Someone pointed me towards Bushmaster again today (nothing wrong with that) and then said they were tops at Camp Perry last time.  Not sure if it was fact as the person did not sound very sure.  I was told this after explaining I was planning to go with another manufacturer they don't carry (not Bushie or Colt) for an upper.  It will not weigh heavily in my decision as price is a factor and they are asking what it would cost me to order direct from Bushmaster anyway.  Was it an attempt to get me to pay more or was it true?  Which manufacturer's rifle did the top shooter use?

Good question.  I've heard alot of Perry shooters are using RRA.

Bradd_D:
That's the one I was going to get and I've heard exactly the same thing.  

I'm just curious because I'm unhappy with the CS I've gotten out of this shop everytime I have asked about ARs.  The only time I get a real answer is when I ask about a price.  When I mentioned I built my lower I could feel the noses turning up and their attention spans shortening.  The only guy who listens and is helpful anymore is the new guy in his mid 20's they appear to have just hired.  I know they are pushing the stuff they carry, but if they are being dishonest with me on purpose I will be taking my business elsewhere.  I'm pissed at myself for walking out with ammo today.  I probably should have stopped going there already but this made me realize it.

Sorry about the rant.

That info should be easy to find... I know at bench rest matches, they publish the results along with the actions each competitor was using....so maybe they do that with the Camp Perry matches?  

I have been able to find all of the results in detail, but no listing of manufacturers.  I know these rifles are highly specialized, so I doubt any of them use parts made by just one company.  Maybe there is no real answer as it seems to me most of these rifles would have to be custom at that level.

The kid from Georgia who won the Presidents Cup was shooting a Bushmaster DMC. I got that info from the write up on the matches by the CMP. As for the others, I'm still looking.

Armalite, Bushmaster, and RRA all make rifles that are good enough to perform well at Perry.  If I was buying a complete rifle then I would go with the RRA since it has a better trigger -- the Armalite trigger is so-so and the Bushmaster 2-stage leaves alot to be desired.  When it comes to buying just an upper I would contact White Oak Armament and look into one of the entry level service rifle uppers.  Yes it costs a bit more -- but in this case you're probably getting more than what you paid for which sure beats the alternative...

I only got to visit Camp Perry for a few hours last month (just to see it and get the t-shirt), but I had very similar questions and every time we would stop to try to find friends, I would just start asking shooters around me what kind of equipment they were using (among other things). Most of what I found was an amalgamation of different parts, but there were an awful lot of Bushmaster upper/lower combinations there. I only talked to a couple guys shooting RRA rifles and of all the vendors, RRA was the one that really pissed us off. It seemed like everyone had Krieger barrels on their rifles, you would see other names too but what really surprised me was that there were several folks shooting with the Bushmaster DCM Match barrel. As far as triggers go, Milazzo seemed to get a lot of respect, but it’s my understanding that they aren’t available at this time. People seemed to react like Superman to Kryptonite if you mentioned Jewell.

I was only there for a few hours on the day of the Presidents 100, but got to talk to about 30 different shooters and some various salesmen and gunsmiths. It really sounds like the best rifles are the ones that are custom built, not the ones coming from the factory; the manufacturers come up with a good baseline, but it can certainly be made better. That said, my sister wound up buying a new Armalite with the understanding that she’ll probable be needing a better barrel pretty quick.  

Thanks for the responses.  I already have my mind made up as to what I am getting.  Right now I just want something for informal target shooting so that I can see if this is something I want to get serious about.  If I decide it is I will start looking at custom barrels and such.

RebelShooter - Thank you for the answer.  I was only able to find links to the NRA posting of the scores for the most part.

ch139 - Thanks for the first hand account.  Probably the most helpful answer I could have gotten.

C.J. Adkins is a friend of mine and he was shooting a Rock River. Mark at RR is making CJ a rifle #296/15 He is 17.

You won't go wrong with RRA!  

Semper Fi!

depends on what match you want to run it in.  For the higher up matches probably something custom built as noted is what you're going to need.  But, so far my RRA CMP legal one has done me well.  not until I am a better shot will I require a more accurate platform.  Additionally RRA's team pricing can not be beat.  hope that helps
Lithgow303

For most used factory rifles, RRA #1, Armalite #2 , BM #3 and DPMS #4. Most people still modify even the factory guns by changing sights etc.

A friend of mine is active with Camp Perry and ORPC as a competitor and range official.  He is big into the RRAs.