AR Sponsor
Posted: 6/17/2004 11:30:34 AM EDT
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I've been lurking for a while and deceided to sign up. I wanted to thank each of you for your time and subsequent comments on the boards. Your imput really helped me out when deceiding on what to build. It is sincerely appreciated! So... here it is: I received my parts last Friday, as promised. I was VERY impressed with the quality of my CAR (11.5 + 5.5) / XM-177 style upper! No flakes, scratches or flaws of any kind. DPMS did their job - it was gorgeous! After three long months, I can honestly say it was worth the wait. The Bolt, Bolt Carrier and Charging Handle on my Upper were well finished and locked up tight. I didn't expect a chrome bolt assembly, but got one – that‘s a free upgrade! It's easier to clean, slicker and I can always close the dust cover if it gets too bright while conducting "covert" ops in the back yard. The Glacier Guard hand guards were solid, with very little rotational movement. When I finally removed them; I couldn't believe the barrel diameter! Holy Crap, Batman! The “undercover” Bull Barrel adds a little extra weight under the hand guards, but should help with cooling and accuracy. That's a trade-off I'll take ANY day! The CAR Upper fit right onto my DPMS pre-ban lower. There was a minor amount of play between the two, so I tightened it up with an Acu-Wedge to get it where I wanted - I'm just picky. The fit would be just fine for the average Joe. The finish / color matched my lower EXACTLY. I installed my collapsible stock in a matter of minutes. The buffer assembly went on just fine, but I was under-impressed with the quality of the stock itself. I found that I could flex it with very little pressure in my hands. The plastic was thin and fit loosely on the buffer assembly, much like a child's toy gun. It just didn't fit the overall quality of the weapon. Having paid $80, maybe I'll ask DPMS if I can swap it out for a few extra bucks with the new style - Hint, Hint... After watching it rain all weekend, I finally called in sick and took it to the range yesterday. I must have taken it apart several dozen times over the weekend waiting for the weather to pass. I cleaned it three or four times even though it wasn’t needed. It’s a guy thing. After a total of 250 rounds – I can honestly say that I’m impressed. It never missed a beat! I shot XM-193, IMI-855, Hot-Shot SS-109, Rem UMC, PMP FMJ and Black Hills 60 SP. I zero’d at 50 Yds, using the IBZ. Black Hills proved to be the accuracy load at this range, grouping around 1.0 inch. Shots at 100 yds. were in the 2 to 4 in range. I’m not interested in prairie dogs at 300 yds or MOA accuracy. If I can hit a pie pan at 100 yds., I’m happy! After all, it’s an 11.5 in Barrel and I didn’t have a fancy rest. I got the feeling that the rifle was much more capable than I was. When I slacked up, it showed, and my shot groups paid for it. The sights were sturdy and held the zero. The glacier guards never got uncomfortable or even hot. Extraction and ejection were flawless. The brass landed in a nice size pile about 6 ft. away at my 4 o’clock. I fired two 30 round mags in rapid succession to entice the weapon to fail – no luck. I considered picking up some one-piece gas rings and a D-Fender for the extractor. I have to admit, DPMS got it right the first time. After shooting yesterday, I don’t feel the need for either. All this talk on the boards about gas ports, short-stroking and extraction problems got me worried before I even hit the range. There I go thinking again… I did add a John Masen fore-grip and a First Samco pistol grip to the rifle. The Masen fore-grip is inexpensive, but rock solid. The Samco pistol grip is the best around – comfortable and useable for storage. I have a cleaning kit, earplugs and four extra rounds in there. No complaints with either. I use Mil-Tech oil exclusively on my AR. I usually go with Rem-Oil, but Mil-Tech rocks! I noticed the difference after using Rem-Oil after my initial range session. It wasn’t as smooth, and you could tell – even the wife said as much. So, I disassembled it all again, wiped it down and re-applied Mil-Tech. Can you say anal? Mags were O-Kay USGI surplus, Bushmaster LEO and Ram-Line. Each one functioned fine, with the exception of the Bushmaster. No big deal, it just failed to lock back the action every now and then. I can live with that for a “range-mag”. Overall, the DPMS CAR-15 Shorty weapon package is lightweight, accurate and reliable. I was impressed by the out of box quality and function. I’d recommend this weapon to anyone looking for a short, fast handling carbine. The CAR style upper offers nothing extraordinary in the accuracy department, but gets the looks and is more than capable at the ranges 5.56 works best. I give it a 9 out of 10. Positive Comments: Excellent quality, fit and finish. 100% function with various ammo types. Outstanding customer service – responsive, positive attitude and personable. Good accuracy at practical ranges. Negative Comments: CAR style stock – flimsy, loose. Need more accurate shipping / production dates at initial time of order. AEM (Danger Ranger) 3/75th |
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Sounds like a nice gun!!!! I have a DPMS bench rifle and I was probably the guy you heard talking about short-stroking. It was more of my fault than any other and it wasn't even me that was getting the rifle to short stroke, it was my friend.  I bought black hills HP and have not had a single incident with any kind of problem. I actually have never had any problems with my rifle, just my shooting buddy seems to mess things up. I have just recently done short-stroke tests and she hasn't failed them yet. I think DPMS makes as good of rifles as Bushmaster and they definitly have a better finish then Bushmasters I have handled. I love my DPMS!!!!! |
| I bought the same exact upper from a local DPMS dealer. I have been tickled pink with the accuracy at 100 yards never more than 2 MOA with optics, 3 moa with irons (my bad shooting) and like you said never a stoppage. If it only had a chrome bore it would be near perfect...that and the BATF/SBR letter I plan to get for it so I can take off the 5.5... |
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