Not Happy with Stag AR

[possum]

After returning from the sandbox my training partner wanted an ar, so he bought a stag left handed model as he is left handed. a4 with Midwest ind flip up rear sight. the stags in the past that i have dealt with were great and i told him he should go that route, though i did advise him against the left handed model. anyway he hooked it up with accessories, crt stock, one point sling, cool flash suppressor, Daniel defense omega 7 rail, and a vfg. and of course several p mags to go along with it.

Pros
1)looks great
2)the crt is good to go, and has a lock that keeps the stock locked in place so it will not come out of position while in use.
3)the omega rail makes a clean mean looking hand guard that is free floating and there is no need for gunsmith skills or special tools.

Cons
1) the omega rail has no heat shields on the inside and got hot very quickly so hot that the operator was unable to even touch the hand guards, this would be understandable during and extended range session or at a training course, but this was during sight in procedures, and a few other drills that should have rendered the rifle to get so hot.
2) the various problems that the gun had.
3) using lake city ammo, which was the only ammo that he brought along. which i have used in the past and no issues what so ever. it isn't the best but it does work and does go bang everytime. with p mags and with gi mags there were 3 ftf's. in 200rds of firing.
4) the take down pin at the front nearest the hand guards started working its way out during firing. this occurred during drills and not during the zeroing procedures.
5) the pin that holds the dust cover in place also started to work its way loose, and started to come out and quite possibly would have came all the way out if we had not caught it in time.

After the many problems, we ceased using the rifle and decided that that was just to much. we fired only 200rds and that was it, we called it a day.

I believe that the qa qc guy at stag was asleep that day at the stag plant or that rifle was just a bad one. After taking the rifle back to the dealer the dealer gave him and in store credit, so instead of going with another stag, bushmaster etc, he had the dealer order him a slr 15 operator ar which should be here early next week. i will definitely report back about that.

 

[taliv]

you mean the dust cover pin was moving towards the muzzle uninhibited?

 

[ny32182]

Front takedown pin walking out?

I can't even imagine how poorly that rifle would have to be constructed for that to happen. Did you at least check to see if the detent was lined up with its groove in the pin? If whoever built it was messing up things that are that obvious, I wouldn't have much confidence in the rest of it without giving it a thorough inspection.

Stag normally has a decent rep from what I've seen, so, yeah, that is kind of surprising.

I'm a lefty, and I wouldn't buy a left handed only rifle... to specialized. A right handed AR is pretty damn lefty friendly anyway.

 

[tepin]

Replace your upper with LMT or Noveske.

For the front take down, try replacing the spring & detent or replace the pin w/ one secured w/ a screw.

Read this:

http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=7376
Lately there seem to be quite a few posts from people that are new to the AR in general, or new to this site in particular, that are starting to educate themselves and are feeling a bit of buyer's remorse. The "damn, I bought a $900 Bushmaster when I could have had an LMT for $1k" feeling is nothing new as people begin to educate themselves, and is not unique to the firearms enthusiast.

First of all, it's important to note that the below only really applies to guns intended for defensive, or offensive, purposes. If you really only ever intended your rifle as a plinker there isn't much need to do any of the below because the worst thing that will ever happen if your rifle fails to function will be that it will end your day at the range and several coke-cans will be spared that day. If, however, you envision ever needing to use this rifle for any kind of so called "hard use", then you owe it to yourself to at least do the following.

I believe that "The Chart" is having a negative impact in this regard. People are coming here and finding out that the gun they bought is sitting on the middle-to-right-side of the chart and are wondering if they made a bad choice. The answer is "probably not".

I have noticed quite a few threads in which Bushmaster, Rock River, Stag, etc. owners are starting to ask what they should do to their rifle to try to "move it to the left" on the chart. Some are even asking if they need to scrap their rifle entirely and buy a new one from the left side of the chart. The answer is "probably not".


Whether you have had the carbine for years with thousands of "trouble free" rounds through it (real-world rounds, not internet rounds) or you just bought the rifle, have hardly fired it, but are already starting to feel that buyer's remorse, don't fret. There are some very basic things you can do to improve your carbine and ensure better reliability.

1) Check the carrier key for proper staking. How do you know if it's properly staked? Go here and educate yourself. If yours doesn't look right, follow the instructions to correct it or send it out to have someone else correct it.

2) Check the extractor spring and insert to insure that the insert is black. Go here to learn about extractor inserts, springs, and O-rings. This is something anyone can install themselves.

3) Check the receiver extension end-plate for proper staking. How do you know if it's properly staked? Go here and educate yourself. If yours doesn't look right, follow the instructions to correct it or send it out to have someone else correct it.

4) Buy an "H" buffer if your carbine doesn't have it. Go here to learn why. Go here to see the different kinds of buffers. This is something anyone can install themselves.

5) Buy a properly tested, staked, constructed bolt carrier group (BCG) with the proper extractor insert. The bolt itself should be Magnetic Particle Inspected (MPI), Shot Peened, and Proof Fired. You can buy a top quality BCG from Bravo Company, G&R Tactical or LMT for around $130. You can either change out to this BCG right away, or use the one that came with your rifle until it breaks and then switch it out. The choice is yours.

Hopefully the above is helpful. Obviously, if you have that "thousands of trouble free rounds" DPMS, you may feel perfectly comfortable with leaving it alone. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about, how secure YOU feel in the thought that you may use this carbine for self, family, or society defense.

 

[DougW]

possum, welcome back home and thanks for your service! Glad you are back!

 

[possum]

possum, welcome back home and thanks for your service! Glad you are back!

thank you sir i am glad to be back.

Tepin,
thanks for the info but this ar in question is not mine and it has already been taken care of. btw my ar is good to go with no isues

 

[GunDoctor]

I've been around Stag for a while now and have never heard a single complaint. I think you're right, the quality control guy must have been sleeping on the job that day.

 

[atomd]

I've been around Stag for a while now and have never heard a single complaint. I think you're right, the quality control guy must have been sleeping on the job that day.

+1

Was it factory assembled or done elsewhere? If someone put it together with an out of spec LPK, things like that could happen. I'm happy with the Stag stuff that I have and I hear almost nothing but good things from others too (same with the Omega). Oh well, mistakes can and do happen. I hope you have better luck with the slr!

 

[possum]

Was it factory assembled or done elsewhere? If someone put it together with an out of spec LPK, things like that could happen. I'm happy with the Stag stuff that I have and I hear almost nothing but good things from others too (same with the Omega). Oh well, mistakes can and do happen. I hope you have better luck with the slr!

it was a fcatory bulid that was the first question we asked the store owner after the ar had the issues that it did.

and i know that we will have better luck with the slr-15, its from defensive edge and there stuff is top notch.

even with the problems, i would still own a stag and i am gonna continue to reccomend them to folks, as this is the one and only issue(s) that i have ever seen or even heard of myself.

 

[Templar]

Just be sure to stake the gas carrier keys.

 

[aloharover]

Is the dealer going to take care of it?

If not has the friend contacted Stag?
The CS will probably pay to ship it back to them. I have only sold a couple dozen Stags, but have never had any issues with their stuff or their CS.

 

[possum]

Is the dealer going to take care of it?

If not has the friend contacted Stag?
The CS will probably pay to ship it back to them. I have only sold a couple dozen Stags, but have never had any issues with their stuff or their CS.

yeah he got an instore credit and the dealer ordered him the slr 15 and got it for him at the dealer cost.

 

[Wes Janson]

Strange that the front pin would be walking out...my Stag 2L is so freaking tight that I had to use a punch for quite some time before I could even attempt to push out the pins by hand.