AR 15 Brands

[LkWinnipesaukee]

I posted this on ARFCOM, but they arent half as helpful as you guys, even when it comes to ARs
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Hey guys,

I went into a gun shop the other day and came across a Bushmaster AR15 A2 (20 inch barrel and fixed stock). I was told it was fired once (couple hundred rounds I assume), and it looked brand new. He was asking $720 for it.

It was Mass compliant and all that other nonsense

My question, is that a good price for a (pretty much) brand new Bushmaster AR? I absolutely loved it. I dont know if it was just the stock trigger but it broke like GLASS And it felt heavier than other ARs Ive handled; I was told it had a match barrel. Being a 16 year old after I saw it I couldnt sleep at night.

Also, how does Bushmaster compare to other brands, such as Colt, RRA, DPMS, Stag, etc? What are the differences between them?

As you can tell I'm a complete noob, but any advice/comments would be appreciated


Thanks

 

[DougW]

The Bushmaster is a top line weapon. The price sounds good. A 20" rifle is a great way to start, and you can add a TON of extra's, or reconfigure it as you see fit.

 

[Lebben-B]

$720 is a good price for a used Bushy A2. Of course, local price is relative to local demand. Though other posters will have their preferences one way or the other, I'll tell you that Bushmaster compares favorably with the other makers you named.

Mike

 

[SecuritySixShooter]

I would first like to say that I am new to rifles and have only been shooting firearms for a little over a year. That said, I generally distrust anyone that uses the tag line "It has only been fired once" as a selling point. Call me distrustful but unless I know the person I want to know what i'm getting into. During my research on AR15s, I came across this in the Sticky section of the Rifle forum.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=212676

It is a guide to telling the round count of a used AR. Might come in handy and save you some trouble down the road.

SSS

 

[swingset]

That's a decent price for a Bushmaster if it's in good condition...considering where you're at.

Bushy is on par with RRA/Stag/Armalite. Good guns, in general.

BTW, I would have given you the same answer on AR15.com. I'm no less helpful over there.

 

[MachIVshooter]

IMO, brand quality for AR's is:

#1: Stoner
#2: (Tie) Armalite(Eagle)/Colt
#3: (Tie) Bushmaster/S&W
#4: DPMS
#5: RRA
#6: Stag
#7: Olympic

This is my perception, mostly based on fit & finish. All of them seem to function fine.

I would have to rate DPMS as a best-buy, though my personal preferance is Armalite.

 

[ACP]

I think that's a great price for a Bushmaster. I put Bushmaster and Colt at the top of the AR totem pole; I think RRA and Armalite are fine, too, though Armalite's "Eagle" line is a step down.

 

[buzz_knox]

The ranking from those who use these carbines a lot tends to go:

1. Colt
2. LMT/Noveske
3. Stag
4. RRA/Smith
5. Bushmaster (with the internals replaced by Colt parts)
6. Everyone else.

 

[Correia]

MachIV, I'm a dealer, and we do tons of ARs.

My list, and my personal experience isn't even close to yours.

Knights KAC (not Stoner, Reed Knight just stole the name) - Hugely overpriced and over rated.

I've never used Noveske or LMT.

I think Bushmaster is decent. But they have a history of QC problems, the most common I've seen being the front sight gas block being too far off to one side. They've turned out many lemons in the past, but I haven't heard too much negative lately.

Armalite is okay, but doesn't blow me away either way.

This is the one I get flamed on. Colt, great gun when you get a good one, horrible customer service if you get a bad one. If you do have a problem, they treat you like crap.

I find it interesting that you have S&W placed so high above Stag since CMT owns Stag, and CMT is the people building the majority of the parts for S&W.

RRA, same. Great guns. Awesome guns. The 8 week wait on order is the killer for me.

DPMS, okay. I've seen them go both ways. Price is decent though.

My favorite is Stag. That's what we use as the basis for all of our custom builds. Their prices are great, and I've never had one brought back for any problem whatsoever. From a dealer's perspective, they are good to work with, and their turn around time is excellent.

Olympic is cheap, but I haven't done much with them yet. I've got a Plinker on order to write a SWAT review.

Baer, accurate son of a gun. Expensive.

Wilson, pretty pricey for what you get.

The thing to keep in mind with ARs is that it is an inbred business. There are really only about half a dozen companies that actually manufacture anything. Then they buy each other's stuff and assemble guns.

For example, occasionally you will find a receiver marked LAR Manufacturing. Most people have never heard of LAR. However odds are that you've used an LAR built AR since they are actually one of the largest manufacturers of AR uppers and lowers in the business.

Same with CMT, that nobody had ever heard of, and probably wouldn't have until they formed Stag to sell the lefty uppers.

 

[kentucky_smith]

I've built a car and 20" from jtdistributing/doublestar and think they are as good as anything out there.

 

[mtnbkr]

For example, occasionally you will find a receiver marked LAR Manufacturing. Most people have never heard of LAR. However odds are that you've used an LAR built AR since they are actually one of the largest manufacturers of AR uppers and lowers in the business.

I built my AR using a LAR "cosmetic 2nd" A2 upper. It was about $40 shipped 2 years ago. The A3 upper was about the same price, but they were sold out at the time. Other than a few "retouched" marks, it looks fine. If I ever refinish it (the plan at the time), you'd never know. They still offer them, just give them a call and see what they have on hand.

I'm also using a Stag lower, which was a mere $95 shipped at the time. It too has performed well for me.

Chris

 

[kentucky_smith]

I think you can pretty much say stay away from Vulcan/Hesse and you're good to go.

 

[das028]

I think its funny that some of you list a S&W over Stag or vice versa, since they are practically the same gun.

 

[MachIVshooter]

MachIV, I'm a dealer, and we do tons of ARs.

My list, and my personal experience isn't even close to yours.

You're better qualified to evaluate, I'm certain. As I said, I based my evaluation primarily on fit & finish. I have admittedly limited experience with Stag and Oly, they just seem rougher to me. Same for RRA's; they offer a lot for the price, but seem to suffer a bit in the exterior finish dep't.

Most of my experience has been with Armalite, Bushmaster and Colt.

I've never met an AR I didn't like, just prefer Armalite. Some of that preferance also comes from Armalite's being what they are as a company. Everyone I've ever dealt with at the company and every piece of literature that comes from them is no BS; just brutally, no-bones-about-it, hard core honesty.

 

[Nhsport]

Bushys are fine guns. Some claim the QC has slipped from time to time but most all agree that the factory will stand behind their guns . I have had 4 or 5 different Bushmasters (still have 3 of them) with no problems .
I live in CT and the price is ok for a used gun but you should be able to find simalar deals if you search around . Do you really want an A2 ? Most folks agree that a flatop AR is usually the better choice as a first rifle as it is more flexable and optic mounting is a easier deal . Resale on a flatop is much better also.
Another great point on the Bushmaster is that all of them except the special competition models come standard with chrome lined barrels which is something left out of some of the other brands . You do want chrome lined for general purpose guns .

 

[Monkeybear]

720 is not bad, depends on your local market like another poster said. Check this link out. Its not gonna magically let you determine the round count of a gun but itll give you something to look at when you check out the rifle before you buy it.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=290498

Also a "match barrel" can mean any barrel without chrome plating as the chrome is seen to be detrimental to accuracy and thus non-chrome = match.


If I wanted an AR and it was only 720, only very lightly used and the bore was good, Id grab it.

 

[Rob96]

I have experience with three DPMS rifles and one Bushy. The three DPMS rifles, one of which I still own, are/were great. Beautifule fit and finish, 100% reliable, and dead nuts accurate. The Bushy I had, functioned 100%, not as accurate as the Bushy, fit and finish was not as good as the DPMS. The DPMS rifles also were better finished than the Bushy's I had checked out on a dealers rack.