Quoted: I have read several BM owners in here who had problems but never a Colt owner.
Buy the Colt.
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Oh, I have heard some complaints about Colt, especially recently. I have heard just as many complaints about Colt as i have heard about Bushmaster. Which is to say there aren't a lot of complaints about either. Both companies are absolutely top tier. However, both have had production problems in the past because each rifle is hand assembled. In a process like that, every manufacturer is going to encounter a problem here and there.
My one complaint about Colt has been my opinion that they don't give a damn about the civilian market. Sure, they sell to the public, but I feel they only do it because they know people will pay for the name.
They have always tried to substitute one part or another (receiver pins or fire control pins) with nonmilspec parts. They do this so people will have to buy proprietary replacement parts from them. If they truly cared about the consumer, they would have tried to make things easier by using less expensive and more common milspec pins. They would have made their products more easly compatible with those from other companies. They concern themselves with trying to obtain government and foreign contracts than they do about providing quality service to the American customers. The information on civilian products on their website is less than complete and less than adequate. There early products were of good quality, but most of their postban rifles have had a number of complaints.
It is true, some people have had some sight alignment problems with Bushmaster, but they take care of the problem quickly and efficiently. I would always pick a Bushmaster over a Colt for one reason: 1005 milspec = 100% compatible with products from every other manufacturer (other than Colt). This saves cost and time in the long run and logistics wise.
I have seen Colts and handled them. The Bushmasters are just as good if not better than the Colts I have experienced. Rock River and DPMS are also good products. I would also pick those over a Colt. Armalite is a superb company, and seems to have the least number of complaints than anyone else. Cavarms seems to be good too, and Olyarms follows as a close runner up to the top five. I feel if you are looking at Colt and not at the others before you make a purchase, you are limiting yourself and risking spending a little more money than you would if you went with another brand. And as far as resale goes, Bushy's bring in just as good a price as Colt's from what I have seen.