In my quest to build an AR15 for under $500 (minus magazines and ammo), two things became clear: 1. Building an AR15 under $600 would be way easier, and 2. I had to compare it to something. So digging back into my scientific experiment days of yore, I decided I would compare this (as of yet) hypothetical sub-$500 AR15 to my Bravo Company Manufacturing (BCM) AR15 build I did a few months ago and featured in this post.
The rifle was built using these parts:
Spikes Tactical Lower – $99.00
CMMG Lower Parts Kit – $46.99
BCM Hammer Forged Mid-Length Upper w/BCM Mod 0 Compensator – $515.00
BCM Bolt Carrier Group – $169.00 (But mine came free as part of a sale)
BCM Mod 3 Charging Handle – $46.99
Magpul Grip – $19.90
B5 Sopmod Stock – $58.00
PSA Buffer tube and Spring kit – $ 36.99
Magpul Midlength MOE Handguards – $33.20
BCM Marked Troy Industries Backup Iron Sights – $119.00
Magpul Trigger Guard – $8.50
ALG Enhanced Trigger – $65.00
Coming in to a total value of $1217.57, plus shipping. As a high quality AR15, it is hard to beat BCM, and it is hard to get anything that is truly high quality for less than $1,000 these days. Sure, there are a lot of AR15s out there in the $600-800 range that will work for most everyone, but BCM has an even higher level of quality to their rifles that is just not there with the cheaper rifles.
The rifle shoots and runs beautifully. Today, I took it out to do some accuracy testing. I have not yet put an optic of any type on this rifle, and I will not until after I am satisfied with my comparison. I took the rifle out and shot six different types of ammunition, recorded the group sizes, and went home. Each different ammunition was shot in four sets of five shot groups, for a total of 20 rounds per ammunition. Once each set was fired, I measured the closest three rounds from each five shot group. Overall, the BCM rifle shot as well as I could make it shoot, regularly turning in 1.0 inch or less groups at 50 yards. Keep in mind that I had I opted to use a magnified optic as opposed to Iron sights, the groups could have been a lot better, and I probably would have pushed it out to 100 or 200 yards. It was windy, but this is west Texas, so it is always windy.
The first group of ammunition that I shot was Danish surplus SS109 62 Grain Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)($349.99 per case of 920). This was both the only surplus ammunition and the heaviest ammunition that I tested today. The smallest 3 shot group turned in at just over 3/4 of an inch, with all five landing in just over 1 inch. The average group size was 1.35 inches.
The second group fired was Federal AR223 55 Grain FMJ ($7.99). Smallest group size was 1/2 inch, with an average group size of 1.00 inches.
Next was Tulammo steel cased, 55 Grain .223 Hollow points ($5.49). In terms of accuracy, the target looked like I had hit it with some 12 Gauge buckshot, and I was unable to get a reliable group. This set of ammunition, however, was also an reliability test, as Tulammo tends to cause stoppages in lesser rifles.
Next up was Remington UMC 55 Grain FMJ .223 ($8.99). Smallest group came in just over an inch, with an average group size of 1.38 inches.
Next group fired was Monarch Brass cased 55 Grain FMJ .223 ($7.99). Results were similar, although besides the Tulammo, this ammunition turned in the largest group at 2.5 inches. Smallest group squeaked in at 1 inch. Average group size was 1.75 inches.
Last group fired was Winchester White-box 55 Grain FMJ .223 ($11.99). Smallest group was 3/4 of an inch, and average group size was 0.875 inches.
In the always dry, sometimes boring world of science, this is what we are going to call my “Control Group(s).” When I test another AR15, such as the one I am (attempting) to cobble together for less than $500, I will use these statistics as an accuracy benchmark.
With the tedious task of shooting for accuracy out-of-the-way, the question now becomes, how does the rifle run? Well, with a few magazines that held a mixture of Federal AR223 and surplus Danish ammunition, I have a pretty good idea. The mid-length gas system and the BCM Compensator help to mitigate much of the recoil, making follow-up shots a much easier task. The ALG trigger is smooth and crisp, not much to complain about there. It is not a match trigger or super light competition trigger, just an enhanced AR15 Trigger that is a marked improvement over the standard trigger. I’m not going to devote much more to how the rifle “feels” as that isn’t really a measurable statistic. When I am able to shoot this rifle and another rifle side by side (perhaps literally) I will be able to quantify it better.
The rifle doesn’t have any major flaws that I can tell so far, besides missing an optic, but that’s more on me than anything. Now, bear with me as I take the time to acquire parts to put together yet another AR15, but this time shooting for a sub-$500 rifle that is usable for the average user.
That’s it for now. Stay tuned for more in my series on affordable defense!
-Spencer
2 thoughts on “Boring (Control) Data”