Bushmaster vs. Colt AR
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Quentin
Member
Spikes makes a nice lower but it won't serve you any better than the BM lower you have except that it probably has a heavier buffer unless you've upgraded the one in your Bushy. I'd say the reasons you see so many Spikes lowers are agressive sale prices (well under $100) and the various models/rollmarks.
So if you like the Spider better than the Snake, go for it. But your BCM has a nice home already. (All the above ignores the LPK and stocks installed since none of that has been specified.)
Just remember that you won't get a 14.5" to 16" legal barrel length true M4 dimensioned carbine out of Colt.
You get a 16" barrel.
If that doesn't matter to you, then I would tend to lean towards a new manufacture Colt if the price was comparable.
You get a 16" barrel.
If that doesn't matter to you, then I would tend to lean towards a new manufacture Colt if the price was comparable.
Ala Dan
Member in memoriam
The One With A Pony On The Side
I would take a COLT, any day of the week over a Bushy~!
FWIW, But my favorite is a Rock River LAR-15 -
I would take a COLT, any day of the week over a Bushy~!
FWIW, But my favorite is a Rock River LAR-15 -
not exactly.. they didn't invent the AR-15, or m-16.. they bought the rights to it.. if you want the original you'll have to buy a different brand!
"worth the price" is a relative assessment. personally I'd rather have a heins 57 any day. just because everybody has niche on a different part of the market. colt makes great guns, I'd still want a WOA, or krieger barrel, and a RRA/ARmalite trigger.. and usually you can build exactly what you want for what they want retail for the average AR. but if you wanna just open a box and shoot, about any gun mentioned so far in this post will serve you well. I would find the best price take your time breaking it in and enjoy. just my .02
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HOLY DIVER
Member
susuki,can't speak about a krieger barrel but i have a WOA 18inch 1/7twist barrel and i absolutely love it can't think of one thing to complain about.
HOLY DIVER
Member
mr.scott as posted earlier COLT DID NOT DESIGN the AR-15/M-16 they just build them like everybody else. now they do make 1 of the finest AR's you can get you hands on but there are other manufacturers that are just as good but Bushmaster is not one of them IMHO
I was a little disappointed to learn that the 6520 had an integral handle. Kind of a deal breaker for me. So I began searching again and finally found my AR. It won't be "mine" for a couple months but a pistol in trade and some cash is all it takes to hold it until I have the balance. Very exceited and can't wait to take it home.
Colt LE6940
Colt LE6940
nwilliams
Member
Not trying to be a snob, people have a right to buy whatever they want.
However the fact remains that right now in this market a Bushmaster, DPMS, Olympic, RRA or Stag is not that much cheaper than buying a Colt, Daniel Defense, LMT, BCM or S&W.
If you ask me I'd rather spend a little more and have a an AR that I know is quality. I got my Daniel Defense AR for $1,050 and I couldn't be more impressed with the quality of it. I owned a Busy and I have to say that compared to my DD it feels like I transitioned from a Mazda to a Mercedes and the difference in price was perhaps $200 at the most.
However the fact remains that right now in this market a Bushmaster, DPMS, Olympic, RRA or Stag is not that much cheaper than buying a Colt, Daniel Defense, LMT, BCM or S&W.
If you ask me I'd rather spend a little more and have a an AR that I know is quality. I got my Daniel Defense AR for $1,050 and I couldn't be more impressed with the quality of it. I owned a Busy and I have to say that compared to my DD it feels like I transitioned from a Mazda to a Mercedes and the difference in price was perhaps $200 at the most.
You might not be trying to be a snob but it still came off that way.
Daniel Defense makes a great AR from what I understand and I predict having one someday. Harder to get than a Colt right now. Greater than Colt? Hmm. Was your post in response to me? I never even mentioned DPMS, Olympic, RRA or Stag.
I can relate to the Mazda to Mercedes analogy though, only for pistols. This is my first AR.
Daniel Defense makes a great AR from what I understand and I predict having one someday. Harder to get than a Colt right now. Greater than Colt? Hmm. Was your post in response to me? I never even mentioned DPMS, Olympic, RRA or Stag.
I can relate to the Mazda to Mercedes analogy though, only for pistols. This is my first AR.
paradox998
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I have both a Colt 6922 and a Bushy. I like both and can recommend both. If I were buying one right now, it would be a Colt 6920. They can be had new for around $1000 and you have the gold standard. FYI, the 6922 is a limited run version of the 6920 with a 1:9 twist rather than an 1:7 twist.
OK smart guy. You win
I could not get the LGS to budge on their price. I found myself with enough money to get a DDM4 online and still nearly 500.00 short for the Colt (tax). Brand loyalty gave way to rationality. Can't wait for the DDM4 to get here. Paid more than you, but not much.
TheVision
Member
Perhaps this was true before they went bankrupt -- for what seems like the eleventh time -- and sold the onion dome factory in Hartford to be made into luxury apartments. I have an HBAR, and it shoots great, but things like the non-standard sized pin holes drive me crazy. Maybe they've changed in the past twenty years
I built two Busmashers as well, and they're tack drivers too.I don't think you'll go wrong with either.
Greg
JAV8000
Member
I am a US army rifleman in the infantry and I can tell you that our issue Colt M4s work very well (with proper maintenance). Mine hasn't failed in some 2K rounds in a week of pre-deployment training. My military left has great faith in the Colt.....if you want mil-spec (to the reality of issue mil-spec) than get a Colt. Mine earned me platoon honors for marksmanship with an ACOG, get some!
SpeedAKL
Member
Assuming we are comparing identically-configured rifles (M4-type carbines for example), Colt brings some advantages to the table that BM does not:
-HP/MPI tested barrel and BCG - Military-mandated QC process that detects for internal metallurgy flaws. Reduces the likelihood that your bolt carrier group or barrel has a defect in it
-Staked gas keys - Gas keys on the bolt can come loose when firing the rifle at a high rate
-Proper front sight post - Colt installs the correct front sight post for a carbine-length AR with a removable carry handle. Bushmaster does not; why the do not I haven't a clue.
-M16-style bolt carrier group - Heavier BCG originally designed to run with full-auto guns. Reduces the recoil impulse on the gun, puts less stress on other components
-1:7 barrel - Faster barrel twists allows you to shoot heavier .225/5.56mm bullets
-Proper 5.56mm chamber - Some BMs have improperly-cut chambers; this has been demonstrated by several members on M4Carbine who have access to chambe reamers. This can be a problem when shooting higher-pressure milspec ammo
-Proper gas port - Some BMs have run over-gassed; this leads to extra heat and stress on components
Some of these descriptions may be rough on the technical end, but the bottom line is that the price difference in the Colt (at least some of it) reflects several quality control activities and higher-quality components used in the gun that are designed to make it more reliable. If you plan on shooting a lot of ammo these features could come in handy.
-HP/MPI tested barrel and BCG - Military-mandated QC process that detects for internal metallurgy flaws. Reduces the likelihood that your bolt carrier group or barrel has a defect in it
-Staked gas keys - Gas keys on the bolt can come loose when firing the rifle at a high rate
-Proper front sight post - Colt installs the correct front sight post for a carbine-length AR with a removable carry handle. Bushmaster does not; why the do not I haven't a clue.
-M16-style bolt carrier group - Heavier BCG originally designed to run with full-auto guns. Reduces the recoil impulse on the gun, puts less stress on other components
-1:7 barrel - Faster barrel twists allows you to shoot heavier .225/5.56mm bullets
-Proper 5.56mm chamber - Some BMs have improperly-cut chambers; this has been demonstrated by several members on M4Carbine who have access to chambe reamers. This can be a problem when shooting higher-pressure milspec ammo
-Proper gas port - Some BMs have run over-gassed; this leads to extra heat and stress on components
Some of these descriptions may be rough on the technical end, but the bottom line is that the price difference in the Colt (at least some of it) reflects several quality control activities and higher-quality components used in the gun that are designed to make it more reliable. If you plan on shooting a lot of ammo these features could come in handy.
stevereno1
Member
I own a piece of garbage Bushmaster. It doesn't have a bunch of blue squares filled in on the chart
. All it does it shoot, and shoot, and shoot, and shoot, accurately, and with very little maintenance required. I'm sure that the Colt is a great rifle, but the Bushmaster is a quality rifle that will give you thousands an thousands of rounds with proper maintenance.
. All it does it shoot, and shoot, and shoot, and shoot, accurately, and with very little maintenance required. I'm sure that the Colt is a great rifle, but the Bushmaster is a quality rifle that will give you thousands an thousands of rounds with proper maintenance.kwelz
Member
Steve I ask you the same questions I ask everyone who makes such a statement.
1: What is the intended use?
2: How hard have you actually run the gun?
I read a guy the other day who has fired 2K rounds over 10 years and claimed that was a lot and was the same as running 2K rounds in a few days. Obviously it is not.
1: What is the intended use?
2: How hard have you actually run the gun?
I read a guy the other day who has fired 2K rounds over 10 years and claimed that was a lot and was the same as running 2K rounds in a few days. Obviously it is not.
SpeedAKL
Member
Steve,
Nobody is saying that all Bushys are total junk. I used to own one - on the whole it ran reliably when using decent ammo (though I didn't run as high a round count as I am now) and didn't have a problem cooking off a couple hundred in a single sessoin. Having said that, the items described by some posters above do have an impact on reliability. The problems may not show up for one gun or in one sitting, but across a decent population size for an extended period (i.e. a carbine class or a police department) there has been a large amount of anecdotal evidence suggesting that these issues matter.
I switched brands 1. because I wanted to make some config changes that would have proven costly enough to justify a new purchase, 2. because I got a screaming deal on a high-end AR, and 3. because I was/am relying on the gun for HD and wanted to minimize whatever risks I could.
Nobody is saying that all Bushys are total junk. I used to own one - on the whole it ran reliably when using decent ammo (though I didn't run as high a round count as I am now) and didn't have a problem cooking off a couple hundred in a single sessoin. Having said that, the items described by some posters above do have an impact on reliability. The problems may not show up for one gun or in one sitting, but across a decent population size for an extended period (i.e. a carbine class or a police department) there has been a large amount of anecdotal evidence suggesting that these issues matter.
I switched brands 1. because I wanted to make some config changes that would have proven costly enough to justify a new purchase, 2. because I got a screaming deal on a high-end AR, and 3. because I was/am relying on the gun for HD and wanted to minimize whatever risks I could.
Colt ARs have dropped in price significantly in the past 6 months.
BikerRN
member
Trying to compare a Bushmaster to a Colt is like trying to compare a Vespa moped to a Ducati motorcycle.
BikerRN
BikerRN
Durty
Member
At the range Saturday we were shooting my buddies colt ar which never misfired. The guy next to us had a bushmaster that misfired several times. I examined his ammo but it wasn't crap like I figured it would be. Anyway, I am not a big ar fan but it was obvious to me which was better. By the way, I think Vespas are real cute.
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