So I'm in the market for a AR rifle, target shooting and predator hunting.

Got a bonus from work so not really on a budget or anything.
Just want a good one, that's dependable and good shooting.
What's something that good?
What do you all like, and don't like?

Thanks for any input

So many more makers now than there was a decade ago. Many will advise you to buy the parts separate and build it. If you dont want to do that, there are numerous good brands out there.
$1000-$1500 Rock River Arms is popular around here for predator hunting
$2000-$2500 Daniel Defense is solid.
Many, many others out there....others will surely have good suggestions
There are much cheaper ones out there, but youll end up buying better triggers for them. If price is not an issue as you stated, buy once, cry once....

Just buy a psa. Buy the completed lower and completed upper separate. Be under 600 and get you all you need for the job your asking it to do.

Reviews on the cheap AR’s are often amazingly good. My thought is unless my life depends on having top tier parts throughout, go with the 6-800 rig and throw another 150’ish at a nice drop in trigger. PSA or Primary Arms have a few choices in that price range.

Find someone that builds em near you and get what you want. Make it a fun project.

I started with a 16" A2 bushmaster. It has the fixed handel on top. Yes it was a long time ago. I didnt know what I liked or wanted at that point. I started swaping out parts. Flat top upper receiver for arm better trigger ect. Eventually all I needed was another barrel and lower receiver to have a 2nd gun.

The point is figure out wabt you want and how you want it before spending money and e ding up with a box of parts. On the flip side I did Eventually figure out what I like and why and friends got a lot of free parts I gave them to get started.

Most I have shot will out shoot cheap bulk ammo ability when loaded with good ammo. Price range is about 400 to above 3k . The top end models use top end parts and will be able to shoot a little better sometimes and ma hold up better under hard use. But being realistic few will be in combat with theirs or need true hard use. And if you wear one out you could buy several replacements for the cheaper models for the price of one top end gun.

If starting over again I would well what I did with my most recent gun. I bought quality parts I wanted for the parts that matter. Trigger larue 2 stage(sp) barrel fn, bolt carier group bcm, charging handle Gisele. Cheap parts milliseconds buffer tube and receivers. Cost more than an entry model at about 1400 at the time but its what I wanted how I wanted it and cheaper than some others.

Its all about what you want and your use. If you want top end name operator used gear get it. There are also several cal options I like better than 5.56 depending on intended use. Its all what you want. You can also have more than one.

Unless you are in a,state like WA where you can't even buy parts, get the parts and make what you want/ need and research to make sure you get good parts to make your accurate rifle

I have built AR's for over 40 yrs. I would buy a stripped lower and put it together how you want. You can get a good drop in trigger for 90.00 on sale to 200.00. There are some many parts and they all interchange. I buy plan Jane upper and find a good barrel. The rifle below are Aero lower and upper. I purchased the stripped uppers on here a few months ago. And lower from Runnings in Moorhead MN. And put them together. The key is good barrels and triggers. These are 6MM ARC and 223

I have a 5.56 palmetto state armory and a 300 blackout from durkin tactical. Bought the kits. Both go bang when trigger is pulled and shoot good. Only 3 boxes of ammo through the 300 so far,, just built it. But many rounds through the 556. No complaints and no reason to want an expensive one.

for a ready to run rifle it is hard to beat the Ruger , not the cheapest not the most expensive , decent well featured gun with the stuff you want.

https://ruger.com/products/harrier/specSheets/28600.html

I have 9, from 5.56 to 458 SOCOM, they are all parts guns, the cost reflects the quality of the parts.

I have a couple ARs in .308. A Ruger SAFR and a Live Free made in Florida. The Live Free cost less but has a very nice trigger and says groups around an inch or less. Both good guns for what they are. I prefer the 308 far above a 223 for shooting anything tougher than paper especially if they arre up to no good I want them to stop it now The Ruger is a little lighter, the Live Free much nicer trigger

Very good information everyone, thanks

IMO, just for fun type gun, buy one of the cheapest, put a $100-125 drop in trigger in it and a decent scope on the top and you'll be happy with the results. I have less than $500 in mine an it shoots really well....

Daniel Defense is a really good upper middle range option.

Good fire arm but paying for the name. For the average guy and what the o.p. is looking for D.D. is overkill.

For guys (like me) who are not up to speed on "building" an AR......which could also be described as assembling a bunch of components.........I had to look it up as to what we would getting ourselves into. The part that would have me scratching my head would be installing the barrel, as in normal bolt gun terms, that is normally done by a gunsmith to handle the very specific issue of getting the chamber headspace right.

But then guys throw around terms like upper and lower and bolt carrier group and trigger group, etc. To those on outside looking in, hard to figure out what all that means. I have learned the "lower" is the actual "rifle"........the lower is the part that wears the serial number and is subject to the FFL rules. Seems odd as on a bolt gun, the action........what resembles the upper on an AR is the "rifle". All else are parts that get bolted on. Hard to imagine you can buy all these parts and only thing really matters or controlled is the "lower" or action on a bolt action rifle.

And if AR's work like most everything else, if you care about accuracy, what matters more than all else combined is the barrel. Good barrels shoot.......and junk barrels......not so much?

But as for the assembly of an entire purchased kit........what is the order of difficulty? Easy peasy or better have some skills? I've always heard that even brain surgery isn't hard.....if you know how.

Lastly, I can see no upside to going to .223 and no downside to going 5.56........does that sound right?

.223 Wylde is the most precise and can shoot both .223 and 5.56. A regular .223 can only shoot .223. 5.56 can shoot both .223 and .556.

If yout not comfortable puting on a barrel you can buy an assembled upper with barrel, and hand gard you want. With or without bolt carier group and charging handel.

Do you want a m 16 bolt carier group that's had things mike the bolt tested. Or an ar 15 bolt carier. What's the difference m 16 has more material not having part of the bolt cut out so it cant function full auto when combined with the rest of required parts. M16 bolt carier are legal in ar. They add mass and help with reliable I read. I cant tell the difference I have guns with both.

I like nice triggers ( nice dose not mean always expensive just nicer than GI ) they are easy to swap out. I also like ambidextrous charging handles and saftys. But I also have some left handed people in the house.

Mine is a Rock River Arms, it’s a great gun.