Olympic Arms AR’s, where do they stand in AR World?

[P-32]

Talk about the barrels wearing out is complete nonsense, I can't see how your doing this without completely abusing the rifle. In any case, if the super duper bushmaster or colt (puke) rifles barrels are so great, put a bushmaster or colt barrel (or better yet CMMG, etc etc) on it when it runs out, and still pay what, a third less than either rifle?

Ahhhh, I have a White Oak Precision upper with a close to 5K through it and it's getting close to replacement. The throat is .080 deeper than a mostly fresh Kreiger barrel on another WOP upper I have. I don't abuse my rifle but I do shoot matches.

I would agree Olys are on the bottom of the heap but I do know they will run. I think this whole tread became useless junk. It started off nice but turned into a contest to see who knows more about what ever. By the way, the military replaces a barrel when it reaches 5 on the throat gage.


To the OP if your are still here, you asked about 2 stage triggers. I would get a RRA 2 stage. They run about $120.00 and are good triggers. Easy to put in too. I have two of the RRA's, one in my loaner rifle, one loaned out and then in my primary rifle a Geissle. At almost 300.00 bucks it's a nice trigger.

 

[X-Rap]

I posted the following on another thread and got no real responce but to me the fact remains that some take the construction of the AR more religiously than any other weapon.

I understand your points but also believe that there are few manufacturers that are producing pure junk like some would have us believe. I think most AR parts would exceed the specs of foreign AK's for instance.
Personal defense shotguns are another example of weapons that are depended upon daily with no more specification than that of millions of duck hunters or trap shooters.
The great Mini 14 and its owners claim it to be a better weapon than the AR but it carries no great lineage aside from some police and corrections use.
The Springfield M1A1 while not millspec is considered by many to be a first rate weapon.
There is a world of difference between the quality of a $700 $800 AR and a HiPoint pistol in my opinion and personally would use a 686 S&W or SA 1911 as a better comparison both of which I rely on at times for my protection.
In the big picture the AR is but a small percentage of what gets picked up when things go bump in the night, I will admit some of those weapons of choice are less than desirable but on the average an AR that has a proven Mag and fired a few hundred rounds without failure will not blow up or cause the owner to loose his life simply by failure of the gun or its parts.
Don't misconstrue the point I am trying to make, I will freely admit that if I were to go into a security contract overseas and needed to supply my own weapon or I was to compete on a regular basis I would no doubt pick some enhanced parts that likely would exceed the TDP this would also include sights.
__________________

I might add that AK's & SKS rifles fall onder the 922 regulations, a big supplier of these parts is Tapco who many have nothing good to say anything about but yet the "serious" AK guy really has no standards equal to our TDP.
Ammo is another black hole of specifications that we trust our lives to be it factory or hand loads.
A quick look at Bravos site shows DPMS and RRA lower kits with no MilSpec reference, do lower kits have no bearing on quality?

 

[Chris Rhines]

X-Rap -

I'll reply in more detail when I get home (where I don't have to post from my phone), but consider this - the Ruger Mini-14 is manufactured by one firm, Ruger. Most defensive shotguns are produced by single firms; you don't have a dozen different companies all making clones of the Remington 870p. That's the difference.

A better comparison could be drawn between the AR market and the 1911A1 market. There are 1911A1 makers that run the gamut, from bombproof fighting guns to abject junk and everything in between. And yes, you can absolutely buy a low-end 1911 and have it run perfectly. The odds are against it, but hey, people win the lottery every week...

-C

 

[notasfancy]

They need improvements in the BCG area. The rest doesn't matter. Overall a good value for average civilian use. Also look into Delton, Stag and RRA.

 

[mcdonl]

I ordered a Delton. $465 for everything but the lower receiver. Good price, best I could find.

DISCLAIMER - I do not intend to use this gun as an operator. Answering my phone is as operator as I get. 10,000 rounds from now I will worry about something breaking but for now I am happy with it

 

[MICHAEL T]

Gee guess Olympic Arms is right their with Jennings and Hi Points . I only fire mine a few 100 rounds a year .Iam not going to war with it or target matches . Its accurate enough and so far has never not fired or jammed. But of course its junk. OK But I sure like better than the Bushmaster I had and sold before . I bought this. . AR world seems to have more gun snobs than pistol world

 

[christcorp]

Where the debates and disputes come from, is from what people consider to be important to them. The TDP and Mil-Spec are not important to me. Not in any way. I spent 21 years shooting weapons that are obviously "Mil-Spec". So what? First; no AR that we are talking about can truly be Mil-Spec/TDP compliant, considering it's a semi-auto. But that aside, a civilian's use for the AR is not the same as a military person's. Now there are those that believe that they as civilians risk the same possible threats as a military soldier or police officer might. Well, they can believe what they want. But there is no argument that a civilian can and will take better care of their AR than a soldier on the battle field. In other words, the civilian can continually keep it clean. Can continually test and tweak. The soldier needs to have his/her rifle ready all the time. They can't just say: Hey sarge; I'm going out back and shoot off a couple hundred rounds for the hell of it.

So the TDP/Mil-Spec doesn't mean crap to me. I'm not going to spend my money on an AR based on "The Chart" or because it happens to comply with the TDP or is in complete mil-spect. (As complete as possible for a civilian rifle). But what I do care about, is what the rifle is planning on being used for. That determines if an Olympic is a good choice.

For the average AR user; who will mainly be plinking 1000-2000 at most per year; possible prairie dog shot once in a while; and possibly as a home defense weapon. The Olympic will do the job just fine.

For the person putting out 5,000 rounds a year; is into competition marksmanship shooting; does long range deer hunting (100-200 yards) with 75 grain bullets; or is into many of the carbine or shooting type classes; etc... Then no; the Olympic is no where near the right choice for you. The barrel isn't intended to make the heavy bullet deer hunting shots. The gun probably isn't as accurate as needed for the long range marksmanship competitions. The Olympic simply isn't a good choice.

But again; it all depends on what you're going to use it for. What is more important, is how much you spend on it. Price is a fact. If my S&W M&P15 could only be bought for it's retail price of $1069, I probably would have bought a BCM or a Colt. Not because they're better. (I didn't need better). But because for the same price, you might as well get better. I.e. I live in the city. I need a car. I NEVER will go over 40mph. I can get a ford focus for $10,000 new or a $50,000 Cadillac. The Cadillac is a "Better" car; but I don't need what makes it better. Not for a city car doing 30-40mph all the time. HOWEVER: If the Cadillac was on sale for $10,000; then it would only make sense to get that over the focus being they're the same price. But in my case, my M&P wasn't $1069. After christmas sales and rebates; it was $649. Well, that is a "BETTER" choice than the $1100+ Colt. For the average AR shooter who is just shooting paper for fun and the occasional prairie dog or possible home defense; the $800 Olympic or even $650 Century is a decent choice. HOWEVER: When there are a lot of sales around where you can get that M&P15 for $650, that would be a no-brainer. Same/Better price, and a better rifle.

Head to Head, there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying an Olympic AR. But when the prices are a variable, then it isn't "Head to Head" any longer. If the store has BOTH a 6-Pack of Pepsi and a 12-Pack of Pepsi; and the 12-Pack happens to be on sale for the SAME PRICE as the 6-Pack; it makes sense to buy the 12-Pack. Well; for most people, the Olympic may be the better price and better deal for their use. But if the 12-Packs are on sale for close to the same price, those are what you should be getting.