Ok,
For those who read my previous few posts you already know I'm looking to buy my 1st AR and I'm doing a lot of research, I read tons of threads here, did my research in comparing features, options and prices. Basically I'm looking for M4 type setup from any manufacture but BM, RRA and Olympics are the ones I researched so far. Just now I have realized that RRA is a great manufacture too and has very compatative prices. Here is what I have gathered:
BM M4 A3 - Pros: Great gun, lots of positive feedback, 5.56 NATO, chrome lined barrel, easily available. Cons: stupid permantly mounted muzzle brake, little more expensive then other carbines.
RRA Tactical CAR A4 - Pros: Lots of positive feedback, two stage trigger (good?), chrome molly barrel (wtf is that?), no stupid permantly mounted muzzle brake. Cons: Probably not chrome lined barrel, long wait to get one.
Olympics M4 A3 - Pros: Well priced, removable muzzle brake included, lifetime warranty, 60 days money back gurantee (on fired guns). Cons: No feedback at all, not chrome lined barrel, I think .224 chamber.

Help me choose, please recommend other manufactures if you think they are better.
I need all the feedback I could get.  I really don't like BM's permantly mounted muzzle brake.

I would stick with BM or RRA.  I would buy the upper and lower seperately to save some cash or get exactly what you want.

You can have ANY of the barrels on the BM website put on a flat top upper.  Id buy a complete lower from someone and buy a complete upper from Bushmaster to get what I wanted.

RRA only has one chrome lined barrel and its the 16" M4 with press on fake flash hider.  You can buy a premade upper in the EE with this barrel as a budget alternative to a BM.  I would not get any other RRA but thats my persoanl preferance.  Also you dont HAVE to get the 2 stage RRA trigger.  You could go with their standard trigger and upgrade later and save yourself some money.

I personally own Bushmaster products but thats just because I wanted a preban that had the most milspec features.  If I bought a postban I might still get a Bushmaster lower for the hell of it but I would definantly consider the RRA 16" M4 for an upper.

The rest has been covered by Troy.

If you subscribe to "go chrome or go home" I would let that make your choice. Otherwise, I only suggest looking at the warranties of the three companies and taking that into consideration. Armalite isn't on your list, and has a pretty good warranty also. :)

Olympic rifles are chambered for 5.56 NATO.  Look under the ammunition warning on their website.  They state that they chamber their rifles to minimum 5.56 NATO spec using Clymer reamers.  They also have a FAQ section where there is more info on their barrels.  I have a FAR-15 (I tink it stands for Featherweight AR).  It's real similar to the CAR97M4, just with a lighter weight barrel.  Just under 5 lbs total weight.  I have been very happy with it, but, in retrospect, I should have gotten something with a flat top.  You can still get the standard carry handle, but it makes mounting optical sights alot easier.  As for feedback on Olympic rifles, mine has been  good to me, and I would not hesitate to buy another one.

If you aren't planning on buying the rifle anytime soon I have a suggestion for you. There are members in NJ who get together for a shoot every couple of months. If you go you can see lots of different AR variants to judge. You can find all the info in the NJ Hometown Forums.


Plus, welocme to the site! [beer]

Oly is the way to go. Lifetime warranty they stand behind, excellent quality, the BEST accuracy of all the AR's (because they don;t have the silly chrome line chambers and bores....), and the best price. What else do you need to know? Also, seriously consider getting the F8R FIRSH (rail)handguard when you buy it.

I am a very pro-RRA person.  But, one thing I have noticed is that the RRA M4 barrels APPEAR to have a different profile than the BM's.  If you are looking for a lighter rifle, that may affect your decision, as the RRA barrels aren't turned down under the handgaurd area.  On the pro-RRA side - lifetime warrnaty on complete uppers and complete lowers, not just complete rifles.

As someone who has an RRA, I would highly recommend this option if cash is a concern...  check out [url]www.adcofirearms.com[/url] and if you like the RRA, contact them regarding the barrel profile if that is an concern.  They do excellent shop work with usually 2-3 turn-around from what I've seen posted by folks who've used them.  You can order an upper from them at a very substantial savings and shop around for a lower from a local FFL, or have them ship one to your FFL.  They have the lowest prices I've seen yet.  I bought the complete lower without the trigger upgrade ($217 at Adco, $240 from my local shop - order placed Friday to RRA and arrived following Thrurs - 6 days... not bad) and did a 15 minute trigger job, which made it OK.  I will probably upgrade the trigger, soon though, as I have really nice triggers in my other rifles and it is hard to go from one type to a lesser type.

BTW, a RRA complete lower and complete upper come with everything except the 10rd magazine, box and manual, but cost a little less than a complete rifle.  You won't need anything other than than the upper and lower and a magazine.  I did order a front sight adj. tool and some other miscellaneous tools, as I bought an A2. But mine came zeroed perfectly.

As far as finish and fit.  RRA exceeded expectations.  The upper and lower go together very tightly.  Don't bother with accu-wedges, if you have seen people recommend them... you won't need it.  RRA halves go together with real precision.  Nice black color, too.  Some say BM's can be purplish.

Would I buy another RRA?  Already working on it.  Go figure.  Only been a couple weeks on the first one.

I own an Oly M4. I refuse to take anything away from the other manufacturers as they are well known and respected. I chose the Olympic because they offered some features not available on the others, namely the stainless steel barrel (no need for chrome), the Blac-Tec treatment on bolt and carrier (no charge), and the warranty pkg. The fit and finish are great, function is flawless so far. My cost was $755.00 thru my dealer. I already owned an SUM, and have experienced zero problems whatsoever out of either of them. Just do your homework and choose what works for you. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the three.

Having worked on all three

[s]Colt[/s]RRA.

I second the recommendation for RRA and ADCO.

I've bought three from Steve now, I have plans (though no $$$) for more ...

My RRA has a 16" pre-ban SS barrel and total cost of the upper and lower was about $700 out the door.
It was bought separately from each other. The lower half directly thru RRA, and the upper thru Pete.

Just to stir the mix up a little. DPMS puts out a very nice rifle. Very reliable and accurate, with great service if you should need it. I bought my Classic Sixteen a year ago and $675.

If you want a chrome lined 1/7" twist barrel so you can use heavier bullets, check out [url]cmmginc.com[/url].  I plan to buy an upper from them someday.

Forgot to add:  RRA is top notch, but from what I hear, you won't regret buying from either company.

RRA all the way.  Pay $30 more and get it chrome lined.

BM

If you are looking for a non-chrome lined barreled AR, go Oly.  All the others are nice, but none have stood up to the level of service that Oly has given me.  I have a DPMS lightweight upper that had a canted FSB that I couldn't get fixed by DPMS because they claimed that they only warrantied their uppers for 30 days.  I had to go to the range twice to finally figure out that the FSB was canted, and thus it was past the 30 days.  DPMS told me that if I wanted to send it to them, they "would be happy to quote me a price to repair it"...eh...if its not right to begin with, shouldn't they fix it for free?  Well, a call to Oly and they were glad to help, and walked me through a way to correct it.  Sure, the only part of my AR at the time that was Oly was the lower, but they took good care of me.  I will probably never buy another .223/5.56 AR from DPMS again.  I've also heard good things about RRA, and IMHO, Bushmaster's barrels are the best bargain (chrome lined, several lightweight profiles available, forged FSB).  

Ghost