AR15 A2 options?

[DDTSGM]

We're not quite there. No one has yelled at him to buy a 6920 and take a carbine class yet.

Or ran over or thrown their 6920 off a cliff to prove it's awesomeness.

[HCM]

So the same as the old Bushmaster?

Yes.

[DDTSGM]

Some of us remember Bushmaster and Oly as not so bad when there weren't a lot of options.

They are kind of like the plain gal you hung out with before you became a jock, or, got a hot car - you kind of forget that really they weren't all that bad.

[Lost River]

I'm hardly an SME, in fact verging on out of my lane, but from the research I have done, I kinda like the WOA uppers with fancied up sights for an A2 style build. It's how I'd go if I went down that path.

Some of us remember Bushmaster and Oly as not so bad when there weren't a lot of options.

They are kind of like the plain gal you hung out with before you became a jock, or, got a hot car - you kind of forget that really they weren't all that bad.

Some of us remember Bushmaster and Oly as not so bad when there weren't a lot of options.

They are kind of like the plain gal you hung out with before you became a jock, or, got a hot car - you kind of forget that really they weren't all that bad.

Bushmaster used to be made by LAR. LAR used M16 upper receivers for the .gov, along with other parts for the defense industry, plus the old Grizzly pistol (an oversized 1911). They also made receivers for Noveske, Spikes, and some others that I can't recall. The early LAR Bushy guns were G2G. In fact I have one from the 90s, but about the only thing left stock on it is probably the receiver.




"I kinda like the WOA uppers with fancied up sights for an A2 style build."

This is the way.


If I was wanting an accurate A2 today, I would simply buy a WOA 8 twist match upper, put some sights on it, mate it to a lower and be done.

I have built a number of guns off of WOA barrels and they have all been excellent performers. Now days they have a a large variety of uppers to choose from and I would just buy the complete upper and be done.

[Shoresy]

I'm hardly an SME, in fact verging on out of my lane, but from the research I have done, I kinda like the WOA uppers with fancied up sights for an A2 style build. It's how I'd go if I went down that path.

"I kinda like the WOA uppers with fancied up sights for an A2 style build."

This is the way.


If I was wanting an accurate A2 today, I would simply buy a WOA 8 twist match upper, put some sights on it, mate it to a lower and be done.

I have built a number of guns off of WOA barrels and they have all been excellent performers. Now days they have a a large variety of uppers to choose from and I would just buy the complete upper and be done.

Agree with all re: WOA. That said, right now neither barrels nor uppers are in stock (for anything, including A2/A4 style). I'm not sure that's going to change any time soon - most of their stuff was listed a backorder item mid-to-late winter and hasn't budged since.

If I came across a moderately used WOA A2 upper at an appropriate price, I'd jump on it. But I wouldn't hold my breath to get a new one.

[HCM]

Some of us remember Bushmaster and Oly as not so bad when there weren't a lot of options.

They are kind of like the plain gal you hung out with before you became a jock, or, got a hot car - you kind of forget that really they weren't all that bad.

The phrases you are looking for are “before we knew better” and “someof them worked and weren’t that bad.”

At least with BM you had reasonable odds of getting a functioning rifle. Hence the pre GWOT mantra of “ABC - Armalite, Bushmaster, Colt” for AR selection.

Olympic - just no.

[OlongJohnson]

"I kinda like the WOA uppers with fancied up sights for an A2 style build."

This is the way.


If I was wanting an accurate A2 today, I would simply buy a WOA 8 twist match upper, put some sights on it, mate it to a lower and be done.

I have built a number of guns off of WOA barrels and they have all been excellent performers. Now days they have a a large variety of uppers to choose from and I would just buy the complete upper and be done.

I actually went back and looked at the WOA site last night, and I can't find any of the A2 stuff even shown or listed.

The only place I did find doing anything similar is Compass Lake. https://compasslake.com/product-cate...e-rifle-upper/

Since their "CLE chamber" has been adopted by AR15Performance for their .223/5.56 barrels, I'd at least think it worth researching them. I don't know much about who's who in that world. Maybe they're known to be awesome.

[Lost River]

Agree with all re: WOA. That said, right now neither barrels nor uppers are in stock (for anything, including A2/A4 style). I'm not sure that's going to change any time soon - most of their stuff was listed a backorder item mid-to-late winter and hasn't budged since.

If I came across a moderately used WOA A2 upper at an appropriate price, I'd jump on it. But I wouldn't hold my breath to get a new one.

I used to build uppers for guys doing the Lords work overseas in between my own trips, using WOA barrels. Bought fair number of them (dozens), 1/7 twist SPR type profiles with the intent that they would optimally be shooting MK262 if it was available.

I think I still have a barrel maybe two under my bench. 16 or 18 inch most likely.

[DDTSGM]

The phrases you are looking for are “before we knew better” and “someof them worked and weren’t that bad.”

At least with BM you had reasonable odds of getting a functioning rifle. Hence the pre GWOT mantra of “ABC - Armalite, Bushmaster, Colt” for AR selection.

Olympic - just no.

I had an HBAR Oly at work that I just knew one day would fail, but it never did. Very accurate, on par with my WOA Service rifle (with irons). I would have liked to have bought it when I retired.

I know, an example of one......

[SecondsCount]

You guys forgot Stag and Rock River!

I have a ban-era 20" BM upper that I got in a trade about 18 years ago. It has been through a 500ish round count class while sitting on carbine lower. I slapped it together to take the class, along with my son who ran my BCM. Both guns had zero issues.

There was a guy running an Oly M4gery in the class as well. He said he half expected it to go down but it never did.

None of this is to say that BM or Oly make anything quality, just that they could ship some decent stuff if they wanted.

My main reason for asking about Windham was to see if maybe there were some other recommendations that would come up. The individual I am researching for said that he would be paying $1K for the Windham. I noticed that Palmetto has their premium 20" kit for $720. Last I heard they were putting FN barrels in them.