DPMS AR-15 any good?

[351 WINCHESTER]

I've been thinking of getting my first ar. I saw a DPMS today that was priced at $795. new with 2 30 round mags. It has a heavy 16" bbl. in A2 configuration.

Would this be a good start and is the price fair?

 

[edelbrock]

Yes and Yes. You better get it at that price.

 

[EP1990]

shoot yeah. around here (sc) that would be a 1000 dollar package at least. DPMS is a good ar company, about as reliable as anyone else (not counting colt because they jam too much)

 

[browningguy]

I have a couple of their lowers that work with no problems at all, also a 16" bull barrel upper that shoots fairly well. If it has the standard trigger it will probably be rough and heavy, but most of them are. I've changed all my lowers to JP/RRA 2 Stage/McCormick drop in.

 

[tbrenny09]

i have a dpms bull 20...gives me sub moa groups at 100 yards with remaned ammo...awesome gun ...insanely excellent for the price

 

[jpwilly]

3 DPMS rifles in my family all are accurate and reliable.

 

[FlyinBryan]

jump on it, that was a steal before the election panic, and is almost unbelievable in todays market.

dont wait cuz it will be gone.

 

[C-grunt]

Good price on a good gun. From what I have heard the DPMS rifles are more accurate than most ARs.

 

[GRIZ22]

I have 2, a carbine and bull barrel for about 5 years. The carbine shoots about 2" at 100 and the bull barrel 3/4" with any quality factory ammo. i'm sure I could shrink that further with a handload. No issues with either.

 

[DocBoCook]

have a DPMS M-4 model. Beautiful groupings.

 

[loadedround]

I put together a DPMS lower and a DPMS upper(purchased separately...long story) with a heavy barreled 20" target barrel. This setup shoots under 5/8" groups with decent loaded ammo when I do my part. Mine's a keeper.

 

[DocBoCook]

my carbine's groups are around 1/2"-5/8" at 100yds, the suggested brake in procedure works

 

[kwelz]

DPMS is pretty low on the totem pole. That being said if you are looking for something to punch holes in paper with it should be fine. If you are looking for a gun that may some day need save your life then look else ware.

 

[FlyinBryan]

If you are looking for a gun that may some day need save your life then look else ware.

just a rediculous statement.

youve been listening to the fanboys.

plenty of lives have been saved with a single shot, and as bad as you think dpms and other "non chart" rifles are, im sure it would be effective.

do you not think that once tested, the rifle can be counted on to chamber and dispatch of a bad guy?

lol, jeez fanboys, he didnt say he was swat or going to iraq.

original poster.

a few will say you shouldnt defend yourself with it.

its as rediculous as it sounds.

 

[kwelz]

No it isn't a rediculous satement. It is the same reason I would never recomend a Jennings or Phoenix Arms for somone looking for a Self Defense pistol.

I could care less about what fanboys say. I do care about what experienced peole have to say and I do care about my own experiences.

I have said it on other threads, if you are only going to put a thousand rounds a year through your rifle then it probably doesn't matter. However if youa re someone who intends to be a serious shooter then you owe it to yoruself to purchase quality firearms. If he wants to punch paper then a DPMS is probably going to be fine.

then again I have had 2 DPMS rifles cause this

 

[FlyinBryan]

However if youa re someone who intends to be a serious shooter then you owe it to yoruself to purchase quality firearms.

ok, dpms is not a quality firearm.

i guess im glad i dont own one.


edit for the o.p. ive READ what azizza says before. ive not SEEN a problem like that or any other with dpms rifles before.

ive also READ that bushmaster doesnt stake their carrier keys properly, BUT AGAIN, this is not what ive seen for myself.

 

[FlyinBryan]

then again I have had 2 DPMS rifles cause this

as a longtime reloader, id be interested to hear your opinion of what caused the bulge just above the case head?

 

[kwelz]

Both Rifles had to go back to DPMS and be rebarreled. The chambers were way out of spec. Ammo was not reloads.

You say in your experience. How many Bushmaster or DPMS rifles have you worked on or inspected?

Here is my Bushmasters Bolt. Notice the staking isn't even close to correct.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Does the pope crap in the woods?

 

[FlyinBryan]

worked on/owned 4 bushmasters, 2 colts, and zero dpms, but ive been around a few, but never owning one i wont speak from first hand experience. only that the ones ive been around have shown less problems than ive had with colt, which were model 6700 match target rifles.

heres my bushmaster bolt carrier. (one of them) how would you say its staked? (please vote while your at it)

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=446662

im having a hard time really seeing the staking on your photo. glare and my bad eyes i guess.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

I am not a particularly big fan of DPMS, but you can do worse I guess. I have one of their lowers, and have helped friends and family build AR15's on several DPMS lowers. Their lower receivers are as good as any.

 

[XCastleX]

i have a DPMS AP4 and love it.

 

[kwelz]

Sorry the Photo isn't the best I know. None of the Stakes were good and one of the screws was actually only hand tight. I tightened them down and re-staked it. Easy fix but a sign of bad QC on BMs part. The staking on yours is really good. I wish mine had been that good from the factory

Look I am not saying Bushmasters are a terrible rifle. heck I own one and it shoots great. but I spent a few days and a bit of money to upgrade it to what I consider minimum specs before I shot it.

DPMS however doesn't even do basic testing of their components before they go out the door. At least BM does batch testing of barrels and bolts LOL..


Anyway, can we all agree that any of them are better than Hesse/Blackthorne?

 

[FlyinBryan]

i may have indeed gotten lucky on the quality of my bm rifles. ive bought 2 that seemed to be much better than the general populous' experiences suggested. (although one barrel was slightly out of index, which was a 10 minute fix)

DPMS however doesn't even do basic testing of their components before they go out the door. At least BM does batch testing of barrels and bolts LOL..

ya, thats definitly an issue i didnt know about.

batch testing, of course is not as thorough as testing everything, (i felt like an idiot even typing that) but testing nothing is amazing.

i had no idea they tested nothing.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I would think that any gun made would have to pass a standard proof test.