# Have AR-15 prices gotten any more sane since the last election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375 "2017-04-13T13:23:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/1 "2017-04-13T13:23:36Z")
Gun and ammo prices in general? What’s the going rate for a decent quality bot no frills AR-15 or clone nowadays? ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/2 "2017-04-13T14:17:39Z")
Prior to California’s most recent law, whose sole purpose is to antagonize gun owners, Smith & Wesson M&P 15’s were selling for $650.00 +/-. This is a somewhat basic, but good quality AR. I can only assume they are selling for about the same price outside Kalifornia. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/3 "2017-04-13T14:37:09Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > Prior to California’s most recent law, whose sole purpose is to antagonize gun owners, **Moderator Note** Let’s keep political commentary out of GQ. No warning issued. **Moderator Instructions** Keep your responses strictly to the subject of the OP. Inappropriate commentary on gun rights or other off-topic responses will be subject to a warning. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/4 "2017-04-13T14:46:54Z")
Sadly, the couple of times I’ve checked, the prices have been way down from what they were eight or ten years ago. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/5 "2017-04-13T15:17:09Z")
Generic AR-15 rifles start at $450 now. I believe they were double that a decade ago. No idea about quality for the cheapest ones. Since Trump won, gun sales are down. In theory this could lead to sales and lower prices. No idea about ammunition. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/6 "2017-04-13T15:40:35Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > Let’s keep political commentary out of GQ. No warning issued. > > **Moderator Instructions** > > Keep your responses strictly to the subject of the OP. Inappropriate commentary on gun rights or other off-topic responses will be subject to a warning. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator Fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/7 "2017-04-13T17:14:59Z")
S&W recently had a sale (apparently, because multiple stores featured it) on it’s M&P 15 II for about $500. I follow the used market somewhat closely (not looking for ARs, but other rifles, and they’re all lumped together) and I see folks selling a wide variety of ARs for $5-600, which I’d say is 20-40% below what they were a year ago. Granted, you can still pay over $1000 for sought-after brands/configurations. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/8 "2017-04-13T19:51:58Z")
I noticed that all the ads dried up before the election. I didn’t notice any specific price gouging except that local places were all out of the cheap lowers ($40-60; the part you need a background check for) and only had the billet lowers ($150+). Soon after the cheap ones came back. ---
**Author:** ![DudeManBro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@DudeManBro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudeManBro)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/9 "2017-04-13T20:46:30Z")
Good basic ones start at around $800. Like the colt OEM and maybe 6920’s if you can find them. Good as in, lube and shoot thousands of rounds through it and likely not have any parts crap out on you. Cheaper ones cobbled together with questionable parts, who knows. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/10 "2017-04-13T21:15:28Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Sadly, the couple of times I’ve checked, the prices have been way down from what they were eight or ten years ago. ☹ That’s only sad if you own a gun store like I do. For consumers it’s a win. What’s unfortunate is that the flood of AR’s from every manufacturer and their brother has resulted in some of the better [producers](http://www.guns.com/2017/01/26/longtime-ar-maker-olympic-arms-going-out-of-business/) of them to fold. I am an authorized dealer of Olympic Arms and their demise is a huge blow to the industry. If a company that good can go under who is next? I’ve been fielding phone calls almost every other day from Olympic owners about this. Olympic has provided little detail. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/11 "2017-04-13T21:57:36Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > That’s only sad if you own a gun store like I do. For consumers it’s a win. Or if you have a collection you’d like to pare down. I could probably get a good sum for the Colt SP1s, but I want to keep those. The rest I build Bushmaster receivers and Colt parts, except for a couple of NDS ‘retros’ I’m slowly working on building. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/12 "2017-04-13T23:53:25Z")
I can build adequate quality AR15’s all day long for around $500. These will be more than sufficient for varmint hunting and poking holes in paper at the range for hours with no misfires. Not something you’re going to be competition shooting with however. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/13 "2017-04-14T00:14:46Z")
Assuming you’re asking about an AR-15 in 223/5.56, I’ve seen ads recently for S&W Sport II or Ruger AR556s for ~$499. You can get a Del-Ton or American Tactical and a couple of other brands, none of which I am familiar with, for as low as $399. These are internet prices, but one of my local gun shops also has the S&W and Ruger on sale right now for $499. If I wanted an AR, I would have no problem buying either. I’ve had, and still have, a number of very good firearms from both of those companies. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/14 "2017-04-14T00:15:24Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > I can build adequate quality AR15’s all day long for around $500. These will be more than sufficient for varmint hunting and poking holes in paper at the range for hours with no misfires. Not something you’re going to be competition shooting with however. Do you need to spend more on an AR-15 than $500 or so? I see so many brands, and the prices range from $450 to $1000+. I have no idea what the difference is regarding quality or durability. Some of the ones on the lower end of \<$600 are made by well known companies in the firearm industry. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/15 "2017-04-14T02:12:37Z")
No. You don’t need to spend more than that any more than you need to spend more than 15k for a new car. It’s all about added features and increased accuracy and handling. For example: [Basic AR-Stoner carbine kit](https://www.midwayusa.com/product/977284). $360 on sale. No gunsmithing specialty tools required to assemble but they are helpful. [AR15 lower receiver](http://www.tacticalmachining.com/100-receivers/ar15-lower-receivers/223-5-56mm.html). $80 + your FFL transfer fees. That’s your basic have-fun AR15. Helpful tools. for the above build. [Spanner wrench](https://www.midwayusa.com/product/154145) for the buffer tube nut. $8 [Roll pin punch set](https://www.amazon.com/Grip-Roll-Pin-Punch-Pieces/dp/B003L7HOMG) for the various pins. $13. Plenty of how to videos on YouTube to demonstrate just how easy it is. ETA: Most states don’t have any registration requirements for building and/or owning your AR15 other than the standard background check when you purchase the lower receiver. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/16 "2017-04-14T14:30:14Z")
I’ve asked this before, but since AR-15s have come up again… I need a 16", standard weight (‘pencil barrel’), chrome-lined, CAR-15 barrel with a 1/12" twist for one of the ‘retro’ rifles. Does anyone know where I can get one? ---
**Author:** ![DudeManBro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@DudeManBro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudeManBro)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/17 "2017-04-14T14:55:29Z")
If you build it yourself or buy a bargain brand, do not bash the whole AR design on the internets if your gun doesn’t run well. Could be: .223 chamber vs. the proper 5.56 one Wrong gas port size (often too large) Badly staked carrier keys loosening Mismatched feed ramps Bad springs and small parts Shoddy assembly etc… Just like in cars, there is a difference between the basic reliable Honda Civic, vs. say… a yugo. If one only shoots 50 rounds out of it in a year, then it’s probably okay, but I wouldn’t trust it for anything other than plinking. [M4carbine.net](http://M4carbine.net) is a great site covering AR’s and other weapons. Just use the search feature first, since they’ve been asked everything about a hundred times. ---
**Author:** ![DudeManBro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@DudeManBro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudeManBro)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/18 "2017-04-14T15:01:17Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’ve asked this before, but since AR-15s have come up again… > > I need a 16", standard weight (‘pencil barrel’), chrome-lined, CAR-15 barrel with a 1/12" twist for one of the ‘retro’ rifles. Does anyone know where I can get one? Not in stock, but if you wanna wait… [http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/barrel-parts/rifle-barrels/ar-15-16-a1-carbine-barrel-1-12-assembly-prod97903.aspx?avs](http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/barrel-parts/rifle-barrels/ar-15-16-a1-carbine-barrel-1-12-assembly-prod97903.aspx?avs%7cManufacturer_1=BROWNELLS%2bMILITARY%2bBARRELS) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/19 "2017-04-14T15:32:06Z")
> [@DudeManBro](#): > > Not in stock, but if you wanna wait… > > [Shop All Shooting & Gunsmithing Supplies | Brownells Since 1939](http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/barrel-parts/rifle-barrels/ar-15-16-a1-carbine-barrel-1-12-assembly-prod97903.aspx?avs%7cManufacturer_1=BROWNELLS%2bMILITARY%2bBARRELS) Thanks. I’ve backordered it. ETA: If anyone knows of one currently available, I’d like to hear about that, too. . ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375/20 "2017-04-14T17:50:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Or if you have a collection you’d like to pare down. Agreed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-ar-15-prices-gotten-any-more-sane-since-the-last-election/784375.md?page=2)