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Posted: 2/18/2016 10:21:50 PM EDT
Hey!...looks great...has forward-assist..port-cover...fare/good factory camo...smoothie-bolt carrier.  ...As in you could pound the forward-assist until you died of old age and not budge the bolt!
I pulled the bolt and looked it over...looks great...no notches for forward-assist?...I put it back together and began drinking Budweiser(Bud-Light with whiskey chaser)... Guess I'm going to have to register the warranty.. 
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Get a hold of them, my forward assist works perfect on my Oracle, which model do you have? The camo one with forward-assist and non-forward assist bolt carrier...  ....I'll get the number off the box in a bit after I feel better about it all (something dash something dash DTACS)
Box number is RFA3-OC-ATACS...side of carbine just says its a DPMS/Panther Arms(with 'Pete Puma'- head logo) A15.... |
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I'm still like ...ouch!...such a nice looking little camo'd carbine. Bet it shoots good if I get some optics on it....not all that happy it has a 'faux' forward assist...
I guess I call DPMS customer service and see what they say. What else do I need to scrutinize on my new DPMS before I call those jokers?? |
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I was under the impression that DPMS forward assists do not function like the AR15 type. They don't use any notches. ETA... nevermind. I was thinking of the LR308. I actually wondered the same(hoped)...but no. I flopped my new DPMS apart and compared it to my A2 rifle's bolt(which has forward assist and notched carrier)...it's obvious that I got a part for a 'Sportical' or whatever DPMS calls it's budget assistless/coverless AR carbines. A couple of my pals own the budget DPMS 16" .223/5.56mm carbines with no complaints so I went for a slightly prettier/pricier version. I gave my new DPMS the 'WASR-10 inspection'...no cant..no loose parts..flash-hider looks clocked proper..nothing else just stooped that stands out(got rifling and everything!)...Just needs some sights and/or optics...something up front to put a sling on...and notches in the bolt! |
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Not sure what happened from when we shipped the rifle out to when you picked it up as we do not offer a "slick side" carrier... Contact the GS you got it from... sounds like it might be a "home build". 
Actually - what comes in the Sportical 308? Aren't they slick sided BCGs? or do they still have forward assist serrations without the assist on the receiver ETA : I thought we were talking 308s here for some reason. OP never said 308 or 5.56 |
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Ok let's find out if this is a 556 or 308... The 308 "Gen 1" did not have FA serrations on the carrier as the FA pawl pushed on the shoulder of the carrier to seat on the last 1/4" or so of the bolt... We need more info to find out what we are dealing with  Quoted:
Ok let's find out if this is a 556 or 308... The 308 "Gen 1" did not have FA serrations on the carrier as the FA pawl pushed on the shoulder of the carrier to seat on the last 1/4" or so of the bolt... We need more info to find out what we are dealing with Quoted:
Box number is RFA3-OC-ATACS...side of carbine just says its a DPMS/Panther Arms(with 'Pete Puma'- head logo) A15.... |
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If it is a RFA3-OC-ATAC then it should have came with a std FA mil carrier. We dont even offer or have slick carriers so not sure what happened. That's really interesting. Even my Sportical 5.56 a few years ago had serrations. I wonder who messed with it in the time it was between DPMS and OP. |
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Good oppurtunity to buy a higher quality BCG. That may be very true, but if I purchase a new gun in the box, no matter the brand, I want all of the parts that the manufacture put in that gun. Based on what the representative from DPMS said, it should be a correct bolt for FA in this gun, so something is obviously not right! |
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If it is a RFA3-OC-ATAC then it should have came with a std FA mil carrier. We dont even offer or have slick carriers so not sure what happened. Hmmm...I called my FFL dealer and asked about it...it's new new....but maybe old stock. He had ordered like a pallet-full of DPMS AR's in early 2013. Nearly all spoken for such was the demand for AR-pattern rifles at the time(just after the Newtown fiasco/tragedy ). However it took so long to receive his pile of AR carbines that many of his potential customers sourced elsewhere....he was stuck with a bunch of guns and I guess this one was the last of the batch left. I trust the guy...and remember when he ordered the pile of AR's....I didn't think to ask which distributer he ordered these from...or if from DPMS directly?
Maybe DPMS used some smoothie carriers back in 2013...seems as if I recall AR parts were scarce then because of the panic buying....
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Hmmm...I called my FFL dealer and asked about it...it's new new....but maybe old stock. He had ordered like a pallet-full of DPMS AR's in early 2013. Nearly all spoken for such was the demand for AR-pattern rifles at the time(just after the Newtown fiasco/tragedy ). However it took so long to receive his pile of AR carbines that many of his potential customers sourced elsewhere....he was stuck with a bunch of guns and I guess this one was the last of the batch left. I trust the guy...and remember when he ordered the pile of AR's....I didn't think to ask which distributer he ordered these from...or if from DPMS directly?
Maybe DPMS used some smoothie carriers back in 2013...seems as if I recall AR parts were scarce then because of the panic buying.... Quoted:
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If it is a RFA3-OC-ATAC then it should have came with a std FA mil carrier. We dont even offer or have slick carriers so not sure what happened. Hmmm...I called my FFL dealer and asked about it...it's new new....but maybe old stock. He had ordered like a pallet-full of DPMS AR's in early 2013. Nearly all spoken for such was the demand for AR-pattern rifles at the time(just after the Newtown fiasco/tragedy ). However it took so long to receive his pile of AR carbines that many of his potential customers sourced elsewhere....he was stuck with a bunch of guns and I guess this one was the last of the batch left. I trust the guy...and remember when he ordered the pile of AR's....I didn't think to ask which distributer he ordered these from...or if from DPMS directly?
Maybe DPMS used some smoothie carriers back in 2013...seems as if I recall AR parts were scarce then because of the panic buying.... I would highly doubt it. My late (Nov 2012) Sportical had them. |
There are some markings on the carrier and bolt-head...but I'll have to look this evening and report back. Carrier does have like three dots front right...seems like the bolt has an engraved 'D'...I was looking for notches...
Don't know if I can get pics to stick on ar15.com...but maybe if someone would IM me a phone # I betcha I could text pics to some puter guru to put up for me |
| I think there are "national match" carriers that don't have serrations. I honestly wouldn't be too worried about it if it functions. I never use forward assist anyways. I guess I would be a little pissed if you bought it from a dealer though who said it was a pure bred dpms. |
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"Occam's razor" and all that--the most likely scenario is a bolt carrier that inadvertently skipped a machining step, and slipped through.
The various conspiracy theories and/or asking if it's an early Colt carrier are not impossible... but sound rather unlikely compared to the very conventional possibility of simply getting a carrier that didn't get notches milled in it, and it just didn't get noticed. I would work directly with DPMS, as they've responded in the thread, and let them take care of you. ~Augee |
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I very rarely, if ever, actually use the 'forward assist.' However I think it's a great option to have. If you have any concern you might need to use this rifle to defend you or yours, etc, then being able to influence the carrier directly could be good.
Biggest thing, again War or Doomsday, is that it lets you slowly and silently load a round into the chamber. You can let your imagination think up situations where this may be the right thing. I'd return it to whoever you bought it from. When you open up a sealed crate of fragmentation grenades and one is upside down, you reject the crate! It's probably a garage tinkerer's build. Element Arms sold someone a DPMS AR that was actually a build. And they got caught. Don't let these small timers get away with all this crooked 'they'll never know' and 'it's all the same' BS. |
| No fan of Freedom Group and its quality control lapses are well known. But this strongly suggests a swapped out BCG at the dealer end. It is still a warranty issue if bought new in box. I would expect DPMS to make it good and take it up with their dealer. If DPMS does not have slick sided BCGs on any of their models, then it is more plausable this happened after the rifle left the factory. DPMS should make it good. Don't shoot the rifle if you haven't ready. It will help to be able to prove that the BCG has never been used. |
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I'd grab a PSA Premium BCG and list the smooth one up in the EE.... Or even better.... Save that BCG for election time, it'll be an easy $175 at your local gun show.  Best advice given so far! I would do exactly this. OP, a dealer/shop employee has more than once swapped out on stuff I had bought. An employee was caught swapping out flat bottom M&P40c magazines for the ones with the pinkie extension out of new M&P40c gun cases... They made it right but it does happen, just saying. |
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Best advice given so far! I would do exactly this. OP, a dealer/shop employee has more than once swapped out on stuff I had bought. An employee was caught swapping out flat bottom M&P40c magazines for the ones with the pinkie extension out of new M&P40c gun cases... They made it right but it does happen, just saying. Quoted:
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I'd grab a PSA Premium BCG and list the smooth one up in the EE.... Or even better.... Save that BCG for election time, it'll be an easy $175 at your local gun show. Best advice given so far! I would do exactly this. OP, a dealer/shop employee has more than once swapped out on stuff I had bought. An employee was caught swapping out flat bottom M&P40c magazines for the ones with the pinkie extension out of new M&P40c gun cases... They made it right but it does happen, just saying. My theory is that it's all as it left the DPMS factory in 2013...The FFL dealer I got this carbine from is a personal friend who wouldn't do that and he has no employees. So that only leaves the distributer or DPMS... Plus I think the carrier and bolt are DPMS.....plus the thing looks like an original assembly... I think I'm going to shoot it and see how I like it inappropriate carrier and all. A couple of my pals got the budget DPMS carbines from this same FFL and they shoot superb! My new gun is just a fancier version of same thing. My one pal told me he would swap me carriers..'cause he has carrier notches..and no forward-assist.. ...I may do that..I may not...have to think about it.
I gotta get an optic rigged-up..and shoot this cool little carbine!(never owned a flat-top before)....I need a front sling swivel of some sort too....and really?...despite the lack of carrier notches..this DPMS is a damn good-looking gun. I'm guessing it's going to run great..
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