Which AR15 to Buy

[john.reeves45]

Hi Guys

Im sure this topic has been discussed alot but i never really see responses with detail other then the poster just saying which Make he prefers

Can ppl with experience please assist me with this answer as i am new to the semi-auto rifle world

I know you get the Norinco and its cheap-Value for Money R12,900

There is the NEA-Heard great reviews but hate the look-R19500

Astra-+ R18500, know nothing about???

Then the Schmeiser, up of R26,000

Is the Schmeiser worth the extra money- Please can someone help shed some light, i really want to go buy the Schmeiser now but want help justifying the extra cost

What else should i consider as Availability is also killing me

Thanks as always fellow Gunsiters

John

[Lian]

what do you find unappealing about the NEA?
im guessing the bland slab rail? when you think about it.... it makes it lighter and easier to grip.

[dunn2240]

You also get an STI purpose built for sport-similar pricing to nea iirc.should be looked at if 3 gun is an intended use.mrst bring them in

[racingfreak]

Oh my...just had a look at the Schmeisser...what a beautiful weapon...but the quality of the NEA is also top notch and the difference between that and the Schmeisser can buy you the mother of all trijicons...

That said, if money was not a factor I would go for the Schmeisser any time

[ikor]

Not a fan of piston ARs...I would get the NEA in 5.56 and a T-1 / H-1 and never look back...but that's just me

[Pivo]

Get any AR you can put your paws on, while you can! AR has a modular design, so you should be able to upgrade most of the parts, if necessary, unless you buy something really exotic.

I have an Astra STG4, I read all sort of nonsense about it, but so far it has 4,000 rounds down-range and it just goes on! It is a mechanical device, so as long as you maintain it, it will serve you well.

[john.reeves45]

Thanks for the response all

I am a huge fan of the classic Colt AR look so once im spending this bucket load of money, i wanna stay true to that love. If it was purely bassed on DSS performance i would look no further than the NEA

I have found 1 available Schmeisser and ive very tempted but R25000 + is tough

When guys say the Norinco is rough, is that just the exterior Machining or does this apply to the inside to

What negative do People say about the Astra, I handled one and it felt pretty solid, there wasnt one tho to shoot

[DS]

I import the NEA and Schmeisser rifles.

Imo, from having 2 NEA demo rifles in the field, with 5.1k and 4.2k rounds history respectively, and only a gas ring change on the 5k rifle recently, the NEA rifles are very good value for money offering features not found on other rifles similarly priced.

What distinguished the NEA from other rifles available here is the barrel - polygonal rifling and an advanced (derived from the aero space industry) nitride coated bore - nitride coated barrels are generally more accurate than chrome lined barrels (due to more uniform tolerances of the coating and the coating being "thinner" apparently) reports are being received in the USA (Ron Silvers posted iro this on the 300BLK Forum) of an approximate 50 - 60% increase in usable accurate barrel life over chrome lined barrels. Glock has been doing the poly rifling and nitride coating thing for a long time and we all know about the longevity of Glock barrels and finishes. The poly rifling and nitride coating is fairly new in the rifle world but more an more top tier barrel manufacturers are offering it now for the AR platform (and others I suppose?).


Schmeisser has its own reputation of excellent top quality comparing to the top manufacturers in the USA but then the price reflects that...and it can be had in the more "traditional" set up with A2 front sight and M4 type removable carry handle/rear sight set up, etc. The rifles we import are DI only because the piston models will increase the price and I personally do not see any real general user benefit over the DI system, on good quality rifles.

[Brendank]

Not a fan of piston ARs...I would get the NEA in 5.56 and a T-1 / H-1 and never look back...but that's just me

+1. NEA all the way.

[Chops]

The reason nitrided barrels are normally more accurate than a chrome lined barrel is as you surmised. The nitriding process is a case hardening surface treatment (the outer layer of barrel steel is infused with nitrogen and sometimes carbon (carbonitriding) to form nitrides with iron and certain alloying elements in the steel). Chrome lined barrels are a surface coating process where a wear resistant chrome barrier is applied over the barrel steel. Most surface coating processes does not accurately and consistently coat edges and corners, with edges tending to have a build up greater than the average thickness due to localized energy concentration while the reverse is true for inside corners. Thus the lands tend to have irregular rounded edges.