RustyHammer
Member
Between the two brands, I'd go with DPMS.
DPMS or Olympic AR15?
- Thread starter Pigspitter
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Olympic produces much better barrels,
DPMS produces much better upper and lower receivers.
Internals on both guns are fairly decent and Olympic produces a better bolt carrier and bolt.
DPMS uses military specification furniture except for their M4 'Glacier guard' carbine handguards which are not mil-spec and their collapser buttstocks use the commercial diameter extension tube but so does Olympic.
I don't know where Olympic gets their furniture, or if they make it themselves, but it is of a lower quality than the DPMS stuff.
DPMS uses mil-spec buttstock screws, Oly makes their own and I personally think the Oly screws suck.
Both makers use a cast front sight tower, Mil-spec is forged and machined which I consider superior to cast and neither manufacturer uses an 'F' marked front sight tower on their flat top rifles and I have had to use taller front sight posts to get the sights to regulate correctly.
Not a major issue if you are going to mount a scope but very important if you are using a reflex sight, a detachable carry handle/rear sight assembly, and/or a back up iron sight.
Olympics always come with a large aprture/small apeture rear apeture sight, DPMS sometimes come with this correct rear sight and sometimes with a 'Match' type rear apeture sight with two very tiny apetures.
This would be great on an actual Match rifle, especially if the rear sight has verticle stability locater pins and a second spring and detent on the right side which they do not.
A thinner match type front sight post would be nice too.
Without these additions, a rear sight with apetures designed for 600 and 1000 meter shooting is pretty much moot.
DPMS produces much better upper and lower receivers.
Internals on both guns are fairly decent and Olympic produces a better bolt carrier and bolt.
DPMS uses military specification furniture except for their M4 'Glacier guard' carbine handguards which are not mil-spec and their collapser buttstocks use the commercial diameter extension tube but so does Olympic.
I don't know where Olympic gets their furniture, or if they make it themselves, but it is of a lower quality than the DPMS stuff.
DPMS uses mil-spec buttstock screws, Oly makes their own and I personally think the Oly screws suck.
Both makers use a cast front sight tower, Mil-spec is forged and machined which I consider superior to cast and neither manufacturer uses an 'F' marked front sight tower on their flat top rifles and I have had to use taller front sight posts to get the sights to regulate correctly.
Not a major issue if you are going to mount a scope but very important if you are using a reflex sight, a detachable carry handle/rear sight assembly, and/or a back up iron sight.
Olympics always come with a large aprture/small apeture rear apeture sight, DPMS sometimes come with this correct rear sight and sometimes with a 'Match' type rear apeture sight with two very tiny apetures.
This would be great on an actual Match rifle, especially if the rear sight has verticle stability locater pins and a second spring and detent on the right side which they do not.
A thinner match type front sight post would be nice too.
Without these additions, a rear sight with apetures designed for 600 and 1000 meter shooting is pretty much moot.
You should just build your own. AR15.com is a great source and they have a step by step guide on how to assemble an AR-15. I got my Del-Ton Parts kit and upper along with a DPMS lower from a gun show for just under $700. And mine has a chrome lined barrel. From what I've seen that my be very hard to find for the $700 range.
I have two Olympic Arms guns
And they are both very good guns. As mentioned by a couple of others, they are very accurate. Both my PCR-16, now called the K-16, and my K-8 ultramatch are better than 1/2MOA guns. As for reliability, the only problems that I have ever experienced were easily traced back to lack of cleaning in combination with reloads that probably weren't properly resized. A simple cleaning remedied the problem. This problem only occured after probaly a thousand rounds had been fired through the guns without cleaning.
For a thousand dollars you can probably get into either a Bushmaster or RRA gun. I personally wouldn't spend the extra cash on the Colt name. I am currently looking for an m-4 type gun and the Olympic with the black stainless barrel looks like It would fill the bill nicely. I am however tempted to try something different like the RRA, Bushmaster or DPMS. I guess my advice would go something like this. If this gun is to be used as a plinker/target/Varmint gun, get the heavy barreled Olympic k-16 for under $700. I do not believe you will be disappointed. If this is to be used for serious competition or as duty rifle then you might want something like the Rock River or the Bushy, both of which have been proven in the field by law enforcement agencies as well as in competition.
And they are both very good guns. As mentioned by a couple of others, they are very accurate. Both my PCR-16, now called the K-16, and my K-8 ultramatch are better than 1/2MOA guns. As for reliability, the only problems that I have ever experienced were easily traced back to lack of cleaning in combination with reloads that probably weren't properly resized. A simple cleaning remedied the problem. This problem only occured after probaly a thousand rounds had been fired through the guns without cleaning.
For a thousand dollars you can probably get into either a Bushmaster or RRA gun. I personally wouldn't spend the extra cash on the Colt name. I am currently looking for an m-4 type gun and the Olympic with the black stainless barrel looks like It would fill the bill nicely. I am however tempted to try something different like the RRA, Bushmaster or DPMS. I guess my advice would go something like this. If this gun is to be used as a plinker/target/Varmint gun, get the heavy barreled Olympic k-16 for under $700. I do not believe you will be disappointed. If this is to be used for serious competition or as duty rifle then you might want something like the Rock River or the Bushy, both of which have been proven in the field by law enforcement agencies as well as in competition.
Pigspitter
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- Aug 31, 2007
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- 614
I guess I forgot to state what I would be using the guns for. I'm too young for LEO or military and I don't shoot very often(maybe two times a month), I just want an M16A2 style rifle for hunting/plinking. The quality I am looking for is a gun that will go bang when I pull the trigger and that will give me tight enough groups and one I can add on to later when I get money.
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