AR name brand. Does it matter?

[priv8ter]

When people talk about their 1911's, they are always throwing the name brand of their favorites around, and getting into heated arguments over which is better.

But, as I do some research around here looking into AR's, I see that people don't focus on brands as much. They just tend to say...'I have an AR.' You don't see a whole lot of 'My Bushmaster is Better than your Rock River!' going on.

The REAL reason I ask this is because, as a Washington Resident, I can drive down to Olympia and buy an AR straight from Olympic Arms, and probably save myself a buck of change in the process. But, like I said, my research hasn't really turned up a lot of 'Stay Away From this Brand' kind of stuff. Usually it's more AR vs Other platform more than Brand against Brand.

Thanks for everyone's time!

greg

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Olympic has a good warranty (lifetime) but they qualify it with a ton of caveats - things like "Nothing but factory ammo and none of these brands of factory ammo".

There are different tiers of quality among AR manufacturers and Olympic is not at the top of that list; but it is a long way from the bottom.

I recommend deciding on what options you want on the rifle. This alone can knock a lot of the different manufacturers out of the race. Once you have the rifle you want and a manufacturer who sells it, look at price and convenience to determine who to go with.

There is also a good discussion of this issue at Tactical Forums with input from guys who see a lot of ARs on a daily basis.

 

[Black Snowman]

There are a lot of folks out there quite opinionated about the various brands. Check this thread on TacticalForums.com as a good example of some of the more reasonable and factual arguments.

 

[MAURICE]

I bought a used Olympic Pliker some time ago.
It started giving me trouble after I didnt clean it for about 1000 rounds. Stripped it down, used lots of CLP, and its back to its old self.
Best 5 bills I ever spent, methinks.

No, doesnt have the removable carry handle and A3 sights. Yes, the reciever is cast. No, its not the highest dollar AR out there, but it works.
Just like all my other cheap guns.

 

[BillL223]

The usual reply is to stick with the ABC's, Armalite, Bushmaster, and Colt. I would add Rock River to that list based on some friends' experience. I have had two Bushmasters that have been flawless.

 

[nemesis]

The REAL reason I ask this is because, as a Washington Resident, I can drive down to Olympia and buy an AR straight from Olympic Arms, and probably save myself a buck of change in the process.

You will probably pay more buying from the manufacturer than you will buying from a dealer.

 

[BusMaster007]

http://groups.msn.com/TheMarylandAR15ShootersSite/ar15brands.msnw

This site has been moved and reformatted, but it is WELL WORTH checking out, especially regarding your question, which the link will provide answers to.

GOOD LUCK! HAVE FUN!

edited to add: I chose Bushmaster/.223 & ArmaLite/.308 ( before Bushmaster marketed their .308...might have to get one! )

 

[Harry Tuttle]

http://www.tacticalforums.com/cgi-bin/tacticalubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=56;t=000497;p=1

 

[g56]

There are a number of good manufacturers of AR's, but from what I have read, Olympic isn't one of them. Armalite, Bushmaster, Rock River are all good brands, I would recommend you stick with one of them.

 

[priv8ter]

Really?

Nemesis said:

You will probably pay more buying from the manufacturer than you will buying from a dealer.

You think so? I'm going to admit that I haven't actually called them, or swung into to check on things, but you would THINK that buying right from the source would cut out the middle man. But then, you would have thought that I had learned my lesson about trying to use common sence.

Well, then maybe I won't be tempted to buy an Olympic Arms rifle after all.

greg

 

[dbshabo]

Go to the MarylandAR15shooters........ site mentioned above and also visit www.ar15.com for a TON of good AR info. I have read some posts about AR's to stay away from and the only name that pops into my pea brain at the moment is ASA (American Spirit Arms).

Any gun with a cast receiver I would stay away from. I have read about and seen pictures of cast receiver failures a lot. There are a lot of features on these guns and it depends on what you want to do with the rifle when deciding what to buy. The two sites above should give you a good idea of what to buy to suit your needs. I agree with the statement to stick with the known good quality manufactures, Bushmaster, Colt, Rock River Arms, and DPMS. I've heard some troubling stories about Armalite (Eagle Arms) lately, however I don't know if they are true or not. Good luck and enjoy whatever you get. The AR platform is fun to shoot and there are so many aftermarket gadgets for them it is unbelievable.

Shabo

 

[MAUSER88]

No Oly's for me. I'm strictly a Colt , RRA, Bushy or Armalite kinda guy.

 

[HankB]

The Armalite AR15 clone rifles I've seen looked good and worked well . . . but I've heard conflicting stories about their AR10s in .308.

Bushmaster rifles are supposedly as close to "mil spec" as is available to the general civilian market. (Note that true "mil spec" rifles contain parts the BATmen have determined are illegal machine gun components, so you're NOT going to buy a true milspec rifle over the counter.)

Colt rifles usually show good workmanship, but often have non-standard pins and a non-standard block in the lower which makes trigger work more difficult. And it's my understanding that uncataloged variations creep in from time to time, even when the model number remains the same. (I won't even get into Colt's unsavory politics here . . . )

I've heard conflicting stories about DPMS.

I've seen some AR's (complete rifles and uppers) by Hesse . . . I would NOT buy one of these.

Go to any gun show and you'll see tables full of cr@p components, probably manufactured in some cheap turd world factory . . . be careful what you buy if you decide to build up a rifle yourself.

 

[Black Snowman]

FYI: Hesse is apparently now Vulcan Arms. Reports on AR15.com say they are still garbage but that the carbon lower and uppers are actually pretty decent for a low-cost build and quite durable.

I've been trying to find a local source for their stuff to save myself the cost of a transfer. I have a local FFL trying to become a dealer. If I get a line on them I'll give a full review here and on AR15.com both.

 

[Ghost10750]

I have a OLY and am very happy with it.

It shoots just as good as the ABC's that have been at the range any time I have been there, of the basic mil-spec design.

As far as ammo I have tried 5 different manufacturers and have not had a single failure yet. I have only ran about 1500 rounds through mine though.

And I do shoot some of the ones OLY thinks you should not use, but I will not listen to any manufacturer that limits what maker of ammo should be used since they should shoot anything.

FYI: The plinker model is no longer made on a cast reciever, this should make it a better choice than in the past.

 

[PMDW]

A friend of mine has an AR he built on a CA lower. No problems so far. Looks nice, too.

 

[aerod1]

I went with Bushmaster and I am extremely happy.

Jim

 

[StephenT]

I received a Bushmaster A2 20" from AIM Surplus last week. I doubt it would be any cheaper directly from Bushmaster, as the MSRP for the same rifle is considerably higher than what I paid for it at AIM. If you order from out of state, you'll also save on the sales tax. I'm very pleased with the quality of the Bushmaster, my first evil black rifle...just in case Kerry wins the presidency.

 

[borderguy]

I have an Oly that works great!! When the AWB went away, I put on a collapsable stock and a new XM type upper. Still works great. Oly's barrels aren't chrome lined if that's a consideration.
Now I'm buying a lower from SNS in Snohomish to put my old upper and stock on.
If you feel comfortable building one yourself, you can buy a Mega Lower in Lacy or an SNS in Snohomish and then get a parts kit.

 

[El Rojo]

A friend of mine has an AR he built on a CA lower. No problems so far. Looks nice, too.

Do you mean a FAB-10? Isn't that a sin to build a FAB-10 outside of communist held PRK? It certainly makes me mad. I only did it because I had to. To each his own, but still, build a real AR and dedicate its existance to me at least!

 

[meathammer]

I went with an Armalite M15A4 Carbine. I'm very happy with it. Only two failures with it, both attributed to bad/cheap ammo. (No, it wasn't Wolf either.)

I have only been shooting Black Hills and Federal XM193 since, and it has been 100%.
The only thing I want to change is to get the muzzle blast enhancer (brake) removed and a true flash hider installed. (I feel guilty when the guy in the lane next to me moves over a spot after I start shooting. )


--meathammer