AR Sponsor
Posted: 7/7/2009 2:23:39 PM EDT
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I recently got a Bushmaster 20" HBAR rifle and have the chance to trade for a DPMS Panther Lite 16. I do like the fact it is lighter but it would be a trade off for the Bushy's chrome lined barrel and A3 upper. (DPMS is A1). Just want some opinions.
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| Keep the Bushmaster, the Panther lite is DPMS's cheapest gun($750), if it were an AP4 it would be a better trade but I would just re barrel the bushmaster with an M4 barrel and you will love it all over again, Bushmaster has some of the most accurate M4 barrels out there. |
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Keep the BM.
You can always have a machinist turn that HB between centers on a lathe to a lighter profile. Easy enough to refinish with mag park or moly resin. I did that to a heavy barreled 16" AR I had. It had a HB to keep the cost down originally. I cut it to a medium contour and took over a pound of weight off it. Made a huge difference in it's handling. Once the barrel is apart it's a half hour's work on the lathe. An evenings work for the whole project. I would keep the BM and just lighten it up! I have a HB 20" Bushy target rifle myself. I love it. But it is heavy. Turning that one down may be a project soon. Compared to the handling on my pencil barreled 20" old Colt SP, it feels like a Garand by comparison. |
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How many here own both? It is like asking a duck about chicken feathers if you only own one or the other. I own both, and I would have to say I prefer the finish better on the DPMS. Also the fit from upper to lower on the DPMS seems to fit better. The Bushmaster is pretty tight, to the point the break down pins get stuck. Both are fine guns, and when the SHTF no one will be looking at you wondering what brand gun you have. There is a Bushmaster, a PWA & a DPMS in this photo.  |
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Keep the Bushmaster and build / buy another upper. Then the BRD will creep into your veins and you will get another lower for that new upper.
Then the two sticks will just seem lonely and they will want friends in the safe. And you might decide you want to diversify your new colony a little. With rifles and parts from Armalite, Bushy, Bravo Co, Brownells, Colt, Denny's, Del-Ton, DPMS, Krieger, LaRue, Legal Transfers, Noveske, PKF, POF, Rainier Ams, RRA, Stag............... Awwwe crap it is starting again.............Please make it stop......BRD is taking my mind over again.........Good luck and welcome to the madness  
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Quoted:
How many here own both? It is like asking a duck about chicken feathers if you only own one or the other. I own both, and I would have to say I prefer the finish better on the DPMS. Also the fit from upper to lower on the DPMS seems to fit better. The Bushmaster is pretty tight, to the point the break down pins get stuck. Both are fine guns, and when the SHTF no one will be looking at you wondering what brand gun you have. There is a Bushmaster, a PWA & a DPMS in this photo. http://www.guns2roses.com/vbimages/cafe_n35.jpg Fit and finish mean jack shit. They are a superficial quality and have no effect on the function of the rifle and can not be used to determine component quality. Keep the Bushmaster! |
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Quoted:
How many here own both? It is like asking a duck about chicken feathers if you only own one or the other. I own both, and I would have to say I prefer the finish better on the DPMS. Also the fit from upper to lower on the DPMS seems to fit better. The Bushmaster is pretty tight, to the point the break down pins get stuck. Both are fine guns, and when the SHTF no one will be looking at you wondering what brand gun you have. There is a Bushmaster, a PWA & a DPMS in this photo. [/span] There is always one. Fit and finish does not determine the better rifle. That being said, keep the Bushmaster. |
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Quoted:
Keep the Bushmaster and build / buy another upper. Then the BRD will creep into your veins and you will get another lower for that new upper. Then the two sticks will just seem lonely and they will want friends in the safe. And you might decide you want to diversify your new colony a little. With rifles and parts from Armalite, Bushy, Bravo Co, Brownells, Colt, Denny's, Del-Ton, DPMS, Krieger, LaRue, Legal Transfers, Noveske, PKF, POF, Rainier Ams, RRA, Stag............... Awwwe crap it is starting again.............Please make it stop......BRD is taking my mind over again.........Good luck and welcome to the madness This Keep the Bushy and build another complete upper |
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Quoted:
Keep the BM. You can always have a machinist turn that HB between centers on a lathe to a lighter profile. Easy enough to refinish with mag park or moly resin. I did that to a heavy barreled 16" AR I had. It had a HB to keep the cost down originally. I cut it to a medium contour and took over a pound of weight off it. Made a huge difference in it's handling. Once the barrel is apart it's a half hour's work on the lathe. An evenings work for the whole project. I would keep the BM and just lighten it up! I have a HB 20" Bushy target rifle myself. I love it. But it is heavy. Turning that one down may be a project soon. Compared to the handling on my pencil barreled 20" old Colt SP, it feels like a Garand by comparison. +1 I have a Bushy 16" HBAR A3 and love it... if you want shorter/lighter, get ADCO to chop/re-profile it. I don't know the exact costs but I believe it should be in the $100-150 ballpark. If your Bushy works great, definitely don't settle for a lower quality A1 simply because of weight. |
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keep the Bushmaster, most of the reasons have been stated already. you can have the h-bar turned down or if it's really a shorter barrel that you're after just get another upper. if you picked up the 20" just to have an AR but you're not all that happy with the length then sell that upper to pay for a 16". look for something of higher quality than the Lite 16. this is where i say look for a BCM, LMT or other higher quality upper. even a Rock River, Armalite or another Bushmaster will serve you just fine. you'll see a lot of "this brand" or "that brand" bs but when it comes down to it some really are better than others. FACT: not all AR15's are made with the same quality materials and parts. others can cry foul all they want, that still don't change anything. like with most things we buy there are different intended uses. if you EVER intend/plan to use your AR as a defensive weapon in a real life situation then get the highest quality that you can afford. (in this case the Bushy over the DPMS) sometimes that would mean going without until you had enough cash. if, however, this is strictly a range rifle (as in you have another defensive weapon M1A, AK, whatever) and you will only shoot a few hundred rounds a year then it's not that big of a deal. i would opt for many others before a DPMS but for shooting paper it'll be ok. as for the finish: i understand all of the guys that say "it's a working rifle and quality is more important than finish". i agree with this to a point. i would rather have a blemished LMT than a perfect Rock River. that being said why would i not want an unblemished LMT? if it's going to get banged up i want to be the one to do it. when you pay top dollar for quality stuff it should meet ALL of your demands. What area of VA? |
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Let's ask this..... How well does your bushmaster shoot and do you think you'll be able to shoot as well with a shorter rifle? I'd really like to know how well the Bushmaster Hbar's shoot! It's a challenge to find a real review on them. The HBAR shoots pretty good. I shot irons at 50m and was shooting 1"- 1.5" groups. Thanks for all the replies I'm gonna keep the Bushy and just buy a second rifle. Should've kept the CMMG I had a couple years ago, they are hard to get now. 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Let's ask this..... How well does your bushmaster shoot and do you think you'll be able to shoot as well with a shorter rifle? I'd really like to know how well the Bushmaster Hbar's shoot! It's a challenge to find a real review on them. The HBAR shoots pretty good. I shot irons at 50m and was shooting 1"- 1.5" groups. Thanks for all the replies I'm gonna keep the Bushy and just buy a second rifle. Should've kept the CMMG I had a couple years ago, they are hard to get now.
Great decision you wont regret it.
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Quoted: Quoted: Let's ask this..... How well does your bushmaster shoot and do you think you'll be able to shoot as well with a shorter rifle? I'd really like to know how well the Bushmaster Hbar's shoot! It's a challenge to find a real review on them. The HBAR shoots pretty good. I shot irons at 50m and was shooting 1"- 1.5" groups. Thanks for all the replies I'm gonna keep the Bushy and just buy a second rifle. Should've kept the CMMG I had a couple years ago, they are hard to get now. CMMG complete uppers are available from Palmetto State Armory. |
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