What to look for in a used Bushmaster

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Vaulter98c

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OK, newbie here, I tried looking for a rules thread but couldnt find one, so if Im breaking the rules, sorry

ANYways, Im getting a feeling that after lurking for a few days there is a little bit of a bad vibe for bushmaster here. This is odd as it came off from my ar 'totin buddies that Bushmaster was a good name. Three seperate people I hold in high regard have recomended them to me. So, whats really that bad about them?

I guess I should outline my situation here to fill in the blanks. Im 20 years old, in the Army Res. and looking for something as a plinker and light target shooting. Maybe varmint shooting, but no hunting, and self defense is kinda null as I already have a Wingmaster 870 for that. So, this isnt gonna need to survive a tour in Iraq (woo, May 09... yea!) or anything like that, but I will be using it occasionaly on small scale carbine courses at local ranges (read, NOT Profesional). Just a nice fun little AR basicly. Plus, Im kinda jittered about the whole Obama thing, but Id rather not talk politics (even tho we are all probly on the same page)

As I said, Im Army so the gun will be taken care of (borderline pampered lol) and I have done a quick glance through the parts I have access to and it looks fine, feels good, and nothing caught my eye when I first looked it over. Im no gunsmith but I know what it should feel like (much better thank anything Ive used so far in the reserves lol). Its offered at 750 used at Gander with a year warranty and 1 free cleaning and a gun sock (woopie...) . It has an A3 upper (flat) with risers and a very beefy scope (will remove scope and hold onto it until I get a longer barrel weapon) which will be replaced with red dot. Quad rails on a 16 inch barrel 1/9 and I believe its chrome lined. Vert. Grip is already installed, a plus, and has a solid feeling 6 Pos stock. I wish I could give pictures and more info, but thats all I got.

But like I said I get a bad vibe for Bushmaster here and I want to know if there is anything SPECIFIC that I should look for? Thanks for any help. And do you think I should go for it at 750??

also, on a side note, LOVE this site, lots of good info.
 
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^^^
Agreed.

I have a Bushmaster and love it, it's never let me down after more than 2k rounds. For my money it's everything I need and nothing I don't.
 
I have a Bushmaster upper. It's quality made, and hasn't jammed for me yet (and to my knowledge was equally reliable for the last owner). It has about 1000 5.56 rounds through it now and a lot of .22LR (I highly recommend getting a conversion kit, and a second sighting system to dedicate to rimfire usage since you are getting a flat top).
 
Depending on where you go you will find people unhappy with ANY brand..
I have two Bushmasters and am totally happy with both of them.:D
 
it's not that people think bushamsters are total crap, like, say, vulcan/hesse, but rather a reaction to fanboys who claim they are as good as colt/et al. because their one instance has 200 rounds through it slow fire from a bench and hasn't 'jammed'. woohoo.

they are not as good as colt. they are not as expensive as colt. so all is right in the world.

your OP indicated you weren't necessarily looking for mil-grade equipment, and you probably aren't wanting to pay for it. so the bushamster you've got your hands on might not be a bad choice. they do have pretty good resale value anyway, so you can get out of it pretty easily in any event.

that said, there are better mfgs that sell in the same price range, although finding one used and local to you, might be more difficult.
 
Well, turns out that one sold before I got there tonight... damn

OK, so It sounds like a bushmaster is right up my alley then. Im gonna run this past you just to see what yall think. The gunsmith there showed me some stuff ( I love the EOTech sights btw ) and said I should look at a DPMS, because its like a bushmaster but will handle cheap stuff like Wolf easily and its cheaper than Bushmaster. Your opinions?

And thinks for the info, now I know what to start looking for.
 
I would rank Bushmaster higher than DPMS.

Bushmasters can shoot wolf just fine BTW, ask anyone that owns one. I myself have put about 600 rounds now of the steel stuff through mine without any problems.
 
A bushie will handle Wolf? Thats good to hear, Id like to stay away from super cheap stuff but its hard to beat the price. Thanks for your help, hopefully I can come across another used one soon, I dont want another ban to cut me off
 
DPMS is a good company that makes a well-regarded and usually very accurate competition rifle (and varmint rifles). They support the shooting sports, and particularly junior teams.

their M4 clone is cheap for a reason though. you get what you pay for.
 
There is absolutly nothing wrong with a Bushmaster AR. They are just as good, if not better, than any other manufacturer in their price range.

One thing you will note: They sell more AR type rifles to us (read civilian market) than all other manufacturers, probably combined. You going to hear about more minor issues with them just due to shear volume.

Yes my Bushies eat Wolf and Barnual like candy.
 
taliv said:
they are not as good as colt.
Click to expand...
Interesting that you mention fanboys and then go on to laud a particular manufacturer. As the owner of one of each of these and an Armalite, Mil-Spec set aside, I can't look you in the eye and tell you that Colt is a better rifle. So as not to be a "fanboy" I won't make any claim other than to say that my BushMaster is a better rifle than my similarly configured Colt. :rolleyes:
 
they are not as good as colt. they are not as expensive as colt. so all is right in the world.
Click to expand...

this leaves me not really knowing what to say except for what has been my experience having owned one of each.

my 16" hbar bushmaster has been a significantly better rifle than my colt model 6700c match target rifle in two measurable, albeit surprising, categories.

accuracy and dependability.

ive never owned any other ar's but my bushmaster is a better rifle than my colt.

i would say that maybe my bushy is a daisy and my colt a lemon,,,but im not the only person who owns both and found the same to be true.

just my experience. (and one of my buddies)


ps. your right about the price though (but not by much, less than 100 bux)
 
taliv said:
as qualified, I won't argue with that.
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It's a given that my opinion may not represent the norm. That said, as a civilian shooter who only shoots one round per squeeze. I don't see where Mil-Spec buys me anything other than to say it is so.
 
As a very biased CT resident, and I agree with my wife and my little daughter; ponies are magic. Everyone should buy things with the pony on them. It's not a cult, but I'm definitely in a fan club. ;)

I do have Bushmasters though, and the only bad thing I can say about them, aside from mine being AWB compliant, is that I like the Colt grey parkerizing better. The one you describe sounds like a good setup for the money. I'd just grab it and shoot it, and not worry about debating the merits of the various manufacturers.
 
as I said in my first post, if you're not looking for mil-spec then that's fine. why pay for it? (not all colts are mil-spec either, of course)

I was addressing the perceived bad vibe for bushmaster in the OP, which, imho, is mostly directed at cost-cutting in their m4gery. As long as people are making an informed decision that the value of mil-spec to them is not worth the additional $300 or so, that's perfectly fine. The bad vibe shows up when people imply that there is no difference or that the mil-spec is of no value to anyone.

in other words, i was saying there's NOT a bad vibe against bushmaster for their guns that were never intended to meet mil-spec, such as their varmint or plinking or match guns etc. heck, I even own one of their carbon fiber guns, in addition to an aluminum one (edit, which happens to be a machine gun)
 
Well, I first handled Colts when they were early M16s with no butt trap and prong flash hiders, and they weren't too great then. Owned my own CAR-15 in the 80s, and it was decent although the trigger pull was lousy and few alternatives around.

Sprung for a BM M4gry with fixed A1 carry handle about two years ago. The only things I have changed were to replace the A2 PG with an A1 version, toss the stock trigger/hammer setup for a match one, and bolt on a compact ACOG. Now have about 2800 rounds through it. Only problems were a bad mag (Brownell's replaced it) and had to beef up the extractor with a "D-Fender" ring. The thing runs like a sewing machine.

Talked to LMT (probably the primo AR folks) yesterday to get a spare BCG for it and their take was that if it runs right, it's a good rifle.

There are a few things to watch. Check over at M4Carbine.net for their input.

I like mine, and I am damned particular.
 
I was addressing the perceived bad vibe for bushmaster in the OP, which, imho, is mostly directed at cost-cutting in their m4gery.
Click to expand...

agreed, ive looked at and really wasnt crazy about their m4rgery.

ive never owned an m4 anything but do believe when it comes to the m4 profile, colt just seems to be the authority, at least in my mind.


as far as the op questions.

i can only speak for the model bushy i have.

its the 16" hbar a2 model. it is NOT THE M4.

mine is the heavy barrel model (although it weighs less than 7 lbs empty)

its extremely reliable, and as shown in the link below, is extremely accurate.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=392277


i couldnt be happier with it honestly.

bryan.
 
I have a BM,runs great.For the price that the pony is,get a big boy gun,like an M1A.My springfield runs great(check out CMI mags!)308 bullet...whats not to like?:neener:I did put an EO on my M4fgery today.I can bust up an egg @100 yds.My Bushie DOES not like Wolf ammo.Runs great w/ everything brass.But that being said.....I have a Springfield M1A that I got new for less than than Colt 6920.That will do everything the Colt will...but better!BTW I love the AR platform...the M1A just does it better!
 
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