DEL-TON AR-15 a good choice?

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  • mikec

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 1, 2007
    11,453
    Off I-83
    canuck, fine, the kid buys a better upper when he turns 21 or he keeps the De-Ton as a loaner when he takes work buddies shooting.

    Or he could legally replace the bolt and carrier and charging handle after he bought it. I am sure the Del-Ton barrel is OK, same with the actual upper receiver.

    The big issue is he is under 21 and wants an AR. MD has rules that he must watch out for.

    Heck, I wish I could have afforded an AR at his age.
     

    OLM-Medic

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    May 5, 2010
    6,588
    It took alot of selling things I no longer used on ebay...lol
    The money is about to clear soon, so buying is imminent :D

    Well what about Bushmaster? Can that be a hard use upper? I've heard alot of people say they put them through hell and they work fine, but others seem to hate bushmaster. I've looked at the chart and seen the differences but I just can't afford some of the higher-end AR's.

    I'm going to take the advice on Fulton Armory also and look into them tomorrow. It depends on pricing though, as I can't spend much more than how much the Bushies are.
     
    It took alot of selling things I no longer used on ebay...lol
    The money is about to clear soon, so buying is imminent :D

    Well what about Bushmaster? Can that be a hard use upper? I've heard alot of people say they put them through hell and they work fine, but others seem to hate bushmaster. I've looked at the chart and seen the differences but I just can't afford some of the higher-end AR's.

    I'm going to take the advice on Fulton Armory also and look into them tomorrow. It depends on pricing though, as I can't spend much more than how much the Bushies are.


    BUy the bushie and have some fun. put away a few shekels every once in awhile and in 2 years you get a new upper.
     
    canuck, fine, the kid buys a better upper when he turns 21 or he keeps the De-Ton as a loaner when he takes work buddies shooting.

    Or he could legally replace the bolt and carrier and charging handle after he bought it. I am sure the Del-Ton barrel is OK, same with the actual upper receiver.

    The big issue is he is under 21 and wants an AR. MD has rules that he must watch out for.

    Heck, I wish I could have afforded an AR at his age.

    agreed. the del-ton barrel is, i believe, a wilson. i'd change it for 1:7 either a hammer forged from DD or BCM or a BCM complete upper. BCM also has a 1:8 SS410 which is nice.
     

    OLM-Medic

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    May 5, 2010
    6,588
    buy your dads 7mm mag.

    Why buy when I can use at anytime for free? Lol. I kind of wish it was in .308 though. Still a great gun. I might buy the scope from him though, if I ever decide to do a project of turning my Mosin into a scoped rifle. Then upgrade the scope on the Rem700.


    I'll let you guys know what I do about the AR when I do it.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,877
    While all ARs are NOT the same, the more relavant discussion is meeting the OP's needs and budget.
    For a starting shooter, with limited budget, most basic 1.5 MOA rifles will suffice until his skills can regularily outshhot the gun. A large percentage of owners will be perminatly satisfied at this level.
    When and if the OP desires he can either rebuild it, or keep it for a loaner / beater , and get another match rifle. A DTI or Bushmaster should either suffice , a DTI usually at better price.
     
    While all ARs are NOT the same, the more relavant discussion is meeting the OP's needs and budget.
    For a starting shooter, with limited budget, most basic 1.5 MOA rifles will suffice until his skills can regularily outshhot the gun. A large percentage of owners will be perminatly satisfied at this level.
    When and if the OP desires he can either rebuild it, or keep it for a loaner / beater , and get another match rifle. A DTI or Bushmaster should either suffice , a DTI usually at better price.


    +1. as discussed above.
     

    Calengor

    wishes he were spike
    Apr 13, 2009
    2,158
    Frederick, MD
    I had Joe over at Corsica Coatings put me together my first Ar-15 20" HBar and it was a flat top,full floated stainless Match barrel for $860 out the door.

    I've dealt with Joe once before, and he's a great guy. OP, if this is an option, I'd certainly look into it.
     

    zoostation

    , ,
    Moderator
    Jan 28, 2007
    22,857
    Abingdon
    Zoo

    Sorry to say, but you couldn't be more wrong. The del-ton is a decent "hobby" brand. That is all. For most folks that would be fine. It is not a hard use upper.


    Why? I'm not trying to be argumentative but asking a serious question I don't know the answer to.
     
    Why? I'm not trying to be argumentative but asking a serious question I don't know the answer to.

    Take a look at "the chart". Delton is a decent hobby brand. its specs dont stand up to colt, bcm, lmt et al.

    Not trying to be argumentative either. The hobby brands are good for most casual users (ie a couple hundred rounds every couple months or so). They will do the job for most of us. There are a few makers that build to the highest standards ( John Noveske, Wes @ MSTN, LMT, Paul Buffoni @ BCM). I'm not making this stuff up - Pat Rogers writes a monthly article in SWAT on the AR platform. I've also personally seen a number of "hobby" brands go **** up when they are ran hard and they heat up. But then again I was there when Pat's T&E 6940 first choked at 16,000 rounds with no cleaning. Run a quality AR wet with Slip 2000 EWL and it will go like the energizer bunny.
     

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    K-Romulus

    Suburban Commando
    Mar 15, 2007
    2,427
    NE MoCO
    One idea for the OP (if you have identified a FFL you can use to handle the transfer) is to browse the used rifles market for a lightly-used Colt HBAR, which may be close enough in price to a new Bushmaster/DelTon to make it worth it (buy once, cry once). I've seen them as low as $700-900 at AR15.com

    Some good places to look for used rifles are:
    AR15.com equipment exchange
    Gunbroker.com
    Gunsamerica.Com
     

    OLM-Medic

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    May 5, 2010
    6,588
    Thanks all. I do want an AR that can handle alot of rounds and still work good. I'm keeping an open mind for now.
     

    aquaman

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 21, 2008
    7,499
    Belcamp, MD
    Take a look at "the chart". Delton is a decent hobby brand. its specs dont stand up to colt, bcm, lmt et al.

    Not trying to be argumentative either. The hobby brands are good for most casual users (ie a couple hundred rounds every couple months or so). They will do the job for most of us. There are a few makers that build to the highest standards ( John Noveske, Wes @ MSTN, LMT, Paul Buffoni @ BCM). I'm not making this stuff up - Pat Rogers writes a monthly article in SWAT on the AR platform. I've also personally seen a number of "hobby" brands go **** up when they are ran hard and they heat up. But then again I was there when Pat's T&E 6940 first choked at 16,000 rounds with no cleaning. Run a quality AR wet with Slip 2000 EWL and it will go like the energizer bunny.

    What part fails most commonly on hobby brands under hard use as you describe?
     

    zoostation

    , ,
    Moderator
    Jan 28, 2007
    22,857
    Abingdon
    Take a look at "the chart". Delton is a decent hobby brand. its specs dont stand up to colt, bcm, lmt et al.

    Not trying to be argumentative either. The hobby brands are good for most casual users (ie a couple hundred rounds every couple months or so). They will do the job for most of us. There are a few makers that build to the highest standards ( John Noveske, Wes @ MSTN, LMT, Paul Buffoni @ BCM). I'm not making this stuff up - Pat Rogers writes a monthly article in SWAT on the AR platform. I've also personally seen a number of "hobby" brands go **** up when they are ran hard and they heat up. But then again I was there when Pat's T&E 6940 first choked at 16,000 rounds with no cleaning. Run a quality AR wet with Slip 2000 EWL and it will go like the energizer bunny.

    Thank you for the response. I did review the chart, and I certainly agree that some things, like a quality BCG, are important for hard use, especially the properly staked gas key and the MP tested bolt. As far as the rest of the rifle goes however, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree ;) I don't claim to be an expert, but I just don't see where most of the other items mentioned on the chart really matter much when it comes to performance, reliability, or durability. I still really think a lot of the cost of different AR's goes to marketing. I'd really need to see some neutral comparative torture tests of the different brands to change my mind.
     

    zoostation

    , ,
    Moderator
    Jan 28, 2007
    22,857
    Abingdon
    Take a look at "the chart". Delton is a decent hobby brand. its specs dont stand up to colt, bcm, lmt et al.

    Not trying to be argumentative either. The hobby brands are good for most casual users (ie a couple hundred rounds every couple months or so). They will do the job for most of us. There are a few makers that build to the highest standards ( John Noveske, Wes @ MSTN, LMT, Paul Buffoni @ BCM). I'm not making this stuff up - Pat Rogers writes a monthly article in SWAT on the AR platform. I've also personally seen a number of "hobby" brands go **** up when they are ran hard and they heat up. But then again I was there when Pat's T&E 6940 first choked at 16,000 rounds with no cleaning. Run a quality AR wet with Slip 2000 EWL and it will go like the energizer bunny.

    Thank you for the response. I did review the chart, and I certainly agree that a quality BCG is important for hard use, especially the properly staked gas key and the MP tested bolt. However an upgraded bolt carrier group is not an expensive upgrade for any rifle. As far as the rest of the rifle goes, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree ;) I don't claim to be an expert, but I just don't see where most of the other items mentioned on the chart really matter much if at all when it comes to performance, reliability, or durability. I still really think a lot of the cost of different AR's goes to marketing. I'd really need to see some neutral comparative torture tests of the different brands to change my mind. Just my opinions, no hard feelings I hope :thumbsup:
     
    Thank you for the response. I did review the chart, and I certainly agree that a quality BCG is important for hard use, especially the properly staked gas key and the MP tested bolt. However an upgraded bolt carrier group is not an expensive upgrade for any rifle. As far as the rest of the rifle goes, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree ;) I don't claim to be an expert, but I just don't see where most of the other items mentioned on the chart really matter much if at all when it comes to performance, reliability, or durability. I still really think a lot of the cost of different AR's goes to marketing. I'd really need to see some neutral comparative torture tests of the different brands to change my mind. Just my opinions, no hard feelings I hope :thumbsup:

    cool. Vince tells me you are a good guy so no issues. the HP and MPI tests of the barrels are critical as well.
     
    What part fails most commonly on hobby brands under hard use as you describe?

    generally BCGs and charging handles. Gas keys come loose which causes all kinds of fun in the reciever. Bolt lugs shear. Extractors can be soft and without the correct spring and insert. The barrel can be an issue. Buy BCGs and barrels that have been MP inspected. They are so marked.
     

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