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Posted: 10/13/2014 4:21:49 PM EDT
So, I bought a DB15 FDE at a LGS but before shooting it saw the buffer was slamming the retainer and leaving impressions which closing the upper on the lower showed the BCG was not pushing the buffer back. I contacted (Taurus CS) and was told to send the rifle in. After sending it in I was told the lower is out of spec and they are going to destroy the rifle and send a new one. This goes on for months, but Friday (10/10/2014) I picked up the "new" rifle from my FFL and when home realized right away this gun looks as though it had been used quite a bit. The buffer was beat up, the Cerakote was chipped away all over with areas showing bare metal. Inside the mag well has been scraped and discolored, there is rust on the gas block, the upper and lower are different shades, and the inside of the gun was filthy and had not been cleaned before shipping. Earlier today I spoke to CS and was told the rifle was manufactured in Sept. and was indeed new and that there would have been some test firing done. It looks nothing like the new rifle I originally bought. The CS rep gave me an email address which I sent my story and pics to and received a reply that one of their gunsmiths said "these marks that you see are standard wear marks." The pictures honestly do not do justice to the wear on this rifle since it is significantly more obvious in person.
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I didn't even know Taurus made an AR? I'm surprised it isn't top of the line like their handguns!
I wouldn't worry about the wear in the pics. After you put a few hundred rounds through it you will forget all about the imperfections and start making some of your own.. |
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Quoted:
So, I bought a DB15 FDE at a LGS but before shooting it saw the buffer was slamming the retainer and leaving impressions which closing the upper on the lower showed the BCG was not pushing the buffer back. I contacted (Taurus CS) and was told to send the rifle in. After sending it in I was told the lower is out of spec and they are going to destroy the rifle and send a new one. This goes on for months, but Friday (10/10/2014) I picked up the "new" rifle from my FFL and when home realized right away this gun looks as though it had been used quite a bit. The buffer was beat up, the Cerakote was chipped away all over with areas showing bare metal. Inside the mag well has been scraped and discolored, there is rust on the gas block, the upper and lower are different shades, and the inside of the gun was filthy and had not been cleaned before shipping. Earlier today I spoke to CS and was told the rifle was manufactured in Sept. and was indeed new and that there would have been some test firing done. It looks nothing like the new rifle I originally bought. The CS rep gave me an email address which I sent my story and pics to and received a reply that one of their gunsmiths said "these marks that you see are standard wear marks." The pictures honestly do not do justice to the wear on this rifle since it is significantly more obvious in person.
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| The wear from the cam pin is normal after a couple dozen rounds run though it. The wear on the buffer is not from it smacking on the retaining pin. There is a burr on the back bottom edge of the carrier. The scrapes in the middle of the buffer occur when you're closing the upper on the lower. The dents around the edge of the buffer are from the burr at the rear of the carrier smacking the buffer during normal cycling. |
Thanks to whoever approved me and made it so my pics showed instead of links. Also, thanks to everyone for their info and responses, I appreciate them all; even the sarcastic ones, they make me laugh even though they are somewhat at my expense. Looks like I need to quite being a whiny bitch and put some marks of my own on it! 
Also, just a side note, they said they would replace the grip because that was not normal wear... WTF? If the Cerakote is coming off the grip that easily, it leaves me to believe it shouldn't be coming off the rest of the gun that easily? Maybe I am wrong, but I think RPM509 is on to something with the thought that it was a shitty curing job. |
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Thanks to whoever approved me and made it so my pics showed instead of links. Also, thanks to everyone for their info and responses, I appreciate them all; even the sarcastic ones, they make me laugh even though they are somewhat at my expense. Looks like I need to quite being a whiny bitch and put some marks of my own on it!
Also, just a side note, they said they would replace the grip because that was not normal wear... WTF? If the Cerakote is coming off the grip that easily, it leaves me to believe it shouldn't be coming off the rest of the gun that easily? Maybe I am wrong, but I think RPM509 is on to something with the thought that it was a shitty curing job. As other posters have mention Taurus doesn't exactly make the best quality firearms, to be honest I probably wouldn't trust any automatic they make, I have a few of their revolvers and they seem to work well though. It looks like they ran a some rounds through your rifle, and the finish on the outside should not be chipping off. |
| The bolt is a standard bolt, and it is actually a Diamondback DB15. Taurus bought Diamondback back in 2013 I think it was. Anyway, it is Taurus's customer service that takes care of everything warranty related now that they own Diamondback. So, it isn't actually a Taurus AR15. If I knew what I know now back when I was looking at AR's, I never would have bought the Diamondback. Oh well, live and learn. |
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Upper/lower color mismatches are very near industry standard, though coated really should match.
Looks like it got test fired a good bit is all. Perhaps by "destroy the rifle" they actually only meant lower (serialized part) and tested the upper on the new lower as well, or they simply expended a few extra rounds on a complete new rifle attempting to assure your problems are over (good cs?), cleaning before shipping would've been a good idea though. Don't get caught up in all the brand non-sense, if what you see bothers you get the company to sort it out or sell it, otherwise, if it shoots, wear it out. |
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Upper/lower color mismatches are very near industry standard, though coated really should match. Looks like it got test fired a good bit is all. Perhaps by "destroy the rifle" they actually only meant lower (serialized part) and tested the upper on the new lower as well, or they simply expended a few extra rounds on a complete new rifle attempting to assure your problems are over (good cs?), cleaning before shipping would've been a good idea though. Don't get caught up in all the brand non-sense, if what you see bothers you get the company to sort it out or sell it, otherwise, if it shoots, wear it out. The replies from everyone have helped me to get over it so I can now go and have fun shooting it. Sometimes a little perspective is all that is needed, and in my case what everyone has told me has changed my perception so that I am good with it and can move on. I overreacted before taking into consideration the possibility that I was being overly critical and just needed to take a deep breath and get some other opinions before assuming too much. The Taurus customer service has been attentive and professional throughout even though I do think it took way to long to take care of things. In the end they did fix the problem in a satisfactory manner. Not the best CS I have ever dealt with (better than most though) and very far from the worst. Thanks again everyone! 
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My earlier comment was before knowing they had shot it a lot. The wear isn't out of the normal window of
what one could expect from a few to several mags through it., least the inside wear. Outside stuff is just poor handling on them. I too did not know Taurus was in the AR game. I've owned a couple each of Taurus' pistols and revolvers, always been good quality. The only CS interaction I've had with them was on a wear part for a PT92 and the experience was positive. |
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My earlier comment was before knowing they had shot it a lot. The wear isn't out of the normal window of what one could expect from a few to several mags through it., least the inside wear. Outside stuff is just poor handling on them. I too did not know Taurus was in the AR game. I've owned a couple each of Taurus' pistols and revolvers, always been good quality. The only CS interaction I've had with them was on a wear part for a PT92 and the experience was positive. It is actually a Diamondback DB15 (Made in the USA) so it isn't actually a Taurus AR15. Taurus bought Diamondback a while ago which is why any issues go through their customer service. I probably should have made that more apparent in my posts. And I would agree that my experience with their customer service has been positive as well. |
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The secret to not getting wear marks in your rifle is to not shoot it. The more you shoot it, the more it will show wear marks. However there are some areas that shouldn't show much if any wear marks. Like the front of the buffer should never have chatter marks from it hitting the buffer retainer. That means something is out of spec. |
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That wear looks normal to me for a used rifle. In the future, don't buy anything owned by Taurus and you may not experience those problems.
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I know I haven't posted much, but is there a mod who will approve my account so the images will show instead of the link? Took me a while to figure out why the pics weren't working. Please? Get your post count over 50 and they will show up. |
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Quoted: However there are some areas that shouldn't show much if any wear marks. Like the front of the buffer should never have chatter marks from it hitting the buffer retainer. That means something is out of spec. Quoted: Quoted: The secret to not getting wear marks in your rifle is to not shoot it. The more you shoot it, the more it will show wear marks. However there are some areas that shouldn't show much if any wear marks. Like the front of the buffer should never have chatter marks from it hitting the buffer retainer. That means something is out of spec. All of my buffers (LMT) have scratches on the edge of the face. It only shows better when the buffer is coated/anodized black  |
| Shot the DB15 today. First time shooting it and the first time I have ever shot an AR-15. Only went through 120 rounds before the range closed but had no problems. Diamondback/Taurus sent me a new grip and buffer that came in the mail yesterday. I Put the grip on but figured I would let the other buffer take some abuse and keep the new one as a backup. Their customer service has moved up even a few more notches for me and I can now say (bar any unforeseen problems in the near future) that they have taken care of everything to my satisfaction. Thanks again for everyone's replies and information. |
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Normal. AR's can develop erratic wear marks during use. One AR with 1000 rounds through it may have different wear than another with the same round count.
Once you have a stable of AR's you'll see it for yourself. A colt may end up having almost 0 wear compared to a Daniel Defense or vice versa with the same round count. Don't become concerned until you start running into stoppages. |
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