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Old December 25, 2012, 01:03 AM   #1
ffs1942
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Quality of Bushmaster .223?

Dunham's is selling Bushmaster M4's fairly cheap. About $750 for one with just sight rails and no sights and about $1140 with irons IF they get any more.

This of course, is the weapon of the DC sniper and the latest school shooter.

It seems maybe the cheapest way to get an AR. How are they quality wise though?

Are there any junk AR;s that should be avoided?
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Old December 25, 2012, 01:26 AM   #2
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They are for the most part good serviceable rifles but, the biggest thing right now is if you can find any AR at all for sale that is not 2x+ the cost it was just a month ago your doing well.

There are not any "Normal" online gun shops that have AR's in stock right now because I "Think" people are frantically buying them and some are reselling them for much much more then they are worth "if" a ban does not go into effect.
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Old December 25, 2012, 11:25 AM   #3
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I bought mine just as the 'frenzy' was starting. I like it so far. At 100 yards with the sights that came on it, I got the one with the detachable carry handle, I've shot a couple of 1" groups. I'm real happy with it. My Son said that mine is nearly like the M4 he was issued in Afghanistan, he bought one also.
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Old December 25, 2012, 11:28 AM   #4
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I've got a Bushmaster that I've used as a patrol rifle for the past several years. It lives in a soft case and gets carried from cruiser to cruiser. Mine is the XM15E2S, almost a clone of the A2 I carried for many years in the Army.

I don't have any gripes about the little rifle. I use iron sights, run factory ammo through it, and have good magazines. It's accurate, dependable, and handy.
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Old December 25, 2012, 12:30 PM   #5
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Just my opinion but here it is. ANY functional AR will satisfy the needs of 99.9% of the AR owners. There are very few factory built AR's that won't operate properly with decent quality ammo and magazines.
If you suffer from logo ego, spend whatever it takes to fill that need. If you just have the urge to be like everyone else and own an AR, they're mostly all the same shape and size and work the same way.
I've had or have AR's from most of the name brands. I also have several of my own assembling. For the most part if one of the so called premium factory built rifles was so much better than the ones I built myself, they'd have to shoot tiny groups in just the right place even if I just pointed in the general direction of the target and yanked the trigger.
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Old December 25, 2012, 01:46 PM   #6
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If you can buy the flattop bushmaster for $750.00 Buy as many as he has in stock. Sell the rest on gunbroker or gunauction. If you start them at a penny most seem to be going from $1800 to $2500. After all is said and done you'll be able to keep one that cost you nothing and have a wad of $100s in your pocket. If you don't want to be bothered doing that partner up with an ffl dealer thats local to you chances are he'd jump at the chance because all Distributors are out of stock on every model and brand of AR-15's.
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Old December 29, 2012, 09:52 PM   #7
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It's not the M4 style rifle but being a Bushmaster....I love it...It's my V match and here are some type groups I can get out of it with some varieties of loads....







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Old December 29, 2012, 10:00 PM   #8
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They are a "hobbiest" quality gun. I wouldn't want to trust one for serious work. They are not mil-spec and don't strive to be. A much better gun can be had for a couple hundred dollars more. They are plenty good for plinking and fun and I'm sure they could serve as a defensive weapon but like I said there are better guns. Mission drives the gear.

I'd try to stay away from Olympic Arms, DPMS, Bushmaster and a couple other odd ball brands. A pretty good mil-spec carbine is Palmetto State Armory and they can be had for less than other top of the line guns like Colt, Daniel Defense, LMT and BCM.
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Old December 29, 2012, 11:14 PM   #9
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I'd try to stay away from Olympic Arms, DPMS, Bushmaster and a couple other odd ball brands.
You have every right to your opinion but Bushmaster has been making the AR style rifle longer than any other manufacturer except for Colt. I would hardly call that an "oddball brand". They have been in business since 1976 and are still doing quite well selling what you call a hobbiest grade rifle. Strange that so many PD's would depend on a hobbiest grade weapon.
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Old December 30, 2012, 12:28 AM   #10
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Nothing wrong with Olympic, DPMS, or Bushmaster for 95% of the shooting populace's needs.

And this probably needs to get moved to the Semiauto forum.
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Old December 30, 2012, 11:05 PM   #11
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Bushmasters are no good. Get rid of yours and sell them to me.
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Old January 1, 2013, 10:25 AM   #12
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I wouldn't be so hard on Bushmaster or Rock River tbh.

Not all their stuff is mil-spec but mil-spec is hardly the holy grail - it's just the federal government's standard (sometimes). There are plenty of non 'mil-spec' rifles that are great and let's face it, the vast majority of AR owners probably don't run more than 2000 rounds through their rifles before they put them away or sell them.
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Old January 2, 2013, 10:11 AM   #13
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I have a Bushmaster from several years ago from the older assembly plant. I bought another one a few months ago, after the Batman Theater incident, and it was made at the new plant. The older Bushmaster has a better finish and fit compared to the new one but both shoot flawlessly. I thought $900 was a tad high a few months ago but here we are.
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Old January 2, 2013, 01:06 PM   #14
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Moved to Rifles - Semi-auto.
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Old January 2, 2013, 06:39 PM   #15
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I used a M4 Patrolman's upper for a long time. Nice finish on it, but not as accurate as it probably could have been. On the plus side it was the most absolutely reliable AR I've ever used.
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Old January 2, 2013, 08:57 PM   #16
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Bushmaster makes good AR's. don't listen to some of the brand snobs.

Sure there are better manufacturers out there, but there are also worse ones. I would put Bushmaster in a mid-tier category IMO. It is very reliable and servicable in my experience.

My very first AR15 was a Bushmaster M4A3 Carbine. Excellent quality and reliability. My only regret was selling it a few years back when money was tight. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. For $750 locally, buy 2 !!
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Old January 3, 2013, 10:46 AM   #17
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You have every right to your opinion but Bushmaster has been making the AR style rifle longer than any other manufacturer except for Colt. I would hardly call that an "oddball brand". They have been in business since 1976 and are still doing quite well selling what you call a hobbiest grade rifle. Strange that so many PD's would depend on a hobbiest grade weapon.
The new Bushmaster is not the same company as the one you're referring to. Bushmaster was bought out and their manufacturing facility was sold and most of their employees were laid off. One of the laid-off former heads of Bushmaster bought back his old facility, hired back most of his old employees, and started Windham Weaponry.

So the new Bushmaster is a new company making a different product, and Windham Weaponry is basically the same thing as the old Bushmaster.
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Old January 3, 2013, 01:53 PM   #18
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Just because they changed locations and ownership doesn't have anything to do with the quality of their product. It is still bushmaster and they still make the same product. Are you saying that because they are now manufactured in the same plant as Remington that they are somehow not as good as they used to be? I know, I hear all the time about how freedom group has ruined everything but have seen no evidence of it. I have Bushmasters from both plants and they are both better quality than the Windham Weaponry Rifle that my brother in law just bought two weeks ago. I also have a Remington 700 that is one of the finest rifles I own. Right on par with my Winchester M70.
Companies change ownership all the time. How many times has Winchester changed ownership? How many different plants have produced the Weatherby Mark V? They are all still fine rifles regardless.
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Old January 3, 2013, 02:06 PM   #19
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Bushmasters are a mid grade commercial model (commercial receiver extension, 1/9 barrel twist, barrel and BCG not milspec tested). I'd say $750 is a good price, particularly at this time.
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Old January 3, 2013, 02:08 PM   #20
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I have both Bushmaster and DPMS. Nothing wrong with them.
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Old January 3, 2013, 02:21 PM   #21
CTS
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Bushmasters are a mid grade commercial model (commercial receiver extension, 1/9 barrel twist, barrel and BCG not milspec tested). I'd say $750 is a good price, particularly at this time.
I agree with some of what you said but, please tell me where you think you can buy any mid grade commercial model AR for $750 and I'll take a dozen.
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Old January 3, 2013, 02:23 PM   #22
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I like my Bushmaster……alot.


For 750$, right now, buy 2! at the very least.
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Old January 3, 2013, 02:30 PM   #23
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Bushmaster is good to go

Got Bushmaster, DPMS, S&W, and LMT. The 20" Bushmaster with a scope is my 100 yard fly killer. They are all good.
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Old January 3, 2013, 02:44 PM   #24
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Damn 750 is a great price right now that is for sure

It is a heck of a lot less than any price I have seen
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Old January 3, 2013, 10:24 PM   #25
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Just because they changed locations and ownership doesn't have anything to do with the quality of their product. It is still bushmaster and they still make the same product. Are you saying that because they are now manufactured in the same plant as Remington that they are somehow not as good as they used to be?
I have a hard time believing they're making things exactly the same as they were before all those changes. If you take a company, change its ownership, fire all its workers, and move to a new plant with new ownership and new workers it's hard to imagine you'll end up with the exact same quality product. I never said they aren't as good as the old Bushmaster, but many people who have owned both say the quality has gone down since the change.
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