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Posted: 3/9/2005 5:32:40 PM EDT
| Is anyone using one of these? I got one mistakenly and I could'nt believe how crappy it looks. It has tool marks and fileing marks all over it. How can a company put out such a shitty looking product? To top it off the carrier key screws were not staked so I checked to see how tight they were, they came right out there was'nt even any lock-tite on them or anything! I've never seen a bolt carrier so poorly made. |
I bought one from J&T about a year ago, they would'nt tell me who the manufacturer was over the phone so I just waited to see what I got when it came in. Sure as shit it was a DPMS assembly. I was'nt very happy with J&T or DPMS. The thing looked like a monkey machined it using hand tools. Needless to say it went right back where it came from. |
| I've got a couple of DPMS carriers, but everything else that came with them is park'd (bolt, carrier key, cam pin, etc.). The carriers look like shit, but are smooth where it matters, on the bearing surfaces. As long as the bearing surfaces are smooth, the bore is smooth and the place where the carrier key seats is smooth and flat, the rest is just there for show. They run fine. Take care of these carrier key screws, though. Stake and Loctite, although a proper staking job is adequate by itself. |
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I bought a DPMS chromed carrier assy and after receipt I was a little skeptical due to the appearance so I also purchased a RR Enhanced carrier assy as a spare (just in case). Other than a problem with the chromed retaining pin not wanting to seat in the chromed assy I have had no problems at all. ......bought spare retaining pins for less than 70 cents each. The chromed assy is easy to clean. Chuck |
| FWIW, I also forgot to mention that the countersunk hole for the firing pin retaining pin was too deep, when the retaining pin was insterted fully, the end of it stuck out of the other side of the carrier and it was enough that it would probably hit on the inside of the receiver. |
| Well, I decided to give this carrier the benefit of the doubt, I put some red lock-tite on the carrier key screws and staked them. I'm not going to use the chrome bolt, the finish just does'nt look right on it and I don't want a KABOOM so I put a Colt M16 bolt in it with a Colt cam pin, firing pin and retaining pin. I think I should be good to go because the bolt is the criticle part in there. |
| My DPMS chrome bolt carrier is great, easy to clean and everything else is parked. The carrier keys were staked on mine. There are some tool marks, but nothing like some people make it out to be. Either some of the old ones were pretty ugly or some people are making them out worse than they really are. Mine's functioned fine so far. |
 Rock: No wonder mine are so bad. You got all the good ones. The lower was ordered as chrome but don't know what I got but as you can see the finish is wearing after less than 100 rounds. Wish I could of got the upper one in focus because its just as bad. Its there titanium finish thats suppposed to look like Saddams Gold AK instead of something his camel did. I also have the non optional no extra charge marks ahead of the gas tube to round it out. I know a lot of you are satisfied with your DPMS products but if you had spent as much on return postage as I have sending back uppers, barrels, lowers and other parts you would stop buying it also. I'm beginning to believe everything I have from them was built on the day after the Christmas party. They stand behind there products and replace them but I only wish they would give frequent flyer miles for the returns because I would be on my third round the world cruise. |
| Does anyone have pictures of different brand chrome assy's similar to these (up close I mean)? This is good info and we need some comparisons of the machine marks on other brands at the same points. Needs to be pictures of chrome though since park hides most everything... |
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Bushmaster and DPMS No problems with either Gun http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-10/443353/BOLT11.jpg |
lol, yeah me too. 2k I meant  And who the hell cares about tooling marks as long as the weapon cycles smoothly. You never even see the bolt except for when you clean it...My AK is full of tool marks and it works. Safe Queens and metrosexuals...what the hell is the world coming to... |
Damn that one does look bad. I don't see how a company can let shit like this out on the market, especially when you have other companies bolt carriers which are so much better made to campare them too. You think somebody at DPMS would be embarassed about such a crappy looking product? I'm sure the DPMS carrier will function fine, but damn! They are not cheap, you think you'd get something that looks a little better made. 
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The chrome is wearing off after less than 100rds? Yikes! 
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Must be real crap, I have Old Colt Chrome carriers that were first put into service in the early 60s that have God only Knows how many rounds through them that are still bright & Shiny. |
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I think its only fair to point out that I have several pieces of DPMS gear that both function and look well. I still believe your odds of receiving a good piece of DPMS gear is very high. I believe I have been extremely unfortunate in receiving the amount of bad components I have. I have been treated in both a fair and punctual fashion with the returns but question one aspect of it. Why does the unfortunate consumer bite the bullet for any portion or shipping charges for defects that turn out to be the manufacturers. Add the time it takes to pack it up and get it to the post office. In my case that is a 60 mile round trip by boat or snowmobile to the nearest spot that mail can occasionally be flow into. My latest involves a lower that was returned once, replaced, returned and its replacement is on the way back. In each case I had to repack, mail at my expense plus all the FFL paper fun. A lot of firms add a handling charge to the actual shipping and I wonder why that isn't the case with items returned without the manufacture contesting the problem. I realize there is abuse to the return thing but we all seem to pay the price for that. I didn't make any of these posts to irritate satisfied DPMS customers but felt it was just as bad to omit my experiences as whine about them. I also doubt if anything will be done about a one up problem from some cranky bush rat in Alaska but it may take a different turn when multiples are posted on a public forum. I've had several issues which are not functional but cosmetic issues which are not a biggie with me other than the fact I paid as much as the next guy for it and expect it be done right the first time. I have said before DPMS can make a high quality product but consistency is my issue. I have chosen to no longer fund this lack of consistency. Like most I would much rather make posts about how well it works. |
MP testing involves firing a proof load (one that is about double what would normally be considered safe) then pulling it all apart and magnafluxing it to see if anything cracked. If it survives that then you know it'll be fine for whatever you need it to do. |
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I've used a lot of DPMS parts and have no complaints. However, I'm helping somebody else out with an AR and his chromed DPMS lower has a very small burr on it that has scratched the inside of the upper pretty good. It isn't even so much of a burr as a very small dent on the edge of a rail that displaced a little metal and wasn't caught before it was chromed. The bottom right rail has a bevel machined into the very front edge of the rail but the bottom left rail is square instead of beveled and it is that ledge that got very lightly dinged. Now that I now exactly where to look I can see it if the light hits it just right I'd post a pic but I seem to have misplaced my digital camera. |
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