anyone familair w/ Olympic Arms Plinker Plus? if you are, can you tell the ups and downs of the rifle? im thinking about getting one soon. i just want to know what im buying. thanks

Plinkereye

You are going to get the full meal deal on this one.  Some peeps here hate them / others don't & some don't care.

I own one Oly and it's a preban ( which is far higher quality than a 'plinker' model ) Mine has a forged reciever and has never dissapointed me. I bought it used a few years ago for around $950 I think.

If I were in your shoes I would shop for a nice used gun via EE here or locally. You get alot more bang for your buck when you are not shelling out the big $$ for a brand new off the shelf rifle.

Not to hi-jack your thread or anything, but I am in WA and have a near new Bushie / scope & custom case package that I just put on EE here. Click here to see the EE ad for the Bushmaster.

I am headed off shooting in a bit so feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. I think I have the complete set-up priced around $925.

Best of luck

The new Olys are very good rifles,I am gonna get another with A3 top soon

Plinker plus upper and lower are FORGED. Upper is A1, other than that it is just like a PCR-5.

mark

You can build a nice RRA/mega rifle in the 600$ range. Just depends on what options you want.

I have a pretty much bottom of the line RRA setup and it shoots sub-moa with a cheapo simmons scope.

Its a post-ban CAR 16'' barrel...non-chrome lined. mega lower blah blah blah.

I have not had a single hiccup out of this rifle. I love it.

I have one.

Can't say much because I'm nothing but pleased.

I bought a Plinker Plus the first part of October, 2004.  The only problem I have with it is that I do not get  enough chances to go shoot it.  I am no expert on any of the other makes, in fact  this is the first  and only AR-15 I have ever fired.  I am glad I did not  learn of all the problems others claim to have had with Oly Arms in the distant past until after I purchased and fired the Plinker Plus.  I would recommend the Plinker Plus to anyone who wants a AR-15 to go the the range or elsewhere and plink.  It seems to be fine for other types of shooting, but  I have not  tryed to do that yet.

Oly is one of the worst makers there is.  Don't waste your money.  for a few extra hundred buck you can get a decent rifle.

If you'll notice Oly was run off of this site years ago.  There were various reasons, but one of them was hostilities from the people they suckered with their shitty guns.

There representative was full of excuses for the TIGHT CHAMBERS and out of spec fire control pin hole.  He is a moron, and is on bad terms with the good guys that make up this site.

I've personally seen some of the abominations that come from that shit factory of theirs.  Any company that has a whole system of remaking junk receivers that should never have been released to the public in the first place, sucks ass in my book.

When I was new to ARs, I almost made the OLY MISTAKE, but someone saved me.  So I try to save people from this bad decision too, whenever I get the chance.

You must be the expert on Oly Arms products. Thanks for the professional review of their products form someone who admits he never owned their product.. Your comments might hold weight if it were not for the personnal attacks.

You must be the expert on Oly Arms products. Thanks for the professional review of their products form someone who admits he never owned their product.. Your comments might hold weight if it were not for the personnal attacks.

+1

Ive made up my mind. im not getting a plinker plus now cause i want A2 sights. i'd buy the plinker plus only if it had A2 sights. its gonna be my first time building a lower. im getting a Grizzly lower reciever and a full upper kit from Model 1. hope thats a good combo.

I agree...heres a purchase that comes straight out of legend that noone would probably believe...especially if they have never owned an Oly(highlighted to show certain aspects that arent normally considered a good thing from some but sometimes are)

Got Married
Went to the local gunshop with my Shotgun News
Told him i wanted the Oly Arms Plinker in the ad (1st edition plinker Cast upper, lower, fsb A1 sight all that)
Ad was Joeken
Waited about 4 months
Got my Oly Arms Plinker
Actually says PLINKER on the lower

Never failed me once I did replace a spring and detent once

Isnt my only but will always be my first AR

Quoted: Oly is one of the worst makers there is.  Don't waste your money.  for a few extra hundred buck you can get a decent rifle. If you'll notice Oly was run off of this site years ago.  There were various reasons, but one of them was hostilities from the people they suckered with their shitty guns. There representative was full of excuses for the TIGHT CHAMBERS and out of spec fire control pin hole.  He is a moron, and is on bad terms with the good guys that make up this site. I've personally seen some of the abominations that come from that shit factory of theirs.  Any company that has a whole system of remaking junk receivers that should never have been released to the public in the first place, sucks ass in my book. When I was new to ARs, I almost made the OLY MISTAKE, but someone saved me.  So I try to save people from this bad decision too, whenever I get the chance.

Agreed. Get a better rifle (anything else).

P.S. I am proud to be an ex-olympic arms owner.

My Oly has an A2 upper.

All the negative Oly stuff is 100% based on old old problems that were addressed and corrected YEARS AGO.

The passion to hate the name still remains in some however.

The Chrysler "K" Car was a piece of shit, but it didn't stop me from buying a new Jeep Wrangler two years ago.

Some people on this site are still pissed off that Braniff went bankrupt.

My 2 cents. My first Ar was an Oly A1 kit back in the early eighties, they were cheaper than the BUSHY, although I think they made lowers for BM at that time. I opted for the SS Bbl up grade. ALL of the lower part were out of spec or crap. After replacing trigger, hammer, and sear the lower function. NOW the SS barrel chamber was real tight-at that time you could rent a chamber reamer from SGW/OLY. Luckly a local gunsmith reamed out the chamber for me. The rifle functions and is dependable now. I ordered two more kit in 89, one being a CAR, both had the plain barrel. The chambers were tight on these, the uppers and lowers were out of spec, and the worst slathered on finish. Right before the ban, I ordered a BM rifle, an OLY 9mm upper and at least two OLY lowers. ALL the items came in before the ban. The finish on the Oly Lowers were A++ and they went together without a hitch, the lower parts were excellent! The 9mm upper was a tack driver, and would eat any type of ammo using STEN mags. The BM rifle was another story, the fit and finish was excellent, and Never missed a beat at the firing range. I wished I had purchased all BM products from the start. I put a complete BM upper on one of the new Oly lowers and have no complaints. I called Oly about replacing the out of spec, crap finished 1989 parts, they basicaly told me to piss up a rope. I bought the 9mm upper because back then it was either them or a complete Colt 9mm. I bought the Oly 93 lowers only because of the ban. In early 04, I bought some RRA lowers off the EE because they were real cheap (89 bucks shipped), I must say the fit,finish and function is just as good as my BM. No doubt in the late 80's Oly had some problems, and I think you have to hold their feet to the fire on the lifetime warranty. YMMV- Just my opinion, one who has three complete Olys, 1 car, 1 A1, and 9mm rifle. I would buy a RRA or BM before I bought another Oly.  

Quoted: All the negative Oly stuff is 100% based on old old problems that were addressed and corrected YEARS AGO.

This was months ago for me. And my issue with them was not the fact that their rifle was a POS, it was the f-you attitude that I recieved when I contacted them.

Make no mistakes about it - Oly don't give a @#^& about their customers.

Bushy or RRA are better bets.

(How many people do you EVER hear that are this pissed at either of those companies?)

Well, actually, I seem to hear plenty of people complain about Bushmaster to be frank.

I would attribute that to the volume of Bushmasters sold.

There are ALWAYS stories about poor customer service with ANY company.

Never the less, I have a $700 model from Olympic that has a Bushmaster equalivalent which costs $1000 or more. I am not in Iraq. I do not shoot 18,000 rounds per year. Chrome or no-chrome, I get great accuracy and no problems at the range, or on the ranch with mine.

But that's just me. If money were not an issue, I would buy all the most expensive shit I could. In this case, it would be Colt all the way. However, I don't have tons of money to spend on this sort of crap, so I bought an Olympic. Cadillacs are great, but Chevys work just fine.

i have owned Oly Arms rifles, several actually, an I had some minor quality problems with some of their rifles back in the early 90's. About the time of the AWB, Oly came around and started to produce some good quality lowers(imo), I was pleased with them anyway.  No complaints, except for the match chambers on "combat" guns . Their great for match guns !!!  Poor choice for a gun that might see some combat or some REAL field use.... yes Im talking about the ones you actually take out of the safe and get "dirty".

Anywho.... Oly is a decent mfg. However... IMO You can do better and you can do worse.

~D~

SNS

(AR15 mfg)

Quoted: Well, actually, I seem to hear plenty of people complain about Bushmaster to be frank.

Post a thread asking "who hates bushy" and see how many reply compared to the one titled "who hates oly".

Read the rest of my post, Rickyj.

Quoted: Read the rest of my post, Rickyj.

I did. Maybe I misunderstood it.

I purchased my RRA for less than my oly. And it is a lot better.

My Oly is just fine. Haven't cleaned it in forever and it still goes bang everytime I pull the trigger. It is by far the cheapest quality AR out there. Don't worry about getting one.... Any of their PCR series is great

I've been to the Oly site, but the Plinker Plus doesn't list the caliber heap
Thanks,

- Chris.

Came to ARs fairly recently.  Had several FALs and AKs first.  Finally wanted an AR.  Now there are 3 of them in the family.  One of them is factory built M-4 style, one is all Oly from a kit, and the final one is an A1 style with a mix of Oly parts with an unused gov't A-1 front end.  Don't have anything to compare them to, but they run just fine for me.  Go boom when I pull the trigger, and eject everytime.  The quality and fit seem very good, definitely comparable with the rest that I've seen in the stores and at the gunshow.  Of course YMMV.

Right now I own 3 AR15 rifles. An Oly Car97-M4, DPMS AP4/M4 clone, and a Bushy 20". And I'll tell you right now that the Bushy gave me problems first with less rounds through it compared to the other two rifles.  The better brand with the chrome lining that cost around $300 more failed me. Some people will say, "oh its just a lemon, you must have bad luck".

I say the same thing to people that have had Oly experiances. But many more have had positive experiances. Furthermore I promise you that much of the negative experiances are just people saying what they heard somewhere else on this forum and have actual zero experiance with Oly

I have both rifles sitting 4 feet away from me and I'll tell you right now, the Oly has a better upper to lower fit, better finish, and no failures. Once I get the Bushy in order I'll love it to death again, but in no way is it  totally above and beyond my Oly....

Quoted: I've been to the Oly site, but the Plinker Plus doesn't list the caliber  Seems too cheap to be a .223 - I'd hate to order a .22.  I just want somethig in the upper $500 range & that looks perfect for me.  Used will work, but new is always better IMO  You said you got it for $575, but the site I saw lists it at $599.  Is there something else out there ?? Thanks, - Chris.

The plinker plus is a 5.56 rifle that hovers from $500 - $600. It's vastly improved since the ban folded so make sure you get a ban free model if you go that route. Here are some recent photos of the new version

I've seen a couple posts about some people having difficulty getting a hand on 5.56 ammo & I don't remember seeing anything other than .223 at walmart.  are 5.56 & .223 interchangeable, or will I have to have machining done? Is that level of mod even necessary? I plan on buying huge lots of cheap ammo anyway (not sure about wolf - people seem to have mixed feelings with them) but I want to be sure if I go camping and realize I remembered the hotdogs but forgot the bullets, that they can be found without having to locate a gun shop when wally-world is on the way.

If you have a 5.56MM chamber you can shoot both. but not vice versa.

Anything chambered for 5.56 will accept .223 without a problem. Oly's are chambered for 5.56

If it's chambered for .223 then 5.56 will be a problem. Hope this makes sense, I'm tired

Quoted: I've been to the Oly site, but the Plinker Plus doesn't list the caliber  Seems too cheap to be a .223 - I'd hate to order a .22.

The Plinker Plus *IS* a .223 rifle.

mark

Quoted: Oly is one of the worst makers there is.  Don't waste your money.  for a few extra hundred buck you can get a decent rifle. If you'll notice Oly was run off of this site years ago.  There were various reasons, but one of them was hostilities from the people they suckered with their shitty guns. There representative was full of excuses for the TIGHT CHAMBERS and out of spec fire control pin hole.  He is a moron, and is on bad terms with the good guys that make up this site. I've personally seen some of the abominations that come from that shit factory of theirs.  Any company that has a whole system of remaking junk receivers that should never have been released to the public in the first place, sucks ass in my book. When I was new to ARs, I almost made the OLY MISTAKE, but someone saved me.  So I try to save people from this bad decision too, whenever I get the chance.

Thanks for contributing absolutely nothing, MORON.

In November I picked up an Oly K3B Mil 4, their M4gery, and I could not be more pleased. Right out of the box it shot 1" groups at 50 yards with iron sights. I have no doubt that it will shoot much tighter but I haven't picked up an AR-15 in about 15 years...my only regret is that I don't have more range time

This weekend I am picking up a Mega lower so that I can build up a 20" A2 with an Oly kit and a case of Lake City ammo...

I own one AR. That is my Oly Plinker Plus. It has never failed. I love it. NIB for $579. Forged upper and lower. Had to add the CAR.

http://home.comcast.net/~szfmj2/AR-15_CAR_4.jpg

Not a bad picture for your first post

Just remember having one...no matter by what make is never enough

Quoted: Oly is one of the worst makers there is.  Don't waste your money.  for a few extra hundred buck you can get a decent rifle. If you'll notice Oly was run off of this site years ago.  There were various reasons, but one of them was hostilities from the people they suckered with their shitty guns. There representative was full of excuses for the TIGHT CHAMBERS and out of spec fire control pin hole.  He is a moron, and is on bad terms with the good guys that make up this site. I've personally seen some of the abominations that come from that shit factory of theirs.  Any company that has a whole system of remaking junk receivers that should never have been released to the public in the first place, sucks ass in my book. When I was new to ARs, I almost made the OLY MISTAKE, but someone saved me.  So I try to save people from this bad decision too, whenever I get the chance.

Sorry Markie Mark, but I just couldn't take you Bulls**t this time. Get your facts straight Olyhater.

Oly was not "run off of this board". Not by any stretch of any sane imagination, just your warped puss-pocket you call a head.

Oly was the FIRST factory to have reps on this board and they served it well. That was back when it was just a mailing list rather than an html based forum. The weapons used to create the first logos for ARCom were photo's supplied by Oly. Long before your unmitigated bias came on board this forum. Oly is the company that gave ARFcom legitimacy and did much to help it grow, including DONATING time, resources, and products for give away to this and the Shooters.com forums, only to be utterly CRAPPED on by the ARFcom staffers later on. I remember it all well. You were probably getting your diapers changed when that happened.

Oly LEFT this board voluntarily, under disgusting situations of unfairness and exstortion by the staff at ARFcom. They were being forced to pay for advertising in order to keep a factory forum on this board while other manufacturers were left, and still are left, to have forums without ever having paid a dime. Oly left becaue of the favoritism shown to some manufacturers so that ARFcom would not get sued out of existance for using a trademarked name in their URL (hint, hint...). A little first class begging and arse kissing by the staffers seemed to allow that to blow over.....for now. Perhaps it's time we resurect the problem with this "ABC" company that so many of you are enamored with. It can be done easily.....I don't see any disclaimers at the bottom of this page. Hmmmmmm......

Sorry, but I just couildn't take your garbage on this one. Whether you were aware of it or not, you need to get your facts straight before you spout off your well documented "I got an axe to grind" opinions, worth little more than a can of Dinty Moore beef stew, that are based on tainted retoric, rather than fact.

For themost part, i think we are all tired of your "Oly Sucks" diatribe based on the sickening over-embellished stories of "their stuff is inferior", or "theor customer service sucks because I was an asshole to the Oly reps on the phomne when they wouldn't give me a freebie that I did not deserve", or "their accuracy sucks becaue I can;t hit the borad side of a brn with a Street Sweeper", or the "Theor QC suckes because when I took my first AR apart that was an Oly I broke some parts and bet other and couldn't get humpty dumpty back together again".

We've heard it soooo maaaannny tttiiimmmmeessss before. PLEASE give us a break...

I feel much better now.....

The OLY receiver I purchased is just flat out nasty.

Mag well has ridges on the inside...
Front pivot pin holes drilled out of spec. Had to widen the hole by hand to get the pivot pin to engage the hole without seriously binding.
The roll pin hole for the trigger guard was drilled off spec and now the plastic trigger guard is contorted into a shallow U shape.  
The finish seems to be flaking off near the front and rear pivot pin holes. My other two lowers (rock river arms and Bushmaster) do not suffer from such an easily damaged finish.

That said this gun is a shooter, not a safe queen. However shooting good and looking nice (without flaking) are desirable in any rifle. Not necessary, but desireable.


I will not be purchasing oly products in the near future.

Sorry Markie Mark, but I just couldn't take you Bulls**t this time. Get your facts straight Olyhater. Oly was not "run off of this board". Not by any stretch of any sane imagination, just your warped puss-pocket you call a head. Oly was the FIRST factory to have reps on this board and they served it well. That was back when it was just a mailing list rather than an html based forum. The weapons used to create the first logos for ARCom were photo's supplied by Oly. Long before your unmitigated bias came on board this forum. Oly is the company that gave ARFcom legitimacy and did much to help it grow, including DONATING time, resources, and products for give away to this and the Shooters.com forums, only to be utterly CRAPPED on by the ARFcom staffers later on. I remember it all well. You were probably getting your diapers changed when that happened. Oly LEFT this board voluntarily, under disgusting situations of unfairness and exstortion by the staff at ARFcom. They were being forced to pay for advertising in order to keep a factory forum on this board while other manufacturers were left, and still are left, to have forums without ever having paid a dime. Oly left becaue of the favoritism shown to some manufacturers so that ARFcom would not get sued out of existance for using a trademarked name in their URL (hint, hint...). A little first class begging and arse kissing by the staffers seemed to allow that to blow over.....for now. Perhaps it's time we resurect the problem with this "ABC" company that so many of you are enamored with. It can be done easily.....I don't see any disclaimers at the bottom of this page. Hmmmmmm...... Sorry, but I just couildn't take your garbage on this one. Whether you were aware of it or not, you need to get your facts straight before you spout off your well documented "I got an axe to grind" opinions, worth little more than a can of Dinty Moore beef stew, that are based on tainted retoric, rather than fact. For themost part, i think we are all tired of your "Oly Sucks" diatribe based on the sickening over-embellished stories of "their stuff is inferior", or "theor customer service sucks because I was an asshole to the Oly reps on the phomne when they wouldn't give me a freebie that I did not deserve", or "their accuracy sucks becaue I can;t hit the borad side of a brn with a Street Sweeper", or the "Theor QC suckes because when I took my first AR apart that was an Oly I broke some parts and bet other and couldn't get humpty dumpty back together again". We've heard it soooo maaaannny tttiiimmmmeessss before. PLEASE give us a break... I feel much better now.....

Yea well thats nice and all but my lower is still funny lookin.

OLY is a great company.
They are extremely helpful if you need their help.  If you call with a hell of an attitude you will get the same in return.  That should be expected.
There are OLY bashers because they are high on some other brand and want to bash anything else.  Having 4 OLY's and putting thousands of rounds down range I know these are great firearms espicially for the price.  Make sure if you purchase any model that it has a 5.56 chamber.  markm has so much hate against OLY but I bet he has not shot a OLY manafactured in the past 5 years.
There will always be someone crying about them!!!!!!!!

why do Oly-off-the-shelf buyers dont complain and Oly-lower rec. builders complain? i changed my mind on buying the plinker plus, i dont want to fork out more money to buy a A2 top. im going to be using DPMS lower and Model 1 upper.

I bought a Plinker Plus for my first AR.  It's still my favorite.  I shoot the crap out of it.  It shoots .223 or 5.56  I have never had a problem with it at over 1K through it.  Whether I feed it Wolf or Black Hills, it loves it!  Go for it.  You'll love it.  

Originally posted by: Longhorn789: The Chrysler "K" Car was a piece of shit, but it didn't stop me from buying a new Jeep Wrangler two years ago. Some people on this site are still pissed off that Braniff went bankrupt.[/quote]

OLY..? now that was great beer.... back in the day....!!!

You may want to go with a J&T upper.
They feature an FN receiver with an ER Shaw barrell (same as colt).
They have a great quality product and are priced very well.

Quoted: Ive made up my mind. im not getting a plinker plus now cause i want A2 sights. i'd buy the plinker plus only if it had A2 sights. its gonna be my first time building a lower. im getting a Grizzly lower reciever and a full upper kit from Model 1. hope thats a good combo.

What I suggest is a flat top upper.   Gives you more flexability with sights.

After all this all I can say is I think I got the only good one ever made.
Although I am not normally a lucky person I plan to get another soon. Either I will continue to be very lucky or a glutton for punishment.
I have never had a problem with mine and it is easily the most accurate AR I have ever had. Including a Colt pre ban H Bar. It also has the best finish and fit of any I have ever owned or been issued. Frankly I have also witnessed much worse reliability and poor craftsmanship from some of the rifles you guys seem to have blind allegiance to.  

plinkereye,
Buy whatever you will feel most comfortable with. I am with you in that I would spend a little more to have adjustable A2 sights. Hope your search is satisfying .  If you are in Oregon it should not be hard to find someone in the future with an Oly you can check out. You may find that you will be surprised. For now get  what floats your boat.
Dave in Idaho
PS: For all you haters
My Dad can beat up your alcoholic, crack addict, butt ugly , 3rd step dad.
Or your real dad if you know who he is.

Quoted: The OLY receiver I purchased is just flat out nasty. Mag well has ridges on the inside... Front pivot pin holes drilled out of spec. Had to widen the hole by hand to get the pivot pin to engage the hole without seriously binding. The roll pin hole for the trigger guard was drilled off spec and now the plastic trigger guard is contorted into a shallow U shape.   The finish seems to be flaking off near the front and rear pivot pin holes. My other two lowers (rock river arms and Bushmaster) do not suffer from such an easily damaged finish. That said this gun is a shooter, not a safe queen. However shooting good and looking nice (without flaking) are desirable in any rifle. Not necessary, but desireable. I will not be purchasing oly products in the near future.

do you have pics?

Did you contact Oly? Their lifetime warranty means that they will replace anything on a stripped lower that is out of spec.

Did you talk to Tom S.?

Oly has been one of the brands with a higher amount of problems reported here over the years. While they may have improved their product recently, I feel that there are better options for an inexpensive AR.

Quoted: Oly LEFT this board voluntarily, under disgusting situations of unfairness and exstortion by the staff at ARFcom. They were being forced to pay for advertising in order to keep a factory forum on this board while other manufacturers were left, and still are left, to have forums without ever having paid a dime. Oly left becaue of the favoritism shown to some manufacturers so that ARFcom would not get sued out of existance for using a trademarked name in their URL (hint, hint...). A little first class begging and arse kissing by the staffers seemed to allow that to blow over.....for now. Perhaps it's time we resurect the problem with this "ABC" company that so many of you are enamored with. It can be done easily.....I don't see any disclaimers at the bottom of this page. Hmmmmmm......

Tom Spithaler acted like a first class jackass here and the time I met him in person he didn't impress me much more. Just because the owners of AR15.com have a business agreement with Colt doesn't mean that Olympic Arms is owed a free ride.

I had an Olyarms forged lower which I built up a CAR on and it was slightly out of spec in 2 ways: the mag well was tight and the take down pins were just a bit off so my FN upper would not fit without working the holes with a drill. The FN fit on my Colt no problem.  I sold that Oly because it was a preban, but to replace it I have a Colt 6920 rifle as well as a RRA lower on order. No more Olys for me, that's for sure.

My Oly lower works fine. Both of mine have. Newer ones look better though. Current production Oly stuff is of good quality, although I sometimes wonder about the logic they used in designing some of their products.

The Plinker has evolved from a cast receiver post-ban rifle into a forged receiver no-ban Plinker Plus. It is identical to the GI-16 with the exception that Plinker Plus's can't be ordered with custom features. A Plinker Plus is a Plinker Plus, in that exact configuration.

Other models in the Olympic line-up can be ordered with upgrades at the time of purchase, for the cost of the parts. A Plinker Plus is sold in one configuration only, without upgrade options at the time of purchase. You can do the upgrades yourself, later on, like almost any other AR.

As far as what Oly is up to these days in terms of new products and technologies....well, you're not gonna hear it here first. Tom has his own website where he communicates with those members of the AR15 community who are interested in what he has to say. I can't speak for anybody here at AR15, but there are people in the industry and the military who pay close attention to his website.

I find him highly entertaining and intelligent. (that was just to piss markm off.) BTW, Hi Mark!  Have a good year!

You know whats funny, oly makes parts fot the other "big" makers and then they stamp there name on them, then people have the nerve to say there better, what a joke, get a clue people!!!!

oly rules!