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[rossi]

I see some very expensive AR Parts for sale. I recently picked up a "High End" part for cheap. I compared it with one of my budget parts of the same type. I can't see an appreciable difference for paying top dollar. The accessory parts I have are about 1/4 to 1/3 the price of "Brand Name" parts, and have been performing for years without a problem.

Your thoughts?

 

[Anangrypasta]

I always think about what Ian from Forgotten Weapons said about high end guns. To paraphrase, an increase in price does not mean an exponential increase in quality, it is unreasonable to expect that. Some folks are willing to pay double the price for like items to gain only a 10% increase in perceived quality.

In my personal opinion regarding parts, cheap parts are usually not great, and expensive parts aren't usually worth it unless it does something special (IE a Radian charging handle vs mil spec). I really like UnbrandedAR parts when making builds because they are very decent quality and not overly expensive. I'll use a Geiselle trigger over milspec because I value the increase in quality and performance over standard.

 

[Longtooth]

It was once explained to me that its not necessarily an increase in quality as it is in quality control. Some of these brands Im sure are just jacking up the price as much as they can and there really is no increase in quality.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

Alot of it is name brand recognition and "dick" waiving. I always enjoy the AR15's that have 6 names and numbers in the title.
Mke 216 Sockpuppet mod 7 Fledermaus Night Reaper carbine.

Also totally assembled from other makers parts.

ah, what do I know I'm a peasant who likes Kel Tecs and 40 year old T91's Lol.

 

[Southalabama]

Alot of it is name brand recognition and "dick" waiving. I always enjoy the AR15's that have 6 names and numbers in the title.
Mke 216 Sockpuppet mod 7 Fledermaus Night Reaper carbine.

Also totally assembled from other makers parts.

ah, what do I know I'm a peasant who likes Kel Tecs and 40 year old T91's Lol.

And your left handed in a right handed world.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

And your left handed in a right handed world.

Yep, that too. 0 issues with rifles (most)

 

[Grits1/5]

Some “budget” parts are great. One factor to consider is the quality of materials. Aluminum, steel, and polymers have different types of quality and strength. For example, 7075 aluminum is much stronger than 6061 aluminum. This means that parts made of 7075 probably cost more, because the material is more expensive and takes longer to mill. Some budget companies may just say “aluminum” and not say what grade it is. Or a budget company could even be unscrupulous and label something as 7075 when it really isn’t.
Quality control is also a price factor. Higher end companies often have higher quality control, because they must protect their reputation. Quality control costs money and man hours. Even companies like Geisselle sell cheaper versions of their premium triggers, under different names or even different brands. These cheaper versions may be identical to the more expensive versions, but you take a slight chance on the cheaper versions.
US made stuff also costs more than Chinese made stuff. I have a little more confidence in Surefire than I do in Streamlight, but I haven’t had too many problems with Streamlight lights, and I often use them because they are a fraction of the price of Surefire. Streamlight is made in China and Surefire is US made.
When it comes to red dot optics, Holosun is really blowing away the other manufacturers. They are Chinese made, but the quality on many models is phenomenal, with better features, and honestly clearer dots than many premium high end manufacturers. I like the holosun 507c more than I do the trijicon rmr.
One advantage of some cheaper brands is that they are less likely to be counterfeited. Unless you buy from a reputable or authorized dealer, you take a chance of buying a counterfeit product. Counterfeit products are getting harder to spot, and the Chinese counterfeit almost anything they can! Almost every premium manufacturer is being counterfeited. Look on AliExpress to get an idea of what is being counterfeited, and it will blow your mind. Especially if I’m buying used stuff, I’d rather buy an real Streamlight product than chance a fake Surefire product. Or a real holosun vs a chance of a fake eotech or Aimpoint. Just points to consider.

 

[Bamaboy19]

To me, in this new hobby they're just toys. If my life depended on it, I'd want the best, and spend accordingly. I got Ohunt & $20 red dots on some of mine. As I age I get more frugal, I just picked up a DSG 6.5 creedmoor barrel from a member here for $50. My ignorance to this platform is waning, I know enough that in the AR10 there is no real standard, so I have a Diamondback DB10 (which is a decent budget brand) that I've stared buying parts for to build a 2nd complete upper based off that barrel. Stripped upper incoming, I'll keep buying my parts from them, prices are pretty decent. I think I'll have less than $400 in it, I've built whole AR15s for less. Just use common sense & spend wisely.

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

** note money spent on better barrels is good. I'll admit that.

 

[ccc]

I agree with you in some instances and disagree in others. I have some gun accessories / parts that are cheap that I feel are built very well and some some that are obviously built very cheap with poor quality. I also have some very expensive what some would call quality firearms, but I also have marginal such as PSA AR’s that I would put up against any higher dollar AR’s ! In my honest opinion you can put a 10K AR in an average man’s hands and he will still shoot just average, so much of good shooting is mechanics and training, training, training, TRAINING ! At the end of the day Michael Jordan in his prime wearing $15 Payless Sneakers would beat the snot out of anyone in basketball wearing $300 Nike’s ! It’s not the shoes, it’s the man wearing them.

 

[FowlHunter13]

Sometimes you can tell a difference and sometimes you can’t. Being a revolver guy at heart, I can dang sure tell the difference between a $600 S&W vs a $400 Taurus. But that is an entire product and not just an individual part. Can I tell the difference in a $50 Timber Creek aluminum trigger guard on my AR and a $15 Magpul? Not in the slightest. With me, I want to match my tool to the job. As far as an AR, I have built entire weapons for under $400 and they have not skipped a beat. The 350 Legend setup I have now is an Anderson lower I got for probably $35 and a BCA upper I picked up for $229. The rest of it was just parts that I had laying around or stuff I got cheap. That joker has never failed me, shoots like a laser and has provided me with quite a bit of table fare. Would I want it for laying down suppressive fire in the jungle? Not a chance. Never use a tool for something it was never intended to be and your chances of being let down drastically decrease.

 

[Loxz34]

People pay top dollar for brands because they trust their quality control.

 

[Baddog 0302]

Sometimes you can tell a difference and sometimes you can’t. Being a revolver guy at heart, I can dang sure tell the difference between a $600 S&W vs a $400 Taurus. But that is an entire product and not just an individual part. Can I tell the difference in a $50 Timber Creek aluminum trigger guard on my AR and a $15 Magpul? Not in the slightest. With me, I want to match my tool to the job. As far as an AR, I have built entire weapons for under $400 and they have not skipped a beat. The 350 Legend setup I have now is an Anderson lower I got for probably $35 and a BCA upper I picked up for $229. The rest of it was just parts that I had laying around or stuff I got cheap. That joker has never failed me, shoots like a laser and has provided me with quite a bit of table fare. Would I want it for laying down suppressive fire in the jungle? Not a chance. Never use a tool for something it was never intended to be and your chances of being let down drastically decrease.

Would I want it for laying down suppressive fire in the jungle? Not a chance. Never use a tool for something it was never intended to be and your chances of being let down drastically decrease
So true, and probably no more jungles , and the way the political scene is going the next need for any fire will be to defend you and yours.
Have you got your range cards filled out ??