The Best Cheap AR-15

When someone asks me what AR to buy, there are two questions I always ask back: What are you intending to use the gun for, and what is your budget? If the answer to the first question is “working as a military contractor in a war zone,” then the answer to the second question should be high. However, for many people, an AR will perform some combination of duties like coyote blaster, soda can hunter, carbine class tool, and home defense gun. It is possible to get a lot of gun without breaking the bank, but some guns are much better deals than others.

Top Lists @ TFB:

• Top 10 Handguns For Home Defense
• Best AR-15 Charging Handles for 2025
• The Top 5 Budget Guns at SHOT Show 2025
• Concealed Carry Corner: My Personal Top 5 Summer Carry Guns
• The 5 Best Home Defense Shotguns

Palmetto State Armory

PSA is responsible for a large percentage of the AR-15s in circulation today, and they initially made their name with affordable ARs. Their product range has expanded to include everything from AKs to retro ARs, but affordable ARs are still the bread and butter. If you have spent any time on the internet you have likely seen some negativity pointed at PSA. Some of that is legitimate because a company that produces north of half a million guns per year will invariably ship out some guns that never should have passed QC.

But some of the negativity comes from people convinced that an AR must cost $2,000 or more to be good. No one with a brain would argue that the $2,000 gun is no better than a $500 PSA, but that's the wrong question. The actual question is whether the $500 PSA is good enough for what that buyers will use it for. In most cases that answer is yes, but if it is no because of a quality issue, PSA will fix the gun. If the answer is no because that shooter demands a better gun for their use case then the PSA was a good gateway drug to ARs, and it can now serve as a backup gun should the expensive one fail during a match or class.

It's hard to single out any one model to put on this list because their catalog is so massive and changes so frequently. Most shooters are best served with a nitrided barrel and collapsible stock, but they have all sorts of options if you want something non-standard. You can also opt for a complete upper with bolt carrier group and charging handle and mount it on a lower of your choice. PSA also offers many options with FN cold hammer forged barrels, which are a great upgrade if they fit in your budget.

Smith & Wesson

The M&P Sport-15 was one of (if not the) first truly successful cheap ARs from a major manufacturer. The first-generation Sport gave up features like the dust cover, forward assist, and hinged trigger guard in an effort to keep the price point down. It also used a nitrided barrel to split the difference between more expensive chrome-lined barrels and cheap chromoly steel barrels. Eventually, S&W put the Gen 1 out to pasture and replaced it with the Sport II, which used a standard upper with a forward assist and dust cover.

Both the Sport and Sport II were excellent sellers, particularly during periods of panic buying. These guns with a decent red dot sight and some spare magazines, made for a solid starting point for many new AR owners. These guns were affordable but still worked well enough for most things. Some users chose to swap uppers or cut down the front sight to install a free-floating handguard down the road. Others enjoyed the gun for a time, then bought a nicer gun when their finances allowed and once they had shot enough to develop their own opinions about which features they wanted.

Smith & Wesson recently introduced the Sport III with updates that bring it more in line with current AR furniture. The fixed front sight tower is gone, replaced with a low profile gas block under an extended handguard. The old carbine gas system is replaced with a mid-length one for smoother cycling. Street price on the Sport III is $750.

Ruger

Ruger is a major brand in the gun market as a whole but they were a latecomer to the AR game. For many years the Mini-14 was their .223 rifle offering, but they finally got on board with ARs and brought out the AR-556. It kept the general look of a classic front sight tower AR but included some changes. The front sight tower was not the traditional military specification model, and the delta ring handguard retainer was replaced with a screw-down retainer that made it easier to swap handguards.

The AR-556 started as a clear response to the S&W Sport’s success, but evolved to something else with the MPR model. That gun incorporated an 18-inch barrel and free-float handguard, making it an affordable DMR. Ruger recognized that varmint and predator hunters wanted those features at an affordable price point and it was very successful.

Honorable Mention: Anderson Manufacturing

Anderson Manufacturing has a checkered history. It is (somewhat lovingly) referred to as the “Poverty Pony” in online circles, differentiating it from Colt’s famous horse iconography and historical reputation for quality. While Colt’s standing in the market has taken a hit in recent years, Anderson’s has been on the way up. Several years ago I owned one of their uppers in 6.5 Grendel. The quality control left a lot to be desired, but once I got it to work it shot respectable groups while still feeling just as cheap as it was.

More recent Anderson ARs have been dramatically better. In recent years, I reviewed an 18-inch model and a dissipator (16-inch barrel with rifle-length gas system and fixed front sight tower) and was shocked at how much better they were than earlier Anderson guns. I had my fellow jaded gun counter workers shoot both of those guns and they were surprised that Anderson had turned out such good products. This upward trajectory for the company seems to have leveled off, with the best models being hard to find. They have also tried to branch out into other product areas like Glock clones which may have moved manufacturing resources away from their ARs. Sadly Anderson appear now to have closed down after being acquired by Ruger.

Avoid At All Cost: The Gun Show Special

Every time the gun show comes to town, a predictable cycle repeats. An uninformed gun buyer with unbridled optimism in his eyes shows up at the nearest shooting range with the “great deal” he just picked up at the gun show. It was only $900 dollars, and has “premium features” like a free-float handguard and stainless steel barrel. Those hopes and dreams are shattered minutes later when he actually shoots the gun and discovers that it will not cycle reliably with any ammunition or magazine, and when it does actually go off, the groups appear to have come from a shotgun. Then the stock, handguard, or buffer tube comes loose, and he loses a detent pin or spring.

Never, ever buy an AR from a fly-by-night seller who assembles them from parts without brand names on them. These sellers are the gun industry equivalent of a carny. They will not return your calls and do not have a storefront in your town where you can go complain about the substandard quality of their products. I cannot count the number of brand new parts bin special ARs that have come into the range where I work only to immediately go back off the range to the armorer’s bench because they don’t work. People can argue about whether the Smith & Wesson or Ruger or PSA guns are better for the money, but all three of those companies will make it right if you get a lemon. Even if the gun show discount model is cheaper at the time of purchase, it will be more expensive and more frustrating in the long run. Stick with a company you can trust when you are on a tight budget, because needing to buy another gun to replace the first “bargain” makes it a very poor deal indeed.

Budget-Ish AR Options

“Budget” means different things to different people. The guns at the top of this article all stay under the $800 price point, but there are some options worth consideration if you can bump up the price a little.

• IWI Zion: This company is better known for guns like the Tavor or Uzi Pro, but the Zion AR is a great value. The 12.5” pistol is also one of the most accessible ways to get this less common but very practical barrel length.
• FN SRP G2, Patrol: FN-15 rifles usually price well outside the budget price bracket, but when they go on sale or closeout they are an exceptional value.
• PSA Sabre: Palmetto's “duty grade” line bumps up the price but brings some additional quality control and higher-end upgrades on parts like triggers and charging handles.

Conclusion

If your budget does not allow for big names like Daniel Defense, H&K, or Geissele, you can still get an AR that will serve you well, albeit with fewer refinements or upgrades. Focus on buying as much quality as you can afford rather than cosmetics like a fancy Cerakote job. Separate out the features that are needs from the features that are wants for how you will use the gun. And finally, you will end up owning more than one AR so don’t stress this decision too much!