I have a chance to buy a pre ban Olympic Arms that was built in 93, and shot very little.  I know the ban sunsets in a year however, i dont trust that a new ban won't come around.  Are there any problems with OA ar's of this year build?

Thanks...

My pre-ban oly is flawless...no issues w/ it at all. If you can get your hands on it, you might want to try a couple mags in it to see if the mag well is really tight. Some people have had that problem...I never did though.

Just a thought...

Both of mine were badly out of spec. One was a Mod. MFR....the other is a OLY/SGW Car-Ar

Good thing is that Olympic will remanufacture(read replace) out of spec preban lowers for you.....same serial # so the replacement retains preban status. THey quoted me about $160 including shipping last week for this process.

I had to do some serious dremelling on a brand new bushmaster upper's lugs to get it to mate with the Mod. MFR lower and use emory cloth to open up the magwell enough to accept MOST of my USGI mags....thermolds won't seat at all.

With the SGW only about 30% of my usgi mags will seat properly. This ones going back to Oly.

GreenMountainPatriot and I both have the same model and they both came from the same guy originally so it really is hit or miss. Another friend of mine has the exact same model mod. mfr...also from the same guy and his is perfect too!!!

Damn the luck.

Bring a spare upper and see if it fits and also bring a couple mags and make sure they seat and lock the bolt open on the last shot. If I'd thought of that when I bought my first one I could have saved myself a WHOLE lot of time, $$ and aggravation.

I'd say if you can swap out uppers with no problem and the mags fit correctly, go for it!

I have a pre-ban Oly made in '93.

It is a great shooter.  Fit and finish are great too.  Overall a great M4gery.

Well the guy is in TX and im in NC so going to see it is out.  I went ahead and got it from him.  I just have to send the $$ and the FFL to him now.

Now just need a RDIAS :)

I have a preban oly.  The only thing I don't like is it looks as if it wasn't sand blasted prior to anodizing.  They also used general purpose anodizing back then, I believe, instead of hard coat.

I am thinking of re-anodizing the sucker after sanding it down and blasting.

I have an old SGW (Oly) from 84.  It fires flawlessly and tight.  Many LE types use Oly for this reason.

If your Oly Arms has a problem, it will be covered by their life time warranty.  Many people seem to forget about that.  They are also the only manufacturer that will replace/ rebuild your damaged lower with your same serial number.  This could be important if another version of the AWB goes into play.

My 94ish (not sure of the exact age) Oly lower works great with my Bushy and Armalite uppers.

Oly used to advertise their upper/lowers as a 'matched set' that were tightly fitted. Not a good idea if you want to use different uppers. I had one that would not take all uppers, kind of hit or miss. And the mag well was tight with some mags. Other than that quality was OK. Sold it.

Mack

I have an SGW Oly.  I love it, the only problem that I have is the trigger guard/plate has started to loose its blueing.  I don't mind, and haven't tried to fix it, I think it gives it character.

Ive got a 93 mfg 11.5" shorty.. Love the thing.. No problems except finish. Looks like no blasting before anodizing.. Took care of that with a trip to John Norell Arms. Same finish as my post ban Bushmaster now.. Itll shoot whatever I put through it. No hiccups.
Talk about a tight upper/lower fit!! You almost need a punch to get the takedown pins to push thru. Bought this one from a SWAT officer in Kansas. It was his entry gun so its got kind of a cool history to it.. John

I've got a TBOR preban Oly that is fantastic.  Mated to an RRA flat top upper.  Color matches almost perfectly.  Haven't had a problem yet.

If the reciever says oly on the side, its a 50 50 chance that its a piece of crap.
PAT

Glockfan, I know you have issues with Olympic, but I don't think you were ever specific.  The lack of details has made me wonder about your reason for posting as you do.

Which Olympic Arms product did you own?  Exactly what was the problem, and how did you procede with trying to get Olympic to correct the problem?

I have had no problems whatsoever with my Olympic. Support has been great for the questions I did have. And if I did have issues, the Olympic Lifetime warranty speaks for itself and is rare in the firearms industry. I find many of the people who badmouth Olympic have never owned one. I also have a Bushmaster, and while it is a fine rifle, I personally don't think it was worth paying $200 more for a name.
Just my opinion. One other thing to consider, Olympic makes all their parts in house. Not many other AR sellers can say that, not even Colt.

A_Free_Man
END

Thats where your mistaken I have posted specifics several times.

Ok here goes again in 1996 I purchased an Oly Ultramatch from the factory though a dealer. I ordered it with HK PSG1 style grips and a set trigger. When the rifle arrived the grips were missing. (these were sent a week late) The floating handguard was loose. The bi pod hole was drilled 20 degrees off. Its like the realized they drilled it off and then loosened the handguards so it would not be sitting lopsided. Ok now for the bad stuff. I took it to the range and I noticed my cases were buldging in the rear. (factory federal match ammo and American eagle ball ammo) I was told to send just the upper back to them. I sent it in. I was told the chamber was not in spec and they would replace the barrel. I said fine. Well I waited and waited. 3 months rolled around I asked about the rifle. They said it would be just a bit longer. I waited to 6 months. Same story. I asked why they said I would have to wait for that particular type of barrel to be made. They offered to replace the barrel with a less expensive one. (they did not offer to refund the price difference) I said no. It was their fault they needed to make it right. I waited some more. At 10 months or so they started to say it was in the mail. After a few more weeks I called. They said they made a mistake but it would ship soon. I did not get my upper back for over 14 months in all. That is bullcrap. Wait its not over. I started shooting the thing and its doing ok not great but about 1 moa to 1.25 mao. At around 500 to 1000 rounds the trigger starts to double then tripple. I called up oly. They said the trigger was a sub contractor and not their problem. They said I was on my own. I installed a JP trigger and the problem went away. Oly has been the single worst company I have delt with. After being a firearms instructor I found I was not alone in my discontent for oly arms. I found that many others out there have had more problems with this brand of AR15 than any other. That specific enough.
PAT

Well sounds like you have had issues with them. I have an '87 OLY and it Jams, two rounds in the chamber. I know it's because the chamber is too small. Forged receiver with a nice tight 16" upper. I also know that any AR-15 rifle is just way, way too tempermentle and I have had it with all of them. Colt, Bushmaster, Oly, all of them. It's sad when a $300 sheet metal communist piece of crap out performs the AR-15. The round sucks too and is just inferior. My mags are perfect, rifle is spotless, no matter which ammo I fire it jams. Every AR type rifle I have shot and that's been alot, I was shooting the tri-angle Colt's as a kid when you couldn't give them away. To say one AR is better then the next is just wrong. They all jam and if they don't, the tiniest little spec of dirt and it jams, the wind blows and it jams. I am selling my Oly pre-ban and buying another FAL. Sorry guys I have been a loyal AR-15 fan my entire life but like the Chicago Bears, I have just had it they are simply garbage and the design is flawed by nature. Anyone want to buy a pre-ban Oly let me know. I will keep the Colt just because people are foolish enough to believe it's better. Do you guys realize had it not been for one day of politics and scheming by Springfield in the 50's  Arctic tests, the M14, another useless weapon would have never been adopted by the military. The military had adopted the FAL and if they had never been duped by the match grade hand polished M-14's the AR-15 would be this weird weapon some guy named Stoner messed with in the 50's and you'd all be shooting FAL's. These rifles are a result of politics derived from the uselessness of the M-14. I know, I know the national match M1A is the best thing since beer in a can...yeah...yeah. Anyone want to buy a pre-ban let me know. Glad I'm not carrying an M-4 in the sand.

patriot73,
from your post it is obvious you know little to nothing regarding the AR-15's reasons and origins so I'll leave you where I found you - ignorant.

(Let's see now the M-16 has been in service for almost fort.....................   )

5sub

patriot73
Other than the Oly I have had good luck with my AR15's. I currently carry a Colt M4 as a patrol rifle and it runs fine and does not malfunction so long as I maintain it. It runs int he harsh sandy cold conditions here in Alaska. You just need to follow the manual and use proper lubercation for your climate. I have had AK's that jam up here. The round is the best thing going for police work. It has excellent stopping power inside 200 yards or so. It does not overpenetrate. It sounds like you need to learn a bit more about what your talking about before opening your mouth.
PAT

Yeah and it was also found broken down in the dead hands of 18 year old GI's in Vietnam as they tried to get them to not only not jam but to simply work. Sorry my friend but I have quite the experience with the AR-15 family of rifles and although they may run right some of the time, I have personally had it with them. I love how some of you take this simple trivial piece of machinery and make it out like there are all these secrets that only a few chosen genuises can figure out. The simple fact is that all semi-auto rifles are the most basic peice of machinery probably found anywhere and it doesn't take any special hidden knowledge to understand their operations. My god, I can't think of anything easier and more basic to work on then a semi-auto rifle, maybe a bicycle? That's funny stuff. What I said was true about the FAL and the M-14 this is not a fantasy, it is fact, do some research. The M-14 has been improved and seems like more and more are being used in Iraq, why is that I wonder? It couldn't be because of any possible inherent design flaws of the Stoner rifle could it? Or the round? You can't even hunt deer with that round where I live! They view it as inhumane because it cannot guarntee a clean kill. I was pissed at my Oly this morning after getting back from the range yesterday and having it jam, jam, jam, jam, jam while shooting match grade ammo and then shooting filthy russian ammo through a piece of crap SAR with ZERO problems. Wouldn't that frustrate you? I wasn't attacking anyone personally so for you to call me ignorant would not be fair, I did not personally attack you, just gave an opinion of my experiences with Oly's and AR's in general. I'd trade my Oly pre-ban for an old pickup if I could.

Yeah Pat it sounds like you are a cop in Alaska, I wouldn't imagine you need you M-4 to perform at all except possibly when you are playing so maybe you should consider that before opening your mouth. Alaska is a long way from the sand my friend, where we're you in 91? In Alaska playing with AR-15's? Don't tell me about manuals please. If you are going to try to tell me that an M-4 runs fine with the low pressure of sub-arctic conditions, than you must be in South Alaska and not understand physics. Would you like to speak with my cousin in Falujah about his M-4? How about my brother-in-law in Afganistan? Maybe you can yank my old man out of the grave and tell him he was wrong about the superiority of the M-16 in Vietnam. Maybe you can tell my Stepfather (A CHICAGO Cop and decorated 2nd Batallion 8th Vet from Vietnam about the AR-15. I said they are tempermentale and yes officer, that would include lube. Patrol rifle? What do you patrol in Alaska? Moose? Don't insult the real world officer, keep playing in the woods with your lubed up rifle. It's amazing how quick you people are to talk out the sides of your ass and insult people. I'm sure your M-4 is keeping the hardened dangerous streets of Alaska safe for the locals. I'll send you my Oly, maybe you can show me how to read a book and lube it.

"Good thing is that Olympic will remanufacture(read replace) out of spec preban lowers for you.....same serial # so the replacement retains preban status. THey quoted me about $160 including shipping last week for this process."

About six months ago, I bought a pre-ban SGW AR. I had read about being able to send in my old receiver and have Oly manufacture me a new one. I never read any posts where anyone had actually done this. So, I actually did this. No problem at all. I got back a beautiful new receiver with my serial number. It is also stamped with the SGW stop sign.
There was nothing wrong with my original lower. But the dealer I bought it from discovered that it contained a number of M16 fire control parts, so he replaced the parts with junk he had lying around. The parts he used looked bad to me, so I decided to replace all the lower parts. At that point I thought, what the heck ? For another $160 I can also replace the whole lower receiver. So I now have a brand spanking new pre-ban lower.

Yeah Pat it sounds like you are a cop in Alaska, I wouldn't imagine you need you M-4 to perform at all except possibly when you are playing so maybe you should consider that before opening your mouth. Alaska is a long way from the sand my friend,
END

Laughing my butt off. Guess what all the houses in my are built on. Not on concrete foundations but rather SAND PADS and steel pilings because of the permafrost. Alaska is a big place we have our share of sand in western Alaska in fact its so extreem here that weapons maintnence is a huge issue with all our guns. As for being an Alaska cop we have our share of shootings in the last frontier. And the 223 has performed well for agencies up here. I have taken my M4 on more gun calls than I care to remember. I have not had to take a life yet and I am happy about that. But my rifle has served me just fine in some very harsh training conditions. Again time for you to shut your mouth and open your ears and learn from those that know a thing or two. I could try to explain how my department has one of the highest call volumes in the state and how I have probably handled more sexual assualts and DV's than any cop you know. But I would probably be wasting my breath. Grow up.
PAT

I am grown up Pat and unfortunately your experience lacks mine. I will humbly duck out of this conversation now you have zero clue what you are talking about. You don't know me and I don't know you but bragging about DV calls and sexual assault calls is unnerving to me. Down here, those are the things that make you want to leave the job. You have obviously never been to Chicago. This is not what this conversation was supposed to be about and I am not going to argue with you. Thank you for serving as a LEO it is a noble trade and a bitch of a job, you have my utmost respect and brotherhood. I hope you never feel in your heart what you have never had to  do, regardless of the circumstance. Be safe, it's a tough job. I am done with this thread and I apologize to anyone I offended.
God Bless America

I have never been to Chicago and I am sure as a cop there you have been on some harry calls and perhaps losts some friends. What offended me is you assume since I am in Alaska my experience is different. Fortunately I have not lost any friends from my agency. But I have lost friends I have made in other agencies. Its not a brag when I was talking about call volume. It was to simply illistrate that all areas big and small have their problems. Personally I would not live in Chicago as I could not live with your state's gun laws and I like wide open spaces. I will admit there are many subjects I don't know much about. And when confronted with those I stay back and listen. When it comes to AR15's I feel I have gathered enough training, experience and time with the weapons to speak in a qualified manner. I can assure you that the AR15 will run in artic conditions so long as you use dry lube and use good ammo. It will run like a dog if you pack it with oil. I trust my rifle because it has proven to me time and time again it will run.
PAT

Now there's a couple things we agree on. Illinois gun laws although not as bad as some would like them to be suck and it's a constant battle with the wrong politicians to keep your rights in tact. Man i could use the wide open spaces, I hate the city, love the country. When my daughter is in college, I'm outta here. (Divorced, typical huh)? Sorry man, I'm sure it's no cake walk up there. Always wanted to do some hunting up there, maybe we'll see each other some time.