Has anyone had any experience with the new(ish) High Standard AR Shorty Clones? I had an opportunity to handle a new one today and study it for long enough to be surprised by how nice it looked. My standard questions on AR and 1911 Clones has become “who is the actual manufacturer and whose receiver and parts did they use”? Regardless any information would be appreciated; it might be an option for budget minded folks.
When you say "AR Shorty Clone" do you mean a carbine, as in an M4?
-Seconds Count. Misses Don't-
Yep! It’s a faux M-4 clone, more along the lines of a Police Patrol Rifle. If it had a 14” barrel and a go-fast selector then it’d be an M-4. ;-)Originally Posted by SecondsCount
Correct and is why I said "as in"
I have had no experience with High Standard. What I would be asking- Are the barrels chrome lined and what material are they made of? Do they HP and MPT test their barrels and bolts? What material is the bolt made from and is it shot peened?
The answers to those questions will give you an idea on whether or not they are a quality product.
-Seconds Count. Misses Don't-
About five years back we had some in the LGS where I worked. No reports good or bad.
Frankly, since Pat Rogers grudgingly gave S&W his seal of approval, S&W is my recommendation for an entry level AR. IMHO, unless it's priced way less than $600.00, I'd skip it.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...6+16+AS+BLK+30
S&W will be making a couple of midlength models this year also if that does anything for you.
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Considering it's lower price point, can the M&P-15 Sport be thought of as comparable -- quality-wise -- as the other models?
Jac, I think so, though I have no data to support that. I can't see S&W sourcing very many different parts for that model.
Buddy of mine purchased one at my urging, have not had it on the range yet.
A friend of mine who is a officer in Houston picked up a High Standard AR clone in 2009 when all the AR craze was going down. If I recall correctly, it was a mid-length. He eventually qualified with it and it is now his patrol rifle (although as a K9 officer it is doubtful he will ever use it). I went shooting with him and it once and is seemed to function fine. I don't know what kind of course that was run by HPD to qualify him but he said the standards were fairly tough so I would imagine it being along the lines of a typical carbine course and he had zero issues with the gun there.
All that said, I think if you wondered over to M4c.net you would not get anyone tell you they are a good rifle and that you are better served with a Colt, DD, or BCM. The truth is somewhere probably in the middle. I'll agree with AlT in that the S&W is probably the best entry level carbine when it comes to low end cost. I have an early one and it is a good gun. I wouldn't say that the Sport model is the best model if you intended LE use or seriously see you fending off goblins and zombies for the Mayan New Year due to a lack of forward assist and dust cover - but for an entry level "get your feet wet" gun, it seems to be a good buy.
My understanding is that as time goes on, less and less is being outsourced by Smith. The early M&Ps were built with a lot of CMT (Stag) parts but now that the line is quite mature, most parts are being made in house now. I know that my rifle's internals don't show any of the standard markings that you find in various parts kits that are built up of outsourced parts. The barrels are being made by Thompson (which Smith owns) and the big change here is that most of them are no longer chrome lined but are rather being "Melonited." Smith claims that you get better accuracy and barrel life but this has generated a lot of debate.
I have referred a couple of my coworkers to the Sport model as a good entry level rifle and they are all quite happy with them. These guys are not serious shooters however and now that the initial 500 round honeymoon is over, I doubt the rifles will ever see another 500.
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