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The 5 Best AR-15s Under $1,000
The fate of the AR-15 style rifle always seems to be hanging in the breeze when it comes to politics. Every major election brings a surge of demands for bans from people that would rather strip you of your rights, than actually do anything about the real issues. When you’re preparing for the next big election-time rush to the gun store, we want to help you save a few bucks before prices rise from demand. Here is our list of the five best AR-15s under $1,000.
Updated May 13, 2021
A few years have passed since we originally brought you a look at The 5 Best AR-15s For Under 1000 and the gun world has been thrown into a frenzy. A sub-grand AR us difficult, but not impossible, to track down. Need some help? If you’re looking to buy a new rifle, we’ve dropped a few breadcrumbs to help you find your way. Take a look.
Three AR-15 rifles under $1,000 available now.
S&W M&P 15 SPORT II WITH MAGPUL M-LOK HANDGUARD, BLACK – 10305 – Palmetto State Armory (In Stock)
PSA PA-15 16″ CARBINE-LENGTH 5.56 NATO 1/8 PHOSPHATE M4 CLASSIC RIFLE, BLACK – Palmetto State Armory (In Stock)
PSA 16″ M4 CARBINE-LENGTH 5.56 NATO 1/7 NITRIDE LIGHTWEIGHT M-LOK CLASSIC RIFLE – 5165450254 -Palmetto State Armory (In Stock)
How Many Companies are Making AR-15s Today?
During the boom of AR sales just a few years ago, everyone who owned a pair of Vise Grips got into the AR manufacturing business. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It does, however, make it a lot harder for prospective buyers to know which companies know how to make a quality rifle and which recently shifted production from selfie sticks to AR-15s. Even when we filter out the companies that recycle aluminum foil burrito wrappers into bolt carrier groups, there are still a ton of great deals out there, so this list is just a starting point. Space limits us to five, so rather than get all cranky that your rifle isn’t listed here, leave a range report on your best pick in the comments.
Let’s clear up one other thing right off the bat. For this list, I am going to eke every available dollar of extra features and quality by using an actual street price limit of $1,000 rather than the often inflated manufacturer’s suggested retail price. That will let me squeak in a few entries with an MSRP over our $1,000 limit. With that said, here’s my top 5 list of the best AR-15s for the money.
1. Smith & Wesson M&P15 OR
The OR part of the name stands for “Optics Ready” and it certainly is. This one makes my list because you get a solid rifle, prepared for optics and back-up iron sights, without any frills or stuff to remove before you get started customizing. It comes with a receiver-length rail, and the gas block is also a short rail segment that is the exact height of the receiver rail. This makes mounting permanent or flip-up iron sights easy. While it’s not that hard to remove a fixed front sight gas block, I’d just as soon do without one in the first place.
It’s got a 16-inch barrel with 1:9 rifling, so it’s perfectly appropriate for the most common 5.56mm bullet weights. The bore, chamber, and bolt carrier are all chromed for durability. The trigger is heavy, but not gritty. It’s fine in its default configuration, at least until you get an itch to put in a match-grade replacement.
The net-net of this rifle is that it’s a good mix of bare bones features, but all the core components are good for long term use. You don’t pay for things you’re likely to customize or replace anyway, so it’s a great platform to customize over time. MSRP of the 811003 model is $1,069, but I see them online for a little over $890.
You can always opt to top it with a Crimson Trace Red Dot sight, too. Not a bad idea at all.
2. Rock River Arms LAR-15 Entry Tactical
I’ve been using and abusing two different rifles from Rock River Arms for the past couple of years, and both have passed the time test. They make good gear. While most LAR-15 models will break the $1,000 price barrier, you can get a deal on the LAR-15 Entry Tactical.
More of an AK shooter? Check out our list of the six best AKs for the money here.
This one includes a Wylde chamber, so you can shoot both 5.56mm NATO and .223 Remington without sacrificing accuracy. The 16-inch barrel is chrome moly treated for long life, and the pistol grip is a Hogue rubberized upgrade. It comes with the standard Rock River Arms two-stage trigger.
You can still find one for less than $950.
Now, if you want a RRA rifle with an MSRP UNDER the grand mark, you owe it to yourself to check out the new RRAGE Carbines with an MSRP of just $760. Yeah, you read that right. And it’s a great looking rifle, too. They’re going to sell like hotcakes, so get one for yourself. I’m going to, and I’m going to top it with a Trijicon TR24 AccuPoint 1-4×24 Dual-Illuminated Riflescope because I can. America!
3. Colt LE6920 Carbine
Not so long ago, leaving a Colt out of the top five AR rifles list would have been considered a cardinal sin. Considering Colt’s struggle to remain a viable and profitable arms manufacturer, there’s a case to be made to leave this rifle off the list. How can you recommend a product that may or may not be available a few months down the road? And that’s the rub here. Colt announced not too long ago that they were once again ceasing production of AR rifles available to the consumer so they can focus on being one of the main suppliers to the U.S. Military.
However, the LE6920 is a reputable rifle, and the AR-15 design has become so standardized that there is little risk in buying this gun. It’s not as if replacement parts and service will ever be an issue. There’s still more than a few on the market.
This one is just a tad heavier than our other picks, weighing in at a hair less than seven pounds—which many would consider a benefit. It’s got the standard A2-type gas block and front sight and Magpul MBUS in the back.
Coincidentally, after I turned in the first draft of this article, I went to the range and in the lane next to me a South Carolina Highway Patrolman was shooting his brand new, you guessed it, Colt LE6920. He ended up getting a model geared up with Magpul accessories, but that’s exactly the point of this article. Get a rock-solid basic rifle that has quality core components like barrel, receiver, bolt and carrier group. You can upgrade and accessorize over time as budget allows.
Its MSRP was $999 and you’ll find it for less on the street.
4. Sig Sauer M400 SRP
Like the Smith & Wesson M&P15 OR, the Sig M400 SRP (Sight Ready Platform) was designed to be optics ready. Also like the Smith & Wesson, it does not come with iron sights under the assumption that if you buy this one, you want every dollar to go into the rifle platform itself and not parts you may not use. This is another model that has dropped out of the catalog in the lesser-expensive version. You can still get several M400 rifles from Sig, but they come with some added features that drive up the price.
One thing I did like about this particular rifle is that the barrel twist rate is 1:7, which allows the use of longer (and, therefore, heavier) bullets. The faster twist rate will properly stabilize 75- and 77-grain projectiles. In my testing, I’ve not found 1:7 twist rates to have any observable negative impact on normal 55-grain projectile accuracy.
There are a couple of other things I liked about this particular rifle. The barrel is nitride-finished for fantastic corrosion resistance and durability. You’ll also notice that it comes with a Sig pistol grip, which I like quite a bit more than the standard mil-spec grip most ARs have. MSRP was $1,054, but if you dig online, you can still find them for about $900.
If I had the carbine version, I’d probably mount a Vortex Optics Razor AMG UH-1 Holographic Sight. If I went with one of the current versions, like the M400 TREAD, I’d be awfully temped to do the same, and add the 3X magnifier. Either that, or go with a Sig Electro-Optic scope.
5. CMMG Mk4 T
This one makes the list for its looks and performance. Better yet, you get some advanced features for the money. The barrel is free-floated and is surrounded by the CMMG RKM11 KeyMod handguard. I’ve recently started using a CMMG Mk4 rifle with this handguard, and it’s fantastic. The KeyMod system allows direct attachment of KeyMod-compatible accessories and short Picatinny rail segments only where you need them. The result is a handguard that is slim and light. All the Picatinny rail slots that you probably won’t ever use aren’t there to add weight and mess up your hands.
Unlike other models featured here, this one has a full-length rail on top for maximum flexibility in optics and accessory placement. The KeyMod holes are available on the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions of the handguard, if you want to add things like an angled fore grip. You can find this rifle for about $900.
Honorable Mentions
Since it is so close to our completely arbitrary price limit, I have to mention the FNH USA FN 15 Carbine. The folks at FN make billions and billions of rifles and machine guns for our folks in uniform and are now going after the commercial market with a vengeance. While the production lines are separate between commercial and military orders, the processes, raw materials, and machinery are the same, so if you pick up an FN 15 you are getting a true “mil-spec” AR-15. If you shop, you can find an FN 15 for about $1,029, ever so close to our budget limit for this list.
And I have to mention, Brownell’s sweet retro AR offerings. Their Model BRN-601®AR-15 Rifle holds true to the design of the iconic Model 601 rifle, which entered military service with the U.S. Air Force and other military units in SE Asia during the early years of the 1960s. The rifle is constructed from all-new parts and features furniture and slab-side receivers that are close to the original design envisioned by Eugene Stoner. Chambered in 5.56, these sweet rifles run right around $100.
If you’re looking for the best AR-15 for hunting off the list, the CMMG has a longer barrel and might be a better choice for predator hunting. In all fairness, the AR-platform is so widely used that it makes a superbly useful hunting rifle and in so many caliber options. Heck, take any rifle on this list, add an upper in .300 Blackout or the hot new 350 Legend and you’ve got a top-notch deer hunting rifle.
Another thing to keep in mind is, how many AR-15s should you own? Hopefully this list will point you in some new directions because we all know the answer is “Just one more.”
Those are my picks, what say you?
Tom McHale is the author of the Insanely Practical Guides book series that guides new and experienced shooters alike in a fun, approachable, and practical way. His books are available in print and eBook format on Amazon.
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