If you've spent even a little time kicking around AR15 World, you know there is a huge variation in AR15 prices. A barebones budget model may cost as little as $350, while the sky's the limit for a highend rifle. Is there a genuine difference to justify the price differential? There are folks who insist a cheap AR15 is just as good as an expensive one. Are they right? Brownells Gun Techs™ Steve and Caleb are here to prove or debunk that myth. This requires a long, carefully thoughout, nuanced answer: NO. At first, a cheap AR15 CAN be as accurate as an expensive one at 50 or 100 yards. But as it wears, it won't retain that parity for long.

A rifle is basically a tool. If you plan to use that tool a lot, or use it for very important tasks, are you going to buy it from the Strip Mall Discount Tool Emporium? Or from SnapOn®? Or even Brownells? If you're getting an AR15 for casual range fun a few times a year, the cheap one will probably do just fine. But if it is going to be your primary home defense gun, do you want to buy this lifesaving tool from the Discount Emporium?

The maker of a cheap AR15 has to cut costs somewhere in order to make a profit. That means crudely molded low quality plastic components (definitely not Magpul or B5 Systems quality!), softer non"milspec" aluminum alloys, chalky lowgrade anodizing, "Picatinny" rails that are not true MILSTD 1913 Picatinny spec, and more costcutting. Sure, this rifle will work for a while, but that doesn't mean it's going to work as long or as well as the qualitybuilt AR15. Quality, by necessity, costs more.

So the myth is BUSTED.... Wait, the guys did that right out of the gate, didn't they? A highquality AR15 will outperform and outlast a builtto aprice budget model. You get what you pay for. Of course, you also have to be wary of a cheap AR15 with a big price tag on it. That's a topic for a future video!