I remember around the time of Y2K when every AR
manufacturer was busting ass trying to keep up with demand.  Bolts and carrier assemblies were good as gold and Bushmaster had a lot of quality control issues regarding indexing of their barrels.(along with a few odd colors in their finishing process i.e. purple)  You would have to adjust windage to the max to get on target.  So, needless to say, I'm still leary of their uppers but as Troy says, "go chrome or go home" and Bushmaster is the only game in town.  I have played ship that part back to us for repair from everyone from DSA to Springfield and I don't want to play that game no moe'.  So, what are the odds of getting a dissapator upper from Bushy that is problem free?

I got my FFL to order me one as a complete rifle back in January (ordered it with an AK brake installed), and never had a problem with it. I later fell under the "M4 spell" and swapped out barrels, even though I was very happy with the rifle as it came from Bushmaster.

Anybody else want to weigh in on this?

I have 6 bushy uppers with no problems.  People are more likely to post about problems and we are more likely to remember them. Bushmaster does have barrel alignment problems and it seems they have more than others but then again, they sell more.

Don't know the statistics but a rough guess is maybe 1 in 100?

In my experience, chrome lined Bushmaster barrels are very accurate.

Mid length from Armalite and RRA are also a good choice.  The mid length is gaining ground in the military communities.

Dissi's can be cool.

[img]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid75/p38db7af7f67e16311f8258436b93f356/fb570a04.jpg[/img]

bushy barrels are my favorite, i have had 2 dissy's(1 M4 and 1 regular), 20" A2 gov, and one 1 14.5" M4 barrel and another 11.5" for my SBR.

all have been flawless and accurate enough for me. in comparison to my other colt barrels they run even in accuracy and function. i do all my own barrel work so i have not had any problems with windage adjustments.

interestingly enough, i have noticed that some of my 14.5" M4 barrels have been the most accurate at distances out to 200 yards. this happened with both the bushy and colt barrels. someone once told me it was due to the harmonics of the short barrels. to bad the velocity of the shorties is so far off the 20"er.

anyway, both my dissy barrels are post Y2K and are perfect. here's what i did with my M4 profile dissy;

[img]http://www.hunt101.com/img/055943.jpg[/img]

Is that a free float RAS? If so did it fit over the existing gas block, or did you have to change it?

lancelot,
yes, it is a FF RAS (thanks Wes!). i had to remove the shaved gas block and take the table belt sander to it. i needed to raduis the top of the block so that the FF tube would slide over it. i touched up the gas block with baking laquer to prevent rust.

the rifle is a little front heavy with the CAR stock but since i use it with the bipod mostly it's not a big deal.

HAWKEYE,

how are you liking the ARMS SIR on your dissy? anything you DON'T like?

when i bought my FF RAS the long SIR was not avaiilable but i have since become a fan of the SIR. if you have any other pics you can send drop me an IM. thanks,scott.

I absolutely love it. Not one complaint. I even like the production version better (mine is a pre-production). It is my #1 favorite rifle right now. So far it is averaging 1.5 inch groups at 200 yards. Most of my pics are here.
[url]www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=167486&page=1[/url]

I bought my Dissipator upper in 2000.  Yes, mine did have a barrel indexing problem from the factory, but that was taken care of by KKF when I sent him my upper to lighten up my HBAR Dissy; it was just too damn heavy to lug around all day for me.

Let's see, what other problems...oh yeah, the face of my buffer has a ding or two that indicates that the bolt is going too far forward or that the detent that keeps the buffer in place was positioned to far back, letting the buffer face make contact with the detent.  I addressed this problem at Tactical Forums and that's where I recieved information on the problems.  

Other than the those two things, I haven't had any other problems with my Bushy.  I have about [s]2.5K[/s](oops, just looked at my log book) 3,240 rounds through her.  Any failures to feed have been magazine related and promptly fixed.


Here's the link to the AR thread at Tactical Forums:

[url]http://64.177.53.248/ubb/Forum56/HTML/000497.html[/url]

P.S.

The next upper I get will probably be a COLT, if I can find one at a decent cost.  At the moment, I really do think that COLT may have an edge in the quality control dept, but WTF do I know!?

P.P.S.

Everyone check their buffer face.  According to the thread at TF, if there are any dings or radial peeling of the finsish on the buffer face something may be slightly out of whack (forgive my technical terms!).  Both of my Bushy lowers exhibit this problem. It's on page THREE of the TF thread...and here's an excerpt:


Problem was the threads on the upper were too long putting the barrel too far forward allowing the locked bolt carrier to sit too far forward causing the buffer to strike the detent with every shot. The damage had finally got so severe the end of the buffer would no longer slide in the lower receiver extension.

Everyone go check your rifles now, I'll wait. AR buffers should have next to NO wear at all and NO damage, especially small dents around the outside edge of the face, at all.

NOTE:  DO NOT TAKE THIS EXCERPT AS BUSHY BASHING.  THE POSTER IS MERELY STATING THAT NO BUFFER--FROM ANY MANUFACTURER--SHOULD BE EXHIBITING THIS...JUST WANTED TO CLEAR THAT UP!

My first BM barrel I just got.
It's not an AR barrel, it's a 10.5 uzi SMG barrel.
It is AWESOME! Chrome lined, fit and finish are excellent, and accurate as hell.
Beats the crap out of the IMI barrel.

So, I am sure they put the same quality into AR barrels.

sorry had to reply to this thread as well.  Notice (and it's not that bad on this thread) that whenever a dissy thread is started, the mid-lengthers come out of the woodwork...(no offense to you SMGLee, you're one of the rare midlengthers out there not trashing the dissy.)  I've also noticed that very few if any dissy supporters defect.  Not meant to start a pissing war, just making an observation.  Personally I love the dissy and would'nt have it any other way.  The midlengths are nice but doesn't has the unique characteristics that us dissy owners crave.

Can't let the dissy get a bad rep.  If it's any help, I'll be ordering one from Bushmastah sometime next month.  It'll have an A3 upper, AK brake, and an ACE stock.  I'm gonna throw an EoTech on it, and maybe a Redi-mag (spare parts sitting around).

Long live the dissy.

Guess what I have coming, fellas?  Ha, I finally scraped up enough money (after paying for tuition) to purchase an A1 length Vltor Clubfoot stock for my Dissipator.

Here's the low-down:

--KKF lightened barrel (thin all the way under the handguards...points like a dream!)

--PRI flip up front sight

--Chopped carry handle

--The Wilderness single point sling and GGG single point adapter plate

--SureFire M962UO6 attached to HG's at six o'clock position via a GGG UFIR rail


Now, I'm just waiting on either an AIMPOINT or EOTECH.  I can get either cheap as heck...but I'm debating as to which one...but I'd rather have a TRIJICON TA31...ha, and I can get that one at cost, too...decisions, decisions.

DISSIPATORS ROCK!  I knew I made a good choice when I bought this thing!

Sounds like a nice setup. I am a huge Aimpoint fan, so thats where my vote goes.

I browsed the BM industry forums a few weeks ago, and saw a reply from a BM rep saying they fixed the indexing problems about a year ago.

Urbankaos04-

I envy you! You beat me to it. I was planning to build my Dissapator exactly as you are. The only difference would be a A1 length Standard Modstock (I already have a Clubfoot on my SR25) and I'm probably going to use an ACOG M4.

I was sold on this project after seeing Hawkeye's wonderful creation.

Make sure you get pictures of it when your finished.

LS

LordStoner:

Thanks!  I appreciate the compliment.

I'm also really thinking about whether I should get an ARMS SIR.  I really wouldn't want to put a forward pistol grip on the the standard HG's with the SF light already on there.  Seems like there's just too much stuff stressing the barrel.  The POA changed more than I had expected when adding the light.  I don't know if I'm being picky, but when does NOT having FF rail system come into consideration on a SEMI AUTO?  It just seems that the more the barrel heats up, the more impact the light and a forward grip would have on accuracy...right?  

Hey, what's an ACOG M4?  I'm still undecided between the EOTECH AND AIMPOINT.  I know the EOETECH is faster but the AIMPOINT is the winner in the batter life department.  But then again, I may just go with the TA31 and the DONUT OF DEATH!

I'm still working on getting a digital cam, but I'll try to post some pics...

Urban-

I would love to have a full length SIR, because I think it looks best with the rest of the combination of parts, especially with the Vltor Stock. The only thing I don't like about the SIR is how it feels. Sure it's OK with a vertical fore grip, but uncomfortable as a standard handguard. For my Dissy, I'm thinking of going with a full length Young or POF Free Float handguard or maybe the GG&G. Which ever offers the best quality for the lowest price.

I like the M4 ACOG (TA01 current issue), especially for the Dissy because of it's ability to reach out and "Get Some". If you have a longer barrel, why not use it. I use the M4 ACOG on my M4 and love it. I'll probably put my EOTech 552 on my M4 and put my ACOG on my Dissy. It will be the best combo of parts.

Once again, I look forward in seeing your final creation.

ls

Dont count on that. EOTech's are fast, no argument there. But I will use my Aimpoint against someone with an EOTech any time. Its more of the operator that the optic, when it comes to these two in my opinion. For ME, the EOTech reticle clutters up my vision too much and gives my eye too much to pay attention to. But thats just MY eyes. Thats why anyone trying to make this decision needs to look at BOTH first hand before deciding. In the right hands, I think both are pretty darn good.

Really? Thats one thing I like about the SIR, is the way it feels by itself. Especially the slimlines. Different strokes/different folks [;)]

I finally received my A1 length Vltor stock (Clubfoot)!  What can I say?  The fit and finish is first rate.  The cheek weld is great and the QD sling swivel is perfect.  I can't wait to try this thing out in an ITTS carbine class!

I have had no problems with mine...

You should have no problem with Bushmaster in general. My first AR which was Bushmaster 20" had an index problem. From send in to return was 6 days. I also got a new bolt and carrier with it.

In their owner's manual, VLTOR states that one can use VASELINE (PETROLEUM JELLY) to make the insertion of the accessory caps a bit easier.  But, doesn't VASELINE break down the rubber on the caps?  Isn't this the same reason that *AHEM* one shouldn't use this as lube in conjunction with "protection"?  [;D]

FYI "Protection" is usually LATEX not rubber.  Silicon should also work well on the rubber plugs.

Ooops...[:I]

FNG Dissipator owner here.

I decided on the Dissy profile upper so I could have the full sight radius along with a shorter barrel.  Built the rifle on a RRA lower.  So far it's the heat; no problems with windage alignment.  Took well under 20 rounds for initial zero and still had plenty of travel in both directions.  I can't wait until next September so's I can get me a flash hider.  

This was the first I've heard regarding buffer face wear, mine appears to be suffering from this malady.  Is it likely to become a life/death issue?  I'll also go read the links FMI.

Well, I just picked up a fluted Dissipator with an AK brake.

Love it.  Simply wicked.  No problems here.  Love that carbine.