Exactly what is wrong with Olympic Arms AR15s?

[BEAR]

Thanks for all your replies ... personal choice seems to be the answer.
BEAR

[lyman1903]

I've little experience with Oly marked rifles, only handled a few

but I've built several dozen back when they were marked SGW,
great recievers, never had an issue,

they were one of the first to make good heavy barrels too,
I shot out a SGW stainless, and was lucky enough to have a spare tucked away,

it's on my short course gun now, very accurate, with both 52's and 69's

[AKA Hugh Uno]

[QUOTE= because their tight chambers were designed to increase accuracy, couldn't handle the larger rounds,

Bob[/QUOTE]

Bob, the .223 and the 5.56 are dimensionally EXACTLY the same (and usually far more close ballistically than SAAMI specs--a whole different pee-pee contest entiterly). I don't know what reamer Olympic Arms used, but I doubt they actually used a SAAMI spec .223 (cause if they did, they would have been maybe the first@! AR maker in history to do so. Frankly, I had never heard anything negative about Oly Arms. You may want to do a search at AR15.Com as that really is ground zero for people who live and breath this stuff.

[Col. Colt]

Hugo,
Look at the diagram you just posted! The Chambers are the same. The two throats where the bullet meets the rifling are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! The shorter .223 throat is exactly what creates the chamber overpressure problem and blows/pierces primers when a military "long throat" load is fired in it! The difference in the barrel throats is important to safety.

As for Oly having problems, like all the clones, they don't make (or inspect) their parts to the same level Quality Control level as FN and Colt do. They aren't required to use the same processes and materials as the military suppliers - and since it costs more to do so, they don't. Does that matter? Not for most users. Most Oly users are quite happy with their rifles. As with everything, Your Mileage May Vary. Respectfully, CC.

[Litt'le Lee]

This was on TV awhile back and the groups shown shot on their test fires
OUT OF A VISE were about 4 or 5 inches,,if I ever bought a Oly barrel that shot that bad I'd send it back,,Oly barrels WILL SHOOT,,and yes the barrels on the earlier Oly's were 223,,now they use 5.56....

[AKA Hugh Uno]

Hugo,
Look at the diagram you just posted! The Chambers are the same. The two throats where the bullet meets the rifling are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! The shorter .223 throat is exactly what creates the chamber overpressure problem and blows/pierces primers when a military "long throat" load is fired in it! The difference in the barrel throats is important to safety.

CC.

Sorry you got confused. I clearly said that the rounds were DIMENSIONALLY the same.

I also said that essentially NO MANUFATURER of AR15's has EVER commonly used a SAAMI spec. chamber (it would be silly to do so). Most use something like the Wylde or other "hybrid" reamer. Personally, I have shot gazillions of military rounds through ARs (and vice versa in M4's, albeit it was mainly 52 grain stuff given to us by XXXXX (a well-known big city tactical unit).

Also, I guess the BUSHMASTER snake marked M4s we carried around for awhile back in the 90's were made by Colt!

As for quality control.

***********

Army Drops Colt as M16 Rifle Maker
AP NEW YORK TIMES
Published: Monday, October 3, 1988

The Army has dropped Colt Industries Inc. as the manufacturer of America's standard infantry weapon, the M16 rifle, according to a published report. The move could affect employment at strike-plagued Colt plants in Connecticut.>>>>>>

But union leaders said the Army's decision had stemmed at least in part from quality problems with Colt-built M16's even before the United Auto Workers, Local 376, struck the weapons-making division in January 1986. The 1,300-employee Firearms Division has been operating with replacement workers. About 800 U.A.W. members remain on strike.

''We would rather see Colt out of business than have a factory full of scabs,'' Philip Wheeler, a top regional union official, said Friday. Replacement Workers Criticized

''This results from the strike, the use of replacement workers and the quality problems we brought up before and during the strike,'' he said.

[Col. Colt]

OK, let's hear from anyone who was issued a Bushmaster rifle of any kind while in the Service. (Not just "I think" answers.) Place, timeframe, just you, your whole unit, etc. To the best of my knowledge, Bushmaster has NEVER had a US Military weapon contract. The Technical Data Package is pretty demanding on how you make each part, due Quality Control, etc. Colt, Hydramtic-GM (Vietnam) and FN are the only US Military suppliers I have ever heard of. Enlighten me with Facts, please. CC.

[Litt'le Lee]

SUB-CONTRACT'S-being a ex mil contractor and conversing around you realize that most primary contracts are subbed out on some items

[Homer03]

Bushmaster M4

[lyman1903]

This was on TV awhile back and the groups shown shot on their test fires
OUT OF A VISE were about 4 or 5 inches,,if I ever bought a Oly barrel that shot that bad I'd send it back,,Oly barrels WILL SHOOT,,and yes the barrels on the earlier Oly's were 223,,now they use 5.56....

both barrels I have, and the many I installed (mid 80's) were all marked 5.56, Stainless barrels were usually marked SS under that, both marks in front of the FSB,