BryanP
Member
Early this year I had an opportunity to buy a stripped AR-15 receiver at a extremely attractive price ($70 out the door). I didn't really know much about AR's at the time but I figured "What the heck." It came home and lived on a shelf.
What I was told at the time was "These were made by the same company that makes Rock River's receivers, but the company who ordered them ended up cancelling the order. But they're already stamped with that company's name so they can't sell them to RRA. I've already built 3 AR's on these receivers and they all work great." The guy who told me this had no reason to lie to me - I know for a fact he wasn't making a profit, he was just passing it on to me from where he got it. I also know he builds AR's for himself and others as a hobby. Whether he knows what he's talking about past that I couldn't tell you.
Again, without know much I ordered a DPMS lower parts kit off of Gunbroker and tossed it on the same shelf. Recently I bought a DPMS buttstock kit from another web store. I sat down with a book of instructions and put it together. Without an upper to test it with it appears to have all gone together properly and passes all of the safety-checks I can give it as just a lower.
So anyway, here's the catch - the brand name on the receiver is Century Arms. Another company of which I knew almost nothing about. Hey, I've been a handgun guy, I'm only recently playing with rifles. So I start reading. What I read about Century Arms isn't pretty. Have I set myself up for a POS rifle here? I was planning to buy a DPMS 20" A2 upper to go with this soon. Basically it will be a DPMS except for the receiver itself.
I understand that guns labeled Century Arms apparently have poor resale value. This isn't an issue with me as I have no plans to sell it.
Oh, and just out of paranoia the last step before firing Round 1 from this thing once I buy the upper will be to take it to a competent gunsmith, hand him the rifle along with an appropriate amount of $ and say "Make sure I did this right and I'm not going to blow my face off the first time I squeeze the trigger."
What I was told at the time was "These were made by the same company that makes Rock River's receivers, but the company who ordered them ended up cancelling the order. But they're already stamped with that company's name so they can't sell them to RRA. I've already built 3 AR's on these receivers and they all work great." The guy who told me this had no reason to lie to me - I know for a fact he wasn't making a profit, he was just passing it on to me from where he got it. I also know he builds AR's for himself and others as a hobby. Whether he knows what he's talking about past that I couldn't tell you.
Again, without know much I ordered a DPMS lower parts kit off of Gunbroker and tossed it on the same shelf. Recently I bought a DPMS buttstock kit from another web store. I sat down with a book of instructions and put it together. Without an upper to test it with it appears to have all gone together properly and passes all of the safety-checks I can give it as just a lower.
So anyway, here's the catch - the brand name on the receiver is Century Arms. Another company of which I knew almost nothing about. Hey, I've been a handgun guy, I'm only recently playing with rifles. So I start reading. What I read about Century Arms isn't pretty. Have I set myself up for a POS rifle here? I was planning to buy a DPMS 20" A2 upper to go with this soon. Basically it will be a DPMS except for the receiver itself.
I understand that guns labeled Century Arms apparently have poor resale value. This isn't an issue with me as I have no plans to sell it.
Oh, and just out of paranoia the last step before firing Round 1 from this thing once I buy the upper will be to take it to a competent gunsmith, hand him the rifle along with an appropriate amount of $ and say "Make sure I did this right and I'm not going to blow my face off the first time I squeeze the trigger."