DPMS

[mopar92]

Interesteing, Whats a good Shtf Ar then?

I'm partial to my custom AR. Match 16" Lothar Walther barrel. NiB BCG(enhances reliability) and MagPul 30 round windowed PMags. Gets rid of 80% of failures by using quality parts.
Good SHTF AR? Well I'd say in no particular order BCM, Colt Daniel Defense Lewis Machine and Tool, FN. All DI. All interchangable parts.

 

[Ooops]

Oh dear god, thread meltdown in 3, 2,........

 

[Oldcarjunkie]

Mine have DPMS parts and i have NO issues with them

 

[Wojo]

I like my 308 dpms. I was not a big fan of my dpms in 5.56 (had a sweet 16) The lr308 is a different platform (ar-10) and I have had no issues with it.

 

[JMintzer]

Thanks for all the info and quick responses.

Jamie,

That looks real nice. Did you do the color fill yourself?

MH

Yup. Using Testor's Model Paint...


Jamie

 

[ASM80]

I used a DPMS stripped lower for my first build. Everything fit great and came together tight. Couldnt be happier.

 

[browning guy]

I have one dpms it's a 308 platform chambred in .260 remington, I had a bunch of small problems at one time with it. Lord Chad smoothed it all out and made it into a precision instrument that works prefectly every time.

dpms make a discent rifle but alot of what you find on the shelf is the oricals or panthers these rifles are made to compete with the "build your owe market" and be affordable for people who are at the entry level. They are not milspec and lack features common on more expensive guns. Now being an expert gunsmith or a primo ar guy I can not quote chapter and verse of all the diffrances. I know I have sold hundreds of them and only a few have ever come back for warrenty I know I would take one over an olympic or a century arms put together gun. Not everyone can afford a colt so sometimes you start with what you can afford.

 

[eruby]

Not considered "Top Tier", but mine has never failed to go "bang"...

It's been thru 2 carbine courses and several thousand rounds, w/o a hitch...

Jamie

Very nice Jamie.

And in addition to being a Doctor, You're also LE/Military.

 

[Ooops]

On Target sells Colt AR's for $909?

I worked there for a split second last year. Not an enjoyable experience but they do offer discounts for employees.

I couldn't tell you what they sell anything in there for now. I haven't been in there since I quit.

As someone who owns a DPMS rifle I have realized that you can buy a complete spikes lower for around 230 at my lgs and buy a complete upper featuring a CHF barrel for around 500 including a quality bcg.

What does DPMS offer in 5.56 with those features at that price? Nothing.

 

[Tungsten]

Interesteing, Whats a good Shtf Ar then?

I think most people would agree that the best is a piston AR-15.

 

[smores]

I built my .300-221 (.300 Whisper) on a DPMS lower. No complaints.

As for complete rifles, as said above many people have had no issues. But their QC isn't the best, and the barrels offered aren't the best either. If you want to get into the AR market in the $700-800 I'd recommend the M&P 15 Sport over any DPMS, but I have seen all of these "lower tier" (Bushmaster/DPMS/Rock River/S&W Sport/Del-Ton, etc.) have issues. However since you can swap out anything on an AR it's not the end of the world (as long as your lower is in spec). Jumping up to a rifle like a Colt for a few hundred dollars more, you practically have nothing to worry about.

Many shooters of these kind of ARs will never put more than a few thousand rounds through these rifles in their lifetime. If that's the case, go for it. Buy once cry once (with a Colt or similar), or buy cheap, hope it never breaks, and if it breaks fix it.

 

[Maryland Hunter]

Wow, a lot of great info out there, along with quite a difference of opinions. Wouldn't have expected that on a gun forum.
Thanks to all for the input!

MH

 

[JMintzer]

Very nice Jamie.

And in addition to being a Doctor, You're also LE/Military.

Multitasking is my middle name...

 

[huesmann]

Yup. Using Testor's Model Paint...

Can you explain your procedure?

 

[Lou45]

Wow, a lot of great info out there, along with quite a difference of opinions. Wouldn't have expected that on a gun forum.
Thanks to all for the input!

MH

I prefer Colt for the quality and price point balance. I've run Colt AR's (semi) and Colt M16s (semi and full) over many decades with many hundreds of thousands of rounds without issues that weren't operator induced. Yes, that's why I sell Colt AR's.

Bear in mind, just like Chad, if Colt's quality should go downhill in QC, I'll turn my back on Colt in a heartbeat, though Colt still has good quality to this day in their LE series AR's.

 

[JMintzer]

Can you explain your procedure?

Use a toothpick, dip it into paint and let paint fully fill the roll marks.

Let dry a bit.

Take paint thinner on a paper towel (I wrap it over a credit card to get a sharp edge), and lightly rub off the excess paint.

Admire results....

 

[OLM-Medic]

Interesteing, Whats a good Shtf Ar then?

It must be built to spec. You can run a DPMS or Olympic Arms ar all you want for a thousand rounds with no issues, and it still will be much more prone to issues then a AR built to spec. That one time it goes up could be the one time you need it to save your life.

Bravo Company (BCM) is my personal choice, but Colt 6920 are great as well and there are also a few others.

If this stuff matters to you, spend a tiny bit more and get one that is built to spec.

 

[GUNMANSUPERSTAR]

My gunshop guru told me that all the Maryland guys are buying the DPMS 5.56 guns up. I was about to bite on one in February until the one employee there (Davey) told me that he had a Smith and Wesson M&P Sport in the back. I was in love right there. The name had me sold. I have no bad things to say about DPMS as i have never shot one but i must say the M&P Sport is flawless in its operations!!

 

[huesmann]

Use a toothpick, dip it into paint and let paint fully fill the roll marks.

Let dry a bit.

Take paint thinner on a paper towel (I wrap it over a credit card to get a sharp edge), and lightly rub off the excess paint.

Admire results....

Thanks. I'll try that if/when my crayon method wears off.

 

[Gordon]

Looking at the DPMS LR 308 AP4 any thought on this one ?