Eagle Arms and the Eagle-15
If you were not aware, Armalite has a division of its company dedicated to building affordable AR rifles: Eagle Arms. Eagle Arms manufactures its products in the same factory as other Armalite firearms are made. The focus of the division is to “…provide responsible American citizens an economically viable way to exercise their rights, and lower the barrier to entry of Modern Sporting Rifle ownership.”
Armalite lists one basic rifle in the Eagle Arms inventory: the Eagle-15. The Eagle-15 looks similar to many other AR style rifles that are on the market with a flattop receiver, M4 style stock and A2 front sight and pistol grip.
It is chambered in 5.56 NATO and comes with a single 30 round Magpul magazine. I have seen versions offered with a 223 Wylde chamber also. The barrel is 16″ long with a 1:8″ twist. It has a birdcage style muzzle device. There is no mention of chrome plating, so I would assume there is none.
The gun weighs in a 6.5 pounds with an unloaded magazine. The six position stock allows for 3.25″ of adjustment to the length of pull.
Armalite does not list a MSRP on its site for the basic rifle. Perusing some of the online gun shops, it would seem that in basic trim these guns sell for about $550-$600. However, I have seen them as low as $488.
If you have any experience with the Eagle-15, share your thoughts below. Do you feel these are a good bargain, or would a casual shooter be better off saving his or her money for something a bit more expensive?
An advocate of gun proliferation zones, Richard is a long time shooter, former cop and internet entrepreneur. Among the many places he calls home is http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/.
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From the Armalite.com FAQ page:
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EAGLE ARMS AND ARMALITE?
"There are normally very few differences. Armalite rifles are the top of the company’s line. They tend to be more up to date and include higher quality parts such as chrome lined barrels. They are produced from selected forging. However, internally, they use exactly the same parts. Eagle Arms rifles are intended to compete with lower priced brands. They are extremely high quality rifles in their own right. Armalite used to use only “Armalite” lower receivers for actual factory built guns and sold “Eagle Arms” as stripped lower and upper receivers. This was to differentiate between the two different warranties. Armalite has a lifetime warranty and EA has a one year only warranty. Armalite now offers “Armalite” stripped lowers for sale."
Not a bad deal, but you can get the new S&W Sport II for $539 right now at a few different online dealers. I'm happy to see budget MSR's, I bought a Core-15 LW M4 for $559 last year and it's been a great rifle, it also has a "No BS LT warranty". Ruger also has a nice Budget AR that is getting very good reviews. It makes you wonder how or if this will effect the higher end manufactures like DD, LWRC, BCM, WC, Sig, etc.