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[SUPERLITE69]

Honestly, unless you're an armorer, your experience doesn't mean you have any skill or knowledge of the platform beyond basic field stripping and maintenance. Even then, .gov buys stuff in contracts from one manufacturer at a time. Over the last 30ish years, most of the military's AR type weapons have come from Colt, FN, and Daniel Defense until HK and Sig made their appearance. You wouldn't have seen any quality control or out of spec issues (outside of bolts with excessively worn lugs causing bad headspace) if you were an armorer, much less a person carrying one.

I've said nothing untrue, I'm speaking from hands on experience myself, working on guns for one of my friends who had made poor decisions buying guns, and doing research and building plenty others over the past few years, including a few from unfinished receivers that had to be milled out. Moreover, there's more than plenty of other evidence scattered around the web where people have also had the exact issues I've mentioned. Better still, check your receiver end plate for staking, pull your bcg out and look at the gas key screws, and pull your handguard and gas block off and look at that barrel, you'll find everything I've said to be true. While you're at it, inspect the bolt lugs, they'll probably be pretty worn at 7k, if they're all there and none have stress fractures on them.

I'm being realistic here, I've got nothing to gain by arguing with strangers on the internet, it makes no difference to me one way or another what you own, but if I help somebody else who is on the fence about what to buy to protect their family, then I, too, have protected their family myself, by stifling potentially harmful information. I mean no disrespect to you personally, but your one-off good experience (if it's true) with a brand with such a bad rap does not increase the credibility of that brand.

If you spend less than $1000 on an AR-15 in today's market, you've spent your money on a risky liability, period. Those $1000 rifles are the absolute bottom line lowest you can go and get a consistently reliable weapon, they aren't even the good ones, much less the "high dollar" weapons.

Not sure i agree with the arbitrary $1000 delineation for good/bad threshold. You can find a Colt for certainly less than that, ive seen them even recently in the $800 range, though thats not consistent, and frankly, if you’re buying pre-built rifles, you’re doing it wrong imo.

Beyond that: the comment about “unless you’re an armorer” has me absolutely rolling, because its true. Shooting a gun for 20 years has no bearing on mechanical knowledge, but you’ll have myths like “lowest bidder” peddled to make you think that FN and Colt arent held to a rigid standard, when in actuality, the govt sues and drops contracts all the time, for QC failures. And then, if the DoD is only buying cheap garbage, why do tacticool nerds drool over DD/KAC/ARMS?

Its an obvious case of cognitive dissonance, and its crazy to watch unfold, comment by comment

 

[Rebel_Rider1969]

I do own a $1000 rifle. KT RDB. With the exception of one occurrence when I first got it it's cool and fun. 100% reliable. --Gas was set for a can. Probably the most exciting thing I'll do with it is shoot a yote or coon. When 25 tactical cannibal gas looters show up I'll be in trouble, till then, just fine. If needed I'll breakout the T91 or C308.

 

[SUPERLITE69]

Imagine spending a thousand or more on a rifle that you’re sure you’ll use often, but winds up collecting dust.

Definitely couldn’t be me : (

 

[Jdcujo]

I can't remember what the scandal was but I know it involves illegal immigrants working at BCA. While yours works, that doesn't mean they all do. I've heard and watched plenty of BCA failures and WTF QC's. Yes your car can take you on a road trip, will a BETTER car be more fun, reliable, and softer(shooting)? Yes

Yaaaa it was a pretty big ice raid

That on top of their issue with using reverse engineered reamers for their big bores

 

[ABlaster]

Whats the relevance of Mattel?

There was a rumor during the Vietnam War that the M16s were made by Mattell because they “looked and felt like toys” to many people used to wood and steel.

 

[IronBeard]

Ya'll are makin' me fall in love all over again with my revolvers and lever actions.

That said, cost/functionality are factors for me when I consider I may need to use a firearm for self defense. In that light, I need reasonable confidence it will work as advertised while fully expecting that should I use it, it (and likely every other firearm plus ammunition I own) will be confiscated by government-paid, orders-followers, and I will never get them back, nor would I be able to afford the cost the "justice system" demands should they opt to return them.

 

[Richard]

Well I bought two Bear Creek Arsenal rifles at Christmas. First is a 7.62X39 AR15. Second 6.5 Creedmoor AR10 side charge. I took booth apart and torque everything. The bolt carriers use low grade bolts to hold case keys. BCG and gas keys are not chromed lined. Charging handle on AR15 is made out of 6000 series aluminum and feels light and cheap. Took latch out of it to install extended latch handle which came with a stronger spring. It wouldn’t fit because BCA has a smaller hole. Read online recent reviews apart firing pin breaking because it is cast. So I replaced it. Took off gas tube on the AR10 because the end plate was bent. It is made out of mild steel. And I could almost bend it by hand. Both guns were short stroking from being under gassed. Fixed AR10 by replacing the buffer spring with a flat tubes buffer spring. The AR15 I had to install a yellow reduce power buffer spring and a 2.7 ounce buffer. I staked the castle nuts on both. Applied heat resistance blue loctite to gas block set screws. On the AR15 handguard bolts I used heat resistance blue loctite as well. The bolts thread into the barrel nut. So they get pretty hot when you rapid fire. Upgraded the triggers, pistol grips and stocks. I own some higher end guns as well. From Wilson Combat to Hi points. I will say I enjoyed tinkering with the Bear Creek Arsenal rifles. Between what I had sitting around from other builds. Bought on sale online from our forum and other vendors online they both came out nice.

 

[M118LR]

There was a rumor during the Vietnam War that the M16s were made by Mattell because they “looked and felt like toys” to many people used to wood and steel.

Mil Spec is defined in the contract and many high dollar manufacturers provide their best products and fail regularly. As to the difference between an operator and an armour, @750 rounds per minute it takes less than 10 minutes for an operator to expend 7000 rounds, it will take hours for an armour to attempt to bring the firearm back into Government Specs if it isn't scrapped on the spot. Lessons learned in NAM are why there are chrome chamber's as a min, and normally chromed barrels on those lowest bidder contracts on the low budget Government Issue firearms. Now why do SPEC OPS prefer Piston driven to DI AR's? I prefer not to dine in the head! Especially if $H!T's HAPPENING!! YMMV.