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Posted: 11/2/2016 5:57:40 PM EDT
| Of the two platforms which is better and why? Not trying to stir up a fanboy war just want input on the attributes and shortcomings of each. thanx TG whoops!! 308!! |
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Of the two platforms which is better and why? Not trying to stir up a fanboy war just want input on the attributes and shortcomings of each. thanx TG  OK...you might want to narrow it down a little. Are you asking about their 5.56 or .308 rifles? Any particular models? DPMS tends to be considered lower end, but some of their .308 stuff is pretty nice. Armalite used to be the cats meow, but with so many companies making AR rifles, they kind of faded away. What are you trying to figure out or decide on?
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Armalite is better because of better QC process, better designed bolt, buffer system, and usually a better chamber. The only downside to Armalite is you have much less to choose from in regards to handguard selection. BUT, all those choices are good stuff.
With the DPMS platform, you have a ton of third parties making all sorts of stuff, not adhering strictly to specifications, and all the headaches that come from tolerance stacking and poor QC from these third parties. DPMS themselves, are mass produced, so suffer from lax QC across the board. You can get good ones, but they're needles with hay stacks. |
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I have parts, lowers and complete firearms from both companies and have never had a problem. I purchased a 7.62x39mm AR barrel from DPMS and it has been great. I have three of their lowers and never a problem.
I own two Armalite AR10's that I built using Noveske barrels. Again, never a problem. The internet magnifies flaws in any company because once someone posts anything derogatory it gets recycled forever. Many times a disgruntled person who is partly to blame for their problems vents on the company without good cause. I would not hesitate to buy anything from either of these two companies should they have something that is of interest to me. Neither one would still be in business after all these years if they were selling junk. Between the two I feel Armalite is better, but I have zero complaints or even one single personal experience that should lock the "feeling" in stone. I do believe Armalite makes a better barrel, their stainless steel barrels are very good. |
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I attended a well regarded armorer's class a couple of years back. The class doesnt endorse any particular brand and it is taught to most of the federal ABC agencies along withe state and local agencies. They told a few horror stories of some agencies purchases and also about premature parts breakage they tend to see across the nation. All those horror stories were related to one brand. They wouldn't tell you the brand while class was going on but during the break if you wanted to know the brand and agency involved they would tell you. It was always DPMS. Like I said they didn't endorse any particular brand but they were cIear on what didnt work if you wanted to know.They were not in the business of selling rifles or parts so they had no horse in the race.
I admit to being an Armalite fan for .308 ARs but I don't think they are the be all end all but they are certainly top tier. I don't trust DPMS anything except to build on their receivers. I have seen enough problems with my on two eyes over the years with their complete rifles that I wouldn't own one. ETA the LR308 seems to be decent ( stories on the net )but I know of one person locally that owned one and he sent back several times and it was never right. So he asked for an exchange and got one of their SS barreled 5.56 and as far as I know he is happy with it. This guy is a shooter too... |
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I have been highly impressed with the accuracy, quality, and durability of my two Armalite AR10's. However, I'll also say that I've seen quite a few DPMS .308's...not Gen II's...that perform excellently that are owned by friends and acquaintances. I think one reason that DPMS big caliber rifles might get a little more of a bad rap is that there are probably more of them out in the public than any other big caliber AR over the years. I don't have any exact data to back this up, but I'd bet they've cranked out more big AR's than anyone else into the market. That alone might skew perception a bit.
I personally believe my B-model Armalites have an edge on most of the big caliber DPMS rifles, but I don't think it's really a Chevy Aveo vs. Corvette comparison by any means. |
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Off the shelf, Armalite. Without any doubt.
There is nothing wrong with DPMS receiver sets. Like their sister company Remington some of their production barrels are outstanding. Just replace the MIM pins and trigger group with machined tool steel. This will make it cost more than the Armalite by a significant percentage, but, it is the only way to include the small frame G2 in the consideration. Don't forget with the Armalite you have two, both good, options. The AR-10b uses excellent quality mags which allow a slightly longer oal. Or you can choose the new model and select Lancer, LaRue, Knight's magazines or any of the rest. DB PS; I dropped an expensive hammer, trigger and disconnector into a DPMS and was told I was polishing a turd. Not true. This rifle is worthy of the parts. |
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