AR-15...Colt, Bushmaster, or Armalite

[Diesel Freak]

Well, it is time for a new addition. I am thinking about one with a flat top reciever (mounting a leupold Vari-X III) and a 20' stainless bull barrel in . 223. Which make do you recommend, and are all the clips interchangeable?
-Cliff

 

[BIG BOB]

I have a Bushmaster and am totally satified with it.

Clips are interchangable.

[This message has been edited by BIG BOB (edited 03-29-2001). ]

 

[RonaldLarson]

Eitherway, that 20' barrel is going to be a bear to hold steady!!!!!!LOL
Ron

 

[Timinator]

That's what a sling is for!

 

[LSMITH]

Talk to the highpower shooters in your area. Most are shooting Bushmasters here. More gun for the money I am being told (more accurate and less$). I have not heard anything positive about the Armalites in a long time. If you buy and sell and trade a lot get a Colt, they are easier to move and hold a little higher value.

------------------
99 2500 QC 4X4 AUTO SB 24V LARAMIE SLT 3. 5 LSD 285-75-16'S SPA Boost/EGT Everything but leather NRA Member Great Lakes TDR Member

 

[FATCAT]

Save your money and get (if you haven't already got one) a Springfield M1A, thats what I'm doing. I was considering some M16/AR15 type rifel some months ago but got a very nice Springfield M1 Garand like my father used to pick off Nazis if he wasn't shoot'en them with his "Ma Deuce". #ad
As far as I'm concerned, you have have those . 223 rifels, give me a . 30+ anyday, and I'm saving my pennies for what I think is the best semi rifel out there ... the M1A. #ad

 

[mikepvg]

JMO but Forget those . 223's unless your exterminating varmints. They were designed to mame soldiers & take up needed personal in battle.

"One shot one kill" Its also easier on the wallet #ad

Last Bull I took was @ 450yds (right thru the lungs) w/ a . 338 Mag SAKO action right out of the box.
SAKO also has a sniper version w/ adj'able trigger pull down to one half ounce.

W/ those semi-auto's you might as well hook 'em directly up to your wallet so you can watch 'em suck the money right out!
Good shooting!
Mike
#ad

 

[Diesel Freak]

I will be using the . 223 for small game and plinking. My Weatherby MkV . 270 is for the larger, and farther away game #ad

 

[Timinator]

Patriot is right. I like the Bushmaster stuff as well. Frank White builds great AR competition rifles. He's at www.compasslake.com. The M-1A is a great rifle, but for dependable rifles, with long-lasting repeatable accuracy an AR is hard to beat, including price. You can look up and down the line at Camp Perry to see that! If you insist on the M-1A dinosaur, buy one after the AR!

 

[dmurdock]

I had an olympic arms, it was an excellent gun. By far the funnest "plinking" gun you can by (imagine hitting a 12x12 inch steel target 30 times in a row at 300m! And i'm not a good shot (can't even hit the 12x12 opening in the toilet consistently from 1ft!)

 

[Headlight]

Move to California! You won't have to worry, you can't have any of them, problem solved.
I envy you for being able to have a choice.

 

[The patriot]

The M1A is an excellent rifle. I have two!!
308 surplus is generally very reliable, and at a historic low price now. 1000 rounds for $125. 00- $150. 00??? You cant even shoot a 223 for that!!
223 is nice for plinking, rock chucks, small varmints etc. It's just a fun gun.
Anything larger, the 308 is a good choice.
Lately, any gun show I hit, I get 1000 rds of 308. You never know when you'll need it, and these prices will probibally never be this low again. Bad thing is, this leaves me with no bombing $$$. #ad

Eric

 

[The patriot]

Bushmaster is very good. (Gunsmoke enterprise out of Fla has good prices) If you buy a Colt, youre really buying the name. Nothing special about them.
Have you considered DPMS? Olympic arms is good too. They have a good deal going on right now. Complete 16" kit (no lower receiver) is $425. 00, 20" kit is $450. 00. This is a fully assembled upper, you supply the lower and put the parts in it. (Very easy)
If you want anything from DPMS, let me know. I dont have any catalogs, but I'll get you a good price. I cant sell lowers, I dont have an FFL #ad
NJ dont trust taxpayers with guns. ~BUT~ I can sell everything else.
Eric

 

[Bigsaint]

Patriot, I could help you with that oversurplus of 7. 62 you have #ad
I have a M1A match grade that is real hungry. Do you belong to the Cherry Ridge club, if not you should check it out. They have a 200 and 300 yd. range (300 is covered) with 30 pit target frames and very little use on week days. Give me a shout if you ever come up this way or want to join.

Scott W.

 

[The patriot]

Scott, I belong to Central Jersey. All of our shooting areas are covered. My goal is to move somewhere where I can shoot out in my own backyard. Just a Few acres.
I'll shoot the surplus in the standard rifle, but my match rifle only gets M-118 or M-852. I have plenty of this, but if I ever run out it'll have to be Federal gold metal match. Have you ever heard of Hook Boutin? He built my match rifle. He's sort of a historical figure- legend within M-14 circles. WW2, Korean war, Vietnam vet!! He was a key player in the development of the M-21... suffice to say he'll build you one a$$ kicking rifle. He will not gouge you on price either. I literally sent him a bag of parts and $100. 00. (he only wanted $60. 00 !!!!!, but I had him NM mod some spare parts I had)Back came a beautiful match rifle. All NM mods, flawless glass bedding etc. etc. Most people want more than $60. 00 for glass bedding alone!!
If you want anything done by him, e mail me I'll send his address. I have it here somewhere. #ad

What brand barrel do you have? I have a Barnett 1/11" 4 groove,heavy. I'm only classified sharpshooter, figured I'd get the Kreiger if I get good enough.
Eric
PS what brand spotting scope are you using? I need a decent scope and I'm looking for suggestions. My little brother tells me to go for the Kowa (he's classified High Master) but I dont want to plunk down $900. 00 for something I will not use very often.


[This message has been edited by The patriot (edited 03-30-2001). ]

 

[Timinator]

I'll give you my unsolicited opinion, if you don't mind. My wife and I were both on the Air Force high power team. We got ammo and support for M-14/M-1A, but only ball ammo for . 223 shooters. As such, we shopped around and decided on the basic Champion's Choice 22x scope. If you're shooting . 30 cal. , that's good enough in most cases to see your holes at 200 and sometimes 300 yds. When I switched to the AR, I found that I couldn't see the holes reliably at 200 yds anymore.
Do you make Mexican match out of your M118? It's very accurate with a 168 HPBT (any brand). I have a 1-10" Barnett. It has over 5000 rounds through it and still wins matches, but the x count is way down.

 

[rmrc]

I've fired every rifle that has been discussed so far. They're all excellent pieces! If I had to have just one, it would be the M1A, hands down!!

 

[Bigsaint]

Eric, I have the Douglas air gauged 1 in 10 heavy. LOL on the spotting scope question... I use a real old Redfield 16-48x. You have probably seen these at some shows, you know, the ones with the old Redfield red paint on 'em. Anyway, it works great for my needs as I don't have a place to shoot beyond 300 yds. I usually shoot the Federal Premium 168 Gr BTHP in both my M1A and bolt rifles. I have started to work on a good handload but ran out of time to finish that project, will resume come spring.

Scott W.

------------------
White 2001. 5 3500 ETH/DEE 4X4 Quad cab SLT,tow package and camper prep,Husky liners front and rear,DiPricol pyro,boost and oil temp gauges,Edge EZ,Pyscotty air,Bully Dog stage III injectors,HX40,McLeod clutch,ATS manifold,Mallory 4150,Mag-Hytec rear,BD Power 4" exhaust,BD e-brake,Go Rhino grill guard,Mopar tonneau,Lund bug shield,PM tractor utility back up lights,Penda bed mat and blow by bottle is bye bye !!! I love the smell of diesel in the morning, it reminds me of... VICTORY !!!

 

[DASH]

I just put together a BUSHMASTER, and I really like it. Very high quality in my opinion! Colt is over priced, and by the way, I don't think civilians can even buy from Colt anymore can they?

 

[Dave B]

I can weigh in on this one, having just fought a second battle over an AR. I have a DPMS that has been nothing but trouble. The DPMS people are very customer service oriented, but I am not impressed with having to send a weapon back to the maker twice in one year for them to get it right. Just got it back today, and will see how it shoots.

We also use Bushmasters (carbines); brand new out of the box, and they are jamming. However, from what the word is, this is highly unusual for Bushmasters. We'll see what their customer service is like. Regarding the accuracy of the Bushmasters, YEEHAW. Even though they are jamming, these silly things are punching cloverleaf groups out to 100 yds with Federal Classic 55gr HPs, and with Win 62 grain powerpoint. They shoot circles around my DPMS carbine.

As for Colt, barf. Several of us ordered Colts, and most sent them back. Total junk.

Don't know a thing about Olympic. While like Patriot, I'm a big M1A fan (have em, love em), I have a need for an AR. If I had to do it over again, I would not do DPMS, but would go straight to Bushmaster. Just my . 02 fwiw.