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Posted: 12/12/2006 6:47:25 PM EDT
[#1]
Bushy....
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Posted: 12/12/2006 7:32:33 PM EDT
[#2]
Check out Stag, CMMG, Rock River Arms, LMT, Bushy. I would steer away from DPMS or Olympic. I have heard a lot of failures with these rifles in training classes. This is second hand information, but it is second hand from Pat Rogers, someone I respect and wholeheartedly believe.
If you want to save a little money you might want to look at buying a complete lower, and then a complete upper and assembling yourself. Its only two pins, and very easy to do. Check out the Equipment Exchange here for some great deals on uppers, and right now Ameetec has a complete lower on sale for $200 plus shipping (great deal!). Good luck, and post pics when you are done! |
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Posted: 12/12/2006 7:41:31 PM EDT
[#3]
My buddy and I both have a DPMS and Oly Arms. Not once have we had any problems with them what so ever. In my opinion, they are all good firearms, but DPMS and Oly seem to be the cheapest from a price standpoint.
Scout |
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Posted: 12/12/2006 8:16:03 PM EDT
[#4]
Of the three there isn't even a question or a moment's pause.
Bushmaster. |
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Posted: 12/12/2006 8:50:45 PM EDT
[#5]
Of the 3 that you have listed, I would go with DPMS.
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Posted: 12/12/2006 10:37:24 PM EDT
[#6]
Of these 3, only Bushy uses the 4150 grade steel required by the military (colt uses it also). This was one of the deciding factor when I bought my Bushy. They sell more AR's than the others for a reason. Mine has functioned flawlessly w/about 1000rds through so far (all brass, no wolf).
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Posted: 12/12/2006 10:43:47 PM EDT
[#7]
If I had to choose from those three...Bushy all day.
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Posted: 12/12/2006 10:47:23 PM EDT
[#8]
Good info. I had thought about that, but when I checked prices through Shot Gun News adds, I was in about $900+. I was also worried about getting head space and tolerances set correctly. Now that I think about it, you're on to something! My mind was in barrel change on bolt actions. On the AR, the upper assembly includes matched bolt/barrel action. I fel like a dummie. Thanks. I'll investigate it further.
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Posted: 12/13/2006 3:53:27 AM EDT
[#9]
I would highly recommend DPMS. Excellent rifle at an excellent price. I have seen a lot of DPMS varmit ARs on ARFCOM. That should say something for them. I bought my little DPMS Panther Carbine a little over a year ago and absolutely love it. It has an HBAR, but it is only 11.5" long.
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Posted: 12/13/2006 4:04:25 AM EDT
[#10]
ROGER THAT, Sailor! |
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Posted: 12/13/2006 4:56:11 AM EDT
[#11]
My Olympic is my most heavily used AR and performs flawlessly. I also have a Bushmaster and it has been good too. Only DPMS I have is a chromed bolt carrier group. It needed a lot of breaking in before it would work properly. I wound up breaking it in using my Olympic.
An aweful lot of poeple seem to know someone who heard a friend say that they had a cousin who overheard an instructor say that they have had a lot of Colt/Olympic/Bushmaster/DPMS/Stag/RRA/etc rifles fail during their courses. What is needed is real data here, not hearsay or anecdotal evidence. In adition to my Olympic and Bushmaster I also have two mixmasters containing FMNI/Colt/RRA/Sendra/etc parts, and these seem to work fine too. I just keep them clean. I would love to have a Colt pre-ban (still a big deal in NY), but the last show I was at they were starting at $1,600 and going up from there. One topping $2600!! Just not worth it. |
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Posted: 12/13/2006 6:43:32 AM EDT
[#12]
If you want first hand information go to the 10-8 forums and look for posts in the "fighting gun" forum. Pat Rogers posts there and is one of the, if not most, respected training instructors in the country. See what he has to say about rifles that work, and those that don't. While most brands will do fine for the average recreational shooter, there is a reason why some brands are cheaper than other. There is a reason why Colt is more expensive than others. Is it worth the cost? That's up to you. I personally don't own a Colt, and probably never will. I do believe that overall they have the most reliable, and durable ARs on the market, but I can not justify the price for what I use them for. For my money I will stick with Stag, CMMG, and LMT (I do own others too). YMMV. |
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Posted: 12/13/2006 7:15:36 AM EDT
[#13]
Ok, the guy wanted to know what to buy for target/varmint under $900, not what "trainers" use and all that other crap.hoice!
You will not find anything better for $900 or less as far as accuracy and overall value. |
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Posted: 12/13/2006 7:18:28 AM EDT
[#14]
my oly has worked flawlessly for me
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Posted: 12/13/2006 8:37:13 AM EDT
[#15]
Bushmaster
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Posted: 12/13/2006 8:48:23 AM EDT
[#16]
I haven't bought an assembled AR since 1997-it was a 16" Olympic postban. In the past few years I took it apart, used the lower on my A2 clone build, donated the upper reciever to a gift build for a returning OIF vet, and put the barrel on my Recce clone. I haven't had any issues with any of the parts. Remember that every opinion you get is going to be based on what that person owns. Objectivity is hard to find in the AR fashion world.
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Posted: 12/13/2006 9:13:59 AM EDT
[#17]
buy what your gut feelings tell you to get, don't listen to all the bashers out there chances are that whatever you buy will perform for you....my 2 cents
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Posted: 12/21/2006 12:06:55 AM EDT
[#18]
hello all
i have owned all that have been mentioned. tobe honest they are all good AR's the finish of some of the rifles may be better but all in all they all function pretty good all the time. the only problem i have had with any of the rifles are the magazines and thats not the rifles fault. right now i own a dpms ss 20in barrel rifle and a olympic arms 16in barreled version and both shoot really well. i would not be affraid to invest in any of the rifles you have mentioned. |
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Posted: 12/21/2006 1:37:57 AM EDT
[#19]
You can build a top quality AR for less than $900.00
But if you must chose from those three its 1.Bushmaster 2. DPMS 3. Oly |
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Posted: 12/21/2006 1:43:35 AM EDT
[#20]
Anytime someone says any AR worked "flawlessly" i think they are lying. Flawlessly means you never had a stoppage of any kind. you must not shoot much. Even my most reliable AR's will have a stoppage maybe once every 1,200 rounds or so. |
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Posted: 12/21/2006 3:09:56 AM EDT
[#21]
Take a ride over to a gun shop and take a look at each if they have them. Look them over and then decide. You'll hear all kinds of claims. I have owned a DPMS, OLY, Stag, CMMG and Colt. All of them worked well.
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Posted: 12/21/2006 3:35:50 AM EDT
[#22]
I've had the same thought, here and on other gun boards. I shoot competitively and expect failures out of my flawless guns. Sometimes it's the ammo I reload, dirt in a magazine from dumping it to the ground (never put an empty back in a pouch). Bumping into the RO. The list goes on and on. |
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Posted: 12/21/2006 4:04:42 AM EDT
[#23]
Well, you must have a defective AR(  just kidding). My Colt SP1 carbine, which I have ownwd since 1977, had a spate of failures to eject after about 4000 rounds. After I replaced the extractor spring, it's had about 3000 more rounds thru it in the years since.Apart from the FTEs w/the bad spring, it's been "FLAWLESS". And oh yeah, within 6 months after I bought it, I XM177E2d and class threed it. And of course we all know that the 11 1/2 inch barrel pieces are unreliable, especially on full auto. Right? 
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Posted: 12/21/2006 5:00:11 AM EDT
[#24]
Bushmaster.
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Posted: 12/21/2006 7:29:37 AM EDT
[#25]
I owned several Olympic Arms ARs over the years because of budget restrictions. To be fair, neither one of my Olys ever had problems, but the fit and finish were not great. I now have an Armalite M-4 and love it. It is a world away from my Olys in terms of quality. I actually went to the gun shop with the intention of purchasing a Bushmaster, but after holding the Armalite, I had to bring it home with me!
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Posted: 12/21/2006 7:33:28 AM EDT
[#26]
Personally, of the three you list and for the type of AR you want I would buy the Bushmaster first, were I buying instead of building -- but I have Olys and DPMS ARs that are good rifles as well. (If you wanted a PCC I would have said Oly; if you wanted a varminter I would have said DPMS.
)These are not exactly what you're asking, but you might glean some good info from these (and they are all just in the past three months): BM vs. Model 1 RRA vs. DPMS Stag vs. DPMS Stag vs. Armalite DPMS vs. RRA Stag vs. Olympic DPMS vs. Armalite BM vs. Stag RRA vs. BM BM vs. Colt Colt vs. RRA vs. BM BM vs. RRA BM vs. RRA 
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Posted: 12/21/2006 8:50:20 AM EDT
[#27]
Simple - Buy any compelte lower that has an emblem that makes you feel tingly inside, and THEN - Go shop for an upper. -
I will say that I have read (in mag articles - not the web) GREAT reviews about the Oly predator/varmiter/coyote.. whatever they call their line of those style guns being very accurate. - Now, with that said - I have also read a few negative articles about DPMS' accuracy on average. Bushmasters, RRA, Colts, Armalite will sell - BUT the Stags/DPMS'/Oly's/etc - will buy, meaning if you really want one to keep - follow my advice up top - IF your concerned about getting out from under it, then buy a Colt - RRA is a good middle of the road Now - Here's another idea for a tight shooting rifle - Follow step 1 about deciding who's emblem you like for a lower - THEN keep your eye out for a DCM upper (preferably bushmaster or RRA), as they will have the A2 20" appearance, but will be free floated, and heavy under the handgaurds,a nd REAL accurate. - Best of all - Most are pretty cheap when you buy used on the EE - I had one I about couldn't give away, because the general population wants the tricked out gidget/gadget does this make my dinky look bigger type of rigs. Good Luck to you - Whatever you decide. |
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Posted: 12/21/2006 10:52:35 AM EDT
[#28]
I plan to buy just a bunch of parts and put them together and use them till they fail. Then I will make better judgments on which is best.
Right now I own Bushy and RRA and have no problems up to this point. |
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Posted: 12/21/2006 11:04:47 AM EDT
[#29]
CMT/Stag for $700. Rock River can be had for about that as well. I would go with either of them before DPMS. PS. i paid $850 for my Colt brand new in box DURING the ban... |
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Posted: 12/21/2006 11:38:33 AM EDT
[#30]
The lower prices on Oly and DPMS aren't just from the kindness of their hearts. They're not guaranteed to fail, but they don't meet the quality and standards of other manufacturers.
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Posted: 12/21/2006 11:47:28 AM EDT
[#31]
and oly's lifetime warranty isn't worth the paper it's written on... and there are plenty of threads to back that up.
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Posted: 12/21/2006 3:40:18 PM EDT
[#32]
I just put together my first AR so I am no expert on the subject. My father in law just got a DPMS 308 and the quality looked real good so I went with a DPMS stripped lower and added a DPMS complete rifle kit. After reading the comments about hammer and trigger pieces having cast marks and the the roll pins not being too good I paid extra attention as I assembled the parts. The roll pins were a tad tight but the internal parts were all formed and machined very well. The rifle assembled beautifully. Haven't been to the range yet but I see no real issues looming. I give DPMS a thumbs up.
The next will be a RRA though as I love putting firearm money back into the Illinois economy. (I just moved from there and am not sorry in the least) |
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Posted: 12/21/2006 3:45:47 PM EDT
[#33]
I have a bushy 24" varmiter and a DPMS 16 M4,I personaly like the DPMS better but I think it may just be the smaller size has it feeling better,either one will hit your target if you can,either one will be a great gun as long as you like it,DPMS would be cheaper,I got my M4 for 750 new,thats my 2 cents worth
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Posted: 12/21/2006 3:46:36 PM EDT
[#34]
Buid one for around $550.00 and spend the rest on ammo and dial that thing in!
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Posted: 12/21/2006 4:10:13 PM EDT
[#35]
Bushmaster has the best overall reputation, but the upper end oly and dpms are decent rifles.
Bushmaster is the closest to what the military uses, but many times, those features can be overkill for the average paper puncher and cost allot more money (IE 4150 chrome lined vs. 4140 chrome moly, and MPI testing). It all comes down to personal choice and what you want to spend. |
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