I purchased an Adams Arms mid-length "Cosmetic Blemished" rifle from Bud's Gun Shop recently.  I actually purchased this rifle as a birthday present for my daughter to use.  I also ordered a Samson Evolution 9" rail for it directly from Samson, after first making sure it was compatible.   These are the types of rails that come on the AA rifles from the factory.  I must say that I am very disappointed, both by the rifle itself and the customer service, or lack thereof on the part of AA.  It really surprised me as AA has been known for their stellar customer service.  I took delivery and gave it a quick once over and did the paperwork.  I noticed some cosmetic issues, (machining marks, differences in the anodizing, and a bright aluminum gouge just under the AA logo on the upper receiver), but I wasn't worried as after all, I did buy a cosmetic blemished rifle.  Even with the cosmetic issues on the outside of the rifle, I felt that it was a fair price for the rifle itself.  Besides, it's nothing that a bit of paint can't fix, right?  

So, I take it and the Samson rail up to a local gun shop as I work there part time for some extra cash.  I get with the shops gunsmith for some guidance on the rail install.  That guy has forgotten more about how a firearm works than I will probably ever know.  That's a lot given that my combined 19 years of Military & Law Enforcement background.    We go to take a look at how tight the barrel nut is from the factory and were amazed that it took less than an estimated 20 lbs of pressure to spin the barrel nut right off.  The barrel itself was never removed.  We installed the rail and noticed some serious issues with the rifle.  Now, I understand that it's a "Cosmetic Blemished" rifle and coming from the factory with it's own battle scars is no big deal given the price paid for the rifle.  Cosmetics don't make a rifle go "boom."  AA has always has a stellar reputation for making one of the better piston systems on the market.  I actually like AA's stuff so much that for a couple of years I have carried their mid-length rifle as a patrol rifle.  It's light weight and it has never failed me no matter how hard I beat it during training.  Well, this rifle is the polar opposite.  

So, we (the gunsmith & I) start really going over this rifle.  We noticed that the upper and lower receiver have a LOT of slop and wiggle to it.  You can actually see light in between the two receivers very well.  This pictures detail this very well, as you can see the gap.  I took it home and tried mating the "blem" upper to two different lowers that I have, one of them being an AA, and had the same result, tons of slop.  Then I mated the "blem" lower to my other AA upper and it was pretty tight.  So, I diagnosed it as a bad upper.  It seemed reasonable to me right?  Next, I look at the bolt carrier and was awestruck that this thing ever left the factory.  It it looks like when they bored out the carrier tail it had a bad tool or chattered because they ran the machine either too fast or to slow.  If they call that bolt carrier a "cosmetic blem" then I am very disappointed.  

Next, I wanted to exhaust every possible option to see what the problem might be, so I took it to the range to test fire it.  Well, I cannot tell you how it fires because for the first time, I did not trust an AA rifle.  I took three 30 round mags with me (all loaded with 29 rounds each), a steel mag loaded with 55 grain Tulammo, a steel mag loaded with 55 grain PMC (brass), and a pmag loaded with 75 grain Hornady BTHP.  Every time I tried to load the rifle, it failed to feed.  I loaded it by loading the mag into the magwell and pulling back on the charging handle and letting go, letting the bolt ride it forward on it's own.  It would fail to feed every time.  Next, I loaded the mag into the magwell, and used the bolt release to load it, and it failed to load approximately 60% of the time.  It was at this point that I put everything away and decided not to fire it and instead, contact AA.

This is where it get's upsetting.  Again, I have always known AA to have some of the best customer service on the market.  So, being that this is a manufacturing issue, I sent AA an e-mail with pictures and a detailed explanation of what was going on.  I received a response the next business day from Cody.  I have dealt with Cody before and always found him to be very pleasant.  His response shocked me.  He told me basically that I bought a blemished rifle and that's what I got.  He did not care about the bolt carrier as he said it was "Aesthetic" and said that they won't replace anything as "However, we will not replace any parts due to aesthetic issue being that this is indeed a “Blem” gun as you knew when purchasing."  I get it sir, I purchased a blem rifle.  In my opinion, rifles are tools, and you use your tools, they aren't going to be pretty.  But, not only does the bolt carrier look like utter garbage, but I has to talk the cotter pin back in place after reinstalling the firing pin.  It simply did not want to go back in.  It must have also been a blem and I "knew what I was getting."  Ohh, the charging handle had a small chunk of metal missing on each side.  (the bright spots in the pic)  I really could give a hoot about the charging handle as I planned on replacing it anyway with a BCM charging handle.  But, given the totality of the circumstances, I was a bit bummed.  I guess one could say that it's the principal of the matter here.....

So, I received an RMA and it's on it's way back to AA right now.  I'm not willing to give up on AA as I still believe them to have excellent customer service and a top notch product.  That being said, I would NOT recommend one of these "cosmetically blemished" rifles to anyone except my enemies.  I have dealt with Cody in the past and as well as Jacob, and have always had the highest amount of respect for both of them and their product.  So, I'm hoping that Cody was perhaps just having a "bad day" when he responded to me.  I understand that there are people out there that try to scam and get something for nothing.  I am clearly not one of them as I purchased my own free float rail for this thing.  All I asked for is a rifle that works.  Instead, I had to send in the rifle to be "inspected" and I will likely not have a rifle to give my daughter on her birthday.  This sucks as her birthday is two weeks away.  She only shoots under my direct supervision as to be all legal like since it's my rifle that she uses.  But, it's her "sweet 16" and I thought that this would be the perfect thing for her.  Well, I'll report back and let everyone know how it turned out.  Like I said, I'm willing to give AA the benefit of the doubt as I believe them to be a great company.  It's just that right now, I am not a happy camper at all.  

Wow, I was about to make my move on one and now I am going to have to think twice......

Wow I had a completely opposite experience with my Blem AA. Zero blemishes. All parts are excellent. One small problem, the ejection port door would not stay closed. It would pop open when the rifle was bumped. I called Cody and he instantly issued an RMA. I had the rifle back within a week. The door was still popping open when I received the rifle back. Cody offered to send another RMA or just send me a new upper receiver. Amazing customer service.

I now have over 500 flawless rounds through my "Blem" AA suppressed and unsuppressed. I couldn't be happier with every aspect of my experience. Sounds like you got a rifle in rough shape which is not the norm with these Blems from what I have read on this forum. I know it is frustrating and I share your pain. AA will make it right.

I'm not the OP, but he seems to have ruled those out. 3 different mags and ammo manufacturers. Short of those two, the only thing left to question are the parts of the rifle itself.

He did not provide us with the text of the emails, but if this was articulated in his message to your customer service department, then there really shouldn't have been any questions asked and an RMA sent in the response to his original email. The way it reads is there was some messages back and forth between the two before RMA was issued.

ETA : I don't mind the usual bit of slop between receivers, but that fit would be absolutely unacceptable to me. I'm not sure how the BCG or the receivers made it through QC.

Agreed.

I fail to see why machine marks on the inside of the tail of the bolt carrier are an issue.  In fact, they are not.  Everything else is about what I would expect if I were paying for a massively discounted and advertised "blem".

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Maybe I've been spoiled by PSA blems where it's just MAYBE uneven finish. If I'm sending out a product with my name, even if it's a blem, I wouldn't want it to look like it went through a meat grinder first. I understand some tool marks, but it looks like they had a monkey with a dremel doing work.

Thanks for posting. Now that sounds like the Cody I dealt with. Totally professional and resolving problems. OP you did not fairly state what occurred here.

If that's the case, then good on you guys. Again, I was just going based off of what was provided by the OP. If the offer to look it over was given in the first response, there's nothing else you can do and I don't know why OP wasn't happy with the service.

My unacceptable remark was towards the large gap between the upper and lower. I've never seen an upper/lower set that has had that large of a gap. Could be that his camera sucks and is washing out with the light - but the way it is presented it looks huge and even with tolerance stacking I can't see both being in spec.

I will definitely stay from AA blem products after seeing such rough job passing through QA, regardless of the price point

Can you please explain in technical detail, why the rough machining on the inside of the rear of a "blem" carrier is a problem?  Please enlighten me...


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Look, I never personally attacked Cody.  I commented more than once that I thought that he was a good guy.  I've dealt with Cody in the past, and if I saw him today, I'd still buy the guy a beer.  The tone from the WHOLE e-mail that I received made it sound to me like Cody AND AA were on the defensive.  This situation isn't just about Cody.  All of us have a bad day once in a while.  Perhaps several others have tried to scam AA and get something for nothing, and perhaps I got lumped into that.  I don't know, I'm not inside his head.  Judging by the pictures that I sent, I made it quite clear what was wrong with the rifle sir.  I wasn't looking for somethign for nothing, I had my own AA approved rail.  I just wanted something that worked.    It's not a mag issue, and it its not a ammunition issue.  If you would have read the message, you could have deduced that yourself.  I made it quite clear what steps I took in diagnosing the problem.  The gunsmith that looked at the rifle and helped with the rail install is a retired member of the military community with about 28 years in.  He was a master trainer and did a lot of "really cool stuff" and knows his guns.  He looked at that rifle and laughed.  I personally tried three different mags and three different types of ammunition from three different different manufacturers. I don't see what is so hard to understand about that  

I like the statement of buying your rifle at less than half the cost of retail.  Perhaps you should look into that sir.  It's exactly $175.16 less for a "Cosmetically Blemished" rifle from Bud's Gun Shop.     Its a little difference, but still it isn't half.  If were gonna talk exacts here, then let's do just that.  I know I bought a blem, I knew that when I e-mailed your company.  My e-mail to Cody was polite and to the point.  I was stern, but I paid him and AA  several compliments.  I have always thought very highly of AA as a company.  I have always loved your products.  Again I liked it enough to trust not only my life with it but the citizens that I was charged to protect while carrying it. When a problem arises, such as this, it's how the company handles it at the customer service level that defines them as a company.  After my experiences so far, and after what I've read of your posts, I've all but lost faith in your company.  I understand what a blemish is.  Perhaps I've been spoiled because I've never seen another weapons manufacturer let a "blemish" like yours leave their factory floor.   Perhaps that is something that y'all should take a good look at.  I spent good money and took a long hard look at the fact that I wasn't saving a whole lot of money by buying the "Cosmetically Blemished" rifle.  I expected something better from AA than what I received.  Like I said before sir, I don't mind minor cosmetic issues, it's a rifle, and slightly discounted at that.  I knew that going into it.  But, what I got, there just no excuse for it.  If I'm going to pay over $600.00 for a rifle, "Cosmetically Blemished" or not, I would expect it to look better than what I received, AND to function.  I'm sure that the masses will agree.  They have so far on a few websites.  There's just no excuse.    As I stated before, it's how a company handles a problem that defines them as a company.   Now, I', left to dancing with you in here while you talk inaccurately talk about half priced cosmetically blemished rifles.  Buy the time it makes it all the way across the country to you, you play with it, and try to blame me for any little thing so you can save face, and then attempt to come up with a solution, my daughters birthday will have come and passed.  I had a lot of faith in you guys, I really did.  Then I read your posts this morning.

Can't let this go.  2 posts above say something to the affect of "I can't see how this got through QC"...  Can I just say, it didn't.  The issues shown obviously did NOT make it through AA's QC process or they would be sold as new from AA?  Does nobody even get that concept here?  The rifle was sold as a blemish.  Or to put it another way, because it didn't pass QC it was sold as an inferior buyer beware product at a highly discounted price.  Companies do this all the time.  Maybe they had a bad run and rather than spend the money to melt them all down and try to salvage, they sell them off to discount shops as sub-par.

Can we stop making comments about how this could possibly pass QC?  It didn't pass QC.  That's the point.

I bought one when they were first listed and my gun has been great. No problems, other than the cheap charging handle which is going to be replaced anyway. That being said, if mine looked like yours does, I would be pretty upset. I'm still not sure why you decided to make a post though as it seems they are taking care of the problem.

Respectfully sir, yes I did.  I never personally attacked Cody, I was simply stating what had happened.  Cody is a great guy I'm sure.  That's why I said he probably had a bad day.  This is classic of a company to turn and adjust the focus of an issue.  IN their same post where they try to make it sound like I don't know what I'm talking about, then basically admitted that they didn't even read what I listed wrong with my rifle.  Then, they try to claim that their "Cosmetically Blemished" rifle was less than half the retail cost of a new rifle.  If that were the case and I had only spent $350.00 ish as that would accurately be less than half of the cost of a new rifle, this thread would have never happened.  I would have laughed, and taken the money saved and bought the new parts.  I'll be the firs to admit that I am horrible at math.  I'd have to remove my boots once I run out of fingers....  That being said, I can tell the difference between "less than half the retail costs" and what the actual costs is and I'm just some dude who bought a rifle.  If AA is going to come out and start throwing out inaccurate facts to justify their case, then it should be brought to light.  

Look none of this was needed.  Again, a company is defined by how it handles it's issues in relation to customer service.  YOU made a mistake.  Instead of trying to shift the blame or attempt to deflect this on me somehow, how about you fix the issue.  AA has had a track record of fixing things when their feet are held to the flame.  I know that I had a problem with you guys a couple of years ago and it took 6 months of unanswered e-mails and ignored phone calls and finally a negative post in here to get you to act.  Many others have had to publicly air their grievances to get AA to act.  It's a shame as I can say that I tried to handle it privately.  I'd much rather handle things privately.  However; if it takes me airing grievances in a public setting just to get AA to acknowledge a problem, then so be it.

I am not going to pretend that I am an engineer and give you technical terms to why roughness is not a good thing or as you put it is a problem......but here is a good example as close as I can give you in general.....

 








 

So if it fails QC it's sold as a blem? How about lowers slightly out of spec? Upper receivers slightly out of spec? No. A blem is something that passes QC but has a cosmetic blemish. Everything else should be held to the same standards as a non blem weapon.

Here's your complete blem rifle! We didn't torque the barrel nut! Oh, it doesn't feed from magazines either! Don't mind the 1/8'' gap between the receivers. Are you intentionally being obtuse?



Nothing makes contact with that area in the bolt carrier. It's just ugly. That's a non issue other than being horrible looking

I never wanted this to be anything other than getting AA to acknowledge the issue and get it fixed.  I'm not happy at all.  If I woulds have known what I was getting, I would have paid the extra $175 and change for a new rifle and called it a day.  Again, I have never seen a rifle this bad called a "Cosmetically Blemished" rifle.  If it's gonna wear your name, then you own it's problems....  I'd also like to say that Buds Gun Shop is a great place.  I feel bad that they are caught in the middle.

For 599. It is Good Deal. What do the non blems go for?   As for the rough machining inside of the carrier, just don't spill you beer and donuts in there, while trying to impress the non athletic, slightly IQ challenged secretary, at mall security HQ . As long as the rest is in spec it should work just fine. If AA is willing to replace the upper due to too much slop, and they guarantee the rifle to function properly, eventually, the right to complain does not exist. No right to a First exists when you only pay for a Blem. +1 for ADAMS ARMS.

Bummer on your little girl's birthday. Go to plan B...

Edit: Only 175 more for a new one? Strategic violation of Murphy's Law -- Don't skimp on Birthday presents -- no second chances .

Is it pretty?  Obviously not, but who cares about pretty on the inside, non-functional, doesn't mean a thing to anything of a bolt carrier?  If the outside is tooled correctly and the functional parts tooled correctly get over it, it was HALF PRICE FOR A REASON.

As for AA's customer service I've dealt with several issues through them, only 1 of which were they at fault with, and they still handled everything, every time.  Their CS is exemplary and this again proves it.  The OP is making a stick because of the timing.  It's not AAs fault about when his daughter's bday is.

No, as stated by the manufacturer anything that does not affect function but is not up to QC is a blem.  If the rifle is out of spec, but functions, it's a blem.  Out of spec means it does not meet specifications but it does not necessarily mean it will not function.  What you should be asking is whether the rifle was function tested by AA before leaving their operation.  That's an answer you don't have.  Now if the rifle was function checked and failed that but still passed through, I'm with you on that failure.  For now, you're assuming that the OP is 100% correct in his assertion the rifle is not functioning AND that that functional issue is the fault of the manufacturing process alone and nothing else.  I'm not saying he's wrong, just that it's one guy's word on an internet forum.  OP may very well be right on the mark, but we don't know that unless you have personally tested this particular rifle and can verify the function.

As for the 1/8" gap, so long as the rifle functions, it's purely cosmetic.  I don't care if you don't like the look of it, as long as the rifle functions, it's a blem.  Now if AA discovers that the gap is in fact the source of the problem, then it's not cosmetic is it?

I'm not sure what the problem you have with me is.  I'm simply saying that to blame any manufacturer of ignoring their QC based on a rifle sold as blemished is disingenuous.  Obviously it did NOT pass QC.  There was an issue caught in QC that pulled this and other rifles off the line.  But you're implying that this rifle passed through QC as is.  If that were the case, the rifle would be sold on AA's site or as a non-blem rifle.

Out of spec anything should not be sold as a blem. The definition of blemish is "a small mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something."

I have no problem with you - but the thought of selling things that don't pass QC is NOT a standard business practice and should never be condoned. Selling out of spec parts without disclosing that info (not saying that it is the case here, just a possibility) is bad business.

Couple things.  First off, I'm a left brained person and an engineer to boot.  So technical things matter to me.  Technically blemish is defined as:

: to make (something) imperfect or less beautiful : to hurt or damage the good condition of (something)

So by that definition, anything that is "imperfect" or even damaged is a blemish.  But that aside, as used in the world of retail marketing, it's a marketing gimmick.  To call something "blemished" is an easy way to soften the blow of how damaged a good is.  Similar to "scratch and dent".  If you want to blame anyone for the sale of blems, blame the consumers who drive the market for it.  If no one ever bought a slightly out of spec product, the manufacturer's and retailers would have no choice but to recycle them.  BUT, the ever present desire to "get a deal" has lead us to a market where more often than not you can buy a 99% product at significant savings.  The trade off being that you also run the risk of getting a 10% product.  It's a role of the dice.  If you don't want to take the chance, don't play the game.

AA and Bud's both fully disclosed that these were blemished goods.  These items were not up to spec for a variety of reasons.  Now Bud's did do their best to cover over the risks by re-defining a "blem" when they posted "These rifles may have a slight blemish in the finish."  That's a bit understating the risk isn't it?  Keep in mind, that's Bud's marketing not AA's notes.

And still, AA has offered to ensure that the rifle will be 100% functional, but not 100% pretty.  It's just as likely (not attacking the OP) that this could be an attempt to get a non-blem rifle at blem price.  Probably not, but from the manufacturer's view point, it's the risk they are taking.  The "blem" market is a huge and thriving marketplace not just in firearms, but across the retail spectrum.  It's a little tough to put that genie back in the bottle.

It was not half price for a reason.  When I see something marketed as a "Blem" I look at machining marks, color variations, scratches, and things like that.  Those are no big deal to me, it's just cosmetic.  I've seen firearms manufacturers such as Aero Precision, PSA, and others' blems that were just fine.  Even bolt carriers that looks 100% better than the one I got in the AA.  To me, it's the principle of the matter.  If it's going to be that ate up, then market it as such is all.  I have said it before and I'll say it again, AA has been known for exemplary customer service in the past.  Sometimes one has to publicly ask for help to get their attention, but in the end they usually make it right.  It's just the whole situation and how it was initially handled.  You are 100% correct sir, it's not AA's fault when my daughters birthday is.  I bought a rifle in good faith and it doesn't work.  The problem I have observed in this forums so far is that some people jump on a bandwagon so-to-speak without actually reading everything first.  If a complany is going to charge a premium for a product and call it a blem, then let's make sure it not only isn't all messed up, but that it works.  I tried taking this directly to AA to get it resolved.  They agreed to bring the rifle in and test it.  What pissed me off is the tone of the e-mail and how they made it sound like it is what it is and that I'm just going to have to deal with it.  Well, I'm sorry, if their calling their product a "blem" then this particular blem is the sorriest excuse for a blem rifle that I have ever seen.  I take pride in what I do and what I make.  I know that AA has a track record of taking great pride in their products.  I wasn't asking for a miracle here.  I bought this rifle based on some user reviews that stated that the their blem was great.  They obviously didn't have the same problem that I have and they obviously got a better rifle.  I truly am happy for them.  That is what swayed my purchase to a blem in the first place.  It obviously did not work out well for me in this case.  Again, a company is defined by how it handles it's problems.  

This should put to bed the claims that the blem rifles are over half off of a new rifle.  

AA Blem $616.97

AA NIB Rifle $797.02

Sorry to see you having to deal with this OP. Hope you learned a lesson from this though, when it is your daughters birthday, and an important one at that, don't skimp out on a couple hundred.

You sir are absolutely correct.  I am NOT trying to gain a non blem at the cost of a new rifle.  I went out and installed a rail on the blem.  If I was trying to get something for nothing, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble.  All I ask is that they grab another blem upper that isn't as jacked up, no gap, and a bolt carrier that isn't as jacked up, test it, and send it back as quickly as possible.  It's as simply as that.  Judging by the e-mail response I received, they didn't care about the bolt carrier, well, I do.  If their calling it a blem, then it's a sorry excuse for a blem.  AA was insistent that I got what I got.  Again, if this rifle was much cheaper, and I had received the same thing as I got, I wouldn't have said a word because the actual cost savings would have been worth it.  But, for AA to try and say that the are over half off the price of a NIB rifle is absurd.  Either their math is grossly incorrect or their not being honest.  I'd like to think that it's the former as I believe in AA as a company.  I have always liked their product.  I got a lemon, it happens, but it's a test of customer service in how it's handled.

Man, if I only had a time machine and several boxes of condoms to hand out, I'd be much happier.  Ohh, and I would have bought a new rifle instead.....

How many times have we seen this before? Someone posts an issue online in a public forum, then the vendor responds and then we get pages of nonsense.

I'm not disputing the validity of of the OP's claims (that's irrelevant), however the Adams Arms rep needs to understand the nuances of social media.
Had I responded as the AA rep I would have said only the following;
"OP we understand you have taken issue with both the quality of our products and service. Our goal is to have each and every customer delighted with their purchase. We want to listen to you and resolve your issues, I will pm you my phone number and email so that I can personally work with you until your completely satisfied."

I've consulted with countless companies on their online image and reputation management. I've rarely seen anyone quickly resolve an issue through online channels when both parties are trying to get the last word. Right or wrong the company must never appear to be on the defensive, and should simply work to solve the issue offline.

+1. That's how I would have expected the original email to go, rather than immediately jumping to "it's a blem model so we may not replace parts". Just accept the rifle and fix it. Everyone is happy. If OP gets the rifle back then complains about blemishes - AA gets respect from us here for fixing it and everyone jumps on OP for expecting free stuff.

To the price.  If you look at AA's website, the rifle is listed at $1300+.  AA is not Bud's.  The Bud's price could reflect many many many things not controlled by AA.  Not the least of which is a loss leader.  It's entirely possible that Bud's has selected their AA made base rifle as a loss leader in which case the statement made by AA is entirely valid from their perspective.  Even if it's not from yours.  Can you get a product for less than the MSRP?  As far as I know, always.  But that doesn't change the value that the maker uses to assess their products.  From the perspective of AA, this is half the price.  They don't run Bud's guns.  So they are neither incorrect in math or being dishonest.

Again, not knowing you, a lot of people give you the benefit of the doubt that you are correct in your assessment of function.  And honestly so do I.  It's just not entirely accurate to condemn the quality control of an entire company and all their products based on one item let alone imply that their entire QC process is flawed because of the one item which was clearly listed as flawed.  (I know you didn't, just making a general statement.)  In essence you bought an "as-is, no warranty" damaged car.  One that the company has said they will make sure it works, but they won't repair cosmetic (non-function related) damage.  I don't mean to imply that you are trying to game AA, never meant to.  Simply stating that (even though you've "dealt with them before") they don't know you from Adam.  So they have to cover their base.  My guess is (and this is just a guess) that Cody was instructed prior to the sale of the blems that no parts would be replaced unless it affected function and that was to be made clear to anyone reporting an issue with the blem rifles.  So that's what you got in response.  Even though you may not be gaming AA, you know as well as I do, people are.  And unfortunately, that means AA has to deal with both rational people (which is probably you) and irrational people who bought a $600 rifle and are trying to flip it for a brand new $1300 rifle.

The carrier group is ugly.  Sure.  But if it's not affecting function, it's merely a blemish and is being sold as a blem.  And AA has said that if it's affecting function, they will replace it.

New guy here, not an AR expert, more into 03's and Garands.

I bought one of these AA "blemished" Mid-length AR's back in May.  No blems that I could find and function has been 100% through 5 brands of ammo/across 170 rounds.  I paid $599 and its worth $599, but certainly not $1,300 IMHO.  I've been contemplating buying one of the Carbine version, might still do it.

However the OP has been on this board for 11 years, knows AA and the industry.  And those pics look bad, especially that upper-lower gap and a barrel nut that's iffy...  Makes me want to check my barrel nut, that's for sure.  And if it doesn't function across 3 mags and 3 kinds of ammo, it doesn't function.

As for the AA poster here, seems a little defensive of his products and his staff, I guess that's good.

I hope to hear good things from the OP in the future.

Hking

So you got an RMA and still felt it necessary to start a thread beating down the product?  Seems legit!  I have about 4 or 5 AA uppers and have never had issue with any of them.  From the factory my barrel nut was always 30-80 pounds.  I am a bit curious to know how you know how many pounds it took to get the barrel nut off as when you use a torque wrench they "click" and then keep going.  If I throw a torque wrench on, set her to 20, get a click and then jump on it it didn't take 20 pounds to take it off.  The only way to really know the torque would have been to set it to 20 and got it to spin whole tightening.

I have never seen anyone complain about marks from the castle nut on a charging handle being a blemish but I suppose.  I just don't quite understand, these are certainly blemished and aside from the fit of the upper and lower are all cosmetic issues.  The fit of the upper and lower, unless it truly is 1/8 of an inch (which it definitely doesn't appear to be) is likely not and issue either.  I have rifles wth thousands of rounds through them that still run and have that kind of play.

Part of qc is fit and finish.  If a product doesn't pass QC for that then yeah, definitely a blemmed rifle.  I don't see anything in photos where we can see that there is in fact anything out of spec and Cody seems to have stepped up to the plate on that issue.  You seem to be a complainer.  It was a man made product and sometimes issues happen.  When they do running here to arfcom to complain isn't the way to handle it.  Especially when you have a friggin RMA. I recently paid HALF of what you paid for a stripped lower and received a blemished lower...I defy you to scour the internet for a bashing thread on it from me.

You know the parent who stands on the sideline and yells at their kid for messing up in their first Tball game?  

As far as an MSRP, manufacturers commonly set the price they sell their product for higher on their website as to persuade customers to purchase from their resellers.  I am not saying that AA has done this, I'm just saying that's how I've seen it done.  The price was not all that much cheaper than new.  I'll know better in the future from this lesson.  All of my other AA stuff has ran flawlessly and without fail.  Actually, I've tried to get my other AA rifle to fail by running it extremely hard in training just to prove a point that their piston system really works.  That was a point that I was trying to make to the naysayers regarding piston run guns.  

Anyway, I decided to take this conversation privately to AA after all of this.  It has seemed to bear fruit.  I believe now that AA will take care of the situation.  They have offered to overnight it back to me to make sure I have it back by the 22nd.  That is more than reasonable and I am very thankful to AA for that.  I hope to receive a rifle back that has no gap and is tight fitting and fires true.  I'll be satisfied with that.  I'll be sure to post up the results of this situation.  I believe in AA as a company as they make a great product.  If I'm ever in the market for another AR, I'll be sure to buy a new AA and potentially avoid this whole mess in the future.  I've never been a gambler, so I should have known better than to by a blem.  Thanks AA for everything and assuring me that you will get this taken care of.  I appreciate your time.  I look forward to getting this back and getting out to the range.

Have you even had a chance to get the blem rifle back yet to see how it shoots/functions?

I only own a couple voodoo barrels and no other AA parts at this time. The complaint about the gap between the receivers on a $600 blem rifle seems picky IMO, as well as how roughly finished the inside of the BCG may be. If the rifle doesn't function, they'll take care of it. There was a simple email response, that when I read it, I see no "bad day" involved.....I would assume the OP is projecting his own frustrations onto the email Cody sent. We do tend to infer ill tones in emails and text messages when we are in a bad mood ya know.


Let AA check out and work on the issue. If it comes back and looks the exact same, but functions 100%....you have a blem rifle that is fully functional. It may not be a beauty Queen, but it will stop drop a coyote!

Ok.... A few issues....

1. Why exactly didn't you attempt to fire the rifle exactly? Seemed like a very knee jerk reaction. Failing to feed and failing to fire are two completely different malfunctions caused by completely different components.
2. What exactly was "failing to feed"? Were the cartridges being stripped from the magazine properly? Were they getting snagged somewhere such as on the locking lugs? Was there proper buffer spring pressure? Is the bolt face and lugs cracked or damaged in any way?
3. Did you attempt any part swapping to remedy the feeding issue? Bolt? BUFFER SPRING?
4. What exactly is your issue with the "out of spec" receiver gap? Is this going to be a match/competition gun?

Clearly by the way you tried to troubleshoot (or create the appearance of) the feeding issue, I'm still left wondering exactly what else is to be gained from this post, and am left with the following observations:
-You bought a blem, and are now complaining about blems (the inside of the BCG is a completely petty claim, as well as the CH).
-You half way troubleshot it (only part swapped to troubleshoot receiver gap, and ignored a major feeding culprit, the buffer spring, among others...)
-You are butthurt about potentially missing your daughters B-day, except you're the one who compromised on condition for the sake of getting a deal, and are passing those emotions onto AA's staff.
-Suddenly you believe it's AA's responsibility to jump through it's own @$$ to pick up the pieces of your bungled bargain hunting (which it seems they're entertaining), and have gone out of your way to slander an otherwise reputable company over, what? A receiver gap? Scrapes on a CH? Dings on a non load-bearing surface of the BCG? Failure to feed (which is nearly ALWAYS user/ammo/magazine/spring induced) which you didn't completely troubleshoot?

I'll leave it with this: Get over yourself sir. You're not the only person with a .mil/.leo background, or with access to .mil/.leo gunplumbers, which plenty of whom I've seen easily resolve feeding issues like this at the user level, without the "lawlz these gunz are poop" mentality. What should be happening here is thanking AA for taking your gun for inspection/repair, and rather than put their products and staff on blast for some stuff you likely could've fixed at home, in 5min, for like $5, you could've been less of a spaz and maybe got some expedited shipping for your daughter's sake.

But hey.....what do I know? Just my $0.02

FOXHOUND_USMC, you can flame me all you want sir.  I respect your right to have your own opinion.  If I can't get the rifle to feed, I can't get it to fire.  I was a bit miffed at the whole situation as I expected better.  I've gotten many other blemished parts from other weapons manufacturers and none were as bad as this one.  It was good money spent.  Had I known it was going to be this bad, I would have just bought the new one for $175.00 more.   I've spoken with AA and they are addressing the issue now.   As far as slinging the insults and making it personal.  Well, I don't even know you bud, so I won't go there.  Have you ever heard the phrase about arguing on the internet......?  Again, I respect your right to have your own opinion.  The situation is now being handled.

You, sir, are 100% correct in everything you have stated & 100% respectful in how you stated it.




It seems like flaming is part of the nature of ARFCOM, which is one reason I delayed so long in joining.




AA should just do the right thing & replace your blem with another blem.





OK, everyone else...




http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-flame-on-22.png






 
 
 

Never mind.

SpecProg, yes sir.  Flaming, especially without reading through everything is a part of the problem.  There are many mouth breathers on this site that probably still live in their parents basements and love to spread hate and discontent....  On the flip side though, there are many very intelligent people on this website who offer a great deal of knowledge and experience.  Distinguishing who is who is the challenge sometimes.  That being said, I'm willing to listen to the mouth breathers as they also have a right to their opinions.  I may not agree with them, but I try to keep in mind that I'm an adult and have to respect ones right to have their own opinions.  I can respectfully agree to disagree for the most part.  Arguing on the internet is childish.  I used to get into it all hot and bothered until a buddy pointed out to me his saying about arguing on the internet.  He made perfect sense to me.... The situation is what it is.  The rifle did not work.  AA is gonna go over it with a fine tooth comb I am sure, especially after all of this.  After my brief conversation with them earlier today, I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Are you serious? He bought a brand new gun. He shouldn't have to sit there and trouble shoot why it doesn't work. A blem rifle is a gun that has cosmetic problems but still functions 100%. His BRAND NEW gun did not function, so he contacted the manufacturer. Why the hell should he be the one to buy parts and/or troubleshoot it? What if for all intents and purposes, this was someones first weapon ever. They have no idea how to do anything, it just doesn't function. Would you post the same thing?

He should be thanking them for fixing a gun that did not function from the factory? Yeah, okay dude. If anyone needs to get over themself, it's you.

Just picked up my "blem" from the fun shop.
I seriously can't anything that is wrong. Maybe the anodizing??? if that??
After following this I was kinda regretting the decision. Checked inside the bolt looks perfect. No  receiver wobble or gap that is anything but normal to me.

Really impressed with Adams Arms.
I will check the barrel torque and see but will post some pics up after i clean it this weekend.

Op maybe you just got a bad one but I wish you the best of luck resolving this

edit: Spelling

Mine will be in next week and I have my fingers crossed.  Already have another charging handle latch so I hope that takes care of one issue some have had.

Not entirely true.  You can always manually feed a round through the ejection port.  Just sayin'.

You are 100% correct sir.  I should have just kept it then and told my daughter that it was a bolt action AR....

Ohh, and too those who are awaiting their blem rifles, I sincerely hope that your rifles are everything that you wish for.  Getting a problem child isn't fun.  I really hope that my situation was an isolated one and the others are nowhere near as bad.  Every large scale company is entitled to a screw up now and again.  It's how they handle that screw up that will define them as a company.  Adams Arms assures me that they will get this matter taken care of.  I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here.

I just ordered the short base piston model and hope it functions properly for me.
I will post my experiences with it as soon as I try it out.

My trigger is so bad, even after honing with Hard Arkansas File Set, I ordered an ALG-ACT from Brownell's.


These now cost more than the trigger set.


http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/stones/gunsmith-s-premium-arkansas-stone-file-set-prod625.aspx

 

And?  That's pretty much a given for ANY mil-spec trigger group.  I would have done that anyway (and have).  Toss a JP 4.5# spring set onto the ALG and you'll be good to go.

I didn't care about the trigger.  I expected that I would get a shotty trigger on most entry level rifles, especially a blem.  I have an extra Geissele SSA waiting for her rifle.  It's just disturbing to hear other people discovering problems with theirs rifles.  I wouldn't wish this on anyone,  but at least I'm not alone.