Any comments/experience/quality of Bushmaster AR .223

[Slamfire]

You will see a lot of Bushmaster rifles and lowers used in Highpower competition. The Bushmaster match trigger is generally replaced with something else, but the rest of the rifle is just fine.

Match rifles get shot a lot more than the average rifle, and they are fired with hot loads. Bushmaster rifles have a good reputation as a quality rifle.

 

[gomer]

I bought myself one of the Bushmaster Predator rifles for Christmas and so far I REALLY like it. I've only ran about 200rds or so thru it, but it hasn't had any failures at all and is showing itself to be really accurate.

 

[takhtakaal]

No issues here. About 500 or so rounds through mine which was new-to-me two years ago.

Prices are going to go up on rifles and ammunition the closer we get to the elections. Buy now -- and don't mind the people who grumble about hoarding and speculating. It's much better to have and not need.

 

[cracked butt]

Very good price, buy it!

As far as being unfired, that would be very easy to see. Difficult to remove crud tends to build up in areas of the bolt and barrel extension. You'll see brass smudged on the bolt face and on the brass deflector. You'll also see fouling inside the flash suppressor and muzzle face that is very difficult to remove unless someone spent a lot of time doing a very meticulous cleaning.

FWIW, my NIB from a dealer Bushie had a brass smudge on the deflector- factory test fired?

 

[Frog48]

I love mine.

 

[JonB]

Can't go wrong with a Bushmaster. I was all set to buy one and then noticed the RRA mid length sitting next to it. Hmmm tough choice, but I liked the look of the midlength so that went home with me. But I wouldn't hesitate on buying a Bushmaster either.

 

[teombe]

IMO, bushmasters are good rifles... but don't confuse good with mil-spec. They use materials, quality processes, and dimensions that aren't entirely in line with the mil-spec. Some of their barrels are MP (metal particle) inspected for defects (I have one that is, the barrel will be marked "MP), and some aren't. The Front Sight base used with their flat-top uppers requires the use of a 0.40" taller front sight if you want to use any popular BUIS, and every mil-spec detachable carry handle. The bolt carrier keys aren't often properly staked. The list goes on...

With all that said - what all this means to you is completely subjective. Will you be going to the range with it or defending your home? Going to a heavy-use carbine class, or going out to the woods to shoot a few rounds? $700 is a damn good price, and I wouldn't dare sway you away from it... But I would suggest you take a look at what capacity you want this rifle to work in, and compare it to what you can reasonably expect out of it given the level of testing & QA Bushmaster uses.

Also, keep in mind that the rifles that Bushmaster supplies to govt. entities are not guaranteed to be manufactured the same way as the ones you can find in your gun store.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do own a Bushmaster upper, and it's been nothing but aces for me. The FSB thing was annoying, but easily solvable. I've never had a malfunction, but at the same time, I don't shoot it hard either.

 

[ftierson]

A couple of years ago, I purchased a Bushmaster A2 complete lower. When it arrived, I immediately noticed that the left side of the lower receiver (the flat through which the hammer and trigger pins fit) had been machined very unevenly (rippled).

I called up Bushmaster and asked for it to be replaced. They told me to send it back and they'd replace it immediately. And they did (immediately, too), with one that looked (and worked) perfect (although it has a J&T 20inch A2 upper on it)...

While the first one shouldn't have been shipped, I have only very positive things to say about their customer service. And the replacement lower was/is very nice.

Although I'm certainly not disputing .45w/a_smile's comments about Bushmaster's customer service, I'm very surprised by them. Bushmaster has always had superior customer service in the past, and I'd hate to see that change.

Forrest