Call Purcell Guns in Purcellville, VA. I say this only because he just got in a huge shipment of these bad boys — 30 guns at least, I think — and told me he was going to price them very affordably.
There are so many good ARs out there today, that you pretty much can’t go wrong with any of them.
You missed your best chance with the Black Friday deals, but there still hasn’t been a better time to buy an AR. Because of so many companies getting into building ARs after the recent shortages, now there is overcapacity and prices are rock bottom.
When bargain shopping, just beware of the low cost ARs with polymer lowers. Make sure both the upper and lower is aluminum.
Beyond that, you can change everything, so buy now and modify as you gain experience later.
Might I suggest that you build your own. You’ll learn about all of the inner workings of the weapon, and have a better idea of future improvements to make on it (Trigger, barrel, etc).
If you can change a tire on your vehicle, you can build an AR-15.
223 caliber is not legal for hunting big game in Colorado.
I don’t know if you live in a urban or rural area.
Where I live there are lots of barely used and even unused ARs for sale on sites like armslist.com.
But if you don’t know the different brands and options very well, and if you can’t completely trust the seller, buying a pre-owned firearm can be chancy.
Talk to gun people you know, talk to small gunshop owners, talk to Freepers. For $750 you can get a decent model.
Though after yesterday ammo prices and probably the gun prices too are going to spike again.
Take your pick. All will do what you want.
The AR-10 (.308) and AR-15 (.223) are both good. If you are just interested in deer, then the .308 is the right choice. If you want flexibility and the ability to carry more ammo, the .223 gives you more shots for a reasonable weight/price. It’s hard to go wrong on quality/accuracy for your needs or any practical goal.
I would advise spending some quality time researching on some of the many AR specific web sites.
Right now prices are panic inflated, but in spite of the massive push by the socialists to inflict their wet dream gun control agenda, I think that most politicians are savvy enough to know that it is political suicide.
“I have approx. $750 to spend”
If you are good with your hands or reading technical manuals, buy the lower receiver in parts and put it together yourself, you can save more than a hundred over a preassembled unit. You will also have the advantage of learning how everything fit/works together. Then buy you upper preassembled, you will be surprised how many high grade uppers are available to you. In the end you can have a match grade tack driver in your budget.
Good luck with whatever you purchase.
Just remember: “You down’t need ten buwellets to shoot a deerwah!”
Options:
1. my Delton AR-15 shoots that well out of the box. Very reliable and affordable. Made in NC.
2. consider buying a .308/7.62 NATO AR. I have a Bushmaster AR in .308/7.62 that is a great ‘reach out and touch’ firearm. I happen to put a 50 MM Nikon on it, along with 45 degree offset BUIS.
Since you are a big game hunter you can likely handle the recoil of a .308 AR, and get your sight picture back pretty quickly. Just know that a .223 AR is pretty much a pea-shooter when it comes to recoil compared to any ‘big game’ bolt action rifle.
3. keep your big game rifles and instead of a .223 AR-15, get yourself a Remington 870 Tactical shotgun for ‘home defense’ AND a .22 LR ‘AR pattern’ rifle for cheap fun. I have one and I REALLY enjoy watching $.08/round go down range versus $.35/round or $.70 in .308 FMJ.
Lastly — for the firearms that survived the boat accident (we live on Lake Lanier in GA) consider building an armory based on mission/purpose and range of engagement. You probably know this ... From .308/.270 (or larger in your case) with good glass, to .223 with some sort of ‘red dot’ optics to .22 LR to 12 gauge, to .45/9mm hand guns — think about having the right arms and ammo for the PEOPLE (not just you) who might be your comrades in arms.
Enjoy your quest.
Ruger AR556 will fit your bill with $$ left over for mags and ammo
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=528124687
Not sure about the deer hunting with a 223/556 platform. If it is for home defense, you will have no problem staying within the 750 easily. Just be careful to not go with the bottom end of the pricing scale as most suitable ones start around 600.
BTW, for home defense, I recommend a shotgun or a pistol caliber carbine.
LRs i.e. 308s et al may be a bit more than 750 for anything decent. Think closer to 900 but I don’t recommend using a 30 cal for home defense unless you live on a farm. Also most states have magazine limits for hunting.
In summary, If I were set on a defense rifel, I’d get a 556 (can fire 223 rounds but 223s are not recommended for .556 ammo) as the ammo is relatively cheap and it also makes for a nice range day.
You might want to look at the DPMS Oracle. I have one in 5.56 but they also make one in 7.62x51 that runs in the price range your looking for. My 5.56 Oracle is a fine rifle but the trigger had to go. Once that was done it easily shot 1- 1 1/2 inch groups. My 308/7.62x51 is the DPMS LR model and it came with a 2 stage trigger, also more than what you budgeting. The 308 Oracle with a drop in Rock River Arms stage match trigger will just about make you budget of 750. I’ve had no problems with either of my DPMS rifles.
Academy currently has the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport in a package that comes with a 30 round Magpul mag and an autoloader for $680.
Cabelas has/had the same package at $600, but you may have trouble finding a store that still has any - no rainchecks and they won’t be getting any more in.
Not sure about the grouping size, but it’s a quality rifle from a respected manufacturer.
You can purchase an AR15 lower for well less than $100 and a kit for less than $500 and have a first rate weapon.
You might consider an AR platform in .300 AAC. The ammo is getting fairly available, it has plenty of power for deer, is made to also handle heavy bullets subsonic for a suppressor, and is accurate.
Downside is the ammo is more expensive.
You can also buy a separate upper in .223 if you like, but it won’t fit your budget now.
How comfortable are you with building one?
As a bolt guy you’re going to have trouble finding one that shoots like a bolt gun for $750 but you can easily get 1.5” moa on most any AR.
If you’re comfortable assembling one, you can buy the precise components generally on sale and save a bit of cash. The only serialized part you need to deal with is the lower receiver. Those can be picked up for as low as $50. Decent complete uppers can be bought for $400. Toss a simple stock on it and spend the cash on a Hiperfire or Gieselle(Guys-lee) trigger and you’ll find it shoots a good bit smoother.