Olympic Arms, They have been around forever. They brag about being one of the oldest AR15 builders. Their prices are ok. How is the quality?
Thank You

Lifetime warranty, good CNC products, good reputation for their match products, but their tactical stuff isnt as good as ARMS, KAC, DD or the otther aftermarket guys.

I've got a CAR97-M4 that a dealer in Bismarck gave me a good deal on ($750 w/ muzzle brake).

I've always had Bushy's and so I had a "problem" with lesser AR's.  He told me the gun had a 30 day money back guarentee, I had the extra cash so said the hell with it, why not?

I took it out and beat the shit out of it.  And beat it some more.  Didn't clean it.  Didn't break in the barrel.  Bump fired mag after mag.  The thing is a BEAST!!!

2,000 rounds of abuse, and I can hit what I aim at.  Don't ask me what size groups it shoots, cuz my anwers is BAD GUY SIZE.

It's a product worth considering.  As a bonus you will have the luxury of really thumbing your nose at the Brady Bunch by putting all those evil features on a Politically Correct Rifle after the ban passes.

THUMBS UP!  

Great stripped lowers.  The best rollmarks overall the stripped lowers.  Same product as all the others, great price.  

Have 5 pre-ban "stop sign" lowers w/Bushmaster uppers.

No problems whats-so-ever!

teamroper2004

Have a super ultramatch 24" bull 1/8 - that is a friggin tack driver out to 600

Also have a CAR97 16" that is a blast to shoot all day...

No problems, great prices - great quality ....but your mileage may vary....some people hate em

Oly had some problems with soft steel 12+ years ago, but seem to be making a solid product now.  Their receivers are a great fit/ finish.  Their barrels are very accurate, but are not available in chrome lined.  

The quality is shit.  Don't waste your money.  You couldn't give me one of there junk rifles for free.

They actually remake some of their CRAP after it gets into consumers hands and the poor fool who bought it realizes is doesn't work.

The Rep quit posting on this site because of all of the Love we showed him!  

His Bullshit line was "Oly rifles have tighter tollerances".  I assume Colt, Bushy, and Armalite are all doing it wrong in that MORON's opinion.

Oly makes me sick because they wantonly dump bad product on unsuspecting customers.  It's not like they don't realize that their product is CRAP!

DAMN!  You made me break my politically correct posting spree by hitting my sore spot!

The quality is shit. Don't waste your money. You couldn't give me one of there junk rifles for free. They actually remake some of their CRAP after it gets into consumers hands and the poor fool who bought it realizes is doesn't work. The Rep quit posting on this site because of all of the Love we showed him! His Bullshit line was "Oly rifles have tighter tollerances". I assume Colt, Bushy, and Armalite are all doing it wrong in that MORON's opinion.

My Oly Arms receiver is out of spec. Got it home and noticed the magwell has a buldge. I could live with that. Mags dont drop free, but I will live. When I finally put it together, I noticed the front pivot detent would not pop out. Turns out the recevers pivot detent ears are avery shallow V shape instead of I I . This makes the front pivot detent really hard to take out without a punch and hammer.

Bummer, wont be going that route again. Its functional, but the bad QC has turned me off from any oly products ever again. RRA all the way.

Thanks for all the input. I was considering getting 2 lowers from them! Maybe I will go with Ammetec. I have 2 RRA and wanted to try a differant builder. How are the Ameetec's?

Quoted: Thanks for all the input. I was considering getting 2 lowers from them! Maybe I will go with Ammetec. I have 2 RRA and wanted to try a differant builder. How are the Ameetec's?

Can I take credit for another save?

Hey me too!

We'll split it!

I bought an Oly lower and one of thier kits. The rifle went together with no problems and it looks great. I have had no malfuntions with the rifle. Thier coustomer service was excellent every time I have delt with them.  I would definately do business with them again. They also have the best looking rollmark in the business!

Quoted: Oly makes me sick because they wantonly dump bad product on unsuspecting customers.  It's not like they don't realize that their product is CRAP!

How many have you actually owned and had problems with?  Not that you have heard of, how many have you actually ever had a problem with?

Dont they at least consistently maintain high quality and accuracy with thier barrels?

I've had a few of their lowers and uppers.  Never had a problem.  They make some pretty cool stuff that you can't get anywhere else, like pneumatic buffers and 45ACP uppers.  They are also very good to us military guys.

Their quality (I can actually speak from experience) has really improved in recent years.

Anyone who has ever "dealt" with Tom S. at Olympic with a problem would not buy from them again. I am in that category. I don't know about current products, but they released a bad bunch of cast lowers that had out of spec mag wells...meaning, you couldn't insert a mag when an upper was on the gun, regardless of upper. I had a pre ban stop sign lowered parts gun that worked well (very tight upper/lower fit), but some of the dealings I had on the phone (pre-fire) have kept me away. This may be a silly question, but why consider Olympic when you have Rock River on the scene now?

Mine is very tight, fit and finish are great, and for $100.00 go for it!

Quoted: Olympic Arms, They have been around forever. They brag about being one of the oldest AR15 builders. Their prices are ok. How is the quality? Thank You

Forged parts -> Very good... However, their reciever halves are machined VERY TIGHT, assuming you will get an Oly upper & lower. Apparently, this has been known to cause some inter-operability issues with other brands that expect a 'little slop', however I've never seen it first hand...

By very tight, I mean no play between upper & lower, and the reciever 'push' pins require a spare round of ammo & a good whack to come out... More like 'pry' pins...

Cast parts -> Well, they're cast alumiunum, and suffer from the same problems as any other casting (possible flaws means possible metal failure)...

They refuse to do chrome lining, period, as it reduces the accuracy of the gun (this is well documented), and THEY claim there is little appriciable difference in wear... They have a proprietary hard-coating that is used on their bolts/carriers instead of chrome, it seems to hold up pretty well on my rifle... So if your gun is going to be fired on sustained full-auto, be kept by a major body of salt water, or is going to be submerged in muck & grime, you might want to look for a chrome barrel... Otherwise there's no real benefit...

Contrary to popular rumor, they do NOT chamber MOST OF their rifles for SAAMI 223 ammo only, this is only the case with the 'UltraMatch' and 'ServiceMatch' rifles/uppers.

I'm not affiliated with Oly, I just own a PCR-4 and have been very satasfied with it... It's 100% reliable, uses ANY ammo (including Wolf & assorted surplus) without jamming, etc...

In the past I have not been a big OA supporter, however that has changed.  OA and Tom S. specifically have been a big help to me over here.  I have a custom OA upper on my Colt M16A2 I special orderd from Tom.  They gave me a great deal, it is 100% reliable, fit and finish are perfect, and they shipped it to my APO address here in Baghdad.  I take my rifle  into harm's way everyday and I have 100% confidence in it.    

Would put any of my oly ultra match guns up against anthing Rock River makes, that's rite they dont make anything they sub it all out and my oly's will still out shoot them.

Quoted: Anyone who has ever "dealt" with Tom S. at Olympic with a problem would not buy from them again.

Ditto!

I have dealt with Andy and no problems

I must agree that Tom S. does not represent oly very well but they still make a great gun for less money than anyone else, next time ask for skip at oly. Funny u should say that Aimless i am sure your are rite.

I have dealt with Tom on several occasions.  I was polite and businesslike, and so was he.  No, I did not have a problem with any of the OLY products I purchased.

On one occasion, I contacted them about black oxiding a stainless barrel from another manufacturer.  OK, it was an Armalite AR-10.  They did a great job on a competitor's product, including reassembly.  It was done for a reasonable price, and returned in a reasonable timeframe.

And I have purchased several kits and lowers from Oly.  No problems.

Another thing about Olympic Arms, they have been innovators in the field.  For just one example, I might be wrong, but I think they had the first production flattop upper receiver.  Some guys had chopped handles and pinned on weaver rails, and Oly did this at first, too.  But I think they were the first with this.

Regardless of which manufacturer, it would perhaps be best to talk to them politely, and attempt to take care of the problem first, before "calling them out", ambushing them on an internet forum.  A little civility goes a long way.

What's the deal with Tom S. at Oly? Seems to be some bad blood...

He's part of the management now as I understand it.  I have known him and and dealt with him since he was just a sales guy, and never had a problem. Just wondering what you've experienced....

Quoted: I've got a CAR97-M4 that a dealer in Bismarck gave me a good deal on ($750 w/ muzzle brake). I've always had Bushy's and so I had a "problem" with lesser AR's.  He told me the gun had a 30 day money back guarentee, I had the extra cash so said the hell with it, why not? I took it out and beat the shit out of it.  And beat it some more.  Didn't clean it.  Didn't break in the barrel.  Bump fired mag after mag.  The thing is a BEAST!!! 2,000 rounds of abuse, and I can hit what I aim at.  Don't ask me what size groups it shoots, cuz my anwers is BAD GUY SIZE. It's a product worth considering.  As a bonus you will have the luxury of really thumbing your nose at the Brady Bunch by putting all those evil features on a Politically Correct Rifle after the ban passes. THUMBS UP!  hr

Ditto experiance with my CAR97-M4. It gets abused like hell. Took it out in the desert and put 500 rounds through it without cleaning. No jams and accurate enough for varminting with irons out to 100 yards or so. I like oly and will buy their products in the future. They make 90% of the parts for their rifles and innovate more than any other AR15 maker. If anything, their designs are being ripped off by many other companies. Got friends with Bushy rifles and they perform no better or less than my Oly, only my rifle was 200 bucks cheaper. Chrome barrels are overrated BTW. Since getting my CAR97-M4 a lot more oly rifles are showing up at the range now that people know they work. All the crap being spewed on the net is mostly rumor rooted in something over a decade old. Mostly people are trying to justify what they overpayed for their "higher quality" AR....

Oly has bent over backwards to help me on several occasions...and not always with an Olympic AR, and acted completely professional about it. I've had nothing  but outstanding customer service and lightning fast turn-around times. I take it they don't see too many returns on products.
Being an actual manufacturer, they've most likely got more money tied up in just their machines than what some of the other "assembler"-brands are even worth outright. CNC machinery doesn't run cheap.
Given some people's obviously shitty attitudes on this board regarding Oly's products, sounding as though they're the type of customers that are just absolutely impossible to please. Bottom line is if you try to talk to people like a complete a**hole then don't be surprised if you're told to go f**k yourself, regardless of who you are, customer or not; they're not there to kiss fickle a**. Some people just don't have any class about themselves.
 

Quoted: Oly has bent over backwards to help me on several occasions...and not always with an Olympic AR, and acted completely professional about it. I've had nothing  but outstanding customer service and lightning fast turn-around times. I take it they don't see too many returns on products. Being an actual manufacturer, they've most likely got more money tied up in just their machines than what some of the other "assembler"-brands are even worth outright. CNC machinery doesn't run cheap. Given some people's obviously shitty attitudes on this board regarding Oly's products, sounding as though they're the type of customers that are just absolutely impossible to please. Bottom line is if you try to talk to people like a complete a**hole then don't be surprised if you're told to go f**k yourself, regardless of who you are, customer or not; they're not there to kiss fickle a**. Some people just don't have any class about themselves.

And some people don't have a fucking clue!

Quoted: And some people don't have a fucking clue!

And I guess you do there in the backwoods of WV. You must be in the upper percentile of the state if you've ever even seen an AR, let alone afford one. Don't most people around there use those cheap Chi-Com .22 knockoffs?


Besides, shouldn't you be hangin' out at the local Wal-Mart?  

Actually, I have not only seen ARs but have been an owner for more that 30 years.  Starting with a Colt SP1 in the 70's.  I currently own 17, 3 of which are pre-ban Oly Arms.

I feel I'm qualified to comment on their quality and (non-existant) customer service.  You have to admit you might have made a mistake before you can fix it.  I believe this is where the problem is.

And, for the record not all people from WV love Wal-mart, the only reason I can see for them to exist is cheap Winchester white box ammo. But then again, I'm not a native.

Tom S. is not part of management no matter how bad he wants to be and that is a fact.

bald assertions of ""they've always worked for me" " don't tell the whole picture without knowing the rifle's usage. This statement coming from someone who shoots 200 rounds a YEAR isn't giving you the picture that you're seeking. now bump firing 2k rounds would be a telling statement.

My complaints about Oly have always been in the tolerances, so my usage of them is irrelevant.  I've had 2 Oly pre bans that had tight magwells. Only a few USGI mags would not have to be pried out of the well. Another Preban Oly had a little peg to prevent the selector from going the full 180 degrees. This one had an lower that would not fit with any other upper. We tried approximately 10 uppers, from Colts, BMs, and some other types.  The final one had a 11.5+5.5" upper, and the FS was only on hand tight! That one went back to the store.

These are just my 4 experiences. YMMV.

I am perfectly happy with my Oly rifle.

Around the Y2K scare, Tom S. did go out of his way to get me a special order of a post-ban 7.62x39 upper witha A1 receiver. After a couple of weeks of getting the run around from someone else at oly of they did not have a run of post-ban barrels to sell since the machines were tied up with .223 barrles, Tom S. hooked me up. While on the phone, he put me on hold for about 10 minutes and went and had me a pre-ban barrel reconfigured into a post-ban and got my order out that week. It arrived and ran great.

Hootbro

Wow!  I saw a reply on here that is total crap!  Oly Arms makes fine guns!  I have two, one of them for 14 freakin years!  It has never had a single problem and has over 8500 rounds through it.  Another 4500 in .22 with a Ceiner (springs replaced of course).  I have been so impressed I bought a second two years ago.  It is a tack driver, and never fails me!  Everyone has a chance of getting a bad product from ANY manufacturer.  Never condemn a manufacturer over one bad apple!  You Bushy lovers should ask the DOE about their experience with them (before you throw stones, I own a Bushy too and it is great).  

Quoted: Everyone has a chance of getting a bad product from ANY manufacturer.  Never condemn a manufacturer over one bad apple!

how about FOUR bad apples?

I'm sure Oly makes many, many fine guns. But I highly doubt any of the posters' problems listed above are make-believe.

Screech,
I've had nothing but positive experiences with Oly guns and parts.

This is not directed at anyone specifically...

Somehow in the marketplace there has developed a consumer class that believes that it is ok to verbally brutalize businesses and their personnel, thinking that acting incredulous and extremely inconvenienced will make the wheels of customer service turn faster. From a customer service rep's point of view, that is not so. The aforementioned behavior only breeds hate and discontent, and any rep that has to listen to it 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, will categorize a consumer such as this, in the ***hole file, and the wheels will turn slower. Human nature.

I have found over the last 30 or so years, that being respectful of people that have the job of rectifying problems, will work harder for me if I treat them with basic human respect and show a little understanding for the fact that we are ALL only human, it is not a perfect world, mistakes do and always will, happen. It is how the problem is resolved by both the consumer and the retailer that will make it a good transaction or otherwise. The manufacturer has every motive in the world to have satisfied customers.

Speaking AR-15 specifically, we are dealing in a retail business that is ripe with DIY kits, parts from multitudes of manufacturers, and most of the people that use them are not expert armorers. To top it all off, we are dealing with a product that fully assembled from a manufacturer, retails for under $1000. Ther are waaaay too many variables in an AR-15 to be able to diagnose a problem instantly and accurately by a 5 minute telephone conversation.  

I don't look at the AR-15 suppliers as the enemy. They are on our side. I am grateful that such people have chosen the vocation of arming America. Thanks to them I am able to build and play with AR-15s with basically pocket change, in the scope of things. We are the only country in the world that has this luxury, so I choose not to hammer on the people that have made this possible. I thank them.

Keep all this in mind when you read negative posts about products and/or services. Again, I have had no problems whatsoever with Oly, and the guns and parts have always been right.

Quoted: Tom S. is not part of management no matter how bad he wants to be and that is a fact.

I beleive the Title "Sales & Marketing Director", which is what it says on his business card I got from the SHOT show qualifies as management in anybody's book.

And we should base your knowledge on the 5 posts that you've made so far....

Sounds like you have an axe to grind too...

I don;t come here to cause trouble, but I have been dealing with Oly for almost 10 years. I have had problems with their products along the way, less than other manufacturers I can assure you (ever tried to talk to ANYONE with a brain at Colt lately??), but they have always served me and my customers well. I have personally been dealing with Tom for about 8 years and he has always done me right.

Thanks for all the responses and help !!

Man, you know the saying about opinions...and we all have one.  Ask about any gun in existence and it will be both sainted and villified.  You pay your money and take your chances.  I have had good and bad experiences with several companies.  Some of these guys seem to personally know the guys at Oly and dislike them.  I will say that customer service is not their strong point, but I've NEVER had a REAL problem with an Oly.  I have several friends who own them too, all would buy a second one.  I would tell you the same about Bushmaster and Model 1.  My Olys have always been the most accurate with the best out of the box triggers of any of the three.  As an aside, someone commented on their 1911s though.  Damn good point.  HAS ANYONE EVER EVEN SEEN ONE?  They must be rare, lol, about the only 1911 I have never seen.  Anyone ever shoot one?  

Quoted: I don't know about current products, but they released a bad bunch of cast lowers that had out of spec mag wells...meaning, you couldn't insert a mag when an upper was on the gun, regardless of upper.

I'll quote my own post so ppl. can reread what they missed...Tom S was a total A-hole about the problem...I called in politely and asked what we can do...I was basically told I should have bought a forged lower...that the cast lowers can require some "fitting". I know some ppl. on here like to think that problems are mostly a consumer problem...and that we call in and are "jerks" and it is our fault. I was given what I felt to be a completely unacceptable answer to my problem (mill the upper). My dealer, who sold me the lower...thought so as well, as he fixed the problem. He allowed me to pay the forged price difference and took the Oly cast piece of crap back. That solution was never offered by Tom S...Now, if you some of you have trouble believing your "buddy" could act that way, well, I could care less what you think. But I am FAR from the only person who has experienced a problem similar to that. And...before anyone says I was messing with junk parts...the upper that I purchased was an Olympic upper...a full kit actually, to go with a locally bought Olympic lower. The dealer had his gunsmith look at the problem as well, and said the lower was unacceptable.  Kind of frustrating when not one mag would insert into the gun...because the mag well didn't line up with ANY upper. Good, or even decent customer service would have come in handy...however, I received very poor customer service. That is my problem with Tom S. If you have had different experiences, then good for you...but I'm not alone in staying away from Olympic because of the individual in question. Like I said before...I have owned an old stop sign lower preban gun that worked quite well...so don't say I just dislike Olympic and am "out to get them". They have made some innovative stuff...especially some 7.62x39 AR pistols Some of you might know what I'm talking about, if you don't, just assume they are cool! Seriously, I like the fact that they use a variety of calibers, and seem to be very concerned with accuracy. Those are good things to have in the AR World...Just my two cents...

Just for further reading...

www.assaultweb.net/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=005367;p=0

Mixed opinions again...

Their mod-sten 9mm mags suck hot sick ass.  However, they refunded my money promptly, no questions asked.  I got mags from CDNN.  I have blazed about 5000 (conservative) rounds through my PCR-9.  I had two fail to feeds that I remember most clearly.  I had somehow loaded a couple .380 cases through my press.  I rarely clean the gun and it just keeps on going.  I managed to break a hammer pivot pin.  3 were mailed to me free of charge, quite promptly.  This gun has one of the cleanest rack grade triggers I have ever seen, and I have seen quite a few.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.  As soon as the ban is gone, I will own a PCR .45ACP and a lot of mags.  The mags are the only thing I am waiting for.  

Customer Service at Oly=A+

As I said on Assaultweb (Vulcan), I refuse to deal with Oly Arms again and I will never recommend their products in good faith to anyone. Tom is a liar and a worthless POS in my book. When you get to see his true colors, you will look elsewhere for AR-15 items.

But for fairness to those looking for AR15s and AR15 parts, they make very good and inexpensive barrels that are dead on balls accurate ($110 in Brownells). Their kits are fair priced. Anyting you buy from them is probably okay. I will not own anything they sell as I refuse to have to deal with their customer service or Tom. That is just me as I refuse to deal with anyone that lies about services performed and then threatens legal action when they are called on their actions. I can't bring myself to trusting people like this. One man represents the institution and when one is flawed the entire organization is flawed. He needs to move on and become a car salesman or something!

Tom, if you read this, just shoot me an email and I can give you my address for your lawyers to get in contact with me for whatever reason you have this time.