[fisi]

has anyone had any experience with their ar15 uppers???? prices look cheap
but maybe there is a reason for it............

[jefmad]

Some people have had a bad experience with them. I have ordered a kit and got exactly what I ordered and it operates fine.

[SigfanUSAF]

I'd love to here more as well, as I too am considering on of these. Any FFLs deal with them before? Do they give discounts?

[rbernie]

Their parts are OK for the most part, but they are less expensive because they buy from cheaper sources that don't have the QA/QC inspections and processes that the bigger boys do. That means that the likelihood of your getting a bad part is a wee bit greater with them than with a more expensive supplier. But that there is no hard-n-fast rule that you WILL get anything bad - like any other vendor, it's a roll of the dice. M1S just comes up snake eyes a few more times than others, but not enough to call 'em on it.

I've bought a bunch of stuff from them and been happy, but then again I buy just parts (barrels, mostly) and do the assembly myself rather than relying upon their assembly process.

[solive]

I have a M1Sales 16" parts kit that I put on a DPMS striped lower. I am approaching 1000 rounds and I have not had any failures. I have been trying to see if it will fail, I have been using Cheapo monarch ammo from academy. The last time I was at the range I put 400 rounds of monarch through it. I dumped 3 mags in a row as fast as I could pull the trigger. This ammo is steel cased and lacquer covered, even after 350 rounds it still feeds and ejects like it was freshly cleaned. It has been flawless and extremely accurate I am getting 2 inch groups at 50 yards with the chepo monarch ammo. So far I have not noticed any abnormal wear on the extractor or bolt face from using steel cased ammo I will see how it holds up over time.

[Thin Black Line]

I have done a couple builds with Model1 uppers. The first was a 16"
carbine/heavy/chrome lined and I was able to quickly site it in and get 1"
groups. It's color perfectly matched my bushie lower. This was literally right
after the ban was lifted and it looked like qc was pretty good at the time.
This one was so accurate, so well matched that it has resided in the
safe for the most part. I have added goodies like rails, optics, etc to it over
time.

I did a second M1S upper build not too long ago after an Iraq tour and I was
not as impressed with the color/casting on the upper receiver this time
around. Same kind of barrel but accuracy was not quite as good even with a
one piece yhm foreend on this build, but it was still acceptable. It has been
very reliable with absolutely no problems for 1000s of rounds. I got the
chrome plated bolt carrier group for this one, which although a little more
expensive, cleans up very easily. However, it is still less accurate than
an old bushie upper build that I did for a relative and which has been
shot far far more over the years.

The one piece foreends/chrome bolt groups are not a requirement for a
good build. My second one had them as a personal gift after my time in
the sandbox and is my every day heavy use plinker.

I would buy another m1s kit/upper and still recommend it for those who
really need to save a couple hundred $'s or more. I think qc for most mfgs
has suffered to some extent as they try to fill the post-AWB-expiration
demand. This should taper off as people buy the Ar15 they always wanted
and sales slow down due to the recession.

[Don't Tread On Me]

M1S = pot metal junk.


Take it from someone who has a very keen eye for detail and who's had and worked on 2 of them.

[SigfanUSAF]

Thanks guys, sounds too touch and go for me :scrutiny:

[lycanthrope]

No more touch and go than other manufacturers......

I have a couple custom AR's as well as shelf rifles and they all work well if you maintain them. My Model 1 kit gun has been flawless save for some rough casting on the gas block. Shoots 3/4 MOA with match ammo with a pencil 16" barrel. I would not hesitate to build another.

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~jefwolfe/Model1small.JPG

[blackedoutharley]

Dont worry about the quality of M1S. I purchased a 20" SS bull A-3 upper with no add-ons other than the bi-pod and ACE stock. The finish matched my DoubleStar lower perfectly and now after 1500 rounds I can say that I am extrememly pleased!
It shoots 1/2" groups @ 100 yards all day with everything from Guatamala contract stuff to Winchester Whitebox, American Eagle, Miwall reloads & Remington. I have used 52, 55 & 62 grn bullets all with the same results.

I was so pleased that I ordered one of their standard A-2 kits for my Lauer lower and it too shoots great and with no issues after nearly 500 rounds.

For the money, contrary to what all the rich people say, M1S is a very good product with good communication and pricing.

I will purchased from them again without hesitation should the opportunity arise.

[Thrash1982]

I've built two ARs myself with M1S parts kits and know several more people that have as well. All rifles work like they're supposed to. Plus they are great to deal with at gun shows. If you're buying a few items they'll often knock off a few bucks. I'll buy from them again.

[js2013]

I bought a stripped upper from them years ago that was junk. I will never use them again. I've always had good luck with Bushmaster, Armalite, and DPMS.

[Gewehr98]

I've got a spare pre-'94 Oly Arms receiver, and am bitten by the 16" CAR-15 bug.

I noticed something in this thread. We've got folks who've built AR variants on Model 1 kits, are quite pleased with them, and even show pictures of them.

We've also got posters who called the Model 1 kits junk, pot-metal, and so forth. No pictures, and no descriptions of the specific problems other than vague generalizations and accusations. That's really helpful, and makes me think those problems are anecdotal rather than indicative of Model 1 Sales' entire lineup. :scrutiny:

[carnaby]

So when you buy a model 1 kit, does it come with a lower? Can you buy the complete kit but without the lower? I'd like to get a complete kit without lower, so I can have it shipped to my door, then do an FTF deal on a local lower to save FFL fees.

[Thrash1982]

The M1S kits do not come with a lower receiver. Most if not all parts kits do not come with receivers. I've built two ARs with M1S kits and have been very happy with them.

[swingcatt]

I've built 4 M1S kits on 4 Rock River Arms lowers in the past 3 years. One safety switch on one of the M1S kits missed the coating tank and one of the RRA lowers had places where the finish fell off of the outside of where the buffer tube threads in. Those are the only QC problems I've had with any of my builds. Can't speak for anyone but myself, but from my experiences I guess I can say that M1S is on par with RRA's quality and I think RRA is some of the best out there. SC

[mrmeval]

I had a friend assemble a kit of parts from them on an RRA receiver. Every part was to spec and very tight fitting. They use Shaw barrels. It fires and functions fine but I've not had a chance to do real accuracy testing or really break it in.

[mrmeval]

I've noticed it going back to when I bought mine from Model 1 and mentioned it. All smoke and no substance. I get the same thing when I mention my Neos. If I really want them crawling out of the woodwork I mention Colt in the same sentence.

The only thing that bothered me on mine was a mismatched piece that I thought wasn't chromed on the bolt&carrier. I asked and it comes coated with a moly lubricant to improve reliability.


We've also got posters who called the Model 1 kits junk, pot-metal, and so forth. No pictures, and no descriptions of the specific problems other than vague generalizations and accusations. That's really helpful, and makes me think those problems are anecdotal rather than indicative of Model 1 Sales' entire lineup.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

It shoots 1/2" groups @ 100 yards all day with everything from Guatamala contract stuff to Winchester Whitebox, American Eagle, Miwall reloads & Remington. I have used 52, 55 & 62 grn bullets all with the same results.

Really? How many rounds in each group?

Model 1 Sales is yet another offshoot of the now-defunct Nesard company. If you have dealt with that company or M&A, this is pretty much more of the same. The kits aren't junk; but they don't represent the best in the AR world either.

A quick search of the archives here will reveal numerous anecdotes both good and bad.

[carnaby]

The kits aren't junk; but they don't represent the best in the AR world either.

Good to know. I can't afford teh best in the AR world yet, and I don't want junk. :D

[4v50 Gary]

Arfcomers boycott Model1Sales. The Model1Sales owner grabbed an arfcomer, pulled the arfcomer's cigar out of his mouth and yelled an obscenity at him, pulled his arm back as if to throw a punch. The arfcomer responded ala Darth Vader and grabbed the Model1Sales owner by the throat and made the owner stand on his tippy-toes. The arfcomer had plenty of witnesses to support his use of force as self defense. Furthermore, the arfcomer is an attorney.:p Arfcomers responded by boycotting Model1Sales.

As for myself, I never bought from them. I've bought from DPMS, Bushmaster and Oly. Yes, I've got Colt stuff too - but EVERYTHING is out of state now.:(

[SigfanUSAF]

Sorry, but what is an Arfcomer:confused:

[MisterPX]

I've done my share of business with M1S/MA. No problems with kits or components. However, in my experience with 3 rifles, they're not as Wolf freindly as other manufacturers. If you're not shooting Wolf, then they've presented no issues to me.

[lycanthrope]

Sorry, but what is an Arfcomer


One who frequents www.ar15.com

The site is huge with lots of good information, and even more people who post about nothing in particular. Excellent tutorials though.

[swingcatt]

As an adendum to my previous post about the safety switch that missed the finish tank, I would like to follow up by saying that this happened this weekend. On monday I emailed them about the lack of finish and today I just got the mail and in it was a new safety switch. First time I've ever had to ask them for something and they jumped on it ASAP. Once again, I am just relating my personal experiences. SC

[Kentucky]

I traded an Olympic upper that I had for a model 1 upper. I had several failures to extract with it, as a matter of fact it would not make it through a full magazine without having this occur. I never tried anything brass through it, just the wolf I had on hand. I sold it and moved on, personally I will stick with some of the other companies instead of trying their product again.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

The arfcomer had plenty of witnesses to support his use of force as self defense. Furthermore, the arfcomer is an attorney. Arfcomers responded by boycotting Model1Sales.

Just to clarify that; but this happened with M&A (another shard of the Nesard company) not Model 1. To the best of my knowledge, Model 1 has not yet adopted the philosophy of assaulting their customers.

[sgist]

They have a strong presence in Texas and attend a lot of gunshows in which they bring a HUGE number of uppers including a lot of 6.8's and even 300x221's. Very user friendly. I am sure that they want to keep good relations with their customers and would be happy to rectify any quality complaints that customers have.