TreeDoc
Member
Buddy has a pretty worn bushmaster. It's one of the older models with the fixed handle on top. Shoots and groups decent, but has ridden on his atv for awhile. He wants $475.00, good deal or pass, is there things I should look for?
Shoots and groups decent
Thanks for all the info and replies, looked at the rifle again today. Maintenance was pretty poor, lots of grit & grime on the inside. He wouldn't budge off the $475, so I passed. On the ride back home thought about it some, kinda glad he wouldn't come down.
+1.Oh, man. That's a tough one. My AR has spent a good deal of time on the back of an ATV as well, so I would't worry too much about what it looks like; but the term "well used" would make me want to take a good look at it.
In spite of being used, has it been well maintained? Playing devil's advocate, let's assume the practical worst, meaning that it hasn't been well maintained, but the barrel isn't shot out. Let's just say for starters that you need a new bolt, buffer spring. That'll run you what, about $75. There might also be a couple of other things wrong with it, so let's assume that you'll have to dump $100 into it altogether, to bring it up to snuff.
As for what you should look for, and I'm only going to mention the major stuff and over look stuff that needs to be very regularly changed anyway.
First, check the bolt for cracks or excessive wear. Check the lugs for how rounded they are and missing lugs. You can scan the web for pics of what a worn bolt looks like.
Check the bolt carrier and see if you can spot anything that looks like a crack, although this is pretty hard to see most of the time, before something bad happens. Check the area in the bolt carrier where the cam pin rides for wear.
I'd run at least a no-go gauge into the chamber to make sure that the barrel isn't excessively worn creating an excessive headspace problem. I usually remove the ejector and extractor to do this.
Triple check the trigger to make sure that the disconnector still does what it's supposed to.
Look at the inside of the receivers to spot areas where the anodizing is removed. It's pretty common to see a groove worn into the upper where the cam pin rides, but large areas of shiny metal may be a sign that the rifle was run a lot while full of sand. Although a properly lubed AR should run with some sand in the action, it still isn't a good thing.
You can also ask him how many rounds he has through it and what sort of maintenance he's done on the rifle.
The above is just what comes to mind, but when I look at a used rifle, I usually field strip it and look at everything. Other than the bolt and headspace, I usually look for signs of wear that may have come from neglect.
Since it's a Bushmaster and has been used as you described, I'd also check the area of the barrel where it meets the gas block/front sight base for rust. The Bushmaster barrels I've seen were not coated under the gas block.
Take the above in light of the fact that you can likely get a brand new Smith Sport for under $700 and have a new rifle with a warranty and a flat top receiver.
I might give him $400 for the rifle in decent condition, if he threw in a few good mags.
Agreed. I'd press the issue of testing it, stripping it, and THEN decide. But, all said and done, if it checks out...buy it.A little duracoat will make it look brand new! 450$ for a ar15 truck gun is not a bad deal.
This is all very true, but why would you actually read the posts that have already been made???Gentlemen, the OP already said that, upon further inspection, the rifle was in bad shape and that he decided against purchasing it. Refer to post 15 for further details.
I think we're good to close this case file.