Ever since the assault weapon ban expired, I've been looking at getting a nice Bushmaster rifle with all the goodies installed. But after looking at their website, their ARs are fairly pricey. The standard Bushmaster 20" AR with preban features is $995 with an A2 upper.
However, if I were to buy the upper and lower receiver separately, it's a different story. The lower receiver, fully assembled and with a buttstock is only $295. And the matching pre ban upper configuration is only $535, this comes to a total of $830. That's a savings of $165, and for the exact same gun. It only takes about 5 seconds to join the upper and lower receiver.
The complete rifle comes with a 30 rd magazine and hardcase, but this doesn't cost $165, or even close. Not to mention, if I buy a lower receiver, I have better versatility for making my own rifle, not one picked for me. Does this make sense to anyone else?