Are DPMS AR's good?

[huskymt]

I’m looking at a DPMS Recon and would like some feedback onany issues people are having with the DPMS AR line of rifles. Stuff like Quality, Reliability, Customer Service,the usually things. I have an S&W ARand I’m very happy with it so I’m curious if the DPMS will be comparable.

 

[gunowner930]

I've had good luck with DPMS, it has been reliable.

 

[sloughfoot]

Mine have worked well. They are Mil-Spec.

 

[Hop]

What are these Mil Specs you speak of?

 

[sloughfoot]

Every AR15 that I know of is built to Mil Spec. Whether it is a lowly "standard" AR or one of the "premium" gotta have AR's. They are all Mil-Spec. Mil-spec is a drawing.

The "premium" AR's hold no special attraction to me.

 

[glock212327]

DPMS is a great company and a great rifle if you go with them you will be happy you did. My rifles have never let me down and I would buy many more.

 

[LPMan59]

Mine have worked well. They are Mil-Spec.

not usually.

as for the OP, there are better options for the same money.ymmv

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Remember that DPMS is owned by Remington. I can not speak for DPMS but they have ruined Bushmasters name.

 

[racr28]

Every DPMS I have shot has been reliable and accurate. Customer service is not very good. I feel there are better options for less money.

 

[dukeboy_318]

I've got a DPMS as well, I've had no complaint with it, shot so many rounds with it that, I've lost count very accurate, using it as a match gun currently. My dad has a Colt and a BM, my dpms performs on the same level as those 2 for sure. Only complaint I have about the DPMS guns is that the finish on the rifle is cheap compared to the other two, just seems to be duller and thinner.

 

[doglb]

I have never had an issue with a DPMS, is there better out there, you bet. The DPMS however for the money is a good shooter, at least mine is.

 

[tradertator]

The ones I've had ran fine. I'd suggest looking at Spikes though, for close to the same money,

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

Every AR15 that I know of is built to Mil Spec. Whether it is a lowly "standard" AR or one of the "premium" gotta have AR's. They are all Mil-Spec. Mil-spec is a drawing.

The "premium" AR's hold no special attraction to me.

I am almost 100% sure that is not true. I am by no means an AR expert but not all ARs are mil spec and I am pretty sure that most DMPS aren't.

I believe the milspec calls for 1/7 twist barrels, my DMPS is 1/9.

That being said just because its milspec does not mean its worse quality. A very expensive target barrel may nto be milspec but it may very well me more accurate for its target goal.

I could totally be wrong so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

Now onto DPMS, mine has been flawless, doesn't mean its as good as a BCM or Colt or whatever high end AR you mention, but for what I have asked it to do it has never failed me.

 

[esrice]

Every AR15 that I know of is built to Mil Spec. Whether it is a lowly "standard" AR or one of the "premium" gotta have AR's. They are all Mil-Spec. Mil-spec is a drawing.

Huh?

So is this milspec?

"Milspec" is a set of specifications. Some rifles meet or exceed the specifications, some don't. DPMS mostly doesn't.

Now its certainly debatable whether or not your average gun owner needs their rifle to be milspec, but its pretty clear that DPMS doesn't build to the military's specifications.

Do I need to pull out The Chart?

 

[Hop]

I have absolutely nothing against a fun plinker rifle like Oly, DPMS or any other brand. But much like a wrench from Harbor Freight isn't the same as a wrench from Snap-On, Mil Spec isn't just a set of mechanical drawings. It has defined material composition as well as assembly and testing procedure.

Think of a auto mechanic who fixes a car. Does it drive? Is it safe? Would you race it at 3x the speed limit for hours on end? You could, but is that really smart?

Take the same car/motor to a race shop and see what they do. Triple verify measurements, crack check components, use better materials in high stressed areas, etc.

These extra quality checks and procedures make up the cost difference in some of these guns.

It just goes back to what do you want to do with the gun?

 

[DialTone301]

Mil Spec is the minimum standard. There are better choices out there depending on how you intend to use the rifle.

 

[teddy12b]

I've owned a couple DPMS rifles over the years and they were all amazingly accurate.

I had a sweet 16 that got boring out to 500 yards and shot just about every kind of ammo I tried in it under 1". I've had two 308B's and both were 1/2" shooters, but the second one I bought had a tighter chamber until it was broken in.

DPMS makes a fine rifle, but I'll also be the first to admit that they don't have the "bet my life on it" level of quality feel to them. It's up to you, but for the almost $1k you'd spend on that DPMS RECON I'd buy a colt or something else.

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

I have absolutely nothing against a fun plinker rifle like Oly, DPMS or any other brand. But much like a wrench from Harbor Freight isn't the same as a wrench from Snap-On, Mil Spec isn't just a set of mechanical drawings. It has defined material composition as well as assembly and testing procedure.

That being said, much like a dpms a harbor freight wrench is perfectly fine for 90% of people.

I would guess that the vast majority of AR owners use them the same as a weekend mechanic would use hf wrenhes and would never notice the difference.

 

[cgbills]

There are better choices for your money IMO. The higher end ARs are not that much more. Also you could look at buying a good upper from Bravo Company or similar manufacture and mate it to what ever lower you want. Most lowers are created equal. I put together a AR using BCM, Rainier Arms and DD parts for a little over 1K and I know it will take whatever I throw at it

 

[redwingshooter]

I have a DPMS and mine has been very good to me. I've had no problems at all with it. I'll mirror what everyone else says that it is a good plinker and doesn't meet mil spec. Does that matter to you? If it doesn't, then a DPMS might be a good choice. If it does, I'd look elsewhere because higher quality AR's are out there for not too much more coin. YMMV.