Black Rifles ?

Avoid them. They are owned by freedom group, a conglomerate which usually strips its companies down to the point where there is very little quality control. Case in point: Marlin in recent years and Bushmaster, both wrecked by FG. :banghead:

...and the counter point... I've been using a DPMS rifle for work for years now. It's been through plenty of training classes and few competitions without needing more than the usual maintenance. AR snobs aside, I think it's a great rifle.

They are no worse than any other entry-level AR. Most rifles will work for most shooters most of the time. You have to drive an AR pretty hard to expose the differences between a $700 rifle and a $1500 rifle.

I bought one from Midway a couple years back. Wasn't inpressed by the fit & finish. Lots of machineing marks inside the receiver. Sent it back the next day.

Midway neglected to list the absense of a forward assist in their product description and deleted my product review stating so.

Some folks like them.

But some folks also like Hi-Points too.

*ducks and runs*

I cannot say firsthand that DPMS has gone downhill. I have a couple DPMS rifles built in 2005 without any quality or function issues plus they are very accurate rifles too. Id say if you were looking for something in the same price range Palmetto State Armory would be a good rifle although for just a little more a BCM would be a fine weapon.

For the price (I am guessing you might be looking @ the Panther Lite) you can buy something of better quality I.e. SW Sport. The Panther Lite I bought a couple years ago did not have a properly staked carrier for example.

Better can be had for the same price.

I stick with Armalite as in AR for Armalite. good price, proven quality and they are the only real AR.

i try to avoid Freedom Group products on principle

Make suggestions Captains1911.

I don't see much,or any good about DPMS brand rifles

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There is a reason for that

I stick with Armalite as in AR for Armalite. good price, proven quality and they are the only real AR.

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Armalite of today is not the same company that first produced ARs.

3)The Gun Forum Guys

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Have struck again...

Ahhhh,how about accuracy to 200 yards ? A red dot ok,I really don't want a magnified scope............

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On the ones I have been around, the reliabillty has been fine as well as the accuracy. Bushnell red dot seems to work fine and is not that expensive.

I heard that Remington recently bought DPMS as well as Bushmaster. Does that mean Freedom group owns Remington or is my info incorrect?

Armalite is no more or less the 'real' anything than any other manufacturer.

Remington Arms
Bushmaster Firearms International
DPMS Panther Arms
Marlin
H & R Firearms
NEF
Dakota Arms
LC Smith
Parker HAIL
AAC – Advanced Armament Corporation
Barnes Bullets
EOTAC
INT-C
Para USA

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Group

I think most of the people that are having trouble with dpms rifles just don't know how to accurize them or are having trouble with the lr series. Here's my 6.8 upper that I put the tube on and set into a s&w lower with a rock river trigger and a2 stock. It's been 100% reliable through 200 rounds and yes I've let it get a little dirty.







That's a 1" red circle at 100 yards on 9x with a nighteater scope.

I have an absolute tack-driver DPMS LR-308, 24" stainless free-floated barrel, 3# 2-stage trigger, and it runs like a boss. I've done a few builds on DPMS AR15 lower receivers, and I have no complaints there, either. That's just my experience. I'm sure there are several sour people out there with bad experiences, as well. I don't have an issue buying their parts.

I have two DPMS lowers and one upper, never had a bit of problem with them shooting everything from .22lr through .50 Beowulf.

The standard DPMS trigger is nothing to write home about, but neither is a Colt or any of the milspec guns. That's easy to cure with a drop in Timney or McCormick, or a JP. My 16" bull barrel upper isn't as accurate as some I have shot, in fact my 18" RRA upper is more accurate, but it's still an MOA gun with most Black Hills ammo from 52-67 gr.

Now of course I am not fighting a war with mine, I do clean them on occassion, and rarely find myself dragging them through the mud and sand and trying to shoot them.

They are no worse than any other entry-level AR.

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I beg to differ. I've seen too many with tight chambers that had function problems. That's before we get into unlined / untreated barrels, untested bolts, improperly staked carrier keys, under-sprung extractors in carbines, commercial buffer tubes, and lack of buffer tube castle nut staking. There are FAR better entry level rifles on the market for similar money.

I stick with Armalite as in AR for Armalite. good price, proven quality and they are the only real AR.

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Yes, the long defunct Armalite division of Fairchild Aviation. They sold the original plans, name, and production rights of the real AR-15 to Colt. The current Armalite of Illinois has as much in common with the real Armalite as the current Springfield Armory in IL has with the real Springfield Armory in Springfield, MA.

I think most of the people that are having trouble with dpms rifles just don't know how to accurize them

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When I purchase a new firearm, why should I have to 'accurize' it? That should never be the case. Who knowingly purchases a firearm that requires accurization(if that's a word) out of the box?(I'm not talking about acc. or optics))

Armalite of today is not the same company that first produced ARs

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This is correct. Eagle arms bought the rights to the Armalite name in 1996. That said, they make top notch rifles with a lifetime warranty. Good company to deal with, too.

The current AR-10 is, however, exclusive to Armalite, Inc. Theirs is also built with a stronger 7175 alloy.

Now, about DPMS......

Not the worst out there, but in my experience, not the best either. I'd say they're an ok option if you're looking for a factory rifle that no one else offers, like the 24" heavy fluted stainless in .204 Ruger my sister bought. It shoots decent, reliability is acceptable for a varmint rifle.

Would I buy one? No.

Why don"t you build your own? A friend of mine had a DPMS which inspried me to build my own.

Here's mine



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