I have both....the S&W has the quad rail...and it is a great setup and performer....shoot it a lot.... flawless....shop wise and hard....bargains are out there....the Colt is great also...but I tend to use the S&W more...cuz I don't mind it getting banged up in the pickup....

 

You can't go wrong with a Colt. I believe, and lots of others as well, that Colt is the minimum.

I'm actually throwing around the idea of selling my 6920 SOCOM cause I made a ridiculous rifle purchase and that one may be the one to go. I do have another 6920 though .

Has an Aimpoint. Right up your alley!

 

I know you have narrowed it down already, BUT.... if you have not looked at Daniel Defense, I would suggest that you do so. I own 2 Colts and a Noveske CQB 10.5" SBR with a dedicated silencer and Aimpoint T1 is my go-to gun. But many friends operate the DD's in various configurations and I believe that they are outstanding tools for the money.
That being said, both of the guns you mentioned are GTG and the M&P's can be had at bargain prices.

 

Sold all AR's........sleeping much better now.

 

You may want to check out Adam Arms ar-15. They have a regulator gas system instead of the standard DI system.
I think that DD uses the RGS also.
Bud's Guns has been running Adam Arms ar-15 seconds for $599 with free shipping.
I bought one can't find anything wrong or scratched up on it.
Just more things to think about.

Gary

 

I recently bought my first AR, a Colt 6920. I like it so much I just ordered a second one. All my initial research indicated there are some better guns (but you pay the price) and many inferior guns. Colt seems to be the standard by which all others are judged. Moreover, when you decide to sell - you'll be selling a Colt and that pony on the side tends to command a premium. For me it was a no-brainer.

Out of curiosity, what about your M1A made it a 'pre-ban' ... was it just the year of production? I didn't know they ever changed the design of that rifle.

 

Year of production and items and features that make it pre-Clinton ban

 

Assuming you want a 100% reliable, accurate, high quality carbine right out of the box, and you want to buy it without a lot of drama having to have it special ordered, I recommend buying a Colt.

Colt is the one all others are compared to.
It's built to the same standards and same parts that US military M4 carbines are built to, which means that it will give you no trouble and will last for a lifetime with no problems.

The M4 series is available at most Walmart's and most gun shops have them in stock or can get one fast.
Since the big buying craze is over, most distributors are over stocked so Colt's are very available and prices have dropped.

It's a COLT. That means that if you ever want to sell it, the price will be higher and the market of buyers will be larger.

As for a red dot, the choices are wide, ranging from cheap but usually reliable reflex sights under $100, to the Aimpoint and Eotech holographic sights the military use with prices starting around $500 and up.
These are tough, water proof and shock proof sights that are the best, but do cost.
As example, my buddy bought an Eotech for his M4 that has a battery life of FIVE years. That means you can turn it on and leave it on permanently. Some of the Aimpoint and Eotech sights have batteries good for EIGHT years.
Military users usually change batteries once a year just to be sure.
When you see pictures of SEALs coming out of the water with an M4 the sight is usually an Eotech or Aimpoint. Some are water proof to 130 feet or more.

Best advice here is to buy the best sight you can afford.
For 50 to 100 yard shooting I'd go with a standard red dot without magnification.

 

just an Idea. If you're shooting up to 100 yards and want less expensive to shoot and want your wife to like it too. I highly recommend a Colt 6450 or 6951 9mm Carbine.
My Colt and Rock River Shoot excellent up to 100 yards with no drop at all. Very accurate and alot less expensive than 5.56. I do like my Colt better due to a way better stock trigger.
Just my 2 cents.
Mike Z.

 

I love my Colt...handguns but I'm a Bushmaster owner. Bought it some 8 some years ago for ~800 (and I thought it high) but it was a well built AR and geez I had the buck at the time. It's the XM15-E2S) built in '07. May very well been have worked on by our esteemed member Twaits...dunno. I kept it naked for years. Added a different pistol grip, eventually a quad rail and then a laser front grip with light and finally an EoTech 552 optics. I love it, it's a tack driver. It's eaten .223 and 5.56 equally as well and it's one sweet AR. Windham now makes the equivalent though probably better. Twaits is still building em. No complaints though one day I may spring for the Colt, just cause. We all have our crosses to bear but that AR has dispatched 15 coyote to date and counting without so much as a burp.

 

Yep - same experience here. I have one from '97 and one from '09. Both have been flawless.

 

I also have a couple Colt 6920's and would highly recommend one of these.
I like the fact it has the 1-7 twist because my go to bullet for a SHTF scenario
is going to be the Black Hills 77gr. OTM bullet which is the same bullet used
by some special forces in our military. Good long range accurate bullet and the 1
-7 twist on the 6920 stabilizes it well.. As others have said the Colt logo will
hold value when other brands won't. There are other specialty AR's out there
for double/triple the money but i don't see the point personally. My Colt AR's
have never failed me and i have been shooting AR's when about the only option
WAS a Colt period if you wanted an AR.

Chuck

 

If you want a CQB rifle then the Colt LE6933 Commando has a proven pedigree. The EOTech magnifier isn't necessary but it helps turn it into a medium range weapon. I also like the grip pod, not because my Son carried it in Afghanistan, but if I need to set this shorty down it prevents me from having to lay it on its side.

 

I'm a very long time Colt AR owner of about 43 years, I had six carbines and rifles that I worn out the barrels between 15K to 20K+ rounds without breaking any parts and no troubles at all, so with my small sample size they're very reliable all those years.

Currently I have four Colt AR:
SP6920 Sporter M4 Carbine marked (same as the LE6920)
6721 A3 Tactical Carbine HBAR (heavy profile barrel under the handguards)
6721 same as above except I changed the barrel with a Rock Creek Barrels midlength gas system, profile like the 6920 SOCOM 16"
Match Target 6601 fixed stock rifle with a new USGI M16A2 Colt 20" upper half

With the Colt carbine models there are generally four kind to choose from and the main difference are the barrel profiles.

Lightweight profile barrels on model 6720.

M4 Government profile barrels on the model 6920 standard and Magpul Editions.

SOCOM profile medium-heavy barrels on the SOCOM series 6920.

HBAR profile heavy profile barrels 1/9 twist on the 6721 models.


There's a barrel profile for different use, the lightweight are better to carry around for long periods of time, the M4 Gov't profile if you want the barrel in front of the sight to be more robust to prevent bending damage, the medium weight SOCOM for better accuracy and heat not affecting the accuracy, HBAR heavy barrels are great for the best accuracy (but not very good to carry around all day).

Colt barrels are 4150 steel alloy mil-spec material per MIL-B-11595E which have the element Vanadium and higher Carbon content which last longer than the commercial brands typical 4140 alloy steel which have a lower Carbon content and no Vanadium, the commercial steel barrel will wear out faster than mil-spec barrels.

The 4150 mil-spec steel Cold Hammer Forged (CHF) barrels have a longer life than standard mil-spec barrels, and Daniel Defense, Colt of Canada, and some BCM, Palmetto State Armory, Spike's Tactical, etc. are using them, for heavy use these CHF barrels last two to three times the life of a standard mil-spec barrels.

For red dot optics I would highly recommend any Aimpoint model you might like, I also have an EOTech but a very long time owner of several Aimpoint 25 years now, the Aimpoint are more reliable than the other competitions in my opinion.

 

The world of ar's can be overwhelming when you first enter it. But it's only as complicated as you want it to be. In my opinion, you probably won't go wrong with any of the major, reputable brands.

 

PS I've shot Daniel defense, colts, and rock river. If I was going to buy one for myself, it would be a Daniel Defense because I like the concept of a mid length system which DD offers and the overall build quality. That being said, I like all 3 of them, and if a friend bought any of the 3 I would congratulate them on owning a fine rifle. I could say good things about any of them. Sorry haven't shot a smith before-

 

I have a soft spot for Knight's Armament.

I own KAC or Colt.

 

This post shows us why they don't just make Ford's and Chevy's......but all great input.....AR-15's post taught me...in a clear and simple way...the difference in Colt Models...and I have 4 of them !!...I just bought on price ( never the sportster).... and color....love the OD......but thanks to all for your level input....

 

After much researching I went with a Colt LE 6940. I put an Aimpoint Pro optic on it and made a few minor changes to it. I also looked at Daniel Defense, Knights Armament, Noveske. All good choices. I wanted a good quality AR that would be reliable when I needed it to be. I'm happy with my choice and would gladly do it again. Even though some health problems have kept me from getting out and using it, it's always close by an ready to go.

 

Good choice, that is exactly what I have. I also highly recommend replacing the stock trigger with the Geissele super semi automatic.

Super Semi-Automatic (SSA®) Trigger

 

Good choice, that is exactly what I have. I also highly recommend replacing the stock trigger with the Geissele super semi automatic.

Super Semi-Automatic (SSA®) Trigger

That's on my list : )