Its funny the new people who come in and bitch when the answers they want to hear are not give. Lately there has been an influx of new blood which is a good thing, but its not good when they get their panties wedged tightly up their rear’s because they want to believe that whatever gun they own is the best and since they own it that no matter what facts are layed in fronnt of them their AR IS BETTER because they own it, it has never given them a problem, it shoots pinpoint MOA etc.
Im freshly done with my active part in the military due to an accident just shy of 19years in service. Here comes the patting myself on the back part. I used the AR platform almost daily for my entire career being in a combat arms role the whole time in a unit a part of US Socom. Coming to this board I have learned almost everything about what is and isnt AR. Whats good, whats bad. What works, what dosent! This board is composed of some of the most knowedgable people when it comes to knowing the nuts and bolts of the AR platform that I have ever encountered. This is a place that I come to learn and share what little I know.
Sorry to vent.
As a FNG to the site I couldn’t agree more. I just listened for a month and learned how truly ignorant I was. If you listen you’ll end up saving money in the end, TRUST ME! Thanks for the great info.
I think I’ve atoned for my namesake. I came here thinking that BM is just as good as any other mfg. I’m not going to throw out my carbines because they are BM, but if I had to do it again, I’d be better off buying from a different manufacturer that meets the requirements out of the box. I’ll still defend BM, I just think that the market offers better deals at more comparable prices than when I bought mine.
Justifying what you have versus what someone else has is a basic human psychological trait and is not easily overcome without extensive knowledge in the area. Also, answers need to be qualified. The person who says, lets say, a DPMS is just as good as a Colt may not be wrong. I would say that this statement: “I shoot a good 50 to 100 rounds a year at the range through my DPMS, just as good as a Colt in my book!” is not factually inaccurate. For his purposes he would be served no better than with a Colt.
Most people will come around and learn what works and what doesn’t if they need to.
Fanboy- you don’t have to atone for anything. Suck up information and make decsions based on fact and need.
Enjoy what you have and what you do.
Too easy Brother…
My Bushmasters work fine, its just that if I had to do it again or give advice to a new new shooter, there are many options besides BM that offer the full package out of the box.
And they’re willing to share info. Which is more than can be said for a lot of posters on other boards.
One of the things that always annoyed me about other forums was that I would here things like “Colt is best” without any explanation (i.e. Colt carbines have this feature or that feature that some other brand lacks). My line of thinking was “well, if they can’t explain WHY Colt is better, Colt must not be better.” I think at least a few other nnewbs probably thought the same thing.I was actually going to order a cheap parts kit, but held off while I decided on what configuration to get.
Luckily I discovered this site and learned what exactly makes a better carbine “better.” Resources like rob_s’s chart showing different manufacturers’ carbine features are really helpful. It’s a shame that these resources aren’t available on more forums.
Now that I know more about what makes a good carbine, I’m not going to get a cheap-o brand parts kit. Colt’s and LMTs are still outside my price range, but I can at least get the best parts in my price range.
It’ll take a bit longer to get my carbine assembled, but the end product will be a better carbine. So the wait is certainly worth it.
If it makes you feel any better, i bought 4 BM’s back in the day. They ran fine, though we weren’t really shooting as much back then.
I had no problems, but saw others that did. I eventually sold all of them and upgraded my work guns to what i have now.
If it works for you, run with it. If not, get something better.
I was over at my uncle’s house a few years back.
He calls up a Mercedes Benz dealership and talks them into bringing over a nice new SL600 for him to test drive and possibly buy.
So the salesman pulls up, gives him the sales pitch and they jump in to go drive down to the dealership and write-up the deal.
Car won’t start.
Brand new, only 15 miles on it.
They flat-bedded it back to the dealer.
My uncle bought another Lexus.
Some of the things you learn after discovering a quality forum like this is …
#1- Try and not get bent over hearing the product you bought out of the box is less then the perfect weapon you thought it was because you did the research ‘after’ you bought it.
#2- Pay attention and listen to the guys who have seen them in use and how they hold up.
#3- Look at the failures they are reporting or the shortcomings in a particular brand and fix it to make it a more reliable weapon…i.e stake the carrier bolts, smooth out feed ramps, better extracter springs, ect…
#4 Or just save up and buy the parts or complete product you will have faith in for its intended purpose.