Everybody should have at least one custom AR-15 rifle in their collection. But you’re probably only going to buy one truly premium AR-15 in 2023 unless you’re loaded in more ways than one. So you have to get it right.
This is the quest for the best AR-15 in the world, without getting into crazy expensive bespoke firearms anyway.
So what do you buy if money really isn’t an issue? It’s time to check out the best custom AR-15 rifles in 2023. Get your credit card out, the good one…
1. Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 Pro
- Price: $1,899.99
- Barrel length: 18 inch
- Total: 34.75-37.25″
- Weight: 7.4lb
Calling the DDM4 V7 Pro custom work might stick in your craw just a touch. But it is certainly a designer label.
The DDM4 V7 was already great, but the finishing touches turn this into an exceptional competition AR-15. Customer testimonials are just as good as the online reviews.
You get a Geissele trigger set and a longer barrel. They turn ‘good’ Modern Sporting Rifles into an absolute champion of the custom AR-15s sector.
2. Christensen Arms CA-15 G2 CF
- Price: $1,411.99
- Caliber: .223 Rem/5.56 NATO 16
- Barrel: 16 inch
- Rifle Length: 32.5 inch
- Weight: 5.8lb
Christensen Arms has become a major force in recent times with lightweight rifles.
From bolt action snipers through to high end ARs, the company has reinvented the classics with carbon fiber and other new materials.
This is seriously high-tech stuff and a collection of new products and new thinking. You can apply this stuff to your best custom AR-15 project too.
This comes with a Burnt Bronze cerakote finished matched set of complete billet receiver set that offer a flared
Christensen Arms do a nice AR-15 pistol and we love their CF hand guards, accessories for a rifle build for home defense or recreational shooting.
CF Barrel is Next Level
The optional CF barrel and absolutely CF handguard and M Lok Rail system help balance the gun and cut weight hanging out up front. The tri-lug muzzle device is cool too.
The BCG is Black Nitride finished, you get a single-stage match-grade trigger with an adjustable break from 3.5-4.5lb. The stock is a BCM Gunfighter, which we all know is about as g
The Christensen Arms is one of the best premium AR-15s for sale in 2023. If you can afford it…
3. LWRC IC-A5 Enhanced
- Price: $2,541.78
- Barrel: 16 inch
- Rifle Length: 32-35.25inch
- Weight: 7lb
LWRC International rifles, pistols and SBRs are the stuff of legend and the LWRCI IC-A5 is a peach.
A gas piston rifle that can change to direct impingement with a few screws and a couple of minutes, just switch uppers and you have a whole new rifle.
This is the result of customer requests for a custom gas block that is simple to operate, durable as a tank and an absolute tack driver when it counts. These are 3 Gun competition spec long guns with some seriously neat touches.
The fluted barrel saves 20% of the weight of a standard replacement, without giving up strength. The increased surface area also helps cooling, which is good for heavy fire and also consistency for sport shooting.
Patented Piston System
That
It is also a winner with sport shooting enthusiasts who like the feel of a piston when bench shooting.
Monoforge Receiver and M-LOK Rail System Saves Weight
The Monoforge upper receivers and integral M-LOK rail system saves weight and strengthens
It’s basically the same new AR-15 technology as the more expensive guns here, on a budget.
The
LWRCI Firearms do some pretty neat lines of aftermarket AR-15 accessories for projects you’re building. Including a Nickel-Boron coated single stage trigger.
You can buy some of them off the shelf for your ow DIY build and they also do a badass line of SBRs and other assorted firearms. They might just be the best AR-15s you can buy if that duality of character is important.
4. Lead Star Arms Prime AR-15
- Price: $1,829.99
- Barrel: 16 inch
- Weight: 5.3lb
Race guns have a very specific purpose and can be worth the extra money when it comes to competition.
Or, you know, you just might want one because it looks cool and is a piece of art. Both are valid life choices really….
A Lightweight AR-15
The Lead Star Arms Prime is a custom AR-15 that has been engineered from the ground-up as a featherweight.
It’s also designed to cycle faster than a standard AR and provide exceptional accuracy. That gives the owner of this fine weapon the critical edge in competition. It’s a pretty solid start.
You’ll have to adjust that fixed stock to your liking. And the looks aren’t for everybody, but this is absolutely spectacular custom work. And you can order red accents, blue titanium, burnt bronze or good old CF.
Everything, from Lead Star’s patented Truss system on the MLOK handguard for added rigidity without added weight through to the dust cover are pretty much perfect. Even the flash hider is tuned for reduced recoil and faster, tighter grouped shots.
It is flashy, but also pretty awesome. And the Lead Star Arms Grunt is always there if you want long guns that aren’t quite that Gucci…
5. Geissele Super Duty
- Price: $2,121.99
- Caliber: .223 Remington/5.56 NATO 16″
- Action: Gas-Piston Operated
- Barrel: 16 inch.
- Rifle Length: 32.25-36 inch
Geissele make some of the best triggers for the best AR15s. So it can’t make bad products.
The Super Duty is inevitably brilliant. The company focused on abstract concepts like durability, corrosion resistance and perfect reliability. But really this is a collection of the best parts, screwed together with love and care to create a high performance duty weapon with M Lok slots for additional gear.
It is obviously an advert for the high-quality trigger sets, which appear in custom builds. So it has to be that good and more for home defense or competition.
And you can order this AR15 custom rifle in Flat Dark Earth model, or Drab Oliver Green, Black and more. Or you can order an AR15 pistol with M-Lok rail system.
6. Wilson Combat AR-15 Protector Carbine
- Price: $1,646.99
- Caliber: .223 Wylde Chamber/ 5.56 NATO
- Action: Direct Impingement
- Barrel: 16 inch
- Total Length: 37.25-40 inch
- Weight: 7lb
- Capacity: 20+1
Wilson Combat was well known for its custom work and now it has absolutely stormed into the best AR-15 custom sector with effectively limited edition runs.
If everything here is designer goods, this is catwalk fashion for home defense…
There are other premium AR-15 options that are lighter, and cheaper. The Wilson Combat Super Sniper offers a 20 inch barrel and three are rifles for your specific needs, with all of them getting the M-Lok Rail and handguard.
But the Protector Carbine AR-15 is a great AR-15 and sniper in one package. This is custom work, off the peg and you can order two tone finishes with flat dark earth receivers etc.
If you want to spend more, there’s a custom shop on site too…
An AR-15 For Sniper Style Hunting
That’s a mighty impressive range and could turn this into a viable small-medium game hunter at slightly lesser distances.
It comes with a carbine-length gas system that powers the direct impingement action. And a
The iconic starburst design on the pistol grip is the cherry on the cake. What more do you want from your AR15 custom rifle?
7. Battle Arms Development Authority
- Price: $1.956.99
- Barrel: 16 inch
- Weight: 5.5lb
The Battle Arms Authority line is fast turning into the expert’s choice in this price range.
You get a machined billet receivers with integral, ambidextrous controls, and enhanced Nickel Teflon trigger groups. The skeletonized hand guard and oversized trigger guard aren’t bad either. As you can see, these custom AR-15s are slightly beyond Mil Spec.
8. PSA Custom Billet
- Price: $1,399.99
- Barrel: 16 inch
- Total Length: 32-35.25inch
- Weight: 7lb
Imagine if we’d told you to drop more than $1,000 on a Palmetto State Armory about a year ago.
You would have laughed. Admit it. But here we are looking at PSA custom AR-15s.
The PSA Custom line-up offers a massive amount of, well, customisation. The spec sheet is insane, too, and you seem to get a lot more for your money. On paper at least.
Forget Flat Dark Earth or a battle worn finish, fancy accesories and basic options. This one comes with a pencil barrel, 3.5lb Flat Bow trigger and other goodies.
Teflon Coated Receivers
The billet upper is Teflon coated, the handguard is carbon-fiber, the bolt carrier group is Nickel Boron finished and that’s just the start of the custom parts & sights. A fully ambidextrous charging handle and bolt release
It reads like the spec of a $3,000 rifle, for half the money. That’s kind of the Palmetto State Armory way, always has been.
PSA a Polarising Force
Palmetto State Armory has always been one of the most divisive companies out there ever snce it launched with cheap DIY parts kits to build a rifle.
And yet it is one of the biggest suppliers of build kits, stocks, accessories and build parts in the firearms industry. So you can order one with a Magpul MOE stock, lightweight handguards. accessories, contrasting color receivers, advanced muzzle brakes, just about anything.
There’s a perverse pleasure in seeing one of the best names in budget guns going mad with the custom parts for a custom build. For that reason alone, we like it as a home defense rifle.
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9. Rock River Arms LAR-15M R3 Competition
- Price: $1,262.99
- Barrel: 16 inch
- Total Length: 35.25″
- Weight: 7.5lb
Rock River Arms has fast established a legendary reputation in the budget sector. The R3 Competition is slightly higher priced than the average Rock River Arms offering, but it’s worth the money.
The DEA and FBI both have assault rifle supply deals, which is a pretty decent endorsement from a government entity to be honest.
The built in rear sight and EOTECH system mean you can co-witness and there are all kinds of other premium touches. Right down to the sling mounts and full length Picatinny rail.
10. Smith & Wesson Performance Center Competition AR-15
- Price: $1,319.99
- Barrel: 18 inch
- Total: 38 inch
- Weight: 7.38lb
Is this relatively straightforward direct impingement action AR-15 a designer firearm? Well it’s certainly a solid starter competition AR-15 for 3 Gun and other shooting sports disciplines.
Smith & Wesson is part of the tapestry of American history. Like Levi Strauss, Jack Daniels and Budweiser, it’s a great American label that we don’t really want to ignore.
Aside from that, the S&W Performance Center is a stunning piece of engineering and a long-range sniper at the shooting range and in other shooting sports. The design team did well with this one.
We tend to love S&W Performance Center guns in all their forms round here. The hunting handgun revolvers are awesome. Also t
This is a great gun if you’re looking for home defense or a shooting team.
11. Faxon Firearms ION Ultralight AR-15
- Price: $1,575.99
- Caliber: 5.56 NATO
- Barrel: 14.5 inch + welded can. NFA Compliant.
- Weight: 4.95lb
Faxon Firearms has followed in the footsteps of ZEV Tech, making its name with AR and Glock aftermarket parts & accessories.
The Pencil Barrel is 14.5 inches, but the permanently attached slimline muzzle device will keep the NFA at bay. For now…
A carbon fiber handguard with an M-LOK rail system should give you all the options you need for your tactical gear. With a 4.95lb weight, though, don’t hang too much off it or you’ll kind of defeat the purpose.
Lightweight to the Core
This is a lightweight AR-15 to its core, right through to the Faxon Gunner Lightweight BCG, a Superlative Arms Adjustable Bleed-Off Gas Block and a Radian Weapons Raptor LT Ambi Charging Handles.
You get a Hiperfire EDT3 trigger group, a Magpul MOE grip, MFT Minimalist stock, Radian Arms safety selectors and Lancer magazine.
All the parts they haven’t supplied themselves are the finest aftermarket gear for sale in 2023.
The Faxon Firearms Ultralight is a great rifle.
12. Lewis Machine & Tool LMT CQB MARS NZ16
- Price: $1,889.10
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
- Barrel: 16 inch
- Total: 36.5
- Weight: 6.5lb
The New Zealand military contract winner really shouldn’t be that big a deal. But the commercial version of the LMT New Zealand Reference has become an absolute star.
LMT is actually based in Iowa and is American as apple pie and all that jazz. It has supplied a number of American specialist military units with custom guns for a while.
So why has this gun made such an impression? It’s a fair question.
The size of the contract is impressive. LMT will supply 9040 in a $59 million contract. And then there is the semi automatic rifle that you can buy right now.
High Tech AR-15 With Outstanding Range
So what are the main selling points of this AR-15? The patented Monolithic Rail Platform, which gives you a complete upper and quad rail system as one unit, is the big news here.
Why? That additional rigidity translates into range, with this AR-15 comfortably hitting 500 yard targets in expert hands. We also like the tri-lug muzzle devices, but that’s less of a big deal.
13. Taran Tactical Innovation John Wick TTI TR-1 Ultralight
- Price: $4,498.99
- Caliber: 5.56 NATO
- Barrel: 14.5 + Welded Muzzle can (NFA Compliant)
- Total Length: 32 inch
- Weight: 6.4lb
Seriously, this is the gun John Wick wielded to deadly effect in the Catacombs scene in John Wick Chapter 2. So if you’re wondering what AR-15 John Wick uses and you found us through the magic of the Google machine, now you know…
Bet you didn’t know that Taran Tactical had a heavy hand in both the AR-15 and the Benelli M4 shotgun, as well as the John Wick Combat Master Package for the Glock 34 that is right up there with our favorite modded Glocks of 2023. Check out our separate post on the Guns of John Wick 2 when you’re done.
And the guns of John Wick 4….
The pinned and welded compensator gets round the NFA tax and the triple port finish is gorgeous. But there’s no getting round the fact that 14.5 inches of barrel is less than 16 inch and this isn’t for long-distance shooting.
14. Bravo Company Manufacturing Recce
- Price: $1,704.99
- Caliber: .223 Rem/5.56 NATO
- Barrel: 16 inch
- Total Length: 38 inch
- Weight: 6.5lb
Bravo Company Manufacturing does a roaring trade in aftermarket AR-15 parts, and also supplies specialist military and law enforcement units with the rifle they need.
BCM can also sell you stocks and other major parts, grips, lower parts etc.
15. Knights Armament SR-15 Mod 2
- Price: $3,047.99
- Caliber: .223 Remington/5.56 NATO
- Barrel: 16 inch
- Rifle Length: 33.5-36.5”
- Weight: 6.55lb
- Capacity: 30+1
The SR-15 is, Knights Armament claims, the ultimate incarnation of Eugene Stoner’s classic design.
It is built around a proprietary mid-length system and direct impingement, which is a bit cheeky in this price range. But it’s reliable enough for law enforcement agencies around the world and the small parts are all stellar.
The KA SR-25 Designated Marksman Rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm has a bigger reputation, considering how many are out there. But the Knights Armament SR-15 might just be the best 5.56 custom rifle for sale in 2023.
Competition Barrel and Receiver
You get a chrome-lined barrel, everything is hand picked, Mil-spec and beyond. A round-lug bolt reduces wear and tear and extends the life and just improves the engineering. Ambidextrous controls and two-stage competition trigger join forces with three-pronged flash suppressor.
The Knights Armament SR-15 isn’t a design revolution. It is just the best AR-15 in the world in its traditional direct impingement form.
You’re not paying for the technology, more for perfection in the execution and invidividual components. And a designated marksman rifle without the longer barrel.
Piston set-ups are available for a lot less, but this is a great all-rounder.
Want a Cheaper AR 15 Rifle For Sale?
We love these guns. But sometimes you just can’t justify a $3,000 custom rifle or pistol and you have to sort by price low to high, not price high to low.
Now you might not need CF buffer tubes and the best receiver parts. You might just want the best-selling Ruger AR-556. We got you covered as well..
Get the Best For Your DIY AR-15 Build
Are you inspired by the AR-15 custom rifles here? Well you can build your own dream AR-15 rifles/pistols, for a fraction of the money with your own custom work.
Watch out for gun sales. Sort by price and you’ll be shocked what pops up sometimes. Keep an eye on the discounts and build over time with a series of well-planned upgrades. That’s the idea anyway…
What might happen is that you’ll end up with a garage full of parts and six partial builds. We’ve been there…
You can get barrels from machine gun steel. I mean you can get an actual machine gun if you’re prepared to jump through the Class 3 license hoops. But if you’re curious, Noveske Rifleworks makes a big deal of using machine gun steel. So buy a barrel from them and see…
Check out these parts suppliers for custom built parts.
- Palmetto State Armory – High end parts.
Where to Find Build Parts, Small Parts, And Big Ones For Your Modern Sporting Rifle
It’s a fact of life you’re going to buy more gun parts and popular AR accessories and upgrades include:
- Complete Uppers – The upper receiver, together with the barrel, forend, BCG and charging handle. It goes on your existing complete lowers and the right complete uppers can transform your gun. Buy a complete upper from Palmetto State Armory or top quality gear from BCM or Aero Precision. Stripped uppers are much more basic, obviously, and you’ll need upper parts separately.
- Lower receiver – This is the actual firearm and you’ll need to fill out paperwork for a high quality lower receiver just like you would an AR15 rifle. It’s the foundation of a DIY build, though, although you might want to go with a matched receiver set. You can buy complete with all the internals parts, stripped lowers that need a parts kit. Of course you can buy matched receiver sets and look out for gun deals at the gun store, or here.
More Parts and Spares
- Multi caliber kits – You probably will convert your AR-15 to a 300 blackout, or even a 450 Bushmaster, before reverting back to the stock set-up. These kits are fun, but they do need upper parts and peripherals, or at least a barrel and mag.
- Buffer Tube – Also known as the receiver extension, this houses the recoil control mechanism and also forms the anchor point for the buttstock. You can get a heavy duty buffer tube, and sometimes you will see a CF buffer tube. It’s mainly an aesthetic thing.
- Gas blocks/Gas Tubes – Properly adjustable gas blocks/gas tubes will make a big difference to how cleanly your rifle burns through different ammo.
And More
- Muzzle Devices – It’s super easy to upgrade your and you can make a difference to your rifle. Whether you want a triple port muzzle brake or a compact titanium number that looks sexy, then it’s pretty easy to find.
- Peripherals – Magazines, stocks, charging handles, dust covers, you’re going to spend money on those constantly. There’s always something better, lighter and just different to your current set-up. Even though it probably is only a slight improvement on your currrent collection of magazines, muzzle brakes, stocks, accessories etc.
Can we Sell you a Concealed Carry 9mm While You’re Here?
If you want a Glock 19 or a Sig Sauer P320, or a custom gun with a longer length barrel, we can do that for you, sometimes with free shipping.
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