For that price run with it.
DPMS are great quality, anyone who actually owns one or has ever shot one will tell you that. Dont listen to the misinformed who say anything other than colt or LMT is wrong, or second best in quality.
As far as DPMS and "milspec M-4 durability features" go, you can get more of those features available for a few extra bucks than most other brands offer in their rifles and be comfortable knowing you have a very accurate high quality rifle.
Its stands to reason that since multiple companies use each others rifles to sell under their each others names, and multiple companies use recievers, barrels, springs, pins, etc etc that are all produced by each other for use by all, that there is very very little difference from one major manufacturer to the next in any quality.
Keep in mind that the 2 largest manufacturers of AR rifles in the world are Bushmaster and DPMS. Stands to reason that since both are owned by the same company, that both supply other companies with parts.
I dont doubt that colt are tough rifles, I dont doubt that LMT rifles are tough and well built. In reality little to nothing separates each companies rifles in durability, in reality all rifles made as the same model from each of the major companies have very very minute actual differences. Keep in mind that just because a company claims that it MP and HP tests all barrels and bolts, is it actually done on all? Also just because a company doesnt brag about MP and HP testing these parts, is it not done on all?
Maybe they dont have to because it was done by the company that made the part already.
OK, I have to say that posts like these REALLY bug me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but when people call others misinformed, and present their own ignorance as the gospel, they are REALLY doing a dis-service to newbies or people who are doing research and trying to learn.
There is no question that there are differences between certain brands of AR's, just like anything else. Depending on your purpose, both may suffice for you but they are NOT the same, and for someone who is using them more stringently one of the two may not work.
A Chevy Cavalier and a 4x4 Jeep will both take me to work and back just fine, and if that is all I am using it for I may not care for the difference. But if I have to go off road and use it harder, there is a LOT of difference. The fact that I like my Cavalier, and want to feel better about it does not make a difference, I can talk all day long about how it will do everything a Jeep will do, but it wont.
Now I am not an expert on AR-15's, but I have made the effort to do enough open-minded research to learn that there are some differences. There are a lot of smart guys on this forum, and there are some experts, and there are a lot of guys who like to voice their opinions. Some of the guys who love to give their opinion are not necessarily experienced or knowledgeable about the subject they are discussing. And some of the guys who DO know are tired of arguing this same thing over and over so they dont chime in that much.
To the OP, pay attention to what posters like Bartholomew Roberts, taliv, rob_s and RockyMtnTactical have to say about AR's, they dont just like to hear themselves talk, they know a little about what they are talking about. There are others too, but those are some names off the top of my head. Pat Rogers has a lengthy thread on ARFCOM where he discusses the differences, and Grant over at m4carbine dot net is a great resource as well.
DPMS are great quality, anyone who actually owns one or has ever shot one will tell you that. Dont listen to the misinformed who say anything other than colt or LMT is wrong, or second best in quality.
Well there are differences, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.
Its stands to reason that since multiple companies use each others rifles to sell under their each others names, and multiple companies use recievers, barrels, springs, pins, etc etc that are all produced by each other for use by all, that there is very very little difference from one major manufacturer to the next in any quality.
This means nothing. A Producer may make parts for both Company A and Company B. For Company A, the parts must meet X standard or they are rejected. For Company B, their standard is not so high. So Producer supplies the BEST stuff that they make to Company A and send whatever doesnt quite meet that standard to Company B. Have you ever shopped at a store where they sell "irregular" clothing? I have seen a pair of Dockers pants for $3. Of course they were missing a zipper and the belt loops were crooked, but since they were made by the same people that made my other Dockers they are just as good, right? As Pat Rogers has repeated a lot of times "parts aint parts".
Keep in mind that the 2 largest manufacturers of AR rifles in the world are Bushmaster and DPMS. Stands to reason that since both are owned by the same company, that both supply other companies with parts.I dont doubt that colt are tough rifles, I dont doubt that LMT rifles are tough and well built. In reality little to nothing separates each companies rifles in durability, in reality all rifles made as the same model from each of the major companies have very very minute actual differences.Keep in mind that just because a company claims that it MP and HP tests all barrels and bolts, is it actually done on all? Also just because a company doesnt brag about MP and HP testing these parts, is it not done on all?
Maybe they dont have to because it was done by the company that made the part already.
More wishful thinking, backed up by an absolute lack of research. It has been verified that Bushmaster does NOT MPI and HP each barrel and bolt, and companies such as LMT do. There are also other components such as extractor, buffer, etc... that Bushmaster cuts corners on. Not to mention the quality control process.
This thread might be enlightening for you...
You may have decided that a DPMS will do fine for your purposes, and that is fine. I am glad you have something you like. But you do a GREAT disservice to people who are trying to really learn when you pass them off as
the same as some other brands. Posts like these are part of what caused me to waste some money on an Olympic, then Model 1, then Bushmaster on my way to learning the truth. Guess what? That money was wasted for me, and for what I paid I could have had a nice Colt. You arent saving money if you dont get what you want.
Now I have no interest in owning a Colt (large pins and politics mostly
), but as the OP showed, better quality doesnt always have to cost that much more. LMT, BCM (when you can find them), Sabre, even S&W and Charles Daly offer better quality than most Bushmasters/DPMS/Rock River etc... and for not that much more money.
