What is your AR-15 quality list?

[mcb]

Most of the AR15s are forged lowers & I was told at one time that there was only three forging companies in the US that made these. And that the all made the same quality forgings according to mil specs. So It the quality would depend on the machining company & they have to cut the lowers to military specifications. So some may be just slightly better fit but they will all should function because of the Mil Spec.
So as far as being a snob because you paid $$$ more dollars than the guy that just bought the best gun he could afford, you could be snobbing for the wrong reason. It's what goes on your lowers that makes the rifle or pistol worth the dollars not what brand it is.
Like the RF85 nano-technology treatment that Anderson puts on their parts to make a lube free rifle brings their products up a few notches.

There are a fair number of billet lowers that use no forging at all and even a few cast lowers out their. And even if there are only three forging houses (I believe there are a few more than that currently) that does not mean that each company does not have their own forging die designs. You don't make an fully ambidextrous lower for the same forging that makes a standard mil-spec lower. So the forging might come out of the same forging house but me made using different dies and materials if the buying wants.

 

[BobbyA]

The fact that you started with DPMS and Rock River, I had to check the date on the post, making sure this wasn't like 2009

It's the right question to be asking. Based on my recent purchases (1 DPMS MOE and 1 COLT LE6920) I can tell you, both have the exact same Upper that was made by Square Forge. They both have 4150 Chrome Lined Barrels, 1/7 at 5.56mm with M203 Cuts. The DPMS even has the F mark on the front sight, the COLT does not anymore. Both have forged 7075 Lowers. DPMS at $700 is almost 1/2 price of the COLT but appearance wise DPMS is flawless and no visible defects. The COLT on the other hand, several rough edges on the top of the lower, like it was run late in the casting and the die started to produce flaws and they still kept using them, technically it works just fine but visually it's messy and then there is the slop, way too much slop on the COLT imho. Get down to basics, even the DPMS box and packaging was better than COLT and that included DPMS with Remington Quality Inspector's Stamp on the box. I have the sinking feeling COLT didn't do any QA on the final product.

 

[Skeptic13]

To me I think that there are some differences in a $500 and a $2000 AR however I am not sure that you are getting $1500 more value. I think that everyone should go through the process of buying parts and building an AR from the ground up. Not a complete upper and lower that are fit together but from all parts. It is a very interesting learning experience. The price differences between between reputable manufacturers for the same part like a receiver set or a barrel can vary wildly with no understandable difference in quality or performance.

 

[ACES&8S]

Colt HBAR, I went thru the AR virus for many years, never found one, or built one better.

 

[GNP]

You can download a version of the specifications for the inspection of the M4A1 at the link, it's no longer the version in service but it gives an idea of the inspection and testing that goes on as the weapons are manufactured. So next time a mil-spec discussion pops up, it will be clear exactly what that part of the process involves.

http://everyspec.com/MIL-SPECS/MIL-SPECS-MIL-DTL/MIL-DTL-71186A_30742/

 

[BobbyA]

You can download a version of the specifications for the inspection of the M4A1 at the link, it's no longer the version in service but it gives an idea of the inspection and testing that goes on as the weapons are manufactured. So next time a mil-spec discussion pops up, it will be clear exactly what that part of the process involves.

http://everyspec.com/MIL-SPECS/MIL-SPECS-MIL-DTL/MIL-DTL-71186A_30742/

Very interesting. It's sad to see DPMS go, you know I think they made a solid product and had many government (milspec) contracts to boot. Some say they were mid tier, but I think in the last 5 years, 2015 upward they were much better than that and growing in the higher end market. Looking online at the Federal Procurement Data System, it shows that DPMS had contracts supplying federal agencies and DoD with everything from M4 Carbines, M16 to M4 Conversion Kits (14.5" Uppers), etc.

 

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

Like the RF85 nano-technology treatment that Anderson puts on their parts to make a lube free rifle brings their products up a few notches.

I've always been a bit skeptical of this myself. It seems pretty gimmicky.

 

[BillWM]

When you could purchase Colt canada (Diemaco) firearms, they are some of the best if not the best AR types. Hammer forged heavy chrome lined barrels with a slight bore taper towards the muzzle. Built to withstand -50 to +º I can't recall. Several countries have purchased their firearms that are engineered for their particular use.
Since Trudeau enacted his sweeping gun ban we can no longer purchase, but we still own them. Even his govt. is afraid to take personal property from Canadians.
Never think gun bans can't happen, ours was done after he prorogued (shut down) parliament, so no one was there to stop him.