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
