I know the standard from this forum when recommending a more affordable, no frills AR to a new person is either a Colt 6920 or a 6720. Grant has the 6720 listed at $800, and a few other places hover around there as well, so it is sure a tempting option to learn the platform, and modify it as you want/feel the need to down the road. So that’s what I recommended to a friend who is switching over to the AR from the AK, but I started thinking that maybe I’m missing something. I personally prefer mid-length gas systems, so even if I get a 6720 then throw a KMR, BCM furniture, Aimpoint, etc. on it, I’m still going to be wishing it wasn’t a carbine gas system. I figure he and lots of other are the same way.
Summary of question: Besides the 6920/6720, are there any affordable/reliable entry level ARs that I (we as a community) should be looking at to recommend, preferably in a mid-length gas system?
You could always get a Colt lower and a BCM mid length upper.
Me personally, I like rifle length gas. If I were starting from zero the first Colt I’d get would be the A4. But that is me and I like a longer rifle as I have longer arms.
That said, I’ve shot a carbine for a long time and it never bothered me.
I had a buddy not too long ago that I talked into buying his first AR. I initially had him set on a 6720 but after I showed him what he could have for not much more (midlength gas, upgrade in furniture, and a comp) he purchased a blem BCM lower from Grant and a BCM 16" midlength upper with MOE handguards from BCM.
I believe it came in right around $1000. I believe that BCM blem lowers and a midlength upper of your choice from BCM or another reputable manufacturer blows the Colt out of the water. Not in quality or reliability but in cost and out of the box performance.
put you right around $1015 before taxes, transfers and shipping. Very good IMO.
-OR-
You could make the mistake of buying a windham/DPMS/CMMG/RRA, fire 100 round and have it jam. “Lifetime warranty” you claim? Don’t bet your life in the middle of the night on your lifetime warranty…
While I certainly like my Colt 6920, I’ve become increasingly happy with rifles I’ve built with barrels from Sionics Weapon Systems and now use my 6920 for iron sight practice. The option of the A5 system straight from the shop is also a huge plus in my book. Here’s my recommendation:
Thanks for the responses. I started looking around at BCM’s basic uppers and the Blem lowers, and I think that’s definitely a good direction to start recommending. I’ll let my buddy know about that option, and hopefully he’ll go with that route, I’m wishing I did for my first AR.
SilverBullet:
Hahah forgot about the 6940. Don’t worry, I’m not going to let him buy one of those craptastic rifles. His brother got a Del-Ton before I could stop him, but I’m not gonna let that happen this time.
Once again, thanks for steering me in a good direction guys.
I’ll definitely be suggesting the Patrol Rifle Zero as an option as well. I don’t have any first hand experience (probably going to pick up one of your lowers next month if they’re in stock) but I have pointed people your way in the past. Thanks
For someone that dosen’t want to mess with building a stripped lower (i assume) a good complete lower and a BCM midlength or SIONICS upper. There are other good options out there but are quite a bit more spendy.
I’ve built a number of rifles with BCM uppers/parts with locally sourced lowers and have been very satisfied for around the $800 range.
I’ve always thought it was kind of interesting that the vast majority of people here will say that they prefer a mid-length gas system, but then as soon as someone asks for a beginner rifle recommendation, nearly everyone will say “Colt 6920.” I personally agree with the recommendation, but I think it’s an interesting disconnect in the thought process. I know a lot of it is based on the low prices for Colt rifles these days, but at some point, someone is going to recommend to that beginner that they switch to a mid-length system because of softer recoil, less wear on the system, etc.
Anyway, to answer your question, I think a BCM Mid-16 Mod 0 is a good alternative to the 6920 as a beginner rifle (these first two are out of stock at G&R but are shown for reference):
You’re going to pay more up front, but you’ll have a high quality rifle that already has a mid-length gas system, so you won’t need to swap out that 6920 upper down the road when you decide you want a mid-length. You just need to add your BUIS (and eventually optic) of choice.
If you want a basic rail, you can go for the Mod 2 (though I’d prefer a different brand myself):
As others mentioned, you can find a Colt lower and add the upper of choice, but Colt lowers are more expensive and harder to find than BCM, so why not buy a complete rifle? I think the 6920 is a great value and a quality rifle, but someone who wants to get serious (or at least semi-serious) about shooting is going to inevitably run into the mid-length recommendations from fellow shooters, so maybe it’s better to start off from that point rather than investing more money later.
Yup, that is exactly what’s confusing me, and making me want to save this guy some time/money. I mean, long run it’s probably not a big deal to get a 6920, put quite a few rounds down range, get some training, etc. then pick up a new upper like a 16 mid ELW KMR and throw that on the colt lower. But if there is a comparably priced rifle that already has the gas system most of us prefer, I don’t see the point of going with the 6920 over the middy system. I’ll be showing my friend the BCM options as well as Sionics.
As already mentioned, Colt 6920 lower w/BCM upper (that’s what I did, couldn’t be happier). You can sell a new 6920 upper w/bcg for enough to purchase a BCM 16" upper w/bcg so total cost isn’t any greater than the initial outlay for the 6920. I’m a big fan of BCM’s 16" LW middy.
Tomac
While I understand the logic of buying a 6920 and selling the upper, I don’t think that’s a good recommendation for someone buying their first AR. What you’re advising them to do is buy the complete rifle and not shoot it for however long it takes them to list the Colt upper for sale, then receive payment and ship the upper, then buy the BCM upper with the money they get from the sale. That’s probably a solid month to wait, when all a new AR owner wants to do is get out to the range and shoot their rifle. The alternative is to lay out the additional $600-700 for the BCM upper on top of the cost of the 6920 and then hopefully get around to selling the Colt upper to recoup the money. if you want a specific configuration, I’d recommend just ordering a complete BCM lower from Grant, an upper from BCM, putting them together, and heading out to the range about a week after you start the process.
Several months ago, I was considering a 6920. I have a couple of BCM’s and DD’s and wanted to try something different. I got the Sionics lower with the A5 and a Patrol Rifle Zero upper. That’s $800 for a great mid length that only needs a stock and rear sight (had those in spare parts bin). I’ve only shot about 300 rounds so far, but this has become the rifle I recommend for under $1,000. I don’t own a Colt but can’t imagine it shooting better than this rifle.
I too went with SIONICS lower. However, I went with a Noveske upper, so it’s a bit out of the realm of reality in this discussion. The thing about SIONICS though is you can have a very high quality lower built to your needs for much less than the BCM lower with more upgrades. I think I saved around $2-300 when compared. My lower has the Voltor IMOD stock and A5 system with a Giessele SSA trigger and came out to the tune of $545 iirc. And the fit/finish of my lower is impeccable. Although fit/finish is irrelevant to function, the function has been flawless as well. Customer service at SIONICS is superb (as is BCM).
If I had to do the upper again, I would most likely choose a BCM 16" middy with a KMR rail. Those retail for around $700 I think, but you may be able to catch an Independence Day sale if you act quickly (not sure on that). If you went with a basic SIONICS lower, you could easily be in the $1000 range all said and done.
In the end, it’s all about what you want and that’s what matters.
Building my first SBR. Was going to buy PSA’s CHF 12" upper. I’ve had good experience with these in my two pistol builds. Sonics 11.5" Zero upper looks to be a good bang for the buck. Can’t wait to test it.
It has a FN CHF HPT/MPI barrel, HPT/MPI bolt, and is only $550, with free shipping until July 4. That plus an Anderson stripped lower and you will be in it for right at $600.
J/K