Bushmaster questions

[GI_Jared]

So I used to be into the AR's and target shooting a lot back in 02-04, then I was in the Army for 4 years followed by going to college for 4 years. I am now finally back into AR's and need some explanation on something. Bushmaster and DPMS AR's used to be all the rage on forums like this. I can remember the hardcore AR nerds giving people crap if they bought a Colt because the Bushmaster AR had supposedly better quality. So what the hell happened???? Now that I am back into the sport/hobby it seems like everyone is dogging the quality of Bushmaster and DPMS rifles. Now, the hot brands seem to be BCM, LMT, LaRue, Noveske, and of course the always reliable Colt.

[viperashes]

Your earlier ventures with ARs were during the Federal Assault Weapons ban. I can't really speak from experience, because although I lived through it, I wasn't in the scene in those days. Basically, Colt said screw you to the civilian market in those days, so Bushmaster and DPMS were the only real viable options. Since then, Colt has pulled their head out of their ass (for the most part) and a slew of great companies manufacturing high quality ARs has cropped up.

Bushmaster has changed hands a few times and their quality has suffered quite a bit. The same for DPMS. I was just getting into ARs back in '04 at the sunset of the Fed AWB, and my post-sunset Bushmaster was actually decent, even compared to the quality of ARs we have now, and the venerable "chart". Everything that needed to be was staked, everything fit together correctly and functioned correctly, etc. I knew nothing of the TDP in those days and how ARs were judged, but from what I did with the rifle, it held together well, but then again, I didn't run it like I do now.

Your best options these days you are already aware of. You're probably also aware by now that the cheapest of those offerings is a Colt SP6920. I'm not quite sure how much an LE6920 is going for, as Colt had said they were going to stop making them, then reversed the decision, but I would imagine that they are comparable to the SP at around a grand.

[sonny22]

So I used to be into the AR's and target shooting a lot back in 02-04, then I was in the Army for 4 years followed by going to college for 4 years. I am now finally back into AR's and need some explanation on something. Bushmaster and DPMS AR's used to be all the rage on forums like this. I can remember the hardcore AR nerds giving people crap if they bought a Colt because the Bushmaster AR had supposedly better quality. So what the hell happened???? Now that I am back into the sport/hobby it seems like everyone is dogging the quality of Bushmaster and DPMS rifles. Now, the hot brands seem to be BCM, LMT, LaRue, Noveske, and of course the always reliable Colt.

Daniel Defense makes a good carbine too.

[Azpilot]

Dollars and sense.

Colts were $2k+....Bushies and DPMS were $800-1200. For a price-factor difference of 2x, it was very difficult to justify the pony.

Bushies are now $895 at Wal-Mart, and Colts are $930 on the Internet. You can't buy and fix a sub-standard gun now for what it costs you to just buy a good one, right out of the box.

I paid $700 cash for my first AR...a complete POS Sendra (let's see how many of you kids remember -that- one), with a sand-cast lower, and a no-name, Vietnam-era setup 20" upper (A1, triangle hand guards, the works). That gun would not function right (it doubled and tripled, even after I "stepped up" and replaced the entire LPK with a DPMS kit I'd ordered from Brownell's).

Colt's dismounted from its high horse, and gotten in the game in a big way. Some quality competition didn't hurt.

[High Tower]

It's been mostly covered, but a few of the better ones were not even on the scene in 02-04.

What quality Bushmaster may have had slid downhill over the past 10 years.

The AR platform has developed quite a bit in the last 10 years and some companies have kept up with the developements, or in some cases created them, and others still use 1:9 twist with the M203 cutout.

There is still a plethora of folk who keep BM, DPMS, and others in business but they are not prominent here.

[Univibe]

My bushies are late-1990s vintage. Maybe they were built better back then, I don't know. I do notice that the parts all fit correctly, gas key bolts are properly staked, etc. I've never had any trouble and one of them has seen quite a few rounds over the years.

Only problem I've ever noticed is that Center mags tend to be tight in the magwell, whereas Pmag and Okay/NHMTG drop free just fine. I think it's the Centers' fault.

Would I stake my life on them? Without hesitation. Will they vanish into a cloud of powdered metal as soon as I have to rely on them? I doubt it.

A lot of this I think is internet buzz. I recall not too long ago when LMT was the hot item. Then along came Noveske as the must-have. Now BCM is the flavor of the month. Next summer it'll be someone else.

[ryr8828]

I have a bushmaster 14.5 pinned I bought in 2008. The gas key wasn't staked and neither was the castle nut. Castle nut loctited and it took all my force plus a hammer to get it loose when I upgraded the tube and stock.
Overall fit and finish is great and it shoots good. How long it would have held up to hard use, I don't know. I hardly ever shoot it anymore. Last time I shot it was when I got a deal on aimpoint r-1's, painted one black and put it on there and had to sight it in.

[rdc0000]

When I shot high power 1992-2000 every time there was an AR and an alibi it was a Bushmaster. That was a long time ago but, it made an impression on me. $200-300 more and your running a quality rifle. Why bother with the others when Colt and DD are available every where?

[Iraqgunz]

The only people who thought they were the "rage" were those who didn't know better. That being said the AWB has been over for 7 years now and people have finally awoken from their bad dream.

Coupled with fear, anxiety, etc.... AR's are selling in massive quantities and becoming the most widely used rifle in America.

So I used to be into the AR's and target shooting a lot back in 02-04, then I was in the Army for 4 years followed by going to college for 4 years. I am now finally back into AR's and need some explanation on something. Bushmaster and DPMS AR's used to be all the rage on forums like this. I can remember the hardcore AR nerds giving people crap if they bought a Colt because the Bushmaster AR had supposedly better quality. So what the hell happened???? Now that I am back into the sport/hobby it seems like everyone is dogging the quality of Bushmaster and DPMS rifles. Now, the hot brands seem to be BCM, LMT, LaRue, Noveske, and of course the always reliable Colt.

[kmrtnsn]

The only people who thought they were the "rage" were those who didn't know better. That being said the AWB has been over for 7 years now and people have finally awoken from their bad dream.

Coupled with fear, anxiety, etc.... AR's are selling in massive quantities and becoming the most widely used rifle in America.

"Hello, my name is Ken and I once owned a Bushmaster" I owned a Bushmaster back when the only Colt offering was a silly SP-1 with mis-matched pins and wholes and the other "Big Name" players of the day were Olympic and Eagle Arms. Eagle Arms is still around, after a clever name change, who knows or cares what Oly is doing. My shrub was a National Match 20" A2 that I freefloated, changed the sights, and weighted up. Back then I was shooting 68gr HPBT's from Black Hills, which were about as heavy as you could get without handloading, which I wasn't into then and have no time for now. There was a time when Bushmaster was the better of the other, limited alternatives. Time has however, marched on and the number of available rifles from top tier manufacturers boggles the mind.