Quoted: I'm trying to order my first AR-15, and I want to get a Bushmaster M4 Type Carbine - they list it on their website as having a 1/9 twist.  Can I order the same rifle with a 1/7, or will I have to buy the barrel separately?  Is the 1/7 likely to involve a longer wait for the rifle?

If you want a 1:7, you MUST order it that way.  All standard rifle packages will have 1:9 barrels.  1:7 M4 barrels are only available in 14.5" lengths, so you'll need to have an extended-length FS permanently attached.  Get one of the Phantom models.

On a side note, my local dealer seems to be a little reluctant to actually order the rifle for me from Bushmaster - they seemed to want to just put my name on a waiting list and let me know when they receive a rifle that matches what I want.  Seems kind of strange - Bushmaster should be able to just take an order from the dealer based on the specs I'm looking for, right?

That's because it costs the shop a LOT less to take whatever they get from their distributer than to order direct from BM.  Dealing with lots of individual orders is a huge administrative hassle for a large company like BM, so they prefer to sell the majority of their rifles through their distributer network.  The distributers will order several hundred rifles of a given configuration at a time, and will usually have 4-6 configurations available at any one time.  A gun shop that deals with more than one distributer may have up to 10 or more models to choose from.  But if you want something other than those choices, it has to be ordered direct.

But, see, distributers get a BIG discount, and much of that is passed on to the gun shop.  If the shop orders direct from BM, they only get a fixed 10% discount, compared to 20% or more from the distributer.  Thus, the store would much rather you bought something they stocked (which they bought at a 20% discount) than something you order at 10% discount, because they're going to have to charge you at LEAST MSRP on the latter just to survive.  Many shops won't even do it.

Remember though: you can always buy just the lower half from the dealer and order the upper, in your desired config, directly from BM.

-Troy

Quoted: Has anyone else heard that BM isn't doing anymore 1/7 Gov't barrels?  That is what my dealer told me.  There wasn't enough interest.

Translation: "I don't have what you want, so here's a story that will hopefully make you buy something I already have instead."


-Troy