Please list these in order from best to worst, and maybe a little reason why,
Bushmaster
colt
cav arms
rock river
armalite
dpms
pro ordance
thanks

Here's a thread where a few guys ranked the most popular manufacturers based on their experience.  Maybe it will help.

www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=142491

Drivie

Proffesional Ordnace, Hesse, and American Spirit Arms are all supposedly going under.  None of them made a consiostently acceptable product and failed to meet customer service when it was needed.

Armalite will have the best fit and finish, but the wait is exceedingly long.  Bushmaster, Rock River Arms, and DPMS are probably the most reliable and consistent companies to buy from.  They are readily available from a variety of sources and have the most selection.  

Cavarms is up and coming and have shown themselves to make a good receiver (the first good one using any sort of plastic), and they use mainly DPMS uppers on their complete rifles.  

Colt has many, many fans, but thier quality and customer service has slipped in the last few years.  In my opinion, they are just a name these days and not worth the trouble.  

Olympic seems to have gotten better over the years and is a good choice, but would finish last on this list (or possibly exceeding Colt by a small margin).  They are good, just not that good.  Although if you get a good Oly, I don't think it will ever let you down.

Armalite, Rock River, Bushmaster, DPMS, Cavarms, Colt and Olympic are really the only ones you should even consider right now.  You could spend a little more on a Knight's, a Wilson, or a Les Baer, but the differences and extras don't make up for the high price increase.

P.S. where in NY are you a cop?

Hey NYCOP check out this article that I found while researching the same question. I just bought a Bushmaster based on this article. It was written by the site manager of The Maryland AR15 Shooters Site (a great site by the way). Good luck with whatever you get!! Can't wait to get my Bushy to the range this weekend. It's my first AR and I'm really excited about it!!

www.alpharubicon.com/leo/ar15sforserious.htm

dbshabo

www.alpharubicon.com/leo/ar15sforserious.htm

My experiences are limited to only Pre-ban Colt so there is nothing bad that I can say about them. They are excellent good reliable quality ARs. I do have one Post-Ban Wilson Combat AR which I am not too thrill about is that it is not a Mil-Spec AR (fail to eject surplus ammo).

I recently bought my first AR type rifle after doing a lot of reading on this site and others.  I decided on a Bushmaster 20" A3, and I couldn't be happier.  The rifle looks great, shoots great, and it comes from a reputable manufacturer.  I feel confident that if I ever have a problem, they will stand behind it.

I'd have to say that my pre-ban colt is a fine weapon.  No problems, shoots straight, and feeds everything. Period.

btt

ASA makes a good product and is not going under, the company may be sold to some one else but it is still going strong.

I am tired of fighting you guys on this one; check an ASA rifle out some time and judge for yourself their products are of high quality.

Avoid ASA like the plague. In the last year and a half they have been sued by Armalite for patent infringement, Lewis machine & Tool (supplied their uppers and lowers) for non-payment and Harris Gunworks for non-payment. There is a rumor that Armalite will be taking over their assets. They don't have anyone employed there competent enough to drill a gas port and cut a proper chamber. Their rifles are hard to give away locally.

AR_Rifle,
I believe the Wilson Combat rifles have a match chamber, which is possibly the reason why your rifle doesn't like surplus ammo. Try using Federal Match or Black Hills match ammo and see if it likes it any better.

I shoot at the Rio Solado Sportsman's Club in Mesa, AZ all the time get to see ASA's in "inaction" all the time.  Have never heard or seen a single good thing about them.
 AVOID!!!!

Stay away from Hessie Ive heard all kinds of horrer stories about those things exploading.
JIM