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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - DPMS (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 12/1/2008 9:34:30 AM EDT
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Am in the market for an AR15 and have a chance to purchase one made by DPMS. Any pro's or con's on this manufacturer?
thanks Frank |
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My opinion... DPMS rifles are good to go. I know several guys who use thiers for duty use with ZERO issues.
I have used many LPK's from DPMS to do builds with and have had ZERO issues. You will most likely see some negative postings reference DPMS but my FIRST HAND LIVE EXPERIENCE has led me to believe that DPMS is good-to-go. In fact, I built 5 AR15's for my brother and two were built with DPMS parts. |
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http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=360169 Carbine instructors and police instructors often have negative comments about dpms reliability. |
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Had a Panther Lite. Nice little carbine. Everything was top notch and it shot well. No problems at all.
You'll find here that if you don't spend $4000 and have everything you can bolted on every available space on your rifle, you don't fit in. However, many of us who realize we're not going to Afghanistan tomorrow can "settle" for inferior brands such as Bushmaster, Armalite, DPMS, Rock River, etc. I guess we're not all "tactical". |
Id say get something a bit more, how do I put this, better? I am not a DPMS hater, I just have had a few bad items from them. I do have an AR15 lower that runs fine, except for the 2 stage trigger that did not want to work in the DPMS lower. See that is my experience with them "it works ok but......" I am sure they have many many happy customers and I will admit that thier CS is very good, some of thier items are just lacking. I am the type of person to buy the best that I can afford (and even some I cant afford ) when it comes to certain things. If you want a good rifle at a reasonable price, buy CMMG.
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Quoted: My LMT/Colt mutt cost less than a $ 1000 and that was with paying more for a pre ban lower*. My rifle has a properly staked gas key, the right o ring in the bolt, higher quality barrel steel, a better bolt, a chrome lined barrel. I could go on and on. You probably paid about $ 300-400 less than I did, but I got a rifle about as close as you can get to a military m-4, you got a budget rifle were corners were cut. Your rifle is from a company that has a history of producing carbines that will not even make it through a carbine class.Had a Panther Lite. Nice little carbine. Everything was top notch and it shot well. No problems at all. You'll find here that if you don't spend $4000 and have everything you can bolted on every available space on your rifle, you don't fit in. However, many of us who realize we're not going to Afghanistan tomorrow can "settle" for inferior brands such as Bushmaster, Armalite, DPMS, Rock River, etc. I guess we're not all "tactical". http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=360169 *not taking into account "extras" like a free float tube etc that I added later. Yours is fine for shooting at cans in the backyard, coyote hunting or shooting in a CMP match over the summer. I paid more than you did for an AR that would more likely stand up to harsher use than yours without malfunctioning. You may hever have a problem with yours, but it is not a high quality dependable firearm. I may never use mine in self defense, but I have taken it to numerous carbine classes and competitions and having it run reliably there was worth the small amount more I paid over what you paid. If you are happy with your carbine and it works fine that's great and I couldn't be happier for you. I know people who depend on an sks, or an ak, or a shotgun because that's what they can afford, and in some cases just because they like it. However you do people who are new to these firearms a disservice by giving the impression that people who spend more than you do to get a higher quality gun are being foolish with their money or are spending more than you because they are snobs. |
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Quoted:
Am in the market for an AR15 and have a chance to purchase one made by DPMS. Any pro's or con's on this manufacturer? thanks Frank Frank, I believe that after you have had the chance to read a boatload of posts around here, you will realize that this is a sometime overly-critical bunch, particularly when you have 'members' who categorize an entire manufacturer's line a "junk" or " crap". Don't believe it. I recently read a post by some obviously ill-informed juvenile that "Corvettes suck". Would you rely on that to determine if you should get one? DPMS is just fine. |
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Thanks again everyone, got the rifle and had the chance to stop and fire a few rounds through it. Nice carbine, .223/5.56 stamped on receiver and barrel. The seller through in a Walther PS22 red dot with it.
I realize everyone has their opinion of what is good and what is not, but I am just looking for a reliable shooter for the range. Don't plan on going to war just yet, but if I have to I"ll take one of my AK's. |
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You'll find here that if you don't spend $4000 and have everything you can bolted on every available space on your rifle, you don't fit in. However, many of us who realize we're not going to Afghanistan tomorrow can "settle" for inferior brands such as Bushmaster, Armalite, DPMS, Rock River, etc. I guess we're not all "tactical". Wow this is probably the most on point statement I have read on these forums. Seems that if you dont have a $3000 Larue Tactical Everything Noveske with a $1200 Aimpoint setup and 6 flashlights and 2 PEQ's with 400 windowed PMAGs that you are not prepared to defend your home, lol. I personally think that having more than 100 mags is simply retarded. You will NEVER use that many. When I deployed to Afghanistan they give us 9 mags each. I had 6 on my carrier loaded. Never needed that many. You guys that are worried about a shootout with the feds or zombies or what not. You will never have a chance to get more than 7-8 mags off tops before they put you down. The only thing that buying that many does is drive price up and the supply down. |
Bottom line is, you won't know if your rifle (regardless of brand) has issues until you take it out and run it, and run it hard. Get it good and broken-in. Get it good and hot and dirty. If after that your rifle is still running reliably and accurately, great! Looks like you got a good one. If not, find out why and get the problem(s) solved. We all more-or-less have our favorite brands, for a variety of reasons, but in the end we all have to do this to be sure the gun can be trusted for anything more serious than targets or plinking. If this is going to be your "go-to" gun, make sure for yourself it will stand and deliver no matter who made the thing. That's my take on things. 
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Quoted:
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You'll find here that if you don't spend $4000 and have everything you can bolted on every available space on your rifle, you don't fit in. However, many of us who realize we're not going to Afghanistan tomorrow can "settle" for inferior brands such as Bushmaster, Armalite, DPMS, Rock River, etc. I guess we're not all "tactical". Wow this is probably the most on point statement I have read on these forums. Seems that if you dont have a $3000 Larue Tactical Everything Noveske with a $1200 Aimpoint setup and 6 flashlights and 2 PEQ's with 400 windowed PMAGs that you are not prepared to defend your home, lol. I personally think that having more than 100 mags is simply retarded. You will NEVER use that many. When I deployed to Afghanistan they give us 9 mags each. I had 6 on my carrier loaded. Never needed that many. You guys that are worried about a shootout with the feds or zombies or what not. You will never have a chance to get more than 7-8 mags off tops before they put you down. The only thing that buying that many does is drive price up and the supply down. I don't think anyone intends to carry 100 mags into combat. I have over 100 mags because I see the day coming when I can no longer buy them. My stash is meant to last a life time. Stick with your 6 or 7 mags and when they go tits up due to use or damage, you'll go begging for some mags from one of us idiots that had the foresight to stock up while we could. |
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Quoted:
Bottom line is, you won't know if your rifle (regardless of brand) has issues until you take it out and run it, and run it hard. Get it good and broken-in. Get it good and hot and dirty. If after that your rifle is still running reliably and accurately, great! Looks like you got a good one. If not, find out why and get the problem(s) solved. We all more-or-less have our favorite brands, for a variety of reasons, but in the end we all have to do this to be sure the gun can be trusted for anything more serious than targets or plinking. If this is going to be your "go-to" gun, make sure for yourself it will stand and deliver no matter who made the thing. That's my take on things. +1 on this run the dog shit out of it and go from there |
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Bottom line is, you won't know if your rifle (regardless of brand) has issues until you take it out and run it, and run it hard. Get it good and broken-in. Get it good and hot and dirty. If after that your rifle is still running reliably and accurately, great! Looks like you got a good one. If not, find out why and get the problem(s) solved. We all more-or-less have our favorite brands, for a variety of reasons, but in the end we all have to do this to be sure the gun can be trusted for anything more serious than targets or plinking. If this is going to be your "go-to" gun, make sure for yourself it will stand and deliver no matter who made the thing. That's my take on things. I will agree as long as it is a Pat Rogers/Larry Victor class or equivalent. So far DPMS hasn't cut it. As to the posts of having the latest bling, if it will not run with standard sights etc; it is DOA. And yes I only run Colt, LMT and MSTN built weapons. |
| Mine had problems with cycling wolf ammo, i only run TAP in it now but i wanted to know if i could rely on it with any kind of ammo, but wolf effectively turned mine into a single shot rifle. As i understand though i have heard everything from colt to olympic arms having problems. |
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My LMT/Colt mutt cost less than a $ 1000 and that was with paying more for a pre ban lower*. My rifle has a properly staked gas key, the right o ring in the bolt, higher quality barrel steel, a better bolt, a chrome lined barrel. I could go on and on. You probably paid about $ 300-400 less than I did, but I got a rifle about as close as you can get to a military m-4, you got a budget rifle were corners were cut. Your rifle is from a company that has a history of producing carbines that will not even make it through a carbine class.
Had a Panther Lite. Nice little carbine. Everything was top notch and it shot well. No problems at all. You'll find here that if you don't spend $4000 and have everything you can bolted on every available space on your rifle, you don't fit in. However, many of us who realize we're not going to Afghanistan tomorrow can "settle" for inferior brands such as Bushmaster, Armalite, DPMS, Rock River, etc. I guess we're not all "tactical". http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=360169 *not taking into account "extras" like a free float tube etc that I added later. Yours is fine for shooting at cans in the backyard, coyote hunting or shooting in a CMP match over the summer. I paid more than you did for an AR that would more likely stand up to harsher use than yours without malfunctioning. You may hever have a problem with yours, but it is not a high quality dependable firearm. I may never use mine in self defense, but I have taken it to numerous carbine classes and competitions and having it run reliably there was worth the small amount more I paid over what you paid. If you are happy with your carbine and it works fine that's great and I couldn't be happier for you. I know people who depend on an sks, or an ak, or a shotgun because that's what they can afford, and in some cases just because they like it. However you do people who are new to these firearms a disservice by giving the impression that people who spend more than you do to get a higher quality gun are being foolish with their money or are spending more than you because they are snobs. Aimless, my intent wasn't to imply that EVERYONE who spent money on their equipment is a snob. Not at all. But as with cars, boats, houses, etc. there is a certain segment of a given "culture", if you will, that look down their noses at people who don't have "brand X". If I were going into combat, I'd probably choose something other than a DPMS. If I had to use one, I'd rather have that than some other brands or a cheaper home build. Colts, LMTs, Noveske's are awesome I'm sure. And I truly understand you get what you pay for in 99% of cases. But for guys plinking at the range, keeping a "what if" gun handy, or trying to learn the platform a DPMS or RRA or Stag or Bushmaster is fine. They are usually solid, reliable guns. You guys all know that deep down, it's just a "my pecker is bigger than yours" type of thing. I have a lot of money in guns and hunting equipment, and I know junk when I see it. DPMS is not junk, they're just not the best of the best. It's like comparing a Chevy Impala to a Lexus. They are both good, one just has a higher level of quality in some areas. Some important, some not so important. So I apologize if I offended you, but not everyone needs a $3000 setup. And while you say I'm calling those folks snobs, how many posts do you see decrying Bushmaster, DPMS, etc. as complete shit when they've never even owned one? Oh, and in before the chart!
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I have had very good experiences with DPMS products. I don't know if they used to have problems and the reputation is still around or what as I have only been using their products for the last 2 or 3 years but I have 2 rifles I use for my Police duties and both have shown to be reliable and accurate. One is a full DPMS rifle and the second is a RRA lower with a complete DPMS SBR upper. I do trust both with my life and have fired both enough to say so with confidence.
Also, our SWAT team uses DPMS uppers on their entry guns. Of several rifles, we had one that was having some cycling problems. The upper was sent to DPMS and they returned it quickly and it has functioned well ever since. I am a fan of their customer service as well. |
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like I said before I have two DPMS and they shoot fine but with what I am reading and don't understand is how it is that when a part if it is AR-15 part will interchange with most all other AR-15s out there so how can the quality is be that big of a gap as what some of you seem to be saying it is. You pay more for a brand that advertises more, it is that simple. Buy what you like and can afford the rest is just a good feeling, kinda like wetting your pants in a dark suit, no one really notices but it gives you a warm feeling, ya know. That is just my opinion and is not necasarily the opinion of this site or its sponsors.
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DPMS is ok for a range rifle. I'd never trust one for anything serious. Interesting, ... the poster just ahead of you states that his SWAT TEAM uses DPMS uppers. Surely they consider them of combat quality. Care to explain why you only consider DPMS a "range rifle". Been into ARs for over 30 years, and I have owned Colts, Bushmasters, DPMS, and S&W. Only ever had a serious problem with one brand new, .......................... the COLT. Now, does that mean all Colts are junk? I could easily come to that conclusion, as many do when making silly statements regarding brand X vs Y. NO, it was a manufacturing fluke, plain and simple. Happens to all firearms manufacturers. In my opinion they are all pretty much the same. All high quality weapons based on a similar design. I relied on a Colt in combat once, had some occasional problems, but for the most part did a good job for me. I would gladly go into combat again with a Colt, ..... but would also gladly carry a Bushmaster, DPMS, or S&W if those were my choices. Bottom line, the bad guy is just as dead no matter if you shoot him with a Colt or Brand Y, and from my experiences they are all reliable and trustworthy. |
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Originally Posted By White Rook 2348:
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DPMS is ok for a range rifle. I'd never trust one for anything serious. Interesting, ... the poster just ahead of you states that his SWAT TEAM uses DPMS uppers. Surely they consider them of combat quality. Care to explain why you only consider DPMS a "range rifle". Been into ARs for over 30 years, and I have owned Colts, Bushmasters, DPMS, and S&W. Only ever had a serious problem with one brand new, .......................... the COLT. Now, does that mean all Colts are junk? I could easily come to that conclusion, as many do when making silly statements regarding brand X vs Y. NO, it was a manufacturing fluke, plain and simple. Happens to all firearms manufacturers. In my opinion they are all pretty much the same. All high quality weapons based on a similar design. I relied on a Colt in combat once, had some occasional problems, but for the most part did a good job for me. I would gladly go into combat again with a Colt, ..... but would also gladly carry a Bushmaster, DPMS, or S&W if those were my choices. Bottom line, the bad guy is just as dead no matter if you shoot him with a Colt or Brand Y, and from my experiences they are all reliable and trustworthy. What standard does DPMS build their rifles to?  ...a decent gun and "yes" I would buy one, right now if I didn't have AR already, given the current panic enviroment....but all the companies are not "pretty much all the same"
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Originally Posted By White Rook 2348:
Interesting, ... the poster just ahead of you states that his SWAT TEAM uses DPMS uppers. Surely they consider them of combat quality. SWAT TEAM and combat quality just do not go together. That is like a soccer mom endorsing her BMW X5 as "off road ready" because she once turned around and one tire hit a gravel road and kicked a little dirt. |
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Quoted: I still really disagree with a lot of this. Again I don't care what gun someone has, hell half the people at the ranges I shoot at would think you were a goofy fancy pants for buying a $ 600+ AR, "can't hunt deer with it and it's way more than a marlin 30-30" Aimless, my intent wasn't to imply that EVERYONE who spent money on their equipment is a snob. Not at all. But as with cars, boats, houses, etc. there is a certain segment of a given "culture", if you will, that look down their noses at people who don't have "brand X". If I were going into combat, I'd probably choose something other than a DPMS. If I had to use one, I'd rather have that than some other brands or a cheaper home build. Colts, LMTs, Noveske's are awesome I'm sure. And I truly understand you get what you pay for in 99% of cases. But for guys plinking at the range, keeping a "what if" gun handy, or trying to learn the platform a DPMS or RRA or Stag or Bushmaster is fine. They are usually solid, reliable guns. You guys all know that deep down, it's just a "my pecker is bigger than yours" type of thing. I have a lot of money in guns and hunting equipment, and I know junk when I see it. DPMS is not junk, they're just not the best of the best. It's like comparing a Chevy Impala to a Lexus. They are both good, one just has a higher level of quality in some areas. Some important, some not so important. So I apologize if I offended you, but not everyone needs a $3000 setup. And while you say I'm calling those folks snobs, how many posts do you see decrying Bushmaster, DPMS, etc. as complete shit when they've never even owned one? Oh, and in before the chart! I don't think the differences between brands is mostly meaningless, like buying a Tag Huer instead of a G shock or buying a Lexus instead of the nearly identical model Toyota. Any analogy like this is imperfect but it's more like the light duty tools like black and decker is now v. what stuff like Makita and DeWalt are (well used to be anyways). If people understand the difference that's great, I just bridle at someone saying "posh my Black and Decker is just as good as a Makita, I hung 5 pictures in the living room with it!" Take a look at the stake job on any of the "you know they are good enough" ARs or check which o ring they have. I also don't like the implication that most people buy these for that pecker bullshit. If I was buying stuff to impress people I wouldn't have a two color colt/lmt mut and a 1989 glock 19 with almost no finish left on it. I have seen people who had noveske carbines who couldn't hit shit and would have been better off spending the money on ammo for the bushmaster they original had and one of the fastest carbine shooters I know I've seen shoot his bushmaster with his 1-4 Wal mart scope faster than three gun guys with JP rifles with short dots. Gear obviously does not make the man. I was at a class once and came back from lunch early and watched the instructor clear the plate rack with his issue glock 19 faster than I could do it with my ar with an aimpoint. However for the most part the money spent on a better ar and equipment like a light and aimpoint do make a big difference in how useful the rifle is. It may be a meaningless difference if all you are going to do is shoot cans in the back yard (and really with the price of ammo if that was all I was going to do I would get more into 10/22s) but if just in case is in the back of your mind you should check the stake job on your carrier key and redo it if necessary, stake the collapsible stock properly if it has one, think about changing the rubber ring, and at least get a $ 35 surefire and mount it on your carbine with cheap wally world scope mounts (maryland AR shooters tells how to do that) and buy a decent sling. Not to change the subject, but what I shake my head at, and I used to do the same thing, is the pictures of guys who have a bunch of model one ARs that are mostly identical, or they have an AR, an AK, a century FAL and a 590. There's obviously nothing wrong with collecting guns cause it's fun and you like to try different stuff. but if all my ARs burned tomorrow i'd get one Colt (or whatever) and get a good light and an aimpoint for it and have one very good carbine, rather than haveing a bare bones AR, AK and a Hipoint carbine. |
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Quote: "What standard does DPMS build their rifles to? ...a decent gun and "yes" I would buy one, right now if I didn't have AR already, given the current panic enviroment....but all the companies are not "pretty much all the same"
Unquote: I didn't say anything about "companies", the implication was "rifles". Companies are seldom the same, ........ their products however could be and I believe in the case of ARs they pretty much are. Now, show me where Brand Y weapons have repeatedly had unresolved problems for years and years with broken bolts, bent barrels, cracked lowers, ..... whatever, and I will agree to suggest other brands are a better choice. But, such is not the case. All makes have had little problems here and there, but corrected them and gone on to produce usable high quality weapons. But hey, Brand X is "Mil-Spec"! I worked for a long time manufacturing some of our products to "Mil-Spec", and long enough to know the "Mil-Spec" requirement, while very specific, required us to do nothing different than we normally did manufacturing for everyone else. Bottom line, the products we normally made for everyone else meet those requirements easily and there really was no difference. I suspect a lot of this "Mil-Spec" hype is just that, ... hype. Dimensions, materials, manufacturing processes and techniques, quality requirements, all about the same within the top half dozen AR manufacturers, and in a real fight, generally speaking, ... so will be the success of the weapons to function in the environment present. More importantly however, from my experiences, anything in a combat environment which might prevent a DPMS, Bushmaster, .... or Brand "Y", from functioning and performing,........................ would also cause the highly regarded Brand Xs to fail as well. "Oh, that make is not good enough for real combat, ony plinking with", it's the old "The Sky is Falling" routine. Baloney! Way too much reliance (desperate hope!) that the name stamped on your weapon will give you a marked advantage, feeling of confidence, and make a big difference. LOL! It's the operator, his skill and ability which will make a difference, ...... the name on the weapons, made this close to being identical, will have little or no influence on the outcome. |
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Originally Posted By White Rook 2348:
Quoted:
Quote: "What standard does DPMS build their rifles to? ...a decent gun and "yes" I would buy one, right now if I didn't have AR already, given the current panic enviroment....but all the companies are not "pretty much all the same"
Unquote: ORIGINALLY POSTED BY WHITE ROCK 2348 I didn't say anything about "companies", the implication was "rifles". Companies are seldom the same, ........ their products however could be and I believe in the case of ARs they pretty much are. Now, show me where Brand Y weapons have repeatedly had unresolved problems for years and years with broken bolts, bent barrels, cracked lowers, ..... whatever, and I will agree to suggest other brands are a better choice. But, such is not the case. All makes have had little problems here and there, but corrected them and gone on to produce usable high quality weapons. But hey, Brand X is "Mil-Spec"! I worked for a long time manufacturing some of our products to "Mil-Spec", and long enough to know the "Mil-Spec" requirement, while very specific, required us to do nothing different than we normally did manufacturing for everyone else. Bottom line, the products we normally made for everyone else meet those requirements easily and there really was no difference. I suspect a lot of this "Mil-Spec" hype is just that, ... hype. Dimensions, materials, manufacturing processes and techniques, quality requirements, all about the same within the top half dozen AR manufacturers, and in a real fight, generally speaking, ... so will be the success of the weapons to function in the environment present. More importantly however, from my experiences, anything in a combat environment which might prevent a DPMS, Bushmaster, .... or Brand "Y", from functioning and performing,........................ would also cause the highly regarded Brand Xs to fail as well. "Oh, that make is not good enough for real combat, ony plinking with", it's the old "The Sky is Falling" routine. Baloney! Way too much reliance (desperate hope!) that the name stamped on your weapon will give you a marked advantage, feeling of confidence, and make a big difference. LOL! It's the operator, his skill and ability which will make a difference, ...... the name on the weapons, made this close to being identical, will have little or no influence on the outcome. Unquote (not sure why it didn't box it this time) Obviously you haven't read this thread yet with input from one of the most respected people in the industry (Pat Rogers) who would completely disagree with you and who has more experience than most of us put together..... http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=360169 |
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Not to change the subject, but what I shake my head at, and I used to do the same thing, is the pictures of guys who have a bunch of model one ARs that are mostly identical, or they have an AR, an AK, a century FAL and a 590. There's obviously nothing wrong with collecting guns cause it's fun and you like to try different stuff. but if all my ARs burned tomorrow i'd get one Colt (or whatever) and get a good light and an aimpoint for it and have one very good carbine, rather than haveing a bare bones AR, AK and a Hipoint carbine.
This I do agree with. And I've been/am guilty of it myself. Except I don't buy Model 1 (Bushmasters from PK). 
And I stake my own stuff too. |
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I have a DPMS A2 and love it! I have put clost to a 1000 rounds through it and never ever had a issue, not a single jam. my brother has a DPMS M4 type and he has had ZERO issues as well, he has around 1500 rounds through his.
My next AR will probably be a DPMS, provided of course we can still buy ARs in the near future 
PS... my buddy has a bushmaster and it jams all the time LMAO, no kidding.... but to back up bushmaster, they are tight guns and my buddy likes to shoot wolf. to each their own i suppose 
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Do a search on problems with DPMS. Then decide if it's combat worthy to you. SWAT doesn't mean a damn thing. Tere are guys on SWAT that spend a lot of time in the gym and can't tell you shit about the weapon they carry. Not all of them, but there are those. Believe me, I've worked on their gear. Will 99% of all AR's go bang when you pull the trigger? Sure. Will they go bang after the 300th shot that day? Thats when you will find out "whats combat worthy". It doesn't matter to me if you buy DPMS. I build my own rifles out of the parts I pick. But I also work at an FFL that sells, among other brands, DPMS. Buy a couple DPMS LPK's. If you never used anything else, then you think they are fine. Compare them to RRA. Total difference in quality. How about roll pins? Lets not forget about bolt stops breaking.
Buy what you want, but don't kid yourself by thinking it's as good as a Colt, Noveske, or LMT. |
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Quoted:
Do a search on problems with DPMS. Then decide if it's combat worthy to you. SWAT doesn't mean a damn thing. Tere are guys on SWAT that spend a lot of time in the gym and can't tell you shit about the weapon they carry. Not all of them, but there are those. Believe me, I've worked on their gear. Will 99% of all AR's go bang when you pull the trigger? Sure. Will they go bang after the 300th shot that day? Thats when you will find out "whats combat worthy". It doesn't matter to me if you buy DPMS. I build my own rifles out of the parts I pick. But I also work at an FFL that sells, among other brands, DPMS. Buy a couple DPMS LPK's. If you never used anything else, then you think they are fine. Compare them to RRA. Total difference in quality. How about roll pins? Lets not forget about bolt stops breaking. Buy what you want, but don't kid yourself by thinking it's as good as a Colt, Noveske, or LMT. My dpms did this past weekend, shot close to 400 rounds of wolf within an hour and had 0 problems. Got a RRA coming in this week and we shall see how it does. Also, at the same time my buddies colt hbar had FTE using monarch.... so I dunno. Dpms may not be combat proven; but mine has given me no reason that it wont go bang. |
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my dpms hbarr is good to go 2 to 3 thousandish rounds down range mostly wolf
never any problems, but hey maybe i got the only good rifle they ever made. now i don't really know of they are mil spec or not but just a lil point to ponder about mil spec, the military is alot like NASA built by the cheapest bidder. |
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Look, the simple fact is - WRT DMPS, you won't know from this forum what to believe.
Here's why. I took a two-day tactical carbine class last spring. We had a cross-section of folks, from plain citizens, to LEO's, to "mystery folks". In the class (14 people) there were RRA, DPMS, Colt. Ammo - I couldn't tell you. I shot Wolf polymer .223 (because I couldn't pick up my brass) which is another "no-no" you hear ALL the time. I shot 500 rounds per day out of my RRA, no cleaning. The guys to either side of me BOTH had DPMS rifles. Shot the same, and didn't clean. No failures of either kind. That's more experience than you will see with many posts, but not all. Somewhere down the road, someone has a problem with "whatever" brand. Unless the vast majority of the comments suggest one way or the other, my belief is - it don't mean shit. I'm thinking of the years of problems people talked about with Olympic Arms. They had problems - they addressed them. They still suffer from the bad press - probably deservedly so. Here's the deal. The AR15 is a "platform". Chances are, if you are having problems with ANY brand, its localised (meaning you got a set of bad lower parts, a bad barrel or something isolated). You can swap anything out, and not lose your shirt. The suggestions about running it hard are spot on. Do the class or whatever; put 500+ rounds through it a day for a few days without cleaning. If the damn thing shoots straight and doesn't fail, clean it, keep shooting it until to does, and then replace whatever is wrong with it. That's how you get comfortable with a SHTF situation; not reading a forum. DPMS gets lots of crap for their LPK. I've not had problems with three of them, but none of the three guns have yet to go through the 500 round test I talked about. Frankly, since I've had my Stag and RRA uppers and lowers apart and have looked at the components of all three, I'm not particularly concerned. The other comment is about DPMS uppers. Give me a break. The upper is a system of four components: barrel (incl gas block and handguards), upper receiver, bolt carrier group (incl charging handle), and buttstock. I'd be REAL curious to know what parts of DPMS uppers are "crap" out of this group, and why. I'm much more concerned about the fire control group. With regards to the upper, if you have a barrel that shoots consistently where you point it, and a BCG that is reasonably well built, you are FAR more likely to have reliability problems with a lower. |
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Quoted:
Do a search on problems with DPMS. Then decide if it's combat worthy to you. SWAT doesn't mean a damn thing. Tere are guys on SWAT that spend a lot of time in the gym and can't tell you shit about the weapon they carry. Not all of them, but there are those. Believe me, I've worked on their gear. Will 99% of all AR's go bang when you pull the trigger? Sure. Will they go bang after the 300th shot that day? Thats when you will find out "whats combat worthy". It doesn't matter to me if you buy DPMS. I build my own rifles out of the parts I pick. But I also work at an FFL that sells, among other brands, DPMS. Buy a couple DPMS LPK's. If you never used anything else, then you think they are fine. Compare them to RRA. Total difference in quality. How about roll pins? Lets not forget about bolt stops breaking. Buy what you want, but don't kid yourself by thinking it's as good as a Colt, Noveske, or LMT. Interesting comment on SWAT. I am interested to know where your referenced SWAT team is located. My youngest son happens to be a SWAT Team member. Two weeks ago his team did 3 days of "Tactical Training", not a big deal they have specialized training sessions quite regularly. This training happened to involve a lot of tactical shooting, both handgun, and special weapons. Knowing my love for the AR, he was telling me about all the AR shooting they did. When I asked him how much actual AR shooting he said, "Oh I don't know, I shot well over 1000 rounds, we spent one full day just with the ARs." Additionally, and before he made SWAT, in order to carry an AR in his vehicle during his regular patrol duty he was required by the department to pass a three day AR certification course, and he currently is one of only two AR certified officer in his patrol squad. Don't know about your local LEAs, but the agency my son works for requires you really get to know your AR, ..... "up close and personal" with lots of actual shooting. Their SWAT TEAMS are very pro-active, constantly training for all types of possibilities, including ............ possible urban combat. Now, what does his department issue? Colts. What has my son personally armed himself with at home? A Bushmaster and A DPMS. Interesting, I would expect he wouldn't touch a Bushmaster or DPMS, after training with a Colt. He has shot the heck out of both his personal weapons and says "if the Sh*t ever hits the fan", he is fine with both. Oh, and Yes, he and his TEAM members do spend a lot of time in the GYM as well. |
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