Bushmaster AR. Need experience!

[Outlaw Man]

I had a really good response, but Warp's last post saved me a bunch of typing.

I should add, for full disclosure, I have a Bushmaster. It was my first AR, a carbine, I bought back before I really studied up on it. It worked OK with a limited round count, with only minor issues (a few feeding issues with HPs).

Ultimately, I have replaced nearly every part on that rifle, save a few receiver parts that don't matter too much. I have a nice barrel (Green Mountain), good BCG, and circumvented the staked castle nut issue. I now have a rifle I'm fully confident in from a reliability standpoint.

I also dumped over $1000 into it above the base rifle price. Some of that was cosmetic, but the fact remains, you can save a lot of it on the front end by buying a better rifle.

 

[12Pump]

An important point that a couple have touched on here is that you can get good quality, and yes Mil Spec stuff, for around the same price as the questionable stuff. This does not always dawn on people until they've had one or two ARs.

I guess the Colt 6920 falls into that area. Where I am, it costs $1,097, plus another $60 in sales tax, plus magazines. Even 1 extra mag brings the total to about $1200. So the Bushmaster looked attractive until I realize it has no sights, and may be inferior. But $1200 is quite a bit. I have it, but it's hard to spend that much. I've even heard it was $100 cheaper a year ago and some people at that time thought it cost too much then. I've seen posts on other forums from Sept. 2012 saying that. They probably won't be going down any now.

 

[Warp]

I guess the Colt 6920 falls into that area. Where I am, it costs $1,097, plus another $60 in sales tax, plus magazines. Even 1 extra mag brings the total to about $1200. So the Bushmaster looked attractive until I realize it has no sights, and may be inferior. But $1200 is quite a bit. I have it, but it's hard to spend that much. I've even heard it was $100 cheaper a year ago and some people at that time thought it cost too much then. I've seen posts on other forums from Sept. 2012 saying that. They probably won't be going down any now.

I would advise you to completely ignore any and all advice from anybody who would say that a $1,000 Colt 6920, even a year go, isn't worth the price.

 

[12Pump]

I would advise you to completely ignore any and all advice from anybody who would say that a $1,000 Colt 6920, even a year go, isn't worth the price.

Is it worth $1097 now? That's the base price I'd have to pay at Walmart right now.

 

[LebbenB]

The Colt 6920 comes with 2 mags and a sling. Additional mags can be had through Brownells for $9.95 each, they're currently on sale.

 

[Warp]

Is it worth $1097 now? That's the base price I'd have to pay at Walmart right now.

IMO, yes, absolutely.

The Colt 6920 comes with 2 mags and a sling. Additional mags can be had through Brownells for $9.95 each, they're currently on sale.

I'm pretty sure that changed. It no longer comes with 2 NHMTG 20 round magazines and a carry handle, but rather 1 30 round PMAG and a Magpul MBUS rear sight

 

[GunBugBit]

So what do you guys think about the plastic rear sight on the new 6920s? They're Magpul and supposed to be quite rugged; I'm used to Troys. Should I just get over it?

Oops, sorry, I truly don't mean to hijack your thread! I guess we're still talking about rifles you could buy, though, right? Hope so.

 

[Warp]

So what do you guys think about the plastic rear sight on the new 6920s? They're Magpul and supposed to be quite rugged; I'm used to Troys. Should I just get over it?

Oops, sorry, I truly don't mean to hijack your thread! I guess we're still talking about rifles you could buy, though, right? Hope so.

They are very good sights.

 

[LebbenB]

Agree. I use them on a couple of my ARs and haven't had cause to replace them yet.

 

[GunBugBit]

Thanks, appreciate the input as I am probably going to grab a new Colt soon. I exhort the OP to do the same!

 

[LebbenB]

IMO, yes, absolutely.



I'm pretty sure that changed. It no longer comes with 2 NHMTG 20 round magazines and a carry handle, but rather 1 30 round PMAG and a Magpul MBUS rear sight

I recently (6 months ago) purchased a NIB 6920 Magpul edition in FDE. Came with 2 30 round Pmags, sling, cleaning kit, and VFG in addition to the MOE pistol grip and forend and the aforementioned Magpul rear sight.

 

[Warp]

I recently (6 months ago) purchased a NIB 6920 Magpul edition in FDE. Came with 2 30 round Pmags, sling, cleaning kit, and VFG in addition to the MOE pistol grip and forend.

The Magpul edition comes with different 'stuff'

I don't think the regular 6920 comes with 2 mags.

Could be wrong though.

 

[LebbenB]

The Magpul edition comes with different 'stuff'

I don't think the regular 6920 comes with 2 mags.

Could be wrong though.

Or I could be. Either way, a Colt's 6920 at a little over a grand or so is a good deal. And GI 30 rounders are still on sale at Brownells

 

[hatt]

I guess the Colt 6920 falls into that area. Where I am, it costs $1,097, plus another $60 in sales tax, plus magazines. Even 1 extra mag brings the total to about $1200. So the Bushmaster looked attractive until I realize it has no sights, and may be inferior. But $1200 is quite a bit. I have it, but it's hard to spend that much. I've even heard it was $100 cheaper a year ago and some people at that time thought it cost too much then. I've seen posts on other forums from Sept. 2012 saying that. They probably won't be going down any now.

Pretty sure he was talking about something like PSA. The Colt 6920 is a top of the line complete gun and falls into that area only. The whole point is if you're going to be spending close to $1000, you might as well get the Colt. Resell and demand is always going to be higher than any non boutique brands. If you don't want to spend anywhere near that but still want high quality parts buy a PSA.

Another option is to not get an AR. Guns are expensive, tend to burn a lot of ammo, need spare mags, then you'll want an electronic sight, etc. Not cheap. I just got back from the range and I had just as much fun shooting my Marlin 357 as I did my AR. Burned 3X ammo in the AR not including all the .22 with the Ciener.

 

[X-Rap]

Just got delivery of a couple PSA kits, together with the $100 Spikes lowers I'm into them for about $600 each.
I doubt either will shoot worse than a Colt.

 

[rskent]

My first AR was a Bushmaster. It was a fine carbine. I never had any issues with it, ever. It morphed into a rifle, then a match (service) rifle. Now its my backup. I am collecting parts to turn it into a match (space-gun) rifle.

If it were me, I would just collect the parts I needed to make a rifle.

If I were you, I would trot on down to Walmarts and look at the deal on the Colt. Sounds like a good deal on a great rifle.

 

[12Pump]

If I were you, I would trot on down to Walmarts and look at the deal on the Colt. Sounds like a good deal on a great rifle.

I guess I'm starting to lean in that direction now. To be honest, I'm not much of a shooter, but wanted something for "just in case" things get really bad, like worse than just HD. At the same time, with inflation and gun prices going up, I thought it could be a nice "investment gun". So I guess first it would be an investment that could be used for battle, if times call for that.

As Warp said, I don't think the LE6920 comes with all the accessories it used to. When I looked at a youtube review of it, the author says it came with 2 20 round magazines, a sling, cleaning rod and multiple cleaning tips. I think someone once told me it even came in a hard case. Now I hear it comes with 1 30 round magazine and a cardboard box, for $100 more than it previously sold for.

The 2013 Colt catalog doesn't even tell what's included.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

I have a Bushmaster XM15 purchased around 2006. I originally put a 4X scope on it and sighted it in using a target with a center bullseye with 4 smaller bullseyes in each corner. At 100 yards I was able to center punch one perfectly and the other three were all touching the center ring. I have probably put a couple thousand rounds through it since and have not had any problems, but you can follow the internet experts advice if you prefer......

 

[Hacker15E]

Also, people talk so much about just building an AR, but I looked into that and it seems like a real hassle

If you can change the oil in your car or rotate your tires, you have the mechanical skill required to assemble an AR-15 from parts (especially if you are purchasing an upper receiver that all ready has a barrel installed).

A little bit of reading, a little bit of YouTube, and some basic tools, and you can save a whole lot of $ (or get a significantly better quality firearm for the same $).

 

[12Pump]

If you can change the oil in your car or rotate your tires, you have the mechanical skill required to assemble an AR-15 from parts (especially if you are purchasing an upper receiver that all ready has a barrel installed).

A little bit of reading, a little bit of YouTube, and some basic tools, and you can save a whole lot of $ (or get a significantly better quality firearm for the same $).

Well, I've never done any of those things with my car. Just took it in to a service station for an oil change about 3 days ago.

Done probably way too much in the way of internet research so far, and have looked into the idea of building an AR already and I think I'd rather go the much easier route of just buying something like the Colt already assembled rather than buying this or that part now and waiting for something to be in stock before ordering it and then waiting for another elusive part, etc. and then hoping I do everything correctly. I have to know what to buy, how to assemble it, how to solve problems that may arise and would generally have to do some real research before I'd be confident that I knew what I was doing.

Besides, doesn't buying parts little by little online really rack up the shipping costs?

Believe it or not, an AR might be my LEAST important gun (yet most expensive by a long shot) in my battery if I get one. I consider a handgun to be by far most important since it can do both CCW and home defense just fine, and is most easily accessible if TSHTF, most likely being carried on me all the time at home and out. A shotgun comes next for HD when I can get to it because it's much more powerful and easier to hit with. A .22 because of it's general utility compared to its price is there as well and I have all of these right now. So my AR purchase would be most likely a sort of investment that shouldn't drop in value, and would double as a "battle rifle" if the world truly went to heck in a duffel bag. I thought my shotgun would fill this role, but the range, capacity, rapid fire, and commonality with what police and military have would be a big advantage. Not to mention the idea of using slugs in a shotgun versus using .223 in a semi auto rifle reminds me of the pain it is to shoot slugs. Ouch!

So what I'm saying is that an AR for me is a "just in case things in the world get worse than I ever expect", but is not actually something I have a practical use for at this time. Hopefully, it never will have a use in a shooting type of way (defensively), but could still be an investment financially. So I basically don't want to go into the more labor intensive and time consuming endeavor of buying lots of parts and assembling an AR, although I can certainly understand how someone who is more of a gun enthusiast, competitive shooter or hunter might want to. I don't hunt, and frankly haven't had much luck doing any shooting a ranges lately, which really takes the fun out of guns as a hobby.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I changed the oil in my car once when I was 16. I barely have the mechanical skill necessary to drill 4 holes into the wall and hang shelves level; but I can build an AR no problem. They are easy to work on if you want to go that way but unless you plan to build several you won't save any money and unless you just like the process, it is likely to be frustrating at times..

The prices on the Bushmaster are no great bargain. It sounds like the gun store owner has them priced over market at is "offering you a deal" that is close to what full retail price would be.

On the other hand, $1097 for a 6920 is a good deal. It wasn't that long ago you could sell them all day long at $1350. It sounds to me though like you could probably stand to do some more reading to figure out what you want as it doesn't sound like you are super familiar with the AR. However, if you just want one and don't want to do a ton of research, the 6920 is a good choice at a good price.

 

[12Pump]

On the other hand, $1097 for a 6920 is a good deal. It wasn't that long ago you could sell them all day long at $1350. It sounds to me though like you could probably stand to do some more reading to figure out what you want as it doesn't sound like you are super familiar with the AR. However, if you just want one and don't want to do a ton of research, the 6920 is a good choice at a good price.

From a chart I saw somewhere that showed the different features of different brands and models, the Colt LE6920 was the only one that had ALL the important features (internally). I guess that's why it's so highly recommended.

 

[Warp]

For the record, what's being discussed here isn't really "building" an AR so much as it is assembling one.

If you start with a complete upper and simply assemble a lower (very common way to do it), it is very easy. A set of punches, a basic vice, and a (cheap) vice block are the only things to worry about having. You may want a screwdriver or needle nose pliers or something...but really just the punches and the magazine well block thing are all you will want that most households don't already have.

But seriously...how does a person get to this age without ever having changed the oil in a car?


The current Colt 6920 items are probably a better deal than the old ones. Most people end up removing the carry handle rear sight to make room for some kind of optic anyway. THen they have to buy a smaller, often flip up/BUIS rear sight. Now the Colt comes with that out of the box. Most people end up buying a better sling than what it used to come with, too.

I should know. Mine came with the old sling, carry handle rear sight, 2x20 round magazines...I haven't ever used the sling and I removed/sold the carry handle sight.


12pump, you need to get some kind of AR and start shooting it so you can get over your inaccurate preconceived notions about this type of firearm.

 

[12Pump]

But seriously...how does a person get to this age without ever having changed the oil in a car?

This used to be easier in the past when manufacturers built cars in a way so that customers could actually work on them themselves.

12pump, you need to get some kind of AR and start shooting it so you can get over your inaccurate preconceived notions about this type of firearm.

I know, and I've pretty much decided that the Colt might be the best for me. It's just the act of driving to Walmart, writing a check for about $1160, and then coming home and wondering, "Why did I just do that when I don't even have a use for an AR except for a feared hypothetical future scenario?" Of course, if that scenario plays out, I'll be glad I did it.

 

[Warp]

This used to be easier in the past when manufacturers built cars in a way so that customers could actually work on them themselves.

I'm confused.

You have changed the oil in the past?

I just changed the oil on my 2011 the other day. It seems the same as any other vehicle from any other time. Open oil fill-tube cover, place catch pan under oil pan, remove drain plug, unscrew oil filter, replace drain plug, screw in new oil filter, use funnel to pour new oil in without spilling. Done.

The hardest and most annoying part is simply putting it up on jack stands if it is a car that you can't fit under. Those of us with most of the SUVs or trucks can just slide right under though.