Olympic Arms

[Bill Hollinger]

Having worked in the barrel business now for over a year I can tell you all with certainty that I will never own pretty much any Ruger. There are two that I would own, and do at least one (10/22), the other would be a Ruger #1 but only after I replaced the barrel.

Of the countless guns we get through the door none have as many quality control issues as do the Rugers. You name the issue, it has it. As much as I do not like the magazine arrangement on the Ruger American, they at least have seemed to have worked out many years of problems with it. The Mini-14 is the biggest pile of all of them especially the new model with the funky rear sight and fixed ejector.

[painter777]

Guys what about the inexpensive Ruger ar15?

Asking, because I asked below about a good starter ar for my occasional shooter son.
Some called for Ruger or S&W MP?

Here's my link:

https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=59503

I'll really miss Oly.... I really like my PPFT in .556

[Brian Dick]

I think S&W make one that's not terribly expensive. I'd steer clear of the Ruger. Windham Weaponry is also an option. They are the original Bushmaster folks before they sold the name to Remington and the quality took a nose dive.

[painter777]

I started looking at these, after being lead towards Ruger:

Ruger * Autoloading Rifle Model 8500

Now thinking about looking closer at the kits that Midsouth Shooters Supply offers.
I buy quite a bit of my reload gear from them, would say a great outfit to deal with.

Here I could but the kit, just need a stripped lower and be on my way. Have plenty of sights, and mags.

Anyone worked with Del-Ton ??

AR 15 Kits | Rifle & Pistol Kits | Midsouth Shooters


Thx,
Charlie

[cipherk98]

I'd be surprised if the Del-Ton, Palmetto State Armory, and numerous other budget kits weren't all actually made by just one or two companies that slaps their name on it. Palmetto State Armory has some great deals right now - the PTAC kits are around $330-350 but I would probably spend more and get a PSA branded for around $400. Shipping from them can be a bit slow though.

Having worked in the barrel business now for over a year I can tell you all with certainty that I will never own pretty much any Ruger. There are two that I would own, and do at least one (10/22), the other would be a Ruger #1 but only after I replaced the barrel.

Of the countless guns we get through the door none have as many quality control issues as do the Rugers. You name the issue, it has it.

Funny you say that... I saw a post on another forum by a fairly reputable source that was about how CHF =/= quality. Namely, they inspected several CHF AR barrels by a "big name" and all had issues. Well there are not that many name brands making those barrels in the US, with most being rebranded FN, and I suspect they are not the culprit. That said I have a 10/22 that runs fine, but I think my Glenfield Model 75 has a far better trigger and a little better accuracy... who knows how Freedom Group Marlin makes them now though, I tried to get parts for it and they told me not to bother them for info on old products.

[Brian Dick]

I think the PSA chrome lined barrels are made by FNMI in Columbia, SC on the big hammer forges they have there. A few apparently slipped out marked FNMI instead of PSA. I gave up on Remington/Bushmaster and bought a couple of the 16" M4 barrels for builds I do here and they function and shoot very well. One of my pet peeves is a chrome lined barrel/chamber in the service grade AR platform because in my experience many who buy them don't maintain them well and want to buy and shoot a steady diet of the Wolf steel cased ammo they can find cheap and in bulk. All problems waiting to happen in an non-chrome barrel.

Marlin is another sad story of an American, old line, family owned manufacturer which has been turned to crap since their purchase by Freedom Group. If your firearm is over 20 years old you're SOL as far as factory service and parts. A crying shame because they always had a very high standard prior to being sold out.

[WarPig1976]

Now I feel bad pointing Painter towards Ruger. Didn't know they had all these issues. Will say my boy's runs fine and appears to be well built. Everybody's having QC issues nowadays just ask a Ford owner!!

[painter777]

Marlin also?
Man this has become a sad post all in all.

Brian,

One of my pet peeves is a chrome lined barrel/chamber in the service grade AR platform because in my experience many who buy them don't maintain them well and want to buy and shoot a steady diet of the Wolf steel cased ammo they can find cheap and in bulk.

...........

All problems waiting to happen in an non-chrome barrel.

Brian,
I'm confused (fairly common thing for me)

Do you mean guys with Chrome lined, When shooting the cheap steel case and not cleaning are getting away with it?
As in just getting away with it longer........

Then when shooting the same ammo thru Non Chrome, that problems await them?
As in problems will arise sooner than the above example......

Is it a typo error?
Or am I completely missing your point?

On another note: I just can't see buying the cheap ammo. IMHO it just leads to problems down the road. How far down that road you'll get will vary.
I'd rather buy choice ammo and or reload than be chasing parts and paying labor costs if I can't R&R myself.

Charlie-Painter777

[Brian Dick]

Charlie,

Proper maintenance is the key with any AR platform or any weapon for that matter. Folks who don't maintain them properly are looking for trouble, especially when using cheap Wolf steel cased ammo. There are lots of folks who own AR's and don't maintain them properly, believe me. Traces of the lacquer coating on the steel cases that keeps them from rusting will be deposited in the chambers and if you aren't diligent about cleaning the barrels as many aren't, the buildup will cause extractor failuress eventually and even rust/pitting in the chamber. The extractor is a weak point and problems will occur. Chrome lining helps but you're right in that you will only get away with it longer. Without proper maintenance, problems can occur too but obviously not rust. Many of the lesser expensive AR's out there don't have chrome chambers and bores. Since it was one of the product improvements that set the M16 on the road to success, I'm a bit old school and insist on it with my builds.

Brian

---------- Post added at 05:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:53 PM ----------

I agree about buying cheap ammo but having dealt with the general public for many years in the gun trade, they don't always share our opinions on that!

[painter777]

Thank You Brian,
That I fully understand.
I sprayed barrels of varnish, shellac, lacquer etc in a 35 year career. After spraying out a area walk over and grab a 100 watt light bulb plugged in a sidewall outlet and it will stick to your fingers burning the hell out of them until you can pry it loose. Seems like that lacquer coated case sitting in a hot chamber would do the same thing! Ever sit a hot coffee cup on a table to find a ring on it....... lacquer pulling, discoloring is the first stage.

Gotta remember when it comes to cleaning a gun....... some are just lazy and/or don't know how to properly clean and lube one.

I think the biggest part of arms maintenance were the habits one picked up from day one. These habits come from how one was trained when first learning to shoot. My Brother and I both received our first rifles at age 5 for Christmas, sometimes new, sometimes used, but every Xmas day we each got one. I have a large collection of misc guns. Many were brand new winchester collector commemorative match sets with consecutive serial numbers, all still nib.
We got guns we could shoot and guns we were told to never shoot. I remember to get my brother and I to go to church our Father would have to throw a few shooters in the trunk and we'd get to stop on the way home and throw lead. I can still see my poor Mother and sister sitting in the frosted up Oldsmobile waiting on us. Once home we changed clothes and headed down to the ole beat up ping pong table in the basement that we'd gather around and clean any gun we had shot after we got home. Even if you hadn't shot a gun and had jut got it out to show, you always wiped the metal down with a oil rag. Never shoot lever actions had twine tied thru the loop so no one would be tempted to rack it. As kids we'd shovel snow and mow lawns to buy extra ammo and fishing gear.
All a true story!
To this day the smell of Hoppes #9 and gun oil just bring back childhood memories. That and the sound of a knife being worked on a wet stone (spit rock as he would say) make me think of my Father.
Sorry so long..........

Regards,
Charlie-Painter777