Well I've decided its time to cash in on some gift cards and get myself one of the rifles I have been eyeballing. For about the same money, I can get an AR-15 style rifle with optic, or a new .25-06 rifle and scope.

I've got the .25-06 already picked out if I go that route. But if I go with the AR-15, I just don't know that much about them.

Which way to go?

How much do you wanna spend?

+/- 1000

For the AR, I'd want it as a jeep gun. Maybe a red dot, or a scope up to about 3-4X. I'd like to be able to shoot it at night also.

Is the Diamondback AR a decent gun?

I've never shot a Diamondback, but I looked at them on Grabagun and they were priced at $600-700.
Looks like some folks say they have a hard time shooting steel through them.
I have a S&W M&P Sport II that I've shot hundreds of rounds through and no complaints. I paid $500 for it new.

The real questions are; what do you plan to hunt or how do you plan to use it. If you want accuracy and a gun that will kill just about everything in North America, the 25.06 is the real deal. If you want to be one of the cool kids and waste a ton of ammo and miss most everything you shoot at then get the AR......IMHO!

I love my 25.06
Only had it for 1 hunting season. Good results on animals shot with it. All were found, but 1 hog ran a long way after a body shot. I dropped a out 10 pigs with it last year and it performed better than the. 270. My buddy shot a 10 point with it, and it didn't go far. The gun will stack bullets at 100 yards on paper. It has little recoil also, but it is loud at night

Agreed

I’ve never understood the fascination with ARs. I like a rifle to look like a rifle, which an AR doesn’t look like

The appeal for an AR would be less if a company would make a semi auto that was accurate. They all suck, Browning auto Rifle, and Remington 7400 or model 8. None are good for mowing down a herd of cattle.

I built an AR for my son, .277. The collapsible stock is nice and it is super accurate. It has less recoil than my .270. So it has its advantages.

And just think, I could have bought an AR-15, right off the wall in our Base Commissary MANY years ago for $86.00 That's a fact.

UMMM, WHAT?

windham varmint exterminator, super accurate and excellent pig/coyote gun. it has ss 20" fluted barrel, fixed stock, ready for optics. they retail for 1295 on windhams web site but most gun shops price them at around 1,000 - 1100. paid 1095 for mine.
https://www.windhamweaponry.com/firearms/rifles/223-556-caliber-rifle/varmint-exterminator/

the other one I have is a core. less expensive but still shoots really well, ready for optics and not all that expensive. bought this one for a haul around gun.
http://core15rifles.com/core-scout-m-lok.html

I have a rifle length barrel on my ar. Would prefer a flat top carbine length.

barrel
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/101827625?pid=784780


full uppers
https://www.midwayusa.com/ar-15-complete-uppers/br?cid=23443&targetLocation=%2F_%2FN-23443%2B4294926616%3FNp%3D2%26Nr%3DAND%2528p_visible%253A1%252Ccustomertypeid%253A1%2529%26Nrpp%3D24%26Ns%3Dp_metric_sales_velocity%257C1%26Ntpc%3D1%26Ntpr%3D1

If you miss most everything you shoot at with a decent ar. That is you, not the gun's fault