just wondering why they seem to have such a bad name w/ everyone?  do they shoot that bad?  that unreliable?  i know they are not chrome lined but i doubt that would be an issue for me.  just curious as their price for a m4gery upper is pretty good.

are they that far behind dpms, rra, bushmaster?

thanks in advance,
bob

Generally, they are just low quality, although, you'll run across a decent one here and there. A friend of mine has 3 RR M-16's, all of which are Olympic. They are decent.

Way back in the early-Mid 1980's Olympic arms "Matched sets" were the only Non Colt AR uppers & lowers that fit together without having to file (And I mean file alot!!). I liked the quality. Since then they have gone down hill.
Back then Bushys were really a crap shoot!

Since you asked.

Quoted: Quoted: I USED TO SELL OLYMPICS.   I also stock Colts, BM, RRA, and AR.   Wanna know what the #1 most repaired AR15 in my shop is?  OLYMPIC.   I don't sell them anymore.   Wanna know what the most repaired AR15 in my store is now?  Still the OLYMPIC.   Wanna know what I've had to send Olys back for?  You name it.   Wanna know how hard it is to get repair parts/replacement parts/financial reimbursement for shipping NEW guns back to OLY for warranty work as a gun dealer?  IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!! Several distributors have even stopped carrying Olympic rifles because of the high reject rate once they get to the dealers. They might, sometimes, take care of the individual owner, but as a dealer, I believe that they have a black list, and if you're on it, you're screwed.   I've actually had OLY on the phone with a customer in my shop, and they have actually told the guy that there was nothing wrong, and if he shipped it back, they would not fix it.  The rifle had a broken bolt.  Sheared off 2 lugs, broke at the cam pin hole, and damaged the bolt carrier. I fixed it, with BM parts that were available to me at the time.  I sent the bill to OLY, never got a response.  Sold the debt off to a collection agency, along with all the other repairs that I had to do on OLY guns.  Now, if an OLY comes in for repair, I advise the individual that it will cost them an open ended amount and get them to sign the estimate before I'll even touch it. SHOT show 2002 I took them a box of the parts that I had replaced from their guns that I could not get reimbursement for. I'll guarntee I've owned/handled/shot more OLYs since 1999 than you ever will, unless you work at Oly or a gun store. There is, at best 15% profit in retail guns.  Olys eat up my 15% on repair parts/shipping/gunsmith time almost as soon as they get unpacked.  No more! Now, about their issues, still "Pretty sure they have been resolved by now" ????? Or is my post worthless, too? Tom   And…. Quoted: ...With my Oly lower, that jerk blamed the magazines even though my cast Oly lower was so out of spec that the back of an inserted magazine hits the bolt and keeps the bolt from closing.  This was after trying about 30 different magazines at a gun show.  None of them worked.  Tom called me lazy since I was unwilling to modify all of the magazines I own rather than asking for an RMA #.  I modified a couple of magazines anyway, but while shooting they'd still work their way upward to block the bolt.  I've had that piece of junk for over five years, and I have never gotten anywhere towards getting them to honor their warranty.  They just don't give a damn.z and.. Quoted: WEeused to be a Oly dealer used to be the operative word We had to send probably 25% of the cast  plinkers we sold back for repair  and probably 10% of the regular Olys had about the same luck with DPMS probably sold about 50 plinkers The failure rate of the other better ( A ,B ,C ,RRA)  brands is probably about 1% in my experence and this guy .. Quoted: My first AR was a CAR15 Oly kit.  The bolt carrier was tight in the upper until I honed the upper.  I figured it was a kit so I should not be upset about some fitting. And.. Quoted: I bought an Oly Arms 15 years ago and after using it on 5 different occasions the bolt catch broke. The part looked like broken pot metal. Any way, Mine was bought 15 years ago at a gun show, perhaps the newer modles are of better quality forged uppers and lowers, where mine is clearly cast. My next one might be a stag, but not sure. My Oly arms looks great and shoots very well, but I often wonder what is the next part that is going to bust. And my good man, Hellhound… Quoted: I bought a NEW FACTORY 16" Oly CAR back in 1993-1994, with a non-chrome barrel---I bought their marketing BS.... The barrel was shit. Would jam (feeding and extraction) about 5 rounds into a mag and then jam about every 2. Went through new springs for the extractor, the little o ring thingie, chamber brushing, new mags (USGI), everything imaginable.... I sold the barrel to someone who was going to use it for a .22 conversion, great idea for them. I bought a chrome-lined RRA middie barrel, installed it on my Oly and have had 0 problems. The other components of the gun are just fine, no problems there. Spend a little more money and get a better barrel, it will save you a lot of aggravation. Please don't make the same mistake I made. another satisfied customer... Quoted: I loved them so much I made an active effort to get rid of mine. Like a relationship with a crazy woman, I could tolerate the flaws at first.  Mostly because I got the results I was looking for, then the flaws became un-freaking-bearable. I found out I could do a lot better... Oly got kicked to the curb. and this... Quoted: I used to live in Olympia WA...and after calling Oly Arms, drove out to check out their facility. When I got there, a few things became rather clear. 1) Their "factory" looked like the set of Sanford & Son. (Absolutely NOT kidding) 2) Despite being told "Sure, come on down!" on the phone, when I got there, I was dealt with like I was Diane Feinstein by EVERYONE. One guy was pleasant and answered my questions...so not a total disaster, but the rest were pricks in general. 3) There was nothing and I mean NOTHING about their "facility" that looked suitable for manufacturing dog toys, let alone firearms. If you never get a 2nd chance to make 1st impressions, Oly lost me COMPLETELY with that one.   and this sad tale... Quoted: I bought a new plinker back in '04 since it was cheap and new. I also bought some Black Hills ammo and shot the first box of 20 fine the second box didn't go as fine. On my 32nd round I heard a loud "clank" inside of the plinker and so I pulled the mag, emptied the chamber, well, I tried to empty the chamber but couldn't. I tried to engage the safety and couldn't. I tried to break the rifle apart and couldn't. I eventually had to take off the stock and buffer tube. When I took the tube off, I found that the buffer and spring were inside the upper receiver. I took them out then was able to open the gun to see what was going on. The lower receiver broke right in front of the buffer retaining pin, throwing the retaining pin into the trigger grouping. I called Olympic and wanted to see what could be done and they say I would have to pay for shipping both ways and the armorers hourly rate was $55/hr. I told them that I wasn't happy and offered some stickers for my inconvenience. I have since parted the gun and washed my hands of the worst experience I've ever had with a firearm. I've then since owned RRA, Bushmaster, Armalite, DPMS, even Colt and would go back to them again and again. Learn from our COSTLY mistakes and be happier! we're on a roll here: Quoted: I sent a lower in to them for repair. Pin holes so mis aligned it wasnt even funny. Took them  3 MONTHS to tell me there was nothing wrong with it . But they replaced it anyway. Different serial #.. Same exact problem. My dog...Can build a better gun. pictures are worth 1000 words... Quoted: img329.imageshack.us/img329/3096/olyrcvryi3.jpg img329.imageshack.us/img329/843/olybarldi7.jpg Tales of woe... Quoted: I had one KABOOM on me with less then 300 rounds through it. And then Oly lied about what caused the problem. I will never own another one again. Phessor More... Quoted: OlY has been around for a long time, I used their receivers in the 80's to build machine guns. I can't tell you the amount of brand new rejected parts that were returned to OLY for replacement. They are still in business!!! I think there is a saying, kinda like. There's a fool born every minute of the day. So if you are one. More... Quoted: I've shopped at Prairie Arms.  The owner recommended an Oly saying they " make best AR-15 on the market".  Haven't been back, and I would not call them a reliable source of information. Pick up an Oly he had on the shelf and hand cycled it.  Felt like the inner workings were lined with sand paper (not typical pre-break in either).  Needless to say, I didn't buy it. Jesus... Quoted: I owned one and never again a total pos and even worst service. These guys are scum in my opinion and will never get another dollar from me. Pat More... Quoted: Yes, they are that bad. How they stay in business is beyond comprehension. I have one. The only part left original OLY is the lower and even the parts kit has been changed out to a RRA match kit. Therefore the only part left original OLY is the stripped lower, which is the part that matters the least. OLY = Caveat Emptor. AR15fan shares his wisdom... Quoted: Ive broke an oly forward assist, several bolt catches, a mag catch, wore out hammer springs, disconnector springs, extractor spring, dimpled firing pins, handguard that fitr with gaps, receiver end plates had the finish flake off and rust, frozen bolt catch detents, frozen safety detents. I wont buy anotrher Oly product, ever.  For budget parts i go with DPMS, Bushmaster  & CMT.  If i need better quality then that i buy Colt from Brownells or SAW. MauserMark checks in... Quoted: I saw at a shoot here a bolt seperate.  Don't remember which arfcom member's it was, but it seperated in use, and it was an Oly bolt. More... Quoted: Yes, I do have the unfortunate experience of having owned some Oly products and did try to assemble a couple of their lowers for a friend once. I learned the lesson. The horror… Quoted: My Buddy bought one over my protest. On it's second outing with Winchester White box, the barrel seperated from the receiver. And… Quoted: Blech, the one I saw broke it's bolt the first day it was fired. You won't find a reputable gunsmith who works on ARs or an experienced carbine instructor who would recommend an Oly. Quoted: Had (past tense) an Oly stripped cast lower that I was going to use for my first build.  Had to take a file to the magazine well before it would accept USGI magazines.  As in they had to be crammed and beaten into a stripped lower, not that they just wouldn't drop free.  Offloaded that thing PDQ.  Tried again with an A1 upper.  Bushmaster and Colt bolt carriers bound up in the receiver.  Could see the bright shiny marks in the upper where the carriers were rubbing.  Also the takedown/pivot pin holes were mis-aligned (badly).  That was the last time I ever even considered Oly as a source for AR15 parts of any kind.  I stay far away now.

wonder how they seem to do ok w/ pistol uppers but really fuck up 5.56 uppers (not even going to go all their other non 5.56 rifle uppers)...maybe it is the pressures we are dealing w/...thanks for the info.

I just swapped out my Olympic a1 upper  for a flat top from cmmg but I didnt have any problems with it.  I still have the olympic lower and its been fine too.  


I see these threads all of the time.  When it comes down to it, they are hit and miss.  Some people swear by them some have had horrible experiences.  If you dont want any problems your best bet is to stay away.

If you're on a limited budget, Olys are fine for most people.  However, the fit, finish and accuracy don't compare to most of the other AR manufacturers rifles.  I've had two over the years and they shot every time that I pulled the trigger, but they don't compare to my Armalite or Bushmaster ARs.

My experience with one is that it's 100% reliable and accurate.  

Maybe it's similar to the Britney Spears bashing on the news.  Personally I would still sleep with her

Wasn't Olympic  Arms single-handedly responsible for getting the cheap steel-cased Chinese 7.62x39 ammo banned from importation?  Unless I'm mistaken, they were.  That right there alone was enough to destroy their reputation for many of us.

My only experience with them was at their table at a Vegas gun show.  They were selling lowers, which I was interested in.  Fortunately, I was present when another would-be customer attempted to insert a GI issue magazine into a magwell, and was unsuccessful.  The mag well looked like it was chewed up by steel fanged beavers.

I had an Oly arms AR once and only for a short time.  It was my first 16 inch AR and had a Muzzle brake on it.  Halfway through my second 30 round Mag I see something black fash down range.   Turns out that it was the Muzzle brake the things was missaligned and the rounds were grazing it.  Easy solution.  Shoot without the thing on there.  

After about 5 more mags I notice that my hand is getting really hot.  I stop shooting and look at the gun only to see the bottom Handguard start to sag and fall off.  The heat from 5 mags of semi rapid fire had been enough to completely melt the handguards and distort the gas tube.  

After this I had the barrell replaced with a 2 incher that was of better quality, DPMS I think.  A month or so later I started having a lot of feeding and extraction problems.  When I take the gun apart to check out the issue I find a lot of shavings.  the bolt carrier was taking actual shavving off the inside of the upper reciever.  

I promptly got rid of the gun and replaced it with a Bushmaster.  

HIT AND MISS

Don't their stainless AR barrels have a devoted following for accuracy? I've seen several posts here asking who made their barrels with  stories of exceptional accuracy.

The one oly product I've handled was a 9mm upper and it was junk.

Quoted: Don't their stainless AR barrels have a devoted following for accuracy? I've seen several posts here asking who made their barrels with  stories of exceptional accuracy. The one oly product I've handled was a 9mm upper and it was junk.

They used to sell excellent barrels in all twist from 1/14 to 1/7!
I don't know if they still do.

I have an Oly Ultramatch barrelled upper I purchased before Billy Clinton decided I shouldn't have it.  It shoots a 97 with X's at 600 yards, if I do my part.

Get an AR from another manufacturer.  Pretty much any other manufacturer is better than Oly except for Vulcan/Hesse.

Quoted: Wasn't Olympic  Arms single-handedly responsible for getting the cheap steel-cased Chinese 7.62x39 ammo banned from importation?  Unless I'm mistaken, they were.  That right there alone was enough to destroy their reputation for many of us.

What did they do?

Friend of mine had a gun assembled at a gunshow.  I think the parts were Oly.

Got home to test fire.  No bang. He couldn't figure it out.  I took a look at it.

There was no firing pin hole in the bolt.  Just a dimple on the bolt face of where it should be.  I shit you not.

I'm obviously biased since I leave very near their factory.  The employees there have been great to me, I have bought several lowers (and parts/accessories) from them with nothing but good things to say.  They treat us in the .mil like gold and I have personally seen them make some really cool gear for cheap/free for SF guys from Ft. Lewis.  I've also seen their entire production process at their open house and am still amazed that they make every single part of their rifles, not many others do.  All that said, in my experience, their bbls are awesome, their lowers are nice though I have seen some tight magwells.  I don't like their LPKs, the trigger group is such a crappy fit I have had to file a trigger to get it to drop in.  Their handguards and the like are ok.  In other words, I like their lower ok, when they don't have tight magwells, I like their bbls all the time (but they aren't chrome lined) and their complete rifles I have no idea about.  I used a DPMS LPK that sucked worse than the Oly one, so take that FWIW.

Quoted: Quoted: Wasn't Olympic  Arms single-handedly responsible for getting the cheap steel-cased Chinese 7.62x39 ammo banned from importation?  Unless I'm mistaken, they were.  That right there alone was enough to destroy their reputation for many of us. What did they do?

Assuming that it was indeed Olympic Arms, they put a 7.62x39 caliber pistol on the market.  Due to the fedgov rules on "AP" ammo, they forced the govt's hand in banning importation of the dirt cheap chinese ammo.

I think it was even mentioned in Unintended Consequences.  

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wasn't Olympic  Arms single-handedly responsible for getting the cheap steel-cased Chinese 7.62x39 ammo banned from importation?  Unless I'm mistaken, they were.  That right there alone was enough to destroy their reputation for many of us. What did they do? Assuming that it was indeed Olympic Arms, they put a 7.62x39 caliber pistol on the market.  Due to the fedgov rules on "AP" ammo, they forced the govt's hand in banning importation of the dirt cheap chinese ammo. I think it was even mentioned in Unintended Consequences.

so this was steel core ammo?  wow, surprised it was chinese and didn't have lead in it....

on a seriious note, could you explain what the deal was?  i mean if it is about "ap" ammo in a pistol, then a ar pistol in 5.56 would have no issue shooting its "ap" version...please explain

Quoted: on a seriious note, could you explain what the deal was?  i mean if it is about "ap" ammo in a pistol, then a ar pistol in 5.56 would have no issue shooting its "ap" version...please explain

I have never seen AP 5.56mm ammo for sale, so it seems the issue is moot.
Olympic was specifically told by the ATF what would happen if they released this weapon for sale.
Oly did it anyway.

OH SNAP!






eta:  how does that new phrase go?  OWNED IN THE FACE!


This is the worst Oly thread ever.

LoL


j/k

height=8

Quoted: just wondering why they seem to have such a bad name w/ everyone?  do they shoot that bad?  that unreliable?  i know they are not chrome lined but i doubt that would be an issue for me.  just curious as their price for a m4gery upper is pretty good. are they that far behind dpms, rra, bushmaster? thanks in advance, bob

Because it's fashionable and "everyone does it".

Okay, the cast receiver on the Plinker wasn't  real impressive. But, I'll put my Plinker Plus up against anything out there, including my Colt HBAR flattop. 1/2" shooter and very nice fit & finish makes a keeper.

DPMS was our dept's choice for our UPR's. We could have bought any brand for our M4's (yes, M4's) since the pricing was similar among brands.

http://fototime.com/05FBBDEA0E7149F/orig.jpg

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wasn't Olympic  Arms single-handedly responsible for getting the cheap steel-cased Chinese 7.62x39 ammo banned from importation?  Unless I'm mistaken, they were.  That right there alone was enough to destroy their reputation for many of us. What did they do? Assuming that it was indeed Olympic Arms, they put a 7.62x39 caliber pistol on the market.  Due to the fedgov rules on "AP" ammo, they forced the govt's hand in banning importation of the dirt cheap chinese ammo. I think it was even mentioned in Unintended Consequences.

i was looking around and model1 offers a 7.62x39 ar pistol too.  or was this done after oly did it?

As I've heard, there was another company which produced a pistol which shot the same ammo, and they suffered no consequence.  Maybe because at the time Oly was involved with Gov contracts?  Also recalled hearing only six prototypes were made and accounted for.  Don't take this as gospel.  The internet can be a terrible place.

Their idiots they only care about themselfs and making money for themself.  Thanks to them and their 7.62x39 pistol we now dont have steel core ammo imports, in other words no cheap 7.62 from China.  IMO they sold us out even when warned not to, they did it anyway, thats enough for me, it helps their quality is shitty.

on their site they don't list a 7.62x39 pistol or one under 16", but model1 does - kind of a large pistol @ 11" but listed as a pistol nonetheless.  seems more like a sbr  was the oly one shorter, like 6-7"?

Quoted: i was looking around and model1 offers a 7.62x39 ar pistol too.  or was this done after oly did it?

www.thegunzone.com/762x39.html

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wasn't Olympic  Arms single-handedly responsible for getting the cheap steel-cased Chinese 7.62x39 ammo banned from importation?  Unless I'm mistaken, they were.  That right there alone was enough to destroy their reputation for many of us. What did they do? Assuming that it was indeed Olympic Arms, they put a 7.62x39 caliber pistol on the market.  Due to the fedgov rules on "AP" ammo, they forced the govt's hand in banning importation of the dirt cheap chinese ammo. I think it was even mentioned in Unintended Consequences.

More accurately:

Oly put a 7.62x39 pistol on the market... They were not the first (the 'first' was an AK pistol), nor have they been the last (see Krinkov pistols)...

The CLINTON DOJ stretched the law (which actually only covers ammo 'designed for use in a handgun' (which 7.62x39 OBVIOUSLY was not) to cover this 'evil weapon of mass destruction' and thus ban AP 7.62x39.....

Put the blame where it belongs - on the Clinton goons, NOT on Oly....

Further, ALL GUN AND AMMO IMPORTS FROM CHINA HAVE BEEN BANNED BY THE FEDS in response to China's involvement in WMD proliferation...

I had an Olympic arms lower I bought from their shop, and promptly got rid of it after letting it sit on my desk for a few weeks.  The more I look at it the more problems I found!  The threads in the back for the buttstock had numerous large ugly burrs, The finish was chipped in a few places and the Oly stamp on the side looked like shit.

Luck was in favor the day I traded it...I was at a gun show and fell in love with the superb Mega Gator lower.  I watched a table that had a couple and when the head honcho stepped out for lunch I asked his less experienced co-hort how much he wanted for a swap for the Mega..."O there isn't really a big difference, I will do it for nothing!  Just have to call it in is all..."

So we swapped, and I happened to walk back by the table a half hour later to hear him getting CHEWED out for doing the swap, and the owner happened to look up to see me and give me a glare like I had just shoved a toilet brush up his ass!

So put my lower together with a RRA 2 stage trigger and Oly lower parts thinking that the small stuff wouldn't be a big deal, but o was I wrong!!  The safety selectory was POORLY made and had a lot of travel.  If you had any contact with the selector when firing it wouldnt fire until you took the pressure off.  I know you may be thinking "who the touches that while firing!!"  But you shot from the prone unsupported or standing CQB position and tell me your finger doesnt graze the selector o so lightly..

Long story short:  Oly arms parts are rough cut and caused me a vary real safety threat.  I have handled there firearms at the shop and they are rough cut (you can see heavy straitions on thier bolt carriers) and fell like sand paper when you charge the weapon.

Go with someone else...In My Honest Opinion

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Wasn't Olympic  Arms single-handedly responsible for getting the cheap steel-cased Chinese 7.62x39 ammo banned from importation?  Unless I'm mistaken, they were.  That right there alone was enough to destroy their reputation for many of us. What did they do? Assuming that it was indeed Olympic Arms, they put a 7.62x39 caliber pistol on the market.  Due to the fedgov rules on "AP" ammo, they forced the govt's hand in banning importation of the dirt cheap chinese ammo. I think it was even mentioned in Unintended Consequences.   More accurately: Oly put a 7.62x39 pistol on the market... They were not the first (the 'first' was an AK pistol), nor have they been the last (see Krinkov pistols)... The CLINTON DOJ stretched the law (which actually only covers ammo 'designed for use in a handgun' (which 7.62x39 OBVIOUSLY was not) to cover this 'evil weapon of mass destruction' and thus ban AP 7.62x39..... Put the blame where it belongs - on the Clinton goons, NOT on Oly.... Further, ALL GUN AND AMMO IMPORTS FROM CHINA HAVE BEEN BANNED BY THE FEDS in response to China's involvement in WMD proliferation...

Dave,
There is a copy of the letter floating around here somewhere from the BATF to them, and when question the owner (cant remember his name) lied about it.  I know its not all their fault but the way they lied and handled it after being warned is enough for me.  Plus their more fun to hate and blame.  I see your in Iraq, thanks for your service and be safe.

Quoted: I had an Olympic arms lower I bought from their shop, and promptly got rid of it after letting it sit on my desk for a few weeks.  The more I look at it the more problems I found!  The threads in the back for the buttstock had numerous large ugly burrs, The finish was chipped in a few places and the Oly stamp on the side looked like shit. Luck was in favor the day I traded it...I was at a gun show and fell in love with the superb Mega Gator lower.  I watched a table that had a couple and when the head honcho stepped out for lunch I asked his less experienced co-hort how much he wanted for a swap for the Mega..."O there isn't really a big difference, I will do it for nothing!  Just have to call it in is all..." So we swapped, and I happened to walk back by the table a half hour later to hear him getting CHEWED out for doing the swap, and the owner happened to look up to see me and give me a glare like I had just shoved a toilet brush up his ass! So put my lower together with a RRA 2 stage trigger and Oly lower parts thinking that the small stuff wouldn't be a big deal, but o was I wrong!!  The safety selectory was POORLY made and had a lot of travel.  If you had any contact with the selector when firing it wouldnt fire until you took the pressure off.  I know you may be thinking "who the touches that while firing!!"  But you shot from the prone unsupported or standing CQB position and tell me your finger doesnt graze the selector o so lightly.. Long story short:  Oly arms parts are rough cut and caused me a vary real safety threat.  I have handled there firearms at the shop and they are rough cut (you can see heavy straitions on thier bolt carriers) and fell like sand paper when you charge the weapon. Go with someone else...In My Honest Opinion

Are thier lowers still cast?
I picked up a Oly from a friend in a trade (it wouldnt release the mags) for a 10/22 (I got hosed) it had cheap roll pins on the front sight and I had to file the shit out of the lower to get it to drop the mags.  I saw another one that way back in 2000 and mine and that one was enough for me.

Their modern lowers are forged. I've not had any issues with mine (2005 manufacture) nor have any of my partners at work that own them had any issues. I don't roll with the elites here, but sounds likes some folks who claim Oly ownership have received some turds.

You liked that huh?...  No BS that is a real story haha

I have an Oly K3B Mil-4 and I love it. It shoot everything I feed it, has been 100% reliable since I've owned it, and has a fit and finish that I would say equals my buddys Bushy.  Who knows....maybe I was one of the lucky ones who got a good gun out of the factory :)  If I had to do it all over again...I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

Well I was suckered into buying a PCR-16 back when the ban was in. What a piece of SHIT. I'll never buy anything Oly again. Jams after every round if I can ever get it to fire.