High Standard AR-15

[skinman]

I am not knowlegable about AR-15s and all I know about them is what I have picked up talking to folks and reading about them. I checked out a High Standard AR-15 with the 16" barrel the other day and compared it with a DPMS. Given my lack of experience, it looked to me like the High Standard was a very well made weapon equal to the DPMS in every way. I did some online research and had a hard time finding anything negative about it with the exception of the trigger pull being hard. Does anyone have any experience with this particular weapon? I am looking for a decent AR-15 for plinking and range shooting but I really cannot see spending $1K for a rifle that I will probably shoot less than 5K rounds/year.

 

[jsimmons]

How much do you want to spend? You can get decent rifles for about $700. I don't know anything about the high standard stuff.

 

[skinman]

$700-$850 max. Anymore than that and it seems foolish not to just go with a Colt IMHO.

The price on the DPMS and High Standard are comparable within this price range. However the High Standard visually appeared to be the better made weapon.

 

[espnazi]

IMO you would be better served with a BCM, Daniel Defense, or Spikes tactical. They have several options in that price range.

 

[45tex]

Aren't the High Standards a Houston product now. I like keeping my money in Texas

 

[skinman]

Their Website shows that they are in Houston.

I am not looking for some mall-ninja weapon, I am looking for a handle upper basic Mil-spec weapon. The only modifications I anticipate doing is maybe a trigger job. Colt is the upper price range at just at $1K ± $100. I have looked at and held the Colt, DPMS, and High Standard and my choice will be one of these three. Honestly, since I have no experience with the AR-15, I could not tell any significant difference between them. Obviously, the Colt will hold its value better but then it is the most expensive. A lot of folks have good and bad things to say about the DPMS but I cannot find anyone with any real experience with the High Standard and what I have found is good reviews from professionals evaluating a freebe.

 

[Texas42]

I think a lot people recommend to buy the cheapest lower you can, and get the upper you want.

It is very easy to take an upper and lower apart and put it back together. The lower reciever is the only hting that has to go through an FFL, so you can buy the upper online, without any problems.

I would recommend getting a flat top. Its easy to put a detachable carry handle on a flat top, it takes work to put a flat top on A2.

 

[espnazi]

High standard is in Texas, and while supporting the local economy is a good thing I would rather get something of better quality for the same price.

You can get a DD upper from smartgunner with FA bolt carrier group and handle which are HP/MPI tested, and your choice of barrel length in 1/7 and gas system also of your choice for $473. Their barrels are cold hammer forged and chrome lined.Daniel Defense Custom (Stripped - No Rail) Upper Receiver Group
All you would need is a lower. you can get a complete lower for $165.https://surplusammo.com/index.php?m...id=819&zenid=982d1a43cda081286787bbbf09b2b410
or buy a stripped Spikes lower for $79 from AIM and assemble as desired.

Do you need all these features for a plinking gun? No, but why not get the better built rifle if it's in the same price as a dpms or high standard.

 

[espnazi]

I am looking for a handle upper basic Mil-spec weapon.

Neither DPMS nor HS are Mil-spec.


Also if you decide to spend a little more Colt is a good option and CDNN has a complete Mil-spec 6920 for $1099.

 

[skinman]

Neither DPMS nor HS are Mil-spec.


Also if you decide to spend a little more Colt is a good option and CDNN has a complete Mil-spec 6920 for $1099.

The High Standard Mil-Spec series is advertised as mil-spec. The msrp for a mil-spec HSA-15 CARBINE A2 is $943. They sell NIB for ~ $750-$850. The one I was looking at was listed at $799 as was a new DPMS. The pristine used Colt AR-15 A2 I was looking at was listed at $1050. All three sold within days.

I know the AR-15 platform is like the 1911 and 10-22 Ruger with aftermarket options galore, and I realize that I probably could custom build a better weapon but I do not want to tool-up to build a custom AR-15, and paying someone else to do it for me could easily drive the cost up beyond its real value. Also, a custom build does not necessarily have a good a resale value unless you get lucky and happen to find someone who is looking for the same things as you are.

Thanks for all the information. I was hoping someone had experience with this manufacturer's AR-15 they would share. When I decided to get another 1911, the choice was Colt because they keep coming out on top in resale value and out of the box performance reviews. I will probably end up with a Colt AR-15 A2 for the same reasons.

 

[chubbyzook]

i have an original colt sp1 from the 70's i think, as far as quality wise i doubt it cant be beaten. it has eaten everything and anything i put it and i clean it every few years lol. still looks the same as the day my dad picked it up in the 80's lol

 

[espnazi]

Those prices are fairly steep IMO and a problem now is that people just like to throw out the word Mil-spec as a marketing tool. 1/9 twist with no chrome lining is not mil-spec. A Mil-spec barrel is 1/7twist which allows you to stabilize a wider range of bullets in today's market and is chrome lined for durability and ease of cleaning. Although high standard has been making firearms for years it is new to the AR market and their is no knowledge if they properly stake their gas keys among other things.

Here is "the Chart" comparing all features of major AR manufacturers.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pwswheghNQsEuEhjFwPrgTA#gid=0

If you truly want to with a "cheap" AR I suggest you look into CMMG's bargain bin rifles. You can get a complete one for $599.

 

[jsimmons]

I think buying the complete upper that you want and custom building a lower is the best advice. I never personally worry about resale value on a gun. I worry about whether or not it's going to work every time. I have two ARs - a S&W M&P15 carbine, and a scratch-built mid-length rifle with parts from a variety of manufacturers.

Neither is a match-grade rifle, but both are dependable. I think Colts are more expensive than they should be, and so are the S&Ws. In both cases, you're paying for the name to be put on what amounts to a "just mediocre" rifle. Here's why I think you should go with the completed upper/custom lower)

IMHO, an upper with a 16-inch mid-length gas system barrel, M4 feed ramps, a full-auto BCG, and floating handguard is the best all-around upper you could have. As long as you use an appropriate action spring and buffer in the lower, you'll have a rifle that will go bang every time, and your rifle won't get beat to death during recoil. You can get uppers like this already assembled and tested - Spikes, Bravo C0omany, Adax - there are a lot of companies that do this. To keep costs down, you might want to opt for a standard handguard, but a floating one is a better choice for the sake of accuracy).

The lower is where most of your customization is done and where you make the rifle feel right. When I built mine, I started with a DPMS lower parts kit, which I consider to be a mistake because I ended up replacing all of the parts that came in it except the roll-pins detents, and some of the springs. What I *should* have done was buy the trigger group (I chose the Spike's Battle Trigger), pistol grip (I got a CAA UPG16 grip), and KNS anti-rotation FCG pins separately, and then buy the other stuff as individual parts. It would have cost me $50 less to go that way.

I would have bought a complete lower, but that would have been a huge waste of money because I couldn't find one configured anywhere close to what I wanted, and I would have had to pay not only for the completed lower, but all the replacement parts as well.


I highly recommend that you build your own rifle if for no other reason than to save money on stuff you'll probably upgrade to later.

However, if you just want to buy a rifle, I think you'd be doing well to start with a S&W M&P15, a Bravo Company rifle, or a Spike's. My S&W has been flawless, and I've used it in a couple of tactical carbine matches, and generally mistreated it. It shoots steel ammo just fine (my scratch built is a bit tempermental where steel ammo is concerned, but that's because of the barrel I chose - I think).

I guess the long and short of it is that you shouldn't buy cheap just because it's cheap, and NOBODY is really agreeing that you should go ahead with your plan to buy a High Standard or even a DPMS. Even if you don't listen to me, a little bell should be going off in your head.

Am I rambling?

 

[racer12611]

I have an HSA-15 High Standard AR. VERY pleased, and a Houston Company.

 

[Texan2]

Academy has dpms rifles starting at $599. If cheap is what you are looking for....

 

[grumper]

DSG Arms had Colt 6920s for $950 over the weekend. That's the best price I've seen in a long time.

Could give them a call and see if they still have any left.

 

[robocop10mm]

I have a High Standard AR 9mm. It has been a very reliable rifle through about 500 rounds. I picked it up from the factory and got the "grand tour" Nice place and nice people.

Initial quality seemed good. I did change out a couple of things like the buffer (it came with a standard rifle buffer) and a buffer tube spacer. I have a PSA 5.56 upper for it also that works just fine. No issues with the caliber conversion.

Mil-spec is a very misused term. NO semi-auto AR is mil-spec. Mil-spec applies to select fire guns only. There are some differences with buffer tube diameters between "commercial" and "mil-type". Mil-spec is often used to refer to MP tested barrels and bolts. A non-MP bolt is not necessarily defective or dangerous. Many thousands of perfectly good non-MP bolts are in use that NEVER fail. A "mil-spec" bolt will be pressure tested in a fixture with a "proof load" and then magnafluxed for microscopic cracks. If it passes that test, it is deemed GTG. It can still develop stress fractures after firing some ammo, 10/100/1000? I cannot predict. MP only insures initial quality, it does not guarantee the bolt will NEVER fail.

To my knowledge, the only companies putting out MP bolts are government contractors (Colt and FN)

 

[dustycorgill]

My first AR purchase was a DPMS. I still have it and it has been great.....but only AFTER I had to send it in. The gas key was not staked at all. They sent it back, with the gas key "barely staked", so they sent me another BCG with the gas key staked properly. Have no complaints about the rifle other than that. I will hang on to it, and my next one will either be a build with a mix of BCM or Black Rain Ordnance parts. If I buy one complete it will be a Black Rain Ordnance.