The 5 Best AR-15s Under $1,000

The first time I laid hands on the M400 TREAD, I was into it. This rifle just feels great and is easily customizable with a full line of purpose-built accessories, designed and built in the USA. The TREAD is built on an aluminum frame and is optics ready.  It has a 16-inch stainless steel barrel with a free-floating M-LOK hand-guard, a single-stage polished hard-coat trigger that feels great, ambidextrous controls, a Magpul SL-K 6 position telescoping stock and a mid-length gas system. It’s just a hoot and belongs not only on this list, but in your gun safe as well.

Here’s what I like about the  ZRO Delta Base. It is an AR-15 pattern rifle that is equipped with a Mission First Tactical minimalist stock, free float M-LOK handguard, and a standard A2 birdcage flash hider. This is a great platform to add your taste in optics and other accessories. It has a 16-inch barrel and the receiver is made from forged 7075 aluminum.

I’m going to break the rules right off the bat, but so what. We’re talking an extra $10 and for that, you get an amazing firearm. The Saint from Springfield is a top-tier rifle that you honestly would expect to pay more for, but you don’t. I had a cool opportunity to try a bunch of AR rifles back to back and in rapid succession. The Saint immediately feel high quality. Nothing rattles that shouldn’t and the rifle feels great. One thing that often gets overlooked in an AR is the trigger, and the Saint has a great one. Light pull, no creep and good feel, combined with an accurate rifle and you would walk away from the experience the same way I did after shooting it – dang, that’s one heck of a rifle for the money.

The DB15 packs a lot of value into a really sweet price. If you don’t know who Diamondback is, they’re coming out of Florida with some really great AR-platform rifles that are 100% made in the USA. This rifle is chambered for 223 Remington/5.56 NATO. It has 1-8 RH rifling which gives you pretty good accuracy. The folks at Diamondback Firearms like to hunt, so these firearms make great platforms to set-up an amazing predator and varmint rifle. It uses a gas-impingement system and Diamondback produces many of the parts in house with their CNC facility. The handguard is slotted and skeletonized for weight. The Picatinny rail runs the full length, giving you a wide range of sight and scope options.

Ruger is one of the biggest brands in firearms and they are also known for being a bit on the conservative side when it comes to new product introductions. When everyone was coming out with an AR, Ruger slowly crept in, not with a bargain model, but a high-end model they named the SR 556. That model had a gas-piston design and was exceptional. I did a course at Gunsite using one and loved it. However, the design and accompanying price tag proved a bit much for the buying public and Ruger stepped in with the Ruger AR-15 line, which was a simplified variant of the platform that came with a MUCH lower price. The SR may be gone, but the AR from Ruger has proven to be a great rifle. This version comes with full Magpul MOE furniture and 1:8 RH, 5-groove twist barrel and open sights. This is a fun, dependable rifle that comes in under the price mark. You’ll like it.

Stag Arms has recently completely rebranded the entire company, reorganized and moved operations, but one thing remains the same – Stag ARms makes really amazing rifles. It wasn’t long ago that if you asked a lot of people in the know, “what AR should I buy?” The answer would have been  a Stag without hesitation. Today, there’s a few other brands that get thrown into that conversation, but the fact remains – you get a lot of high-quality rifle for the money. This AR has a 1:7 twist rate and an M16 bolt carrier group. There is a 13.5 inch free-floating handguard with a full-length rail for options in sights and accessories. All the furniture comes from Magpul and combines to make this a top-tier rifle and a great buy.

The Radical Firearms RF15 is another great AR that doesn’t beat your wallet up. Right off the bat, you’ll notice the full-length handguard with a full-length rail and lots of options for mounting whatever you’d like. It has a SOCOM contour barrel with a 1:7 twist rate. These are really nice rifles and it shows what builders can do with the universal AR platform. I once went on a midnight hog hunt with a rifle that was exactly the same as this one – different manufacturer, but still, extremely close. The rifle was set up with a green laser, IR illuminator and night vision optics. I added a forward grip midway down the barrel and a bi-pod on the end. I like the full-length handguards because of all the options it gives you. If it’s done right, like the Radical RF15, the weight is negligible. The three-gun guys love them for this very reason.