Quality, basic AR?

[DanH]

I'm wondering if anyone has any info on CMMG? They are fairly local to me but the prices I have seen online are so low that it makes me a little wary. To me it's similar to a 1911, if it costs less than a grand and doesn't say Colt I probably wanna stay away.

[fuse]

Seems like the carbine gas system is obsolete for a 16" barrel.

I have possibly drank too much Pat Rogers koolaid on this issue, but I see no reason to buy a colt over a DD/BCM/LMT midlength gun.

I am a novice carbine shooter, but shooting my POS carbine bushmaster does not compare to shooting my midlength BCM. The recoil impulse difference is very noticeable.

As far as I can tell, reasons to buy a colt are basically "colt has been making rifles for a very long time, and they resist making the clearly superior midlength. "

It's weird.

[TCz]

Availability of a midlength is what keeps pushing me to DD...

[rob_s]

Mid-length is over-rated.

Don't get me wrong, I like them, and have them, but to hear some people tell it they cure cancer. That just isn't the case.

The more I learn about the AR FOW the more I come to learn that Colt does things that nobody else does. It's largely minutiae to most but better is better.

If someone insists on the mid-length then the BCM or DD are good options.

[Jay Cunningham]

Mid-length is over-rated.

Don't get me wrong, I like them, and have them, but to hear some people tell it they cure cancer. That just isn't the case.

The more I learn about the AR FOW the more I come to learn that Colt does things that nobody else does. It's largely minutiae to most but better is better.

If someone insists on the mid-length then the BCM or DD are good options.

I'm feeling the bromance, Rob.

If your technique is poor, the mid-length really wont help you.

[John Hearne]

So the thread topic is "quality basic AR" and now we are getting into the parts lists of "here's my personal preference dream build". These threads always have the potential to drift really easily.

Yes but it is easy to buy the right configuration that is suitable for proper pimping at a later date. For instance you could by a BCM or DD 16" mid-length with fixed FSB and stock handguards and have a good basic rifle. If you decide to spend the money later, you can chop the FSB and put a railed foreend on it when you have more money.

[LHS]

Mid-length is over-rated.

Don't get me wrong, I like them, and have them, but to hear some people tell it they cure cancer. That just isn't the case.

The more I learn about the AR FOW the more I come to learn that Colt does things that nobody else does. It's largely minutiae to most but better is better.

If someone insists on the mid-length then the BCM or DD are good options.

There is much truth here. I love my mid-length DD, and I can certainly tell the difference in recoil impulse and muzzle jump between it and a carbine-length upper. But it's an incremental gain, rather than revolutionary. I certainly wouldn't feel behind the power curve with a carbine-length upper, assuming it was set up the same way re: sights, optics, sling, handguard, etc. Colt's AR quality is second to none. They have the TDP and have worked out most of the kinks in the basic system. If you want fancier stuff, there are other quality makers like DD, BCM, Noveske, LaRue, etc, but you can't beat the basic quality level of a 6920 or 6720, especially for the price.

[Suvorov]

I'm wondering if anyone has any info on CMMG? They are fairly local to me but the prices I have seen online are so low that it makes me a little wary. To me it's similar to a 1911, if it costs less than a grand and doesn't say Colt I probably wanna stay away.

CMMG is a commercial gun. They do some things right and other things not so right. Their barrels are nitrate finished instead of chrome lined and to my knowledge their stuff is not HP tested and MPI'ed (Rob would know better). I have a .22LR dedicated upper and have not been blown away by its quality, but it being a .22LR we are not exactly comparing apples to apples. While you could most likely get a CMMG that would satisfy your needs for a little under $800 (the lowest I've seen them priced), I don't know why you would want to take the chance when a M&P15A can be found for about the same price and a Colt will run you only $200 more.

[TCz]

Mid-length is over-rated.

Don't get me wrong, I like them, and have them, but to hear some people tell it they cure cancer. That just isn't the case.

The more I learn about the AR FOW the more I come to learn that Colt does things that nobody else does. It's largely minutiae to most but better is better.

If someone insists on the mid-length then the BCM or DD are good options.

Rob, I would love to hear more about the minutiae, if you have the time, and don't mind explaining it. That sort of thing interests me like nothing else.

[fuse]

Edit: moved to the other thread