Bushmaster vs. Colt AR

[Tommygunn]

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.

And you know it wasn't the ammo, right?
And Colt ARs just never "misfire." A statistic of one is relatively meaningless.
Bushies are medium range ARs and most of the important things they don't get right can be fixed, and it is still less expensive to get a BCM bolt carrier group (which will be properly staked & MPI'd) than a whole new Noveske, a whole BCM or whatever brand is top 'o' the chart this week style AR.
If you have a Bushie already just keept good new parts on hand and replace when needed. If you are in the market then it pays to get the BCM or Noveske or Colt.

 

[dprice3844444]

bushmaster makes alot of colts stuff for the ar

 

[suzukisam]

if most people even understood carrier staking they wouldn't even bring it up.. an old screw driver or a punch and about 60 seconds and it would be done... most brands have had issues with runs getting out the door without staking here or there, colt has had just as many gremlins over the years as everyone else.. people just like to believe their favorite roll mark on the side makes a difference. I like colts, but they don't have the best triggers, they don't have the best barrels, they don't have the best FF tubes, they don't have the best pistol grips. The reality is no matter what brand you buy if you buy a stock rifle your going to have to go to a different company to get something upgraded.. my custom heinz 57 ARs will outshoot a stock colt all day or a plain bushy. I don't have much more than a stock colt in them and I don't have a single stock part other than the stock and pins.... not trying to be argumentative, but this is a redundant discussion...

 

[kwelz]

bushmaster makes alot of colts stuff for the ar

What the heck are you talking about. Bushmaster does not make a single part for Colt.

 

[Tommygunn]

if most people even understood carrier staking they wouldn't even bring it up.. an old screw driver or a punch and about 60 seconds and it would be done... most brands have had issues with runs getting out the door without staking here or there, colt has had just as many gremlins over the years as everyone else.....

^^^^^^^^
This.
The central #1 thing about ARs is the staking. Just for the edification of some, the last time I heard about an AR jamming it was because the gaskey had come loose and jammed up. And, uh, this was on a blog entry by a soldier .... in Iraq .... the gun was his U.S. G.I. issue COLT M4. Oh yea, it was a COLT! And fully mil-spec, to boot.
Now, that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you Colt is a POS and stay away from them. No. But gee whiz, even the mighty Colt put out one with an improperly staked gas key.
Oh wait. I can't say that. I don't KNOW it was IMproperly staked ....it might have been PROPERLY staked .... and just came loose anyway.
There are actually tools made to properly stake the gaskey.
Or you can do as suzukisam said and learn how to use a center punch. I used one to stake the castle nut on my AR. They work fine.

 

[BushyGuy]

i would take the Bushmaster over a Colt any day of the week! just cuz its mil-spec doesnt make it better unless you gonna put 10K a rounds thru it a year, Colt is over rated cuz its all "mil-spec" your paying more for it to be 100 percent mil-spec. anyone care to say why mil-spec is better ? Unless its full auto then i would say Mil-spec is a must!

Bushmaster makes very good barrels and great accuracy and has better customer service then Colt, if i wanna pay an "over price" i would get a gas piston AR like LMT or LWRCI.

I have a Bushmaster and its a great rifle, i dont see how Colt is better in any way unless i go full-auto.

 

[suzukisam]

No. But gee whiz, even the mighty Colt put out one with an improperly staked gas key.
Oh wait. I can't say that. I don't KNOW it was IMproperly staked ....it might have been PROPERLY staked .... and just came loose anyway.

Oh no.... that's blaspheme... not the almighty colt.. sorry couldn't help it..

the bottom line is that if you are an ar virgin, and know nothing, a company's qc might benefit you.. but bushy makes a great product and if you wanna spend more, go ahead, but you don't need to... do just about ten minutes of research and you'll find out that most parts originate in the same same place, no matter whose AR you buy.. even colt.. and anyone who understands how an AR works and what effects the reliability knows that ARs run well based on the design, and the brand makes little difference..

for those of you who say high round count breaks a bushy down.. why? I hear all these claims but no one knows why.. it's because they don't break down based on round count.. with most ARs you can expect a break in period...I can surf the net and find hundreds of examples of unhappy colt customers just like I could bushy, RRA, DD, and anyone esle you wanna name, and I bet if you get down to each case 95% would either be maintenance, ammo, or inexperienced gun owners.. about 5% would actually be the gun.. and every company has these problems.. you think Mercedes never puts out a lemon? any major brand AR out there with proper lube and break in will run well..

 

[Mags]

I had a Colt A2, the carrier WAS NOT PROPERLY STAKED! It did cause malfunctions, mostly FTFs. Took to the armorer on base and had it staked properly.

I sold the Colt to a buddy only because I wanted a flat top rifle. My bud is still shooting the hell out of that Colt he even put a flat top on it and shoots it more than I ever did. I have owned 2 Bushmasters 1 the carrier was staked ok the other was not. I now just have a Bushmaster and a Bravo Company both have complete Bravo Company BCGs.

 

[cottonmouth]

I have both and can't tell one does anything better than the other, the Colt does cost a hell'uva lot more.

J.B.

 

[milefile]

What the heck are you talking about. Bushmaster does not make a single part for Colt.

Thank you. I see garbage like this all the time online. He would never have said that to anyone's face. Symptom of anonymity I guess.