I won a Bushmaster (mod. XM15-E2S). I have an AK as a bug out gun and will keep this one as a home gun. I am not going to put much money into it, just want to know if there are any weak links to the gun or if there are some affordable things I can do to it to improve it. I am going to put a scope on it but it has the carry handle. I am green when it comes to these weapons so be easy on me.
The search button and stickies are there for a reason…
As far as your question:
What? Those mounts are nearly useless.
cmozez, is the carry handle detachable? If not, I would suggest that you not even bother to mount on optic, as the offset is enough to be noticeable.
Personally, I would get rid of that Bushmaster ASAP and use the money to put towards a Colt LE6920.
So far I’ve had good service out of the mount for a forward red dot… It stays tight and doesn’t move. It also makes for a lot lower profile that mounting on the carry handle. Assuming the OP’s Bushmaster is an A2. If it’s got a detachable carry handle, then of course the mount won’t fit, nor make sense…
A lot depend on what the OP plans to do with the weapon… Just saying… Cheers… Ron
Don’t use the Bushy. I’d sell it as “BRAND NEW” and put it towards a decent rifle. Hell, you could put together a much nicer (arguable?) PSA for like $550-$600 and probably still have a couple hundred left over for ammo.
DeltaSierra- I understand about searching but I dont even know enough to know what I am searching for. The link you put there is great, I would have never found it. I really dont have the money to sell it and buy another one. The only reason I have this one is luck and $8!!! Just curious, what could I get out of it(used in good cond)?
I see no harm in browsing GunBroker.com a bit and see what that model is going for. If you’re looking to move it quickly you’ll have to go below the median price.
It would really depend on what configuration the rifle is in. Does it have the A2 carry handle (non-detachable) or the A3 (detachable) carry handle?
What is the barrel length? Is it a ban-legal model?
All these things will be good to know in order to determine what the rifle is worth.
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If it was me, I would keep it unfired and put it up for sale. You should be able to get $600-$700 or so but I’d ask for $900. Make a sign and strut around at a Gun Show. Once you shoot the gun, it will drop significantly in price.
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BTW, the Thread below explains a lot of what is wrong with a Bushmaster. You can buy a new Colt from the OP of the Thread below for <$1000
But maybe it’s just me…
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Broken record here…
Sell it UNFIRED for $900.
Buy a Colt 6920 for $945-965.
If you are serious about using the AR for a defensive role, then selling it and purchasing a Colt or BCM would not be a bad idea. But, my wild guess here is that the rifle will work for you needs once you’ve put some rounds through it to assure it functions.
If you follow the link DeltaSierra posted, you’ll find everything you need to know about the weak points. I’ve owned a few Bushmasters years ago. Both of the ones from about 6 or 7 years ago had issues, one sheered a bolt lug within 1,000 rounds in the first few weeks and the other was leaking gas from the FSB to the point where it would hardly even move the bcg.
Now, I’m no Bushmaster fan and due to my use for a rifle, I would sell it to fund something of better quality, but it may work just fine for your needs if your intention is just plinking with it on occasion. I’m not defending Bushmaster here, just trying to put it in perspective.
My point is that you don’t need to rush out and sell it if it’s not a work or defensive rifle and it’ll likely work for now. If you can sell it for $800 or so (I have NO CLUE what they sell for new or used), then I’d certainly go for it as it’ll only take another $200 to $300 for a Colt or BCM with associated fees.
Personally, I would keep what you got (for free) and see if AR’s are even your cup of tea. You can always sell and upgrade if you decide. This is a pretty hardcore forum and the members do not like the cheap made AR’s.
Bushmasters can be a pain but if you know what to do they can be made 100% reliable. If you have a A2 Stock and the barrel is 16 inch you will need to test fire and see if it short cycle or work properly. Now if the rifle short cycles the gas hole in the barrel might need to be open up to correct size which if memory serves me right its something like .0456 also the rifle buffer sometimes causes issues with the Bushmaster shorter barrels. I have a post ban BM that has a 11.5 barrel that came with a AK74 5.5 inch compensator that had lots of issues but when I swapped to a CAR stock with a M4 buffers and opened the gas hole and I have over 1200rds without any issues. Right now I am in the process of changing the A2 upper receiver to a A3 flattop non-M4 ramp upper to mate with the 11.5 Heavy Machine gun barrel with A2 barrel extension.
Good advice as usual, Jon.
As for the price, assuming that it has a detachable carry handle and is brand new, it should bring $750 -$800 quite easily.
I would mention though that if cmozez is even considering using this rifle as a defensive weapon that he should sell it ASAP. Otherwise, if it is simply going to be used once a year at the range… Although, I’d still prefer a Colt…
Good advice… Cheers… Ron
PS: I’d take it out and run the crap out of it and see what happens… There’s always later and a few bucks here or there WTH…
Will they let you take cash instead of the gun? Some raffles will let you do that.
I would then take the money and buy a better gun.
C4
Just buy some ammo and some USGI mags and shoot the damn thing. If it gives you any trouble some inexpressive upgrades would be an o ring in the extractor and check the carrier key and stock for proper staking. I wouldn’t worry too much about all the bushmaster hate on here. True they’re not the best but so long as you realize their shortcoming you’ll be fine. Contrary to M4C doctrine, Bushmasters can run reliably. Enjoy your $8 gun. That’s awesome.
Congrats on winning a gun! I’ve never won anything besides a 19" TV about 15 years ago.
That said, if it were me, I’d sell it unfired as NIB, and put the money towards a Colt, BCM, or a DD. As others have said, you should have no problem getting $800-850 out of it, then spending a couple of hundred towards a better rifle. Just my $.02.
It was used when I won it. It has a fixed, non removeable handle. Dont really know where to measure the barrel from, from the end of the front stock it is 7". Every gun I own is a defensive gun, I look at them as tools, they need to be able to get the crap beat out of them and still function. I am more of a handgun person so I am in new territory. My AK is simple, this AR is not!! Thanks guys for all the feedback