[HatchieLuvr]

Ok my 15yr old has saved his $$$ & wants an AR. (He has $600 & I told him I'd throw in a lil extra if it went over, within a 100 or so) So we looked at a couple of shops yesterday & those two seemed to be the most noted names in that price range. The M&P of course doesn't have the bolt-assist & dustcover but how important are those?

Honestly both of us like the Panther but of the two listed, which will likely be the toughest, most trouble free with proper use & care?

I'm also interested in new uppers for either, for hunting in say the 338Fed & 458SOCOM. Are either lowers up to such task?

I'm ol skool with bolt, lever & pump rifles. All this AR stuff is new to me so in having to "catchup" to the boys (story of my life! )

 

[Wrench Man]

There might not be to many on the racks right now?, but don't look past the Ruger "AR556", they have a lot of extras for the price!

 

[MontyF]

I've seen lots of Oracle's advertised. Seems DPMS is quite popular around here but wasn't sure what they did to offer such a low price on the Oracle.

 

[Trent12]

I'm not a big DPMS fan, as they are more of a "slap it together and sell it!" Kind of company. The smith and wesson and ruger ar556 are the best two in the lower price range available right now (in my opinion). The ruger is the nicest, giving you the forward assist, shell deflector, and dust cover that you won't get on the other two. The ruger can be had for around $650 or so I believe, and is built extremely well! I've eyeballed a few of them and they are really nice rifles. I just don't buy factory AR15's anymore, all of mine are Frankenstein built by yours truly!

 

[Trent12]

I'll add, for hunting with an ar15, I'll recommend the 6.8spc. There are a lot of manufacturers making rifles and upper halves available in the chambering, it's the 2nd most popular cartridge shot in an ar15. It is accurate, and powerful, and also can be loaded in 25 round magazines (different mags than the standard 5.56 mag). But 6.8 spc is essentially a .270 bullet loaded down to 2500-2600fps with a 120gr bullet, capable of taking game out to 300 yards. There is a forum dedicated to the 6.8 ar15 platform if you would like to learn some more about the cartridge and it's capabilities. It's a lot cheaper and easier to get than .458 and such. And the upper will just slap right onto any standard 5.56 or .223 lower, all you need is the 6.8 upper, ammo, and a 6.8 magazine. Good luck though, and I hope he enjoys his new rifle!

 

[Crusty Ol'Coot]

Buy the S&W - M&P. This platform get MANY good reports, and for the use almost all of use the AR for, there is no need for the forward assist or dust cover.

The M&P runs smooth!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

 

[Walt45]

I have the M&P Sport and love it. Every part is high quality and well made. It should be noted that the M&P uses a melonite coating inside the barrels. This is similar to a Glock and has been said to be Superior to chrome in consistency. The only downside to the M&P is the factory furniture sucks. All-in-all its a great gun and will serve him well.

On the dust cover and forward assist: They are holdovers from when the government would not listen to the gun designer. The forward assist is not needed. Would you want to jam a malfunctioning round into the chamber? I wouldn't. The dust cover helps when belly crawling through dirt, not much else. It will also fly open with the first round so not that effective. IMO