To find out if any of the above added up to improved performance, we tested for accuracy from the 100-yard line at American Shooting Centers in Houston. All three-rifle barrels were marked 5.56 NATO.
Takedown revealed nickel-boron coating of hammer and trigger components, plus a tension screw to fix any gap between the upper and lower ends of the rifle. Springfield Armory’s $899 Saint, the manufacturer’s first AR-15, was treated to a Bravo Company BCM Gunfighter stock and Keymod handrail. Barrel-twist rate was 1:7, and breaking down the rifle revealed a reduced-mass hammer. But the safety and the magazine release were ambidextrous. The free-floated handguard offered Keymod machining on three sides, and the Picatinny top rail extended 11 inches from the receiver.Īt first glance, the $1250 SIG Sauer RM400 Classic looked like a standard model with only a flat-top rail above the receiver to break up the profile. The $1000 CMMG Mk4T may still use the M1 buttstock and grip, but the 416 stainless-steel barrel offered a 1:7 twist on the inside and a bead-blast finish on the outside. What we came up with was three AR-15s with upgrades that distinguished them from more traditional models.
With the desire for a more up-to-date AR-15, we went shopping and found that we didn’t have to break the bank - just get comfortable within a price range of about $900 to $1250 dollars. Handguards are now modular platforms for lights, lasers, and sights, and ambidextrous fire controls are becoming more popular as well. Barrels with twist rates of 1:8 inches and even 1:7 inches have replaced the original-issue lands and grooves that spun the bullets at a rate of 1:9. The efficiency and versatility of barrels have been upgraded to take advantage of heavier bullets able to land a more effective blow at greater distance. Forged rather than cast aluminum is now the standard, and machining is more exact thanks to computer numerically controlled (CNC) automation. Why pay more? One answer would be to take advantage of the latest technology in terms of manufacturing, helpful features and improved ammunition. But you may have noticed complete uppers selling for as little as $400 during the last rounds of holiday sales and complete carbines selling for less than $700. A staff member recently paid $2300 for a complete AR-15 carbine without regret.