Replies

A regular ol’ DI style AR or one of the new Gas-Piston ARs:
I’ve no problem with either, but until the industry settles on some standard, I’d tend stick to a DI gun. *Only* because you can get DI rifle parts from anyone/anywhere and (currently) piston rifles are pricier, so stretch your budget with a DI gun.

I’d also recommend sticking to whatever caliber is issued to the military: 5.56 or 7.62 Nato. Reason being, if TSHTF (post-zombie-mad-max-apocalypse-natural-disaster-etc), ammo will be scarce and military ammo would likely become tradable. Also, because of the proliferation of DI guns in the military, that would be another TSHTF reason: parts availability.

Honestly, either one will be fine. But you are probably going to get more bang for your buck and enjoy it more if you get a middle-of-the-road DI style AR and use the rest of your budget to buy sights/optics/mags/bullets.

I’m currently looking at a very tempting piston rifle package deal for $1300. I’ve got nothing against piston rifles and they intrigue me and I really would like to add one to the fold. However, there’s no standard yet and parts availability years down the road concerns me. I will probably end up with a $700 DI rifle and add a $300 .22LR upper and pick up as much ammo as I can (especially .22lr).

I really want that .22LR upper for four reasons:
1. An AAC “Element” suppressor will keep it quiet when I’m in “squirrel assassin” mode in the back of the property.
2. 1k rounds of .22LR = $50. 1k rounds of 5.56 = $300-$350.
3. I want to start my girls on that AR platform, but use the .22LR to teach them the basics.
4. It’s slap-on instant versatility and just plain fun to shoot.

As with everything, your mileage may vary...