AR Sponsor
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Bushmaster Quality? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 10/20/2015 1:01:31 PM EDT
|
I found a bushmaster A3 16" complete upper for 373, I'm trying to build my first AR and it comes with BCG and charging handle. It will be put on a PSA complete lower. Is bushmaster reliable? Or are they still a subpar brand? I envision that I will have two uppers for this lower, one being a more high quality build, thinking about more of Aero Precision type parts, but I ran across that deal and it seemed too good to pass up, could definitely be used as a loaner/beater rifle. Also gives me an excuse to buy another lower. But is this a good deal?
TLDR: Does Bushmaster suck? Am I better off saving my money |
|
Quoted:
Bought both my boys the M4A3 XM15 bushmaster, they've both been reliable and accurate. Nothing wrong with them at all. Just FYI, midway usa sells the Bushmaster A3 upper for 420, and the same upper with removable carry handle rear sight for 475 I picked up the M4A3 upper with detachable carry handle a few weeks ago from Midway for $399.99 plus shipping. Don't know if they are still on sale or not. I've only fired 3 rounds through it so far, but it functioned fine 
Edit to add, OP my lower is a PSA blem and the fit was great. |
|
Don't buy a Bushmaster.
They're a company that won't stand behind their product if they have a design change. I had one of their overpriced Carbon receiver rifles that failed with only a couple hundred rounds through it. It was worthless out at 100yrds and would shoot groups as large at 2ft. Adjusting the sight did nothing. Then I found out why. The barrel was wobbly and the barrel alignment pin slipped under the the threaded receiver mount and it broke during disassembly. I had made the mistake of not using that rifle in years while it sat in the safe and I wasn't able to get out into the woods as often as I had been. So, Bushmaster had dumped the "stronger than aluminum" carbon fiber receiver products in the meantime. When it failed I called them to tell them what happened and that I needed a replacement upper. Instead of standing behind their garbage product, they told me they can't do anything about their faulty product because they stopped making that design and that I just needed to buy a different company's upper to place on the gun. I did that. I bought a YHM upper(which was aluminum and solid) but then I found out that the Bushmaster barrel wouldn't even fit on that other receiver safely. The collar around the barrel was so short that it wouldn't even bite into a barrel nut and torque down. I torqued it down to 50ftlbs and it wobbled in the other upper as well. Everything on that rifle was substandard and garbage(edit: except for the YHM flip-up sight). It was a $900 paperweight. you can't trust a company that pumps out garbage like that and won't rectify their failure to uphold product standards. What REALLY got me was the guy telling me that I just had a paperweight that they wouldn't replace even though their made something that fell apart. Buy a different company's product. There are plenty out there to choose from. And the folks saying "Cops buy them...can't be wrong" are just wrong. Yes, they can be wrong. That's why they carry Glocks instead of good pistols. Government doesn't always buy the best products. They try and buy what they can get the cheapest in bulk. And after seeing what Bushmaster did to me, that explains a lot. |
|
My first AR was a BM. Great gun, shot thousands of rounds through it without issue. Wouldn't know what they're current production is like, but I can't recall seeing much, if any real complaints on here about them. IMO, you'll be good to go in all liklihood. Decent platform for a first AR. That being said, I'd probably first steer someone to a 6920 if they were seeking a first AR and didn't want to break the bank. |
|
Quoted: This is "Bushmaster Quality." http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/BushMaster%20Receiver.jpeg That's those Carbon 15 plastic ARs...where probably 99% of those broken, were from shooing ammo not covered under the guns warranty for a reason. |
|
Quoted:
Bushmaster had had reliability issues over the years TL;DR. I am left to imagine that you're speaking of the Carbon-15 fiasco and/or Bushmaster's penchant for not staking the carrier key worth a darn. Fortunately, it's easy to stake a carrier key; it's just maddening that it's even as issue. |
|
Quoted:
I picked up the M4A3 upper with detachable carry handle a few weeks ago from Midway for $399.99 plus shipping. Don't know if they are still on sale or not. I've only fired 3 rounds through it so far, but it functioned fine
Edit to add, OP my lower is a PSA blem and the fit was great. Quoted:
Quoted:
Bought both my boys the M4A3 XM15 bushmaster, they've both been reliable and accurate. Nothing wrong with them at all. Just FYI, midway usa sells the Bushmaster A3 upper for 420, and the same upper with removable carry handle rear sight for 475 I picked up the M4A3 upper with detachable carry handle a few weeks ago from Midway for $399.99 plus shipping. Don't know if they are still on sale or not. I've only fired 3 rounds through it so far, but it functioned fine
Edit to add, OP my lower is a PSA blem and the fit was great. Nope, not on sale, I do recall the sale on those a couple weeks back, but prices were current as of yesterday and I thought it prudent to post that since new isn't much more than what the OP is pricing, though he doesn't say new or used. Still, it's a chrome lined barrel, so longevity isn't an issue. |
|
Quoted:
This is "Bushmaster Quality." http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/BushMaster%20Receiver.jpeg That's a freaking polymer upper, not 7075 aluminum as the OP is inquiring about. |
|
So, you're telling me that US-Made Remington brass ammo isn't covered by a warranty? That is ALL that was ever used in that gun. Bushmaster is garbage. It wasn't ammunition's fault. It was a company pumping out cheap crap and then not backing it up. They advertised their "Carbon Fiber" receivers as being stronger than aluminum receivers. Even though it wasn't true carbon fiber since it wasn't layered and was just injection molded like fiberglass.
Quoted:
That's those Carbon 15 plastic ARs...where probably 99% of those broken, were from shooing ammo not covered under the guns warranty for a reason. Quoted:
Quoted:
This is "Bushmaster Quality." http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/BushMaster%20Receiver.jpeg That's those Carbon 15 plastic ARs...where probably 99% of those broken, were from shooing ammo not covered under the guns warranty for a reason. |
|
The OP asked if Bushmaster was a quality company that made quality gear and I have told him that it's not. They make cheap crap that is overpriced($900 item) and isn't backed-up by the company. What they did was false advertising. In the real world it's called lying.
Quoted:
That's a freaking polymer upper, not 7075 aluminum as the OP is inquiring about. Quoted:
Quoted:
This is "Bushmaster Quality." http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/BushMaster%20Receiver.jpeg That's a freaking polymer upper, not 7075 aluminum as the OP is inquiring about. |
|
Quoted: TL;DR. I am left to imagine that you're speaking of the Carbon-15 fiasco and/or Bushmaster's penchant for not staking the carrier key worth a darn. Fortunately, it's easy to stake a carrier key; it's just maddening that it's even as issue. Quoted: Quoted: Bushmaster had had reliability issues over the years TL;DR. I am left to imagine that you're speaking of the Carbon-15 fiasco and/or Bushmaster's penchant for not staking the carrier key worth a darn. Fortunately, it's easy to stake a carrier key; it's just maddening that it's even as issue. I'm not saying I would not buy one no matter what, I have one |
| I've had good and bad experiences with BM. My first M4-gery was a BM, a long time ago; it was great. Bought a featherlite upper with a canted FSB in around 2006 or '07, and they had a bunch of problems back then to the point (IIRC) they were just cutting the FSB down and selling them as "no sight" uppers/rifles. No idea what they are like post-Windham. |
|
Quoted:
I'll be the first: Nothing wrong with Bushy. agrreed if you remeber the ruskies invaded georgia in 2008 o the georgian.mil surrendered many many bushmaster carbines so there is that proof click here |
|
I wouldn't say it sucks, but if it were me I'd probably go with a PSA Premium. If you do pick up the Bushmaster check the staking on the BC. My son's Bushmaster was a single shot until we did some checking and found the gas key screws were barely finger tight.
ETA: PSA has free shipping on their uppers right now. These don't come with a BCG, but adding one still brings it in close to the same price as that Bushmaster upper. http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-16-223-wylde-midlength-1-7-lightweight-keymod-upper-no-bcg-or-ch.html?utm_source=PSA+1%3A7+SOCOM+Rifle+Kit+%24399.99+%7C+PSA+223+Wylde+Railed+Upper+%24279.99&utm_campaign=Constant+Contact&utm_medium=email Or: http://palmettostatearmory.com/catalog/product/view/id/10306/ Then add this: http://palmettostatearmory.com/catalog/product/view/id/2321/ |
| I've had a bushy years ago and was sorry I sold it. The polymer guns were crap(I think they bought out POF,if I remember right) which made a crappy plastic carbine as well. The price you stated is not bad. PSA makes some decent uppers and shipping is pretty fast. BCM is better and they have some great deals occasionally in which you can get an upgraded charging handle and sometimes the bcg for free. |
| I've got an old Bushmaster. I've run many different uppers on the lower. Suppressed and Un-suppressed. Still have all the original guts on the lower. Still goes bang every time I pull the trigger. Wouldn't be able to tell you about the new stuff, but if you find an older used model you would be good to go. |
| unfortunately I missed the sale on the upper waiting for my dang replacement debit card to come in, however after hearing mixed reviews I'm glad I missed it, I've got a BCM BCG on hold for me until my card comes in and now just need a complete upper to finish it off. |
|
Quoted:
For that price, with BCG and charging handle, I'd pick it up. Don't kid yourself though. You're not going to have one lower with two uppers. That's not how BRD works. You're going to build another lower and have two complete rifles. What if I told you that was my secret plan all along
|
|
The current "Bushmaster" guns and uppers being sold are nothing of the sort, not that the real Bushmasters were anything special.
The first 2 vismod guns I bought back in the early-to-mid 1990's were real Bushmaster XM15E2S 11.5" carbines. I never had any issues with them, and the barrels were actually good on that era of BM's. None of the parts then or now are TDP parts. The guns now that wear the modified Bushmaster logo are Freedom Group/Remington guns with DPMS BCG's and Remington barrels, what could go wrong? They are garbage. A guy who bought one of the new ones from a LGS came back in and was having typical malfunction issues. I looked at the BCG and it had a big "D" stamped on it. Barrel was Remington, and the lower said Ilyon, NY, not Windham, ME like the real ones. Bushmaster =/= Quality. These two words in a sentence must be separated with a negative verb. With all the quality guns out there nowadays, there is no reason to mess with them other than if you just want the brand recognition to sell to a sucker, who you will bail on when it comes time for services. |
| For the money, there are better companies to choose from with better customer service. Windham has very good CS and a great product. PSA premium stuff is usually good, if something was bad they either replace or fix, although they can be slow at times. BCM, DD, LMT, Spike's for a little more are solid. I've seen a couple new Bushies in the '90s with some reliability issues. |
|
Quoted:
The current "Bushmaster" guns and uppers being sold are nothing of the sort, not that the real Bushmasters were anything special. The first 2 vismod guns I bought back in the early-to-mid 1990's were real Bushmaster XM15E2S 11.5" carbines. I never had any issues with them, and the barrels were actually good on that era of BM's. None of the parts then or now are TDP parts. The guns now that wear the modified Bushmaster logo are Freedom Group/Remington guns with DPMS BCG's and Remington barrels, what could go wrong? They are garbage. A guy who bought one of the new ones from a LGS came back in and was having typical malfunction issues. I looked at the BCG and it had a big "D" stamped on it. Barrel was Remington, and the lower said Ilyon, NY, not Windham, ME like the real ones. Bushmaster =/= Quality. These two words in a sentence must be separated with a negative verb. With all the quality guns out there nowadays, there is no reason to mess with them other than if you just want the brand recognition to sell to a sucker, who you will bail on when it comes time for services. I would listen to this guy. |
|
Quoted:
I would listen to this guy. Quoted:
Quoted:
The current "Bushmaster" guns and uppers being sold are nothing of the sort, not that the real Bushmasters were anything special. The first 2 vismod guns I bought back in the early-to-mid 1990's were real Bushmaster XM15E2S 11.5" carbines. I never had any issues with them, and the barrels were actually good on that era of BM's. None of the parts then or now are TDP parts. The guns now that wear the modified Bushmaster logo are Freedom Group/Remington guns with DPMS BCG's and Remington barrels, what could go wrong? They are garbage. A guy who bought one of the new ones from a LGS came back in and was having typical malfunction issues. I looked at the BCG and it had a big "D" stamped on it. Barrel was Remington, and the lower said Ilyon, NY, not Windham, ME like the real ones. Bushmaster =/= Quality. These two words in a sentence must be separated with a negative verb. With all the quality guns out there nowadays, there is no reason to mess with them other than if you just want the brand recognition to sell to a sucker, who you will bail on when it comes time for services. I would listen to this guy. Well, you go ahead and listen to 'that' guy, while my two sons experience flawless performance out of their new Bushmaster XM15 M4A3 rifles, like many people experience. But if listening to unusual, oddball, one off stories now and then is your thing, then by all means. It's not like there is a single product in the world that has ever been perfect from first production to last. Now if you want an actual problematic rifle, we can talk about the Remington Viper 22, that's a rifle that I'd say the majority of owners had issues with reliability. But the Bushmaster, nah, Just my personal experience and those of actual real life people I know that have them say otherwise. I value input like that as opposed to hearsay over the internet |
|
Quoted:
Well, you go ahead and listen to 'that' guy, while my two sons experience flawless performance out of their new Bushmaster XM15 M4A3 rifles, like many people experience. But if listening to unusual, oddball, one off stories now and then is your thing, then by all means. It's not like there is a single product in the world that has ever been perfect from first production to last. Now if you want an actual problematic rifle, we can talk about the Remington Viper 22, that's a rifle that I'd say the majority of owners had issues with reliability. But the Bushmaster, nah, Just my personal experience and those of actual real life people I know that have them say otherwise. I value input like that as opposed to hearsay over the internet YOUR opinion is gold and everyone else's opinion is shit. That's adorable. I guess our REALWORLD experiences with Bushmaster are "hearsay." Not only does Bushmaster make cheap guns with cheap parts, but they also have worthless customer service that won't stand behind their product when they make something that falls apart right out of the box. I own 150 firearms that are of immeasurably higher material and build quality over Bushmaster. Out of the 100+ guns, only two brands have been pieces of trash and both companies have gained reputations for making guns that fall apart. One is Bushmaster and the other is Ruger. Enjoy your Bushmasters. Some people think McDonald's makes good hamburgers too. There are all sorts of people in the world. I just know that thanks to my experience dealing with Bushmaster (not hearsay), there will be no more new Bushmasters in any of my six safes. 
|
|
Quoted:
YOUR opinion is gold and everyone else's opinion is shit. That's adorable. I guess our REALWORLD experiences with Bushmaster are "hearsay." Not only does Bushmaster make cheap guns with cheap parts, but they also have worthless customer service that won't stand behind their product when they make something that falls apart right out of the box. I own 150 firearms that are of immeasurably higher material and build quality over Bushmaster. Out of the 100+ guns, only two brands have been pieces of trash and both companies have gained reputations for making guns that fall apart. One is Bushmaster and the other is Ruger. Enjoy your Bushmasters. Some people think McDonald's makes good hamburgers too. There are all sorts of people in the world. I just know that thanks to my experience dealing with Bushmaster (not hearsay), there will be no more new Bushmasters in any of my six safes. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Safes.jpeg Quoted:
Quoted:
Well, you go ahead and listen to 'that' guy, while my two sons experience flawless performance out of their new Bushmaster XM15 M4A3 rifles, like many people experience. But if listening to unusual, oddball, one off stories now and then is your thing, then by all means. It's not like there is a single product in the world that has ever been perfect from first production to last. Now if you want an actual problematic rifle, we can talk about the Remington Viper 22, that's a rifle that I'd say the majority of owners had issues with reliability. But the Bushmaster, nah, Just my personal experience and those of actual real life people I know that have them say otherwise. I value input like that as opposed to hearsay over the internet YOUR opinion is gold and everyone else's opinion is shit. That's adorable. I guess our REALWORLD experiences with Bushmaster are "hearsay." Not only does Bushmaster make cheap guns with cheap parts, but they also have worthless customer service that won't stand behind their product when they make something that falls apart right out of the box. I own 150 firearms that are of immeasurably higher material and build quality over Bushmaster. Out of the 100+ guns, only two brands have been pieces of trash and both companies have gained reputations for making guns that fall apart. One is Bushmaster and the other is Ruger. Enjoy your Bushmasters. Some people think McDonald's makes good hamburgers too. There are all sorts of people in the world. I just know that thanks to my experience dealing with Bushmaster (not hearsay), there will be no more new Bushmasters in any of my six safes. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Safes.jpeg What's adorable is not being able to form your own opinion, that and taking a photo of a bunch of safes at a warehouse with the doors open and beating your chest.... |
|
Quoted:
YOUR opinion is gold and everyone else's opinion is shit. That's adorable. I guess our REALWORLD experiences with Bushmaster are "hearsay." Not only does Bushmaster make cheap guns with cheap parts, but they also have worthless customer service that won't stand behind their product when they make something that falls apart right out of the box. I own 150 firearms that are of immeasurably higher material and build quality over Bushmaster. Out of the 100+ guns, only two brands have been pieces of trash and both companies have gained reputations for making guns that fall apart. One is Bushmaster and the other is Ruger. Enjoy your Bushmasters. Some people think McDonald's makes good hamburgers too. There are all sorts of people in the world. I just know that thanks to my experience dealing with Bushmaster (not hearsay), there will be no more new Bushmasters in any of my six safes. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Safes.jpeg Quoted:
Quoted:
Well, you go ahead and listen to 'that' guy, while my two sons experience flawless performance out of their new Bushmaster XM15 M4A3 rifles, like many people experience. But if listening to unusual, oddball, one off stories now and then is your thing, then by all means. It's not like there is a single product in the world that has ever been perfect from first production to last. Now if you want an actual problematic rifle, we can talk about the Remington Viper 22, that's a rifle that I'd say the majority of owners had issues with reliability. But the Bushmaster, nah, Just my personal experience and those of actual real life people I know that have them say otherwise. I value input like that as opposed to hearsay over the internet YOUR opinion is gold and everyone else's opinion is shit. That's adorable. I guess our REALWORLD experiences with Bushmaster are "hearsay." Not only does Bushmaster make cheap guns with cheap parts, but they also have worthless customer service that won't stand behind their product when they make something that falls apart right out of the box. I own 150 firearms that are of immeasurably higher material and build quality over Bushmaster. Out of the 100+ guns, only two brands have been pieces of trash and both companies have gained reputations for making guns that fall apart. One is Bushmaster and the other is Ruger. Enjoy your Bushmasters. Some people think McDonald's makes good hamburgers too. There are all sorts of people in the world. I just know that thanks to my experience dealing with Bushmaster (not hearsay), there will be no more new Bushmasters in any of my six safes. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Safes.jpeg So you prefer Delton? Serious question, I thought I read something about your Delton builds, or something. I have read so many issues on here about Bushy, and Delton, the irony just struck me funny. |
|
Quoted:
What's adorable is not being able to form your own opinion, that and taking a photo of a bunch of safes at a warehouse with the doors open and beating your chest.... Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Well, you go ahead and listen to 'that' guy, while my two sons experience flawless performance out of their new Bushmaster XM15 M4A3 rifles, like many people experience. But if listening to unusual, oddball, one off stories now and then is your thing, then by all means. It's not like there is a single product in the world that has ever been perfect from first production to last. Now if you want an actual problematic rifle, we can talk about the Remington Viper 22, that's a rifle that I'd say the majority of owners had issues with reliability. But the Bushmaster, nah, Just my personal experience and those of actual real life people I know that have them say otherwise. I value input like that as opposed to hearsay over the internet YOUR opinion is gold and everyone else's opinion is shit. That's adorable. I guess our REALWORLD experiences with Bushmaster are "hearsay." Not only does Bushmaster make cheap guns with cheap parts, but they also have worthless customer service that won't stand behind their product when they make something that falls apart right out of the box. I own 150 firearms that are of immeasurably higher material and build quality over Bushmaster. Out of the 100+ guns, only two brands have been pieces of trash and both companies have gained reputations for making guns that fall apart. One is Bushmaster and the other is Ruger. Enjoy your Bushmasters. Some people think McDonald's makes good hamburgers too. There are all sorts of people in the world. I just know that thanks to my experience dealing with Bushmaster (not hearsay), there will be no more new Bushmasters in any of my six safes. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e311/Blacktalons/Safes.jpeg What's adorable is not being able to form your own opinion, that and taking a photo of a bunch of safes at a warehouse with the doors open and beating your chest.... 
|
|
Quoted:
So you prefer Delton? Serious question, I thought I read something about your Delton builds, or something. I have read so many issues on here about Bushy, and Delton, the irony just struck me funny. The only thing I own from Del-ton is one barrel. I thought I'd try them out. That, and I know that Del-ton doesn't make their barrels :) They're made by Mossberg and Wilson Combat(for a time). They're just profiled, drilled, and stamped by Del-ton. I like Mossberg. |
|
Quoted:
None of the parts then or now are TDP parts. Quoted:
None of the parts then or now are TDP parts. People that throw in references to the "TDP" must be AR experts. Quoted:
A guy who bought one of the new ones from a LGS came back in and was having typical malfunction issues ...... and the lower said Ilyon, NY, not Windham, ME like the real ones. I am not "some guy". I own and shoot an Ilyon BM Patrolman and a 1990's Windham. The Patrolman is only a sample of one, but it is perfectly reliable and accurate, and a good value for the money I spent. Are there other mid-grade choices in the AR market ? Yes, there are. Are there other rifles that you pay extra just for the brand name ? Yes there are. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Bushmaster Quality? (Page 1 of 2)
AR Sponsor