Need Advice: Colt AR-15 in 223

[MarkA]

I have had an incredible stroke of VERY GOOD fortune. My sister gave me a NIB, S & W, Performance Center, 945. It is one of their top of the line 1911 pistols, MSRP is $1650 with a wholesale of approx $1150 to $1200. I am NOT a pistol person. I am going to trade the 945 for a Colt AR-15, 223 for varmints. I know NOTHING about the Colt except that I can trade for a NIB weapon with bells and whistles for my 945. My questions are these.
1. What Model and configurattion is best?
2. Are there any barrel/trigger/other options that are better/worse?
3. Anyother tips or things to check, be careful of, etc?
4. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOURS?

[Bobcat]

Hey Mark,

I will let our AR Guru's chime in and help you!

I just wanted to welcome you to the Posse!

Make yourself at home!

Good Hunting,

Bob

[Rancher]

Take a look at RRA, Bushmaster or DPMS along with the Colt. They're all made with pretty much the same parts. I've got an A2 preban colt and a DPMS and the DPMS will outshoot the colt. For what that pistol is worth I'm thinking you could trade it for either 2 RRA's or DPMS's or trade it for one rifle and some cash to put in your pocket.

I got my DPMS heavy barrell, flat top, with a Harris bipod, the rail thing on top that you mount a scope to, 3 30 round mags and a top end carrying case all for $650.00 shipped to my FFL.

Go over to AR15.com and hang around there for awhile. There are some dealers there who advertise in their classified section and you might be able to make a good deal with one of them if you dont feel comfortable trading with an individual.

Bozowise on this forum has an FFL, I think, and he places orders for folks on occasion and he's not all that far away from you. He might be able to come up with a good deal for you.

[MarkA]

Rancher: Thanks! for the advice! It is almost word for word the advice from my other trusted site. Went to AR15 to register and will try that route. Looked quickly at the DPMS and they tons more to offer than Colt!

I will hit the big gun show in Lubbock next weekend with an entirely new outlook! Thanks Again!!!!!!!!!!!

[1st cav sgt ret]

MarkA you might also want to look at bushmaster,very good quality(better than colt IMO) lots of upgrades and options also like Rock River Arms

[Rancher]

You're welcome and I'm glad that I could help a little bit. Now you've gone and opened up a whole 'nother can of worms as to which is the best out of Rock River, Bushmaster or DPMS. There are, IMHO, minor differences but not enough to lose sleep over.

Have you ever thought about a custom bolt action? I have no idea what you can get for that pistol from someone who really wants it, but you may not have to pinch very many pennies to get enough cash together to make that happen. Just a thought and, as always, your mileage may vary.

When you get a deal done, post it up with a pic. I'd like to see whatcha got.

[slammy]

Hi MarkA,

The first AR-15 I purchased was a Colt A3 Sporter with a 16" barrel. I was horribly disappointed with the accuracy. The barrel was a 1 in 7 twist and I could not find any bullet weight/brand combo that would work. Finally I rebarreled the rifle with a fluted match grade barrel and free float metal hand tube. Then the rifle shot well.

I found out, as many guys do, that the AR MIL SPEC is a rifle system and not necessarily a brand specific rifle. So in my opinion spending extra money for a Colt is unwarranted. In fact the 1 in 7 twist barrel the Colt dealer sold me is great for a full auto machine gun, not for a semi auto sporter. He probably knew that, I had to find out the hard way. I built the rest of my AR's using Bushmaster, Olympic, and some DPMS receivers and parts. Colt purposely uses different pin sizes in their receivers so I won't be buying any more Colts unless the price is right. The parts on all the rest of my rifles are interchangeable.

The most accurate and still easy to carry is a 20" barrel length. Get a flat top receiver or be ready to aim high in a split second for close in shots (30 yds.), the carry handle is nice but your scope centerline is approx. 4" higher than your bore so it takes some distance for the bullet to attain aimpoint proximity. Usually 70 to 75 yds. depending on your zero. The kill zone on a bobcat may only be 6", a coyote 8 to 12".

The best thing about AR's is that if you are a little off on the first shot you can "walk it in" with follow up shots... Multiple follow up shots. You'll be happy with the AR style of rifle. One of the moderators, Byron South, has a picture of a rifle he uses somewhere on the sight. That is an excellent example of a predator rifle.