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Posted: 12/29/2012 2:29:53 PM EDT
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Noob here...first post but I've been reading a lot.
I know this is a touchy subject with respect to people's opinions of BM rifles and their overall quality, and there are people on both sides of the fence. A few years back i bought a BM Carbine Patrolman (made before they left Windham). I intended to use as a fun gun and range rifle. Well life and kids activities always seemed to take priority and here I stand not a round thought it. Five young kids and a busy career will do that. So when all this mess started i considered getting anther AR and since i hadn't read word one on the subject in years i thought i better get up to speed. I now realize the BM wasn't then the best I could have done with respect to an entry to mid level AR. Instead of dumping it at a loss I've decided to keep it and just fix the "issues" with it. Especially considering today's political climate. That and the fact that the fit and finish is really good on this unit from what i can tell. As far as the "issues" that I can think of is replacing the bolt carrier group and the forearm handguards. I had already planned on going with a new stock and feel that the barrel is just fine. Am I missing something here or is this a sound idea? Are there any other parts I would want to swap out? |
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Leave it alone, shoot it. Bushmaster makes good rifles, they get a bad rap for reasons that are beyond me. If you are that concerned, but an extra BCG, and just keep it as a standby. You can get a plug for a MOE grip that will hold all the BCG small parts if you ever have something break. The carriers themselves almost never go bad.
Outside of the moving parts, change for whatever works for you. Can you post a pic of the rifle? Pictures are worth a thousand words. and I hate reading. |
| I purchased the same rifle 4 years ago and have not had any issues with it and enjoy shooting it. At Thanksgiving I purchased a Daniel Defense M4V4 and it left me feeling a little guilty about not grating the bushmaster to any love so I added the MOE hand guard, pistol grip, vertical grip and an ACR stock to it. I plan on continuing to shoot it as it has served me well. I say clean and shoot it. |
| Back when I had a Bushmaster, I did a lot of thinking about how I could make my Bushmaster equal to the more "prized" brands. It was expensive and never really went anywhere. The best thing you can do is to just replace parts as they wear out. The rifle is an ok rifle (I'm pretty sure Blackwater was using them over in Iraq) so as long as it is running 100% it isn't a good idea to start tinkering. |
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Here are some upgrades to consider for your Bushmaster:
Geissele SSA-E trigger - $210 BCM medium latch Gunfighter charging handle - $45 Hogue rubber grip - $17 Accu-Wedge - $4 Or as another poster has suggested, you could simply sell your NIB rifle at a profit. My Bushy is about 10 years old (post-ban model) and has been great. It functions flawlessly, is very accurate, and has a nice fit and finish. What more could anyone ask for? |
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Bushy's aren't bad. I cut my teeth on them.
As stated, shoot it and change if you want. Sure many people may say change the BCG, etc but think about this. Try and find some of those parts today. If I were you and wanted to shoot it, do as suggested and tighten up the staking if you're so inclined and shoot away. Sure people make nicer triggers etc than what you have, but again it may be difficult to buy those parts in todays climate. If you try your rifle as is, then when you choose or get the opportunity to upgrade you may appreciate your modifications more. |
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I've had a BM Patrolman's Carbine since 2006. I've shot it a lot over the years, during rifle classes, tactical classes, general plinking, etc.
Aside from changing out the factory grip, stock and handguard, the only thing I did was to ensure the gas key was properly staked. Oh, I did change out the buffer for an H2, but other than that the rifle has run great. |
| This is good to hear I bought a patrolmans carbine not to long ago. I can't decide to keep it or sell it. I should probably keep it. I've heard bad things about bushmaster also. But when I bought it, I was surprised at how well the fit and finish looked on it. Just as good as the stag I used to have. |
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As an outspoken member of the "Bushmaster Sucks", my suggestion is to shoot it until you have issues. If you're plinking at the range a couple times a year you won't have any issues, If you're attending an EAG Tactical 3 day rifle course and training drills, you'll have to fix your parts at some point.
Why is the resident Bushmaster hater not telling you to sell it immediately and buy something better? Because they're poor values, but you've already spent the money. If you were deciding between a bushmaster and a Colt/BCM/DD/LMT, I'd point you in a better direction for the money. However, you have the rifle so shoot the piss out of it. THEN fix the issues that arise. |
My, what a difference the possibility of a ban makes 
A month ago the "Why not a Bushmaster" thread was going wild. Nice to see a bit more continuity in the group...maybe? I have not seen the issues, but there seems to be some valid points brought up by the flock about the BCGs, and should be at least looked at on the older ones. If I am not mistaken, the newer ones share the DPMS BCG, even though they are in a different factory. I have a newer Bushy .308, and it has the DPMS upper, and BCG as far as I can tell. I have ordered a JP Enhanced Bolt for mine as I have seen some issues posted about bolts. The Carrier is properly staked, so I will continue to run it. I have a 7075 mil spec extension on order to replace the Commercial extension, and replaced the shitty trigger with a Gieselle. Some of the LPK parts are gritty, and I dumped those for CMMG. It has a 4150 CL barrel, so I will stay with that. For functionality, that should all be solid. My 5.56 guns are not Bushy, but I have shot several that friends and co-workers own, and they have not reported any problems. My mods to my 7.62 are likely not needed, but I cannot leave anything alone for long, and like to modify all my firearms, just because! It's my money, and it is one of thing I like to spend it on. Enjoy your rifle, and post your results! 
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Quoted:
I have owned maybe 10 Bushmaster rifles/carbines over the last 25 years. i have shot many a thousand of rounds through them. They have been fantastic, no problems. This X1/2  I've had 5 or so and shot quite a few K rounds also.
Mine all shot well and never let me down. Good barrels. That said, the stakes have been raised (by the competition) and I buy different now, but BM rifles have served me well And, whenever I tried to sell a BM rifle, they sold fast and I got what money I asked (due to name recognition). There are better rifles to be had, but there also are worse (and I have ran some pretty hard). |
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Quoted:
My, what a difference the possibility of a ban makes
A month ago the "Why not a Bushmaster" thread was going wild. Nice to see a bit more continuity in the group...maybe? I have not seen the issues, but there seems to be some valid points brought up by the flock about the BCGs, and should be at least looked at on the older ones. If I am not mistaken, the newer ones share the DPMS BCG, even though they are in a different factory. I have a newer Bushy .308, and it has the DPMS upper, and BCG as far as I can tell. I have ordered a JP Enhanced Bolt for mine as I have seen some issues posted about bolts. The Carrier is properly staked, so I will continue to run it. I have a 7075 mil spec extension on order to replace the Commercial extension, and replaced the shitty trigger with a Gieselle. Some of the LPK parts are gritty, and I dumped those for CMMG. It has a 4150 CL barrel, so I will stay with that. For functionality, that should all be solid. My 5.56 guns are not Bushy, but I have shot several that friends and co-workers own, and they have not reported any problems. My mods to my 7.62 are likely not needed, but I cannot leave anything alone for long, and like to modify all my firearms, just because! It's my money, and it is one of thing I like to spend it on. Enjoy your rifle, and post your results!
And once again, Don't pick a BM because you can get a better rifle for the money. Once you've PICKED a BM and spent the money shoot it. I'm in the can't leave well enough alone category. Just bought an M400 and pulled the barrel without firing it.
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I have owned maybe 10 Bushmaster rifles/carbines over the last 25 years. I have shot many a thousand of rounds through them. They have been fantastic, no problems. This X1/2 I've had 5 or so and shot quite a few K rounds also.
Mine all shot well and never let me down. Good barrels. That said, the stakes have been raised (by the competition) and I buy different now, but BM rifles have served me well Agreed, Bill |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
My, what a difference the possibility of a ban makes
A month ago the "Why not a Bushmaster" thread was going wild. Nice to see a bit more continuity in the group...maybe? I have not seen the issues, but there seems to be some valid points brought up by the flock about the BCGs, and should be at least looked at on the older ones. If I am not mistaken, the newer ones share the DPMS BCG, even though they are in a different factory. I have a newer Bushy .308, and it has the DPMS upper, and BCG as far as I can tell. I have ordered a JP Enhanced Bolt for mine as I have seen some issues posted about bolts. The Carrier is properly staked, so I will continue to run it. I have a 7075 mil spec extension on order to replace the Commercial extension, and replaced the shitty trigger with a Gieselle. Some of the LPK parts are gritty, and I dumped those for CMMG. It has a 4150 CL barrel, so I will stay with that. For functionality, that should all be solid. My 5.56 guns are not Bushy, but I have shot several that friends and co-workers own, and they have not reported any problems. My mods to my 7.62 are likely not needed, but I cannot leave anything alone for long, and like to modify all my firearms, just because! It's my money, and it is one of thing I like to spend it on. Enjoy your rifle, and post your results!
And once again, Don't pick a BM because you can get a better rifle for the money. Once you've PICKED a BM and spent the money shoot it. I'm in the can't leave well enough alone category. Just bought an M400 and pulled the barrel without firing it. I agree to a point, in the case of my .308 I feel I am still okay. Being under $900 (here in AK) with the 4150 chrome lined midlength barrel, I could afford to throw a few bucks at it, and make it solid. Comparing apples in the 5.56 category, I am right there with you. |
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I have also owned at least 10 Bushmaster rifles/carbines, in every configuration, over the last 20 years.
I have shot tens of thousands of rounds through them. They have been fantastic, no problems. Staked gas key or not. Check my posts in the archives re BM. I have rebutted BM haters since 2003. BM's barrels are still my favorites! I've cut them (20s to 18s and 16s, enlarged gas ports), experimented with them and tortured them. I love the original BM's products! BM has earned my trust in their products. |
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I've been happy with my Bushy.
It did come with a thin and kinda flemsy plastic trigger guard, so I replaced it with the usual aluminum one. I also put a BCM BCG in it since the original wasn't staked nor FA. I replaced the commercial buffer tube with a mil-spec diameter tube when I pulled it to install a Noveske end plate sling mount. None of these mods were necessary and nothing was broken, it's just stuff I felt like doing. Yours should treat you well too. |
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Nothing wrong with a BM to start with.
Shoot the ever living puss outta it and fix what breaks. Things to look for: Make sure the staking is correct and if not then fix it (hammer+screw driver). Then go to the range and shoot shoot shoot. Eventually you'll know what you prefer and what you want to replace. All stock triggers suck. My BM was horribletrigger but I still shot 3 in groups with RDS. Use lots of lube, run it hard, find what breaks. If you are super paranoid buy an LMT or BCM bolt when then panic is over. Just don't make it a safe queen. |
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Here's another thing to look at with Bushmaster. On some old ones, you'll see that the firing pin is exposed from the bottom (middle pic). This means that when the BCG is going backwards, the firing pin is rolling on the hammer to recock it. Some argue its preferred to have like the bottom picture, where its solid mass on the BCG that's taking that beating.
http://www.quarterbore.com/images/ar15_sp1_m16carriers_sm_small.jpg |
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As an AR Armorer who has worked on a stable of Bushmasters, they can be workable. But I would stock certain parts from the get go, after I checked on stakings, etc. Give it a good cleaning and inspection, run it wet with MPro7 CLP or your favored equivalent, and use good magazines.
You should order some parts - Colt is the standard, or whoever has convinced you they are as good or better! I use Specialized Armament Warehouse, as I get real Colt/milspec parts. They cost more, but they are the real thing, no doubts. You need to order, at a minimum, these spares (2 or more of each is even better - the world is uncertain right now :) Gas tube and pin, Defender O-ring for extractor, or SAW Sales special extractor spring with insert. A few sets of gas rings, a spare extractor and pin, a spare firing pin and a couple of the "cotter keys" that retain it. I recommend a full set of springs and pins, just incase you drop one, wear, long term, etc. A spare buffer spring, and an H2 Colt buffer if you are running a carbine and it does not have one. And if you are rich enough, a complete spare bolt/carrier group, extra lower parts, etc, from a known maker would not be out of line. Check any spare bolt heads for headspace with your current barrel before putting it away. Saw Sales also has AR tool kits, as does Brownell's. Learn to be your own "mechanic". Your BM may be good as gold, and you may seldom need these pieces. But they are there, and they could be great barter materials someday. Cheers! CC |
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