSook]

I've been watching the market and learning about them. The low supply and high demand has prices $200 to $400 higher than they were 6 months ago.

You can still find fully assembled rifles for 950 to 1150 with standard stocks and iron sights. GunBroker.com appears to be a good guage of the market, with exception of the overly high prices some sellers are demanding.

A lot of the rifles are assembled with parts from the same parts suppliers. Think about it. Could all those manufacturers really have their own operations to make all the parts in their rifles? Just make sure the rifle has all the features you want. A lifetime warranty is nice.

For what features you might want, Google "so you want an AR-15" and you'll find the officers forum where a guy goes over the common rifles.

You would want M4 feed ramps and a 1/9 twist as a minimum. A3 or flat top upper receiver is nice for mounting sight/scope. Proper staking on the gas key. Stainless steel barrel in 1/7 twist would be great, but not worth the cost for the home defender. A long barrel doesn't appear to buy you that much more accuracy, so a 16" barrel with an A2 muzzle brake is just fine.

A mid-length gas system is rarer than the carbine gas system, but are suppose to be more reliable. Again not worth the price hike for the home defender. The rifle length is even better, but then you'd have a long barrel to contend with.

A piston rifle is really nice but cost $400 more than the regular gas system. A piston upgrade can be had for $400 to $500, but it may be less later when the race to beat the ban ends or when there are more suppliers out there for the kit. I saw a kit on GB for about $300.

I spoke to a gun smith recently, and he said the piston upgrade he installed recently was a true bolt on. He reported that the bolt action wasn't that much improved, but the rifle was very clean after all his test rounds.

Don't buy a rifle w/o the rear iron sight. It might appear to be a good deal without a rear sight, but you can find one for about the same price with front and rear iron sights. Buying a rear sight after the fact will put you over what a complete rifle would have cost.

Parts are in short supply too, so assembling one will most likely put you back at the same price as a complete rifle. If you can find a complete lower with an upgraded stock or trigger for $400, it appears to be the current fair market price. Then you need to find an upper with a bolt carrier group which is hard to find for less than $600. Then you might still have to buy a rear sight or scope. And you may not have a warranty. If you assemble one, you'll be amazed at how simple the AR-15 is.

So today, a good price appears to be $1000 to $1200 for a factory new rifle, unless you are willing to wait for the right priced rifle to come along or can find the parts cheap...hunting. Some of the popular brand names will be higher. Don't believe the hype about Colts. Wait time for a rifle from the factory is crazy, 9 months from one manufacturer!

Oh well.......they look like fun

[on2wheels52]

Bushmaster's wholesale at $860-900, the Colt's about $100 more. For the common ones. Gunshops have to make a living but at some point I think there's some gouging going on.
Jim

[MotoSook]

The local shop had a couple of bushies on the shelf asking $1500..with M1 uppers! That's a pretty big profit. The same shop wanted $250 for a FFL transfer + tax on the rifle if the shipper didn't already take the tax! Huh? From out of state? Bunch of crooks.

[blk911]

I have been looking over the past several weeks and basic entry level M4 is running $1,100-$1,200. Stag Arms, Bushmaster, DPMS, S&W, RockRiver, all seem to be about the same quality. These prices are probably about $400-$500 too high, but everyone is freaked out that the current administration is going to ban semi-auto and "assault weapons", thus the old supply and demand game. Ammo is even worse.

"Politicians prefer unarmed peasants"

[legion]

Funny, I can find any .223 around here except for the cheap Remington stuff. I can't find handgun ammunition for the life of me.

[Joeaksa]

Buy one now before "you know who" makes it illegal to sell again.

[rattlsnak]

I bought a new Colt M4 in late oct for @ $1,250. that same gun now cant be had for less than $1,800 and it was going for as high as $2,500 right after the election.

[blk911]

Probably should go without saying, but join NRA and write your elected officials, let them know how you feel.

[Rick Lee]

$1800 is just insane unless it's a Colt with some nice mods or a SIG 556. Personally, I don't see why Colt gets a premium, when other brands are just as good, more compatible with aftermarket parts and far more reasonably priced. I got my Bushmaster for under $700 a year and a half ago. But it's all tricked out now and would probably bring $1200.

[Mr_Wizard]

Going to look at one this morning for $1150. Will post pics if I purchase.

[rattlsnak]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Personally, I don't see why Colt gets a premium, when other brands are just as good, more compatible with aftermarket parts and far more reasonably priced.

You could easily say the same about a Porsche.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by rattlsnak

You could easily say the same about a Porsche.

No, I couldn't. Cars are brand specific. AR's are a universal platform, for which there are countless suppliers of main parts. If you want to build a 911, just about everything you need is gonna be made by Porsche or a Porsche-specific supplier.

[rattlsnak]

Point was, the Colt is thought of as the top of the line, just as we refer to our Porsches. You pay for the name. Am I saying it is made better? No, but its worth more. Are Bushmasters as good? sure they are. Are Lexus/BMWs/etc. as good as Porsches? absolutely. Why do Porsches cost more? (theoretically speaking).. because of the brand name..

[MotoSook]

Not to make it hotter in here but using the Lexus, BMW, etc comparison to a Porsche is really not the same as comparing a Colt to the other AR-15's. A Porsche is more sporting, and have a slightly different purpose. The AR-15s are basically identical, and all meant for the same purpose. The quality of construction is probably the biggest difference between the brands of ARs. Some ARs come with features not found in others, but all use interchangeable parts....upgradeable using parts from other ARs.

Here's the thread I mentioned earlier....anyone looking to buy an AR should read this:

http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81462

[Mr_Wizard]

Here is a crappy pic of my new toy from my Iphone.