First of all I want to congratulate everybody here for their passion to this type of weapons and for the beauty they have build up.
I am kinda new to this type of weapon since I never been in the military field but I have dedicated myself for several years now to Law Enforcement and was looking to see what you guys (the experts :D) would recommend me… As you can see in the image I attached, I am looking for basically the same setup (simple but sexy :)) and was wondering what you guys think… Should I build it or buy it?
I definitely agree with halo. It will be a good weapon. The Colt 6920 is generally regarded as the perfect beginner AR. You can get one from Grant at G&R Tactical for less than $1000, I believe $933 is what he’s selling them for.
If you’re looking for pretty much an exact M4 replica, the ACOG that is used with the M4 is the Trijicon TA31RCO-M4CP model.
The only major differences between the 6920 and the M4 are that obviously the 6920 is semi-auto and has a 16" barrel rather than a 14.5" for legal, non-NFA civilian ownership.
I would check your Department SOP on use of magnified optics if you plan on using it as a patrol rifle on duty. A lot of departments have very specific regulations on what can and can’t be used, and quite a few of the LEO guys I’m friends with have stated that they’re not allowed to use fixed power magnified optics (aka ACOGs).
I hope this helps, and definitely do some reading and use the search function. Welcome to M4C.
Welcome to the site, it’s great to see new guys who care about learning, not who are here for approval of their POS.
If you like that set up, make sure you don’t pay retail for the rail. The resell market for those is ridiculous right now; you shouldn’t pay more than $150 for a new KAC kit.
The 6920 is what i recommend to all my friends/troops who are looking to get a replica m4. Building it can be cheaper but dont do it if you dont have the tools and knowledge. Welcome to the site, sit back and enjoy the knowledge here.
Unless you just have some specific wants and needs that the Colt 6920 don’t fulfill, that is a great place to start. Especially at the prices they are selling for now. Don’t go crazy spending on accessories and add-ons until you take the time to really get to know the AR platform and find out what works for you and exactly what you are going to be doing with the rifle. It won’t be long until you will want to get him a brother and then you can build it up just the way you want it.
Unbelievable amount of knowledge on this board…the search button is your friend.
I’m very much a fan of building instead of buying off the rack but don’t even think about it unless you’re prepared to invest countless hours to research and shopping around. So for the average person I’d say building is not worth it because you’ll get burned unless you do your homework.
I’d look very hard at the new BCM lightweight AR that Grant is selling. It’s a perfect patrol rifle yet leaves a few options open for you to configure to your liking. No muss, no fuss and the price is right.
If I were starting out fresh, I would buy the 6920, an Aimpoint PRO, BUIS of choice, and them shoot the gun a lot. That is after reading on these boards for awhile. I am good with guns but lack the patience and time to build up a rifle from scratch. I would like having a good system to begin with, then change out parts over time. A great way to learn without overwhelming yourself.
The first rifle I bought was a Colt 6940, which I do love and enjoy shooting, but that was pre-m4C. Now I think I would be better off with the fixed front sight and the ability to change out my hand guards.
My point being… Read up here a lot before you build or buy
I started off building my rifles, 6 in total, and I have yet to buy a factory AR. I learned the hard way about buying and using quality parts, and I dropped a few hundred dollars for tools and a vice. Don’t get me wrong; building is fun and you can end up with a quality custom rifle, or you can end up with a pile of shit and out more money than you would have paid for a 6920 and a new rail. One of my rifles was a flop and I dropped $1300 before making it a worthwhile platform. Plus the Colt will be a solid investment.
My opinion is; If you are just buying one rifle and you want to hold onto it and shoot the piss out of it, buy the 6920 and add quality accessories to your liking………that’ll be my next rifle.
Back when prices were sky high for good quality ARs, I built my own. It was fun, and I made sure to buy good parts. Now you can get a new 6520 (my preference) for $899, which makes it hard to build something using like-quality parts for less coin.
I’m not sure what a new 6920 goes for, but I’m thinking you’d be hard pressed to build something similar cheaper, after you factor-in tools cost.
Like the others said, get a new 6920 (if that’s your preferred platform) and modify.
Building you get exactly what you want. I also find huge pleasure in the whole process, from planning to final assembly.
I do how ever feel it is more expensive to build a gun. It seems a much better deal to buy something like an assembled BCM. Or especially a SR-15. You can spend all the time you want trying to put together the best of the best. At the end of the day the SR15 is an amazing value.
I would never recommend a 6920, everybody here loves them. I will never get past the barrel profile, I think it is the most pointless one out there. Also on 16" barrel I prefer a mid gas system.
I think the best deal is to buy a complete lower and complete upper of your choice and mate them up. You can just about exactly build what you want, with same quality or better than the colt for the same value.
All that said I have an obsession with doing builds from scratch.
The barrel profile is a small drawback on a 6920 for the other benefits that the rifle offers. It’s as good or better barrel than most people will ever need.
I don’t see a problem with putting together a complete quality upper and a complete quality lower and a quality bolt carrier group–because it is very hard to mess up.
I recently helped a friend put together one because he didn’t have the cash at hand to pick up a completed gun and he didn’t want to run up a credit card bill that he couldn’t pay at the end of the month. I fererred him to G&R where he bought an BCM blemished lower, BCM bolt carrier group, and a BCM upper.
I roll my eyes when I read about someone who tried to “build” an AR using inferior parts or inadequate skills to make a tricky build work–especially when they often could have bought a Colt or BCM for the money they have in their unreliable gun.
Now, once you have a good working AR that you can rely on, I think it is fine to try to expand your skills. But a lot of times it seems people without the skills or experience try to build an AR from the smallest components up.
I’ve built like 20+ ARs, but with the variety of configurations available from Bravo and Daniels it just doesn’t make sense to build your own. If you go with the cheapest stuff out there and you get a dealer discount you can save some cash, but if you want to match the quality of the top tier, the prices wind up so close that there is no point.
This are awesome replies here, thank you guys for taking your time to help me on this. I definitely see I have a long way to go to learn about all this parts and stuff
As for the rifle, it will be for personal (target) use and its not going to be for work since we only are allowed 9mm except if you are in the tactical team were you are able to use it (wish I could have it on patrol) but I that colt you recommend doesnt look bad at all ;), although I would like to have a real m4 price is not an issue, but wanted your input on that if it was better to build it than to buy it. Also I do know there is plenty of knowledge over here, is just I need to get more into this as you already know about me but thank you again and any more comments are welcome!
Welcome to the boards! Build or buy…
You really can’t go wrong with the Colt 6920. It’s the standard by which other carbines tend to be judged. If this is your first AR I recommend buying the 6920. You’ll get a known quantity with a very, very low dud rate.
You can also, as other have suggested go with BCM. Order yourself a lower (G&R Tactical has great prices and absolutely THE best customer service I have come across), then select and upper with the features you want. This might save a few dollars in the long run in that you are only paying for one set of handguards (if you decide to go with a rail system), one grip, one set of sights…
Building has its own rewards if you’re a “tinkerer” and also allows you to collect parts as your budget permits. However the added cost of a few specialized tools (more if you need things like a hammer, punches, bench vise, a bench) may put off the first time AR owner; but buy quality and you should only have to buy once.
My advice (for what it’s worth) do A LOT of reading on these boards (the Search button REALLY IS your friend), THEN buy a known good rifle; BCM, Colt, Daniel Defense. After you become familiar with ARs, then build one!
Its amazing how much you can save if you keep track of prices and do your research and buy when the time is right. I think you learn a lot about your rifle if you research each part and put it together yourself. I have built 3 and have learned quite a bit. be careful. i only wanted to build one, building them gets very addicting. im already trying to talk myself out of building another.
price is not an issue, but wanted your input on that if it was better to build it than to buy it. Also I do know there is plenty of knowledge over here, is just I need to get more into this as you already know about me