If you're wanting to get into an AR15 rifle for not a lot of cash, this is a pret

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Meh. I'd rather wait wait for a PSA Magpul kit to go on sale. Too much stuff on that DPMS that would need to be changed out
 
I have been very happy with mine. And I haven't HAD TO change anything out. It is an entry level rifle, but still works very well without changing anything. Add an optic and go shoot it.
 
I have been very happy with mine. And I haven't HAD TO change anything out. It is an entry level rifle, but still works very well without changing anything. Add an optic and go shoot it.
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I tend to think of the AR 15 as a varmint rifle -- which requires sub-MOA accuracy. How does yours shoot?
 
With Winchester white box ammo I can get 1.5" groups at 100yds. If you consider an AR to be a varmint rifle, then you would probably purchase an appropriate model instead of an entry level rifle and changing all of the parts though wouldn't you?
 
Perhaps the OP's "game" is not the same as yours. I'm seriously thinking about some entry-level AR, and varmint shooting isn't even remotely on my list of necessaries.
 
Vern Humphrey said:
I'm not buying a gun for the OP. If I were buying it, it would be for myself -- and I'd want it accurate enough for varmint hunting.
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A LOT of people think the Mini 14 is adequate for varmint and small deer hunting.
Heck, I used one myself when I could afford $200 for a Mini but not $450 for an SP-1 Colt.

That said, most people, myself included, think a Mini 14 is about as accurate as a shotgun past 300 meters.

Point I'm making here is the great and vast majority of varmint hunters, i.e. coyote, fox, raccoon, skunk, etc., don't shoot past 200 meters as the probability of that bullet flight hitting an unintended target is far too great to chance the shot and the smaller animals are far too hard to see clearly even with excellent optics.

Prairie dogs are a whole nuther game and on the rare opportunities I had to shoot them I used a scoped bolt action .243.
 
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Most AR-15 buyers don't need sub-MOA accuracy, anyone who does better put a lot of thought into it. I'd say 60+ years of military service indicates that 5.56x45 can be much more than a varmint round.

When it comes to DPMS, I side with MistWolf, I'd rather keep looking for another brand. A poor DPMS LPK and receiver extension kit years ago put them on my "do not buy" list.
 
It's good to know of options. However, with some patience waiting for the right sale, you can get comparable kits from Del-Ton and PSA that will have somewhat nicer specifications, for the same or even less money.
 
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle with DPMS. There are plenty of their ARs out there that are fine and need no replacement parts for thousands of rounds. There are also some (I have no numbers) that do need work, or simply will never be right. I've seen both at shooting competitions over the years. They are owned by Remington these days anyway, no? It might not be a fair comparison between current and years-past DPMS guns, though being owned by Remington isn't a compliment right now either.

I'd still take a PSA freedom over a DPMS though, even if just for the mid-length option. It'll be very close in price, maybe a little under, and will come with a C158 bolt, which is a worthwhile upgrade over 8620.

In all honesty though, and I am an experienced shooter, an AR made from the cheapest materials common to the platform will last a long time, be very reliable and plenty accurate with quality ammo, if it is assembled and spec'd properly.
 
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If you are perusing the Brownells catalog for an entry level rifle search for Aero Precision....this company makes A+ quality parts and firearms at reasonable prices. I have built over a dozen rifles with Aero parts, currently have one of the "entry level" rifles that has shot thousands of rounds without a failure. I also have rifles ranging from ATI Omni to DD and Colt carbines and for the average shooter the cheaper rifles will last as long as they have a desire to shoot. I have changed some parts on each level of AR's to suit my needs but not because the parts are inferior.....i doubt there is an AR being sold today with sub par parts, however, there are rifles with parts that are of superior quality and in heavy use (such as combat) will hold up longer. " Ya gets what ya pays fer"
 
Had some time with the rifle in the OP. It may not satisfy elitists, and won't make one ragged hole at 100 yards, but if someone is on a budget and wants an AR before panic buying surges, it's perfectly serviceable. Can you do better for $500? Maybe, but some don't want to wait for sales or piece things together.
 
Furniture, gas block and barrel. Not that the rifle cannot be shot the way it is, but the furniture is uncomfortable. It has a lightweight barrel but they used a heavy railed gas block. I also prefer a middy length gas system on a 16 inch barrel. While looks have nothing to do with how well a rifle shoots, the DPMS Oracle puts the UG in ugly.

PSA has been selling middy carbine kits with Magpul furniture for about the same money. Granted, these kits are currently out of stock and there is no guarantee they'll be back anytime soon, but when this thread started, PSA had some good Magpul kits in stock that were a better value
 
Mist, Your changes are simply for your needs and " look good" they would not enhance the rifles ability to shoot mountains of ammo. My ATI Omni has what looks to be a cutdown front sight/gas block and carbine gas, mot to mention the plastic lower.....but it shoots tiny groups or i can get it smoking with fast drills it does not seem to care which. Willmit stand up to my DD as time goes by? I hope not, i paid the price of three Omni's and expect the Colt and DD rifles to outlast me. The lesser priced rifles of today are good serviceable firearms and all the average guy will need in his gun cabinet.
 
MistWolf said:
Furniture, gas block and barrel. Not that the rifle cannot be shot the way it is, but the furniture is uncomfortable. It has a lightweight barrel but they used a heavy railed gas block. I also prefer a middy length gas system on a 16 inch barrel. While looks have nothing to do with how well a rifle shoots, the DPMS Oracle puts the UG in ugly.

PSA has been selling middy carbine kits with Magpul furniture for about the same money. Granted, these kits are currently out of stock and there is no guarantee they'll be back anytime soon, but when this thread started, PSA had some good Magpul kits in stock that were a better value
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All a mid length gas system does is allow one to mount a bayonet on a 16" barrel.
Seriously, I'm not kidding.
 
Ibmikey said:
Mist, Your changes are simply for your needs and " look good" they would not enhance the rifles ability to shoot...
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That's what I said. With the exception of the buttstock. That starts off uncomfortable and quickly makes it's way to painful the longer a shooting session wears on, even with the low recoil of the 5.56


The lesser priced rifles of today are good serviceable firearms and all the average guy will need in his gun cabinet.
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In this case, lesser prices means lesser quality in the details. Extractor springs are a prime example. I've seen quite a few extractor springs go flat and almost all were from "off brand" makers
 
All a mid length gas system does is allow one to mount a bayonet on a 16" barrel.
Seriously, I'm not kidding.
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About 45 or 50 years ago, there was a colonel at the Infantry School who invented a new system of bayonet fighting, which he called "Instinctive bayonet fighting." (If it's instinctive, why does it need to be taught?)

Nevertheless, his idea was to film "virgins" -- soldiers who had never held a rifle in their hands before -- and have them vigorously attack a dummy. The most common result was the M16 would come apart in their hands.:D

Bayonets and M16s really don't get along.
 
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