Are DPMS rifles any better than they used to be?

[NightOwl]

I have always heard DPMS is the bottom of the barrel when it comes to quality, but I have seen a few rifles lately that look pretty good! Have DPMS cleaned-up their act and started building better rifles?

 

[45calibre]

What do you mean by look? Did you look at the bcg, castle nut, barrel markings, fsb,? I always thought bottom of the barrel was reserved for olympic.

 

[jd4320t]

I wouldn't say they are bottom of the barrel. With so many companies making AR's now their prices may be a little high. I've never actually owned or handled one though.

 

[netsecurity]

I think at first glance the DPMS finish looks nice. It is the little things that add up, and they aren't truthfully that significant. But if you want an M4 profile NATO twist barrel then you are unlikely to find that on a cheap DPMS, or any other cheap product. To me, any AR-15 carbine that doesn't have an M4 barrel looks cheap, unless it makes up for it with a fancy handguard or something.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

Bottom of the barrel would be anything made by Vulcan, Hesse or Blackthorn. If encountered, run away, post haste.

 

[ViperJock]

I have seen a bunch of them under $1k. IMO the triggers are gritty, the charging handles are rough which may be lack of fit of the bcg or the handle either way it seems like it has room for improvement. They had a few models with magpul furniture but the non magpulized models would need a makeover, again IMO. Do they shoot? I'm sure they do. For the price it might be a good way to get in and then upgrade as money allows.

 

[Electronrider]

I have an LR-308 and it is an absolute tack driver.

 

[gunman41mag]

I would rather buy the ROCK RIVER ARMS, STAG ARMS, & PALMETTO STATE ARMS ar-15 which are in the same price range

 

[netsecurity]

I would rather buy the ROCK RIVER ARMS, STAG ARMS, & PALMETTO STATE ARMS ar-15 which are in the same price range

^ This is real good advice. And...get the M4 profile .

 

[zippy23]

I would saw PSA is awesome

 

[LarryC]

I would saw PSA is awesome

Have no experience with the 5.56 DPMS AR's, but I have a LR-308 I assembled with all DPMS parts - Upper is a Stainless bull barrel. The fit and finish in my opinion (and I collect guns) is as tight and smooth as my Remington 700, Colt's and Winchesters. In other words it is as well fitted as any gun I own. The action is very good, I have only fired a few clip's through the gun but it appears to be less than 1 moa accuracy, and has had no issues yet - don't expect any. I would not trade it for any other AR or .308 AR style rifle I have seen. I sure don't consider it "low quality", I have about $1500 in the rifle including a Vortex scope.

 

[Caleb]

Bottom of the barrel would be anything made by Vulcan, Hesse or Blackthorn. If encountered, run away, post haste.

Agreed...my Vulcan arm ar15 jammed like a mother****er nonstop

 

[Mgderf]

I have an LR-308 and it is an absolute tack driver.

Mine too.

 

[bakeman]

i have a dpms ar and it is a great rifle. i have had no issues at all and i have put several thousand rounds through it

 

[Caleb]

I always wanted an .308 ar15/ar10...I've heard they malfunction a lot.

 

[Mgderf]

I always wanted an .308 ar15/ar10...I've heard they malfunction a lot.

You heard wrong.

 

[Fordtough25]

I used to have a DPMS A2 clone and it ran well, my good friend has had an oracle since '08 and it still shoots well. Neither was ran hard but shot ok. I've seen a lot worse that's for sure.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Have no experience with the 5.56 DPMS AR's, but I have a LR-308 I assembled with all DPMS parts - Upper is a Stainless bull barrel. The fit and finish in my opinion (and I collect guns) is as tight and smooth as my Remington 700, Colt's and Winchesters. In other words it is as well fitted as any gun I own. The action is very good, I have only fired a few clip's through the gun but it appears to be less than 1 moa accuracy, and has had no issues yet - don't expect any. I would not trade it for any other AR or .308 AR style rifle I have seen. I sure don't consider it "low quality", I have about $1500 in the rifle including a Vortex scope.

The LR308 and the 5.56/.223 line are very far apart in quality. The LR308 is very good value for the money and I consider them on the upper middle end of quality. The 5.56/.223 I consider on the upper-lower end of quality. A step above Olympic.

I own both, FWIW.

 

[7.62]

DPMS is buy no means a high end rifle but they are a great value for the money. I have a DPMS and it functions great. It just depends what you want out of our rifle. If you want an all Milspec top of the line AR then DPMS is not it. But it's a good gun...they have gotten better over the years IMO.

 

[kiddchaos]

This link was helpful for me.
Popular AR15 Rifles for Under $700 | Slickguns

Stuff to look for:
[www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWoevHhS2XE]