Any opinions on Olympic Arms rifles?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Any opinions on Olympic Arms rifles?

Posted: 3/26/2006 3:31:07 AM EDT

I'm considering them based on a few good review, price and their lifetime warranty. Their K16 Targer Rifle in particular. I am weary however of making a purchase on a brand that I am not personally familiar with without first consulting you guys.

Any opinions or experience with Olympic Arms rifles?

Posted: 3/26/2006 5:25:15 AM EDT

[#1]

My experience with them has not been good and I dont recommend them. But there's a lot of owners here who like theirs just fine. Maybe the few that I have seen that were poor are the exception. I kind of doubt it, but...

Posted: 3/26/2006 9:41:34 AM EDT

[#2]

I'm a BUSHY fan. But I do own a OLY GL9. 2000+ through it now with no problems. That gun rocks! I have no experience with the model you are looking at. A friend of mine has an OLY and has had no problems. Good finish and accurate. Service is hit or miss. Lifetime warranty, read it slowly. If I was gonna buy an AR15 "223" it would be in this order, Bushmaster, Colt, Armilite, S&W, RRA. Oh then OLY. My 2 cents. Hopefully more opinions will be posted later for ya.

Posted: 3/27/2006 6:54:02 PM EDT

[#3]

Ok, so from this and other research I've done on them, some people say that they had a questionably made receiver in the past but that their stuff is supposed to be pretty good now. Can anyone verify this? Anybody with experience with their Ultramatch premium grade rifle or upper? They claim "sub 1/2" inch accuracy on it with a 60 day satisfaction guarantee. I know people can say just about anything but that really sounds tempting to try.

I know there are plenty of accurate upper options out there but they do have some unique uppers that I can't find other places (i.e. 10mm and WSSM uppers). I'd really like to hear if anybody has experience with those.

Anyway, enough rambling for now. Thanks again for any input you guys may have on this.

Posted: 3/27/2006 7:52:36 PM EDT

[#4]

Accuracy has alot more to do with the person and the ammo in my experiance. There is nothing exactly wrong with OLY but they've always been considered a very tier 3 type of manufacturer with dodgy customer service. YMMV

It seems if their stuff works it'll keep on working, if not...

I'd rather build my own though.

What kinda rifle are you looking for anyway?

Posted: 3/28/2006 4:27:14 AM EDT

[#5]

Agreed. I just like to know that when there is an accuracy issue, the fault is mine or my ammunition's.

Quoted:
What kinda rifle are you looking for anyway?

Difficult question. The next rifle I get will most likely be a .243 WSSM for varmint shots over 500 yards. That is what initially peaked my curiosity in Olympic Arms as they sell a 243 WSSM upper. Next, I am torn between either a Varmint style 223 AR, a 223 carbine, or a 6.5 (grendel or .260 remington).

Future plans would include either a 300 or 325 short magnum AR, a .50 upper (Beowulf or Phantom), and a pistol caliber upper (10mm preferably). After that I would probably be done adding to my collection for a decade or so. hinking.gif

Posted: 3/28/2006 4:54:13 AM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
price and their lifetime warranty.

Like TOMMY BOY said... Anyone can slap a warrantee on a piece of shit! Buy a good gun and you won't need that warrantee.

Posted: 3/28/2006 4:55:29 AM EDT

[#7]

Here's a great post that I have saved. Please let me know if you decide against wasting your money on OLY so I can chalk up another "SAVE" from the Oly mistake!!!

Quoted:

I USED TO SELL OLYMPICS.

I also stock Colts, BM, RRA, and AR.
Wanna know what the #1 most repaired AR15 in my shop is? OLYMPIC.
I don't sell them anymore.
Wanna know what the most repaired AR15 in my store is now? Still the OLYMPIC.
Wanna know what I've had to send Olys back for? You name it.
Wanna know how hard it is to get repair parts/replacement parts/financial reimbursement for shipping NEW guns back to OLY for warranty work as a gun dealer? IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!

Several distributors have even stopped carrying Olympic rifles because of the high reject rate once they get to the dealers.

They might, sometimes, take care of the individual owner, but as a dealer, I believe that they have a black list, and if you're on it, you're screwed.

I've actually had OLY on the phone with a customer in my shop, and they have actually told the guy that there was nothing wrong, and if he shipped it back, they would not fix it. The rifle had a broken bolt. Sheared off 2 lugs, broke at the cam pin hole, and damaged the bolt carrier.

I fixed it, with BM parts that were available to me at the time. I sent the bill to OLY, never got a response. Sold the debt off to a collection agency, along with all the other repairs that I had to do on OLY guns. Now, if an OLY comes in for repair, I advise the individual that it will cost them an open ended amount and get them to sign the estimate before I'll even touch it.

SHOT show 2002 I took them a box of the parts that I had replaced from their guns that I could not get reimbursement for.

I'll guarntee I've owned/handled/shot more OLYs since 1999 than you ever will, unless you work at Oly or a gun store.

There is, at best 15% profit in retail guns. Olys eat up my 15% on repair parts/shipping/gunsmith time almost as soon as they get unpacked. No more!

Now, about their issues, still "Pretty sure they have been resolved by now" ?????

Or is my post worthless, too?

Tom

Posted: 3/28/2006 6:26:02 AM EDT

[#8]

love my wife's OLY, reliable, shoots whatever ammo you put in it, has always functioned without a hiccup, shoots quarter sized groups @ 100yrds. I'm happy with our OLY.

Posted: 3/28/2006 10:25:54 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Here's a great post that I have saved. Please let me know if you decide against wasting your money on OLY so I can chalk up another "SAVE" from the Oly mistake!!!

Quoted:

I USED TO SELL OLYMPICS.

I also stock Colts, BM, RRA, and AR.
Wanna know what the #1 most repaired AR15 in my shop is? OLYMPIC.
I don't sell them anymore.
Wanna know what the most repaired AR15 in my store is now? Still the OLYMPIC.
Wanna know what I've had to send Olys back for? You name it.
Wanna know how hard it is to get repair parts/replacement parts/financial reimbursement for shipping NEW guns back to OLY for warranty work as a gun dealer? IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!

Several distributors have even stopped carrying Olympic rifles because of the high reject rate once they get to the dealers.

They might, sometimes, take care of the individual owner, but as a dealer, I believe that they have a black list, and if you're on it, you're screwed.

I've actually had OLY on the phone with a customer in my shop, and they have actually told the guy that there was nothing wrong, and if he shipped it back, they would not fix it. The rifle had a broken bolt. Sheared off 2 lugs, broke at the cam pin hole, and damaged the bolt carrier.

I fixed it, with BM parts that were available to me at the time. I sent the bill to OLY, never got a response. Sold the debt off to a collection agency, along with all the other repairs that I had to do on OLY guns. Now, if an OLY comes in for repair, I advise the individual that it will cost them an open ended amount and get them to sign the estimate before I'll even touch it.

SHOT show 2002 I took them a box of the parts that I had replaced from their guns that I could not get reimbursement for.

I'll guarntee I've owned/handled/shot more OLYs since 1999 than you ever will, unless you work at Oly or a gun store.

There is, at best 15% profit in retail guns. Olys eat up my 15% on repair parts/shipping/gunsmith time almost as soon as they get unpacked. No more!

Now, about their issues, still "Pretty sure they have been resolved by now" ?????

Or is my post worthless, too?

Tom

That is a pretty powerful argument against Oly - not sure I would take the risk with so many other choices available.

Posted: 3/28/2006 10:30:17 AM EDT

[#10]

OAI......I would not hit it. Have had trouble in the past. Seen a LOT of disgusting shit come out of their shop. Some decent stuff. For a little more money, get RRA.

Posted: 3/28/2006 1:00:06 PM EDT

[#11]

past experience and the saturated market of ar15's today, oly would not be first on the list

Posted: 3/29/2006 12:01:48 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
Here's a great post that I have saved. Please let me know if you decide against wasting your money on OLY so I can chalk up another "SAVE" from the Oly mistake!!!

Quoted:

I USED TO SELL OLYMPICS.

I also stock Colts, BM, RRA, and AR.
Wanna know what the #1 most repaired AR15 in my shop is? OLYMPIC.
I don't sell them anymore.
Wanna know what the most repaired AR15 in my store is now? Still the OLYMPIC.
Wanna know what I've had to send Olys back for? You name it.
Wanna know how hard it is to get repair parts/replacement parts/financial reimbursement for shipping NEW guns back to OLY for warranty work as a gun dealer? IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!

Several distributors have even stopped carrying Olympic rifles because of the high reject rate once they get to the dealers.

They might, sometimes, take care of the individual owner, but as a dealer, I believe that they have a black list, and if you're on it, you're screwed.

I've actually had OLY on the phone with a customer in my shop, and they have actually told the guy that there was nothing wrong, and if he shipped it back, they would not fix it. The rifle had a broken bolt. Sheared off 2 lugs, broke at the cam pin hole, and damaged the bolt carrier.

I fixed it, with BM parts that were available to me at the time. I sent the bill to OLY, never got a response. Sold the debt off to a collection agency, along with all the other repairs that I had to do on OLY guns. Now, if an OLY comes in for repair, I advise the individual that it will cost them an open ended amount and get them to sign the estimate before I'll even touch it.

SHOT show 2002 I took them a box of the parts that I had replaced from their guns that I could not get reimbursement for.

I'll guarntee I've owned/handled/shot more OLYs since 1999 than you ever will, unless you work at Oly or a gun store.

There is, at best 15% profit in retail guns. Olys eat up my 15% on repair parts/shipping/gunsmith time almost as soon as they get unpacked. No more!

Now, about their issues, still "Pretty sure they have been resolved by now" ?????

Or is my post worthless, too?

Tom hr

WOW! Who could argue with that? Not me. That does it, I guess I'll just stick with a bolt action .243 WSSM. I'm not gonna gamble on a company like that. Thanks a TON for the warning.

Posted: 3/29/2006 9:34:38 AM EDT

[#13]

Regarding the posting by Banzai............

Having owned an OLY gun in the past, I can attest to the non-standard configuration of those rifles. I don't mean non-mil-spec......I mean you don't know what the hell they are going to substitute on the guns to get them out the door. Sloppy finish work, mismatched screws for buttplate and grip, who knows what else................very un-professional overall.

Of course you MIGHT get a gun that has all the right parts and works FINE !!!

But then again........you MIGHT NOT !!!

I gambled with my money once, and will NEVER do it again.

With such reputable makers as Armalite, Bushmaster, DPMS, Rock River Arms (as well as the custom gunmakers like Wilson, Les Baer, etc.), I would recommend ANY OTHER manufacturer before I would recommend Olympic Arms.

S4F

NRA Benefactor Member
NRA Certified Firearms Instructor
NRA Certified Range Safety Officer
Self-Certified Serious Plinker and
Groundhog Exterminator

Send lawyers, guns, and money.....................The shit has hit the fan !!! W. Zevon

Posted: 3/29/2006 12:41:55 PM EDT

[#14]

Just do it right the first time! COLT/Bushmaster/LMT/RRA/ARMALITE/STAG thenoly

ask FALARAK? sorry just had to

Posted: 4/10/2006 5:50:25 PM EDT

[#15]

From a shooter that has actually owned and fired (2) Oly's and also owns a Bushy and a RRA. It seems that you either love um or hate um! I have shot more than 5,000 rnds through my two Oly's which were purchased in 2000 and 2003. Not one malfunction in either. I consider my Oly's to be as accurate if not more accurate than my Bushy or RRA. Oly fit and finish was great! Oly, by the way is one of only a couple of manufactures that can say that they machine their AR's in house and don't sub out the parts to a third party for machining! Oly machines all of their lower receivers, upper receivers, barrels, frames, slides and a majority of the small parts for all of their AR's. So like I said you either love um or hate um!!

Posted: 4/10/2006 5:59:27 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
From a shooter that has actually owned and fired (2) Oly's and also owns a Bushy and a RRA. It seems that you either love um or hate um! I have shot more than 5,000 rnds through my two Oly's which were purchased in 2000 and 2003. Not one malfunction in either. I consider my Oly's to be as accurate if not more accurate than my Bushy or RRA. Oly fit and finish was great! Oly, by the way is one of only a couple of manufactures that can say that they machine their AR's in house and don't sub out the parts to a third party for machining! Oly machines all of their lower receivers, upper receivers, barrels, frames, slides and a majority of the small parts for all of their AR's. So like I said you either love um or hate um!!

Would you buy another new Olympic AR?

Posted: 4/10/2006 6:01:59 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
My experience with them has not been good and I dont recommend them. But there's a lot of owners here who like theirs just fine. Maybe the few that I have seen that were poor are the exception. I kind of doubt it, but...

I think that's a fair statement.

Posted: 4/10/2006 6:05:50 PM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
Oly, by the way is one of only a couple of manufactures that can say that they machine their AR's in house and don't sub out the parts to a third party for machining! Oly machines all of their lower receivers, upper receivers, barrels, frames, slides and a majority of the small parts for all of their AR's.

That is only a good thing if you have a reputation for quality. In this case, it seems to make an even worse situation - they have no one else to blame for the "bad" parts.

I have nothing against Oly personally. That said, I would never buy one because they seem to be the only mfg (that is still around) that many on this board bring up as inferior. Many posters have their favs. Oly stands by itself at the bottom of too many lists for me to take the risk, at least until their reputation improves markedly.

Posted: 4/10/2006 6:07:04 PM EDT

[#19]

I had an Oly carbine that I got just before the ban. I don't believe that I ever got it to fire three shots in a row without having to clear a jam. But that was before I found out about the importance of using mil-spec magazines. I had several Orlites, some aftermarket mags of unknown manufacture, and the magizine that came with it. None of them worked. I lost the rifle in a divorce before I discovered AR15.com, so I never did get a chance to see if the problems were magazine related.

I also have an Olympic Ultramatch, which has proved a completely reliable tack driver.

Posted: 4/10/2006 9:50:51 PM EDT

[#20]

_________________________________________________________________________

Originally Posted By Clint50
Would you buy another new Olympic AR?
_________________________________________________________________________

If I were in the market for a new AR, I would not hesitate in buying a third Oly given the outstanding track record of the two I have already.

Posted: 4/11/2006 5:41:49 AM EDT

[#21]

They're the best gun money can buy! You should get 87 of them!

Posted: 4/11/2006 8:44:26 AM EDT

[#22]

I have a Olympic with Ultramach barrel and 4-16 power scope. Gun will shoot with any of them. I have put 5 shots of Black Hills into one hole ( 1/4 inch center to center ) at 100 yards. Don't do this well every time but it will always keep them in 1 inch X ring from a shooting bench if i do my part. Only trouble i ever had was with a cheep after market mag. I also have a DPMS M4 and a Colt Match Traget Compition and like them all equally.

Posted: 4/11/2006 7:43:56 PM EDT

[#23]

had a pre-ban oly... traded my post-ban bushy for it+$100...... the oly was a GREAT gun.. wish i would have never sold it....

Posted: 4/13/2006 7:26:19 PM EDT

[#24]

Seems like alot of people comment on the older oly product. I can only speak from a more recent time. I got mine late in 2k5, october I think. I have over 500 rounds through it, and without issue at good accuracy (with my sucky shooting skills anyways). I will say that it seems to not like certain ammo (wolf for some odd reason), and only well made magazines (read new). I have nothing else to report. If anything, I think their stuff is expensive (in retrospect), but so far very dependable. I have restocked and regripped mine. The parts that came off seem pretty standard. Not much else I can say, but that is what I got. Fit and finish were great. I cannot tell you how they compare with other rifles of the make per say. I have shot rock river AR's since my purchase as well as Bushmasters. The fit/finish seemed like it was comparable. I cannot speak for their customer service. Anyways, that's about it, let me know if you have any questions.

--Boom

Posted: 4/14/2006 10:36:11 AM EDT

[#25]

I agree, yes apperantly the old OLY's sucked ass. OK, that was then, this is now. You can say shit like that about everything. Do you really think they would still be in business if they produced the same quality of product. It is the same shit in every thread about this topic. Yes I have an OLY.... I like my OLY, never owned older AR's from them.

Posted: 4/14/2006 10:46:09 AM EDT

[#26]

I bought an oly about 2 years ago and put well over 2,000 rounds through it. The only problem i've ever had with it is a misfeed, that actually shoved the round into the casing. My friends Bushy did the same thing too. My guess was it was just the ammo we were using. I also had one stovepipe, but that happened in subzero temp and it was on the first shot. So I imagine the lubricant wasn't working properly.
I live not too far from the Oly store, so every experience i've had with them has been great. The only time I've taken my rifle in was to get the barrel threaded. If they had the rifle I currently want, I would definetly not hesitate buying another one from them.

Posted: 4/14/2006 8:08:00 PM EDT

[#27]

I have a oly K8 LRT SUM it shoots better than me with different ammo and looks and fits good. I have 2 other makes and they can't meet the olys spects.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Any opinions on Olympic Arms rifles?

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