If you’ve ever shopped for an AR-15, you know the options are virtually endless. That’s a good thing, but it can also be overwhelming and daunting to some. The market is flooded with brands that all claim to be the greatest thing since John Moses Browning was around. You shouldn’t expect them to say anything else…companies are supposed to market and sell their products, right?
When it comes to popular firearms like the AR-15 however, quality, prices, customization, caliber, etc. all vary somewhat from one model to the next.
On the lower end, you can find budget AR-15s like the ATI Omni Hybrid, which I found on sale for $325 at a local gun store. For a plinking rifle it was okay, but when you compare it to some other brands, you see a big difference. But some of those other brands still have great prices that start in the $400-ish range. The hard part is sorting out the good from the only okay.
On the higher end of AR-15 island, you find prices quickly jump into the thousands. Even on sale, a Daniel Defense, or Knight’s Armament can set you back over $2,500. But not everyone wants to drop that much on a rifle. And that’s fine. You don’t have to. There are plenty of good AR-15’s out there for reasonable prices that still offer acceptable quality.
Before all of the AR-15 scholars and philosophers start chiming in, I’ll say there are plenty more great brands that aren’t mentioned in this article. I have personal experience with the rifles listed here and think they’re worth the price.
But I can’t include every quality AR-15 out there…I don’t have the time or the space. Instead, I’ve created a short list of some great AR-15’s that I can. attest are not junk.
Even though I’ve shot all of these rifles (a lot) over the years, we took them out to the range and ran another 400 rounds through each one using a verity of magazines and ammo, just to be thorough. A shout out to Global Ordinance is in order for providing ammunition for the testing.
I’m happy to say none of the rifles on this list had any issues regardless of the type of ammo or magazines we used. My favorite mags are PMAGs or HM Defense magazines, but we also used mags from KCI, Lancer, ATI, Duramag, ETS, and Amend2. For ammo, we ran Hornady .223 55 grain FMJ/BT, Frontier 5.56 62 grain, Foicchi Range Dynamics 55 grain FMJ/BT, and Winchester White Box 55 grain FMJ lead core.
Palmetto State Armory’s PA-15
Palmetto State Armory has made some huge improvements from its early days, and now they are producing some pretty cool stuff.
I remember shooting one of their early model AR-15’s and had some problems with it. But that was years ago and for some time now, their quality has continued to go up while their prices have stayed very reasonable.
Their most popular rifle is by far the PA-15, which can be ordered in a number of configurations from their website. I own several of these rifles and I haven’t had any issues with them.
The standard PA-15 from Palmetto State Armory comes with a 16-inch barrel, M4-style collapsible stock, and A2-style flash hider. PSA used a mid-length gas system which I like because it’s ideal for smooth recoil control. PSA rifles are built with forged 7075-T6 aluminum.
The only thing you may find lacking when searching for a PA-15 is the color options you want. Pretty much all of their lower-priced guns are black, but I’m just being picky now. From my experience with them, it’s hard to beet the quality versus price of a PSA rifle. Average Price: $400 – $700.
Radical Firearms RF-15
The Radical Firearms RF-15 is another great budget AR-15 that also offers impressive quality for the price. Radical Firearms are made in Texas and much like PSA, they make some great quality guns for the price.
I found my RF-15 on sale for $399 and it came with 100 rounds of ammo and five PMAGs. That was back before crazy day prices so I’m kicking myself for not buying two. Or three.
The RF-15 features a 16-inch barrel, full-length Picatinny rail, and M-LOK handguard for accessory mounting. Radical Firearms produces some great barrels for such a lower-priced gun. They use 4140 Chrome-Moly Vanadium steel and have a good quality assurance program.
My ammo counter app isn’t always spot-on, but I have somewhere around 2,800 rounds through my RF-15 and I haven’t had any issues at all. For a $400 rifle, that’s not bad. Average Price: $450 – $600.
Bushmaster XM15-E2S
Bushmaster is an old-school brand, and you can find some awesome deals on used ones or purchase a new one. My XM-15 was a law enforcement surplus rifle I found for $400. Now if I was purchasing a new rifle, I would pick a more modern version. But it’s kind of cool to have an older model with the quad rail and carry handle.
The XM15-E2S model is still in that affordable range and will hold its own in performance. It has a 15-inch barrel with a pin and welded flash suppressor. Bushmaster used a carbine-length gas system, and a plastic handguard. I replaced the handguard with a quad rail for a review but will probably put something else on it later.
Bushmaster’s rifles are built with forged 7075-T6 aluminum receivers and have chrome-lined barrels. This is one of the values of this rifle. It’s getting harder to find chrome lined barrels these days, so this one is priced very well.
The XM15-E2S is a solid pick for those wanting a budget-friendly AR-15 with some old-school vibes and above average barrel. Average Price: $600 – $800.
Diamondback DB15
Diamondback became popular back when it produced their DB380 pistol. The gun was cheap and hit-or-miss on reliability. But like other gun companies, they continued to grow and their quality improve over time. As you can tell by now, I like shopping for bargain guns that are on sale. So when I found the DB15 on sale for $550, I decided it was time to give them a try.
I have been delightfully surprised ever since. The trigger isn’t bad, accuracy is on par with other budget-friendly AR’s and the FDE finish is great.
The DB15 comes with a 16-inch barrel, free-floating M-LOK handguard, and a Magpul MOE stock on most models. It has a 4150 chrome-moly vanadium barrel and A2 flash hider. Diamondback offers multiple color options which is nice. Henry Ford may have wanted all his cars to be black, but I kind of like to have an assortment of finishes and colors to choose from. Average Price: $550 – $700.
IWI Zion-15
As I said in the beginning, there are a ton of AR-15s that could be added to this list. But I can’t make any list of quality, budget friendly AR-15’s without mentioning the IWI Zion-15. IWI is known for building durable firearms, and the Zion-15 has held up to that reputation.
The Zion-15 comes with a 16-inch barrel, M-LOK handguard and B5 Systems furniture. Like most others in todays world, they use 4150 chrome-moly vanadium barrels for improved heat resistance.
This one retails for a little more than the others, but I think it can still be included on a budget-friendly list. While the company is headquartered in Israel, the Zion is made in Middletown, Pennsylvania. They pay a lot of attention to detail and this is a rifle worth checking out if you are planning to spend more than $700. Average Price: $750 – $900.
HM Defense MC5 Raider
The HM Defense MC5 Raider is probably starting to fall outside that budget-friendly range. It’s also technically a pistol, not a rifle. But people’s idea of budget-friendly will vary so… we will throw it on the list anyway.
When I was considering purchasing the MC5 Raider I had a few questions for the company. I can’t say I normally have good luck when I try to call a firearms manufacturer. But, when I called HM Defense, the phone rang twice and a woman answered. And by woman, I mean a real one, not an AI generated voice telling me, “your call is important to us.”
She was polite and answered all my questions. I bought the rifle and have never regretted it.
HM Defense uses a monobloc barrel which is their patented barrel that has the gas black machined from one piece of metal. They also use a patented bolt carrier group that I love (but we’ll talk more about that in another article).
The MC5 Raider has a 16-inch barrel, free-floating M-LOK handguard, but is also available in a pistol version with a shorter barrel. It has a 4150 Chrome-Moly Vanadium barrel that is match grade, triple honed and button rifled. Average Price: $850 – $1,000.
Is the AR-15 for you?
If you’re in the market for a budget-friendly AR-15, maybe this short list will help. If not, keep looking because there’s a budget friendly AR out there somewhere with your name on it. But beware…it’s hard to own just one.
– Jason Mosher, Shooting News Weekly