After getting my .308 bolt rifle, I now have to decide which rifle to buy next. (There is always another one)

My latest " want" is an AR15 varmint rifle in .223, I have shot one, liked it a lot, and besides, they look cool

How many of you guys own one, and what do you like/dislike??
Anybody regret it?

Mainehunt, the AR-15 (or any of the umpteen variants) make great varmint rifles. It' s just going to depend on how serious you are about it, and whether or not the gun will serve double duty as a target rifle. The basic ar-15 can be bought by several manufactorers for around 800.00. Then you can also find highly refined target/varmint versions with flat tops, bull barrels, target triggers, etc. Those range up anywhere from $1000.00 to 2,000.00 depending on options.

The basic AR will suffice for most people. The .223 is a light recoiling, accurate round and deadly on varmints. It has a maximum effective range of 500 meters with a maximum range of 1100 meters. Accuracy will depend on the individual rifle and how well it' s made.

The higher end rifles, like any, will come with " one hole" accuracy. The difference is in the making of the barrel, fitting of parts, trigger, etc.

One word of caution. ALWAYS use hearing protection. I don' t know if it' s the round itself, the fact it' s a fairly short barrel, or that bolt slamming back into the metal buffer spring in the plastic stock, but they will make your ears ring!!!

I own a M4, which is similar to the AR-15. Shoots the same .223/5.56
The M4 is 7 lbs. It is 33in long and 29in with the stock retracted. The barrel is 14.5in. It has a muzzle velocity of 2900 ft/sec with an effective range of 600m. The AR15 I think is a little longer somthing like 35in with a barrel length of 16in. However its effective range is 800m. Danny45 is right on the prices. These rifles are expensive especially if your looking at colt. I' m in the Army and have tons of experence with shooting rifles (M16A2, M4, AR15A2) with 5.56 and take my word the 5.56 does what it was designed to do. Price really doesn' t have anything to do with accuracy it really has to do with the shooter. All our weapons are made by the lowest bidder. These weapons are designed for the lowest common denominator, ie dumbest army grunt, so they are idot proof. The sights are real easy to figure out so it only takes about 6 rounds to sight in. You' ll really enjoy owning a weapon like an AR15. They are fun for just shooting, varmints, and for the lucky ones terrorists.

I am familiar with the .223, I have one in a single shot, bull barrel. I love the cartridge.

How much difference does the cast, forged, milled lower receivers make?

Pick up a Bushmaster with a flat top upper, throw a decent piece of glass on it and tear um up. Later maybe put a JP Enterprise trigger in it and you'll be all set.

www.bushmaster.com

If you want an accurate .223 why not a Tikka bolt? They are shooters!
If you're stuck on the cool look (I am sometimes too) then check out the Olympic arms from Washington state.
The ultra match model is guaranteed to shoot sub-1/4" at 100 yards. That's impressive! Their site is olyarms.com
I think the ultra match is at the very top of the page.
The Olympic rifle evidently out performs the Les Baer .223. That too is impressive.

Well, I bought the AR-15. I went with the Bushmaster XM15 E2S, 20" barrel, free-floated, flat top receiver.
The rifles are built right here in Maine, so that had something to do with my decision.
I like the idea that the Bushmasters are chambered for the 5.56 and the .223, so it is built to Military specs which is the higher pressure. Also, I haven't heard anything bad about the Bushmasters, unless someone complains of price. But then again, Armalite and Colt are more expensive.

I'll post later of the accuracy of this rifle. It is supposed to arrive today.

If you ever look at the prices that Bushmaster lists, don't be scared away by their MSRP's of their rifles. I found several distributors on the net that saves you a couple of hundred dollars on most of the rifles.

critch,
The reason that I didn't consider the Tikka bolt, or any other other bolt, is because I bought the AR-15 for it's semi auto ability. This is my new coyote/varmint rifle. I want it for the fast second or third shot for multiple coyotes. I have called in pairs on fox and coyotes, but couldn't cycle the bolt fast enough.

Many folks are getting sub MOA accuracy with the Bushmasters, some even getting
1/4" groups.

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mainehunt

I've owned 3 different AR-15 variants. They all would shoot moa or better with blackhills 55 grain remanufactured ammo. With handloads, they would all shoot 1/2 moa. Black hills ammo was cheap enough and shot well enough that it was hard to motivate myself to pick up brass in the field. I think you will ultimately want to get a trigger job--that was the only mechanical complaint. I bought mine for jack rabbits and coyotes. They are so loud that hearing protection is a must. I would look for one of the flat top models that allows the removal of the front sight as well as the handle. It gets old seing the front sight through a scope and mounting a scope on top of the handle places it too high for quich sight acquisition IMO. I'm presently in process of trying to turn a ruger ranch rifle into a shooter. I like its handling, size and weight but miss the AR accuracy.

elkaddict,
Thanks for the reply, I did get the flat top version. I wanted nothing to do with the carry handle or the front sight. I put a 4-12 x44 scope on it. All I have shot so far is at 25 yards to zero scope, Well, not actually zero, but on the paper. Just by leaning against the porch post, I got it hitting at 25 yards, about a half inch group. I am liking that, looking forward to shooting it off of sandbags at 100 yards. It's a little hard to get out too much right now in Maine. We have received over 3 feet of snow in the past week. ( have got over a foot today, still snowing) I hope this will make the coyotes hungry
I have heard lots of good things about the Black Hills ammo. Especially the 62 grain hollow points. I also had a Mini 14 ranch rifle, I have to say that I was very dissapointed with it. I treied evrything but a new barrel on mine, the best I could get was 4 and 1/2" groups at 100. I couldn't sell it fast enough. I love this AR already, but they are expensive. The trigger on mine is the "el-cheapo" but I actually like it. Haven't tested with a scale yet, but it feels like about four pounds, very crisp.

I must add this. Several people warned me about how loud they are. I have shot one other AR 15 and it was extremely loud, BUT it had a muzzle brake and very short barrel. Mine has a 20" bull barrel, NO brake or tamer on it. It is no louder than any other rifle I own, and More quiet than some.