Olympic Arms AR-15

[U.S. Patriot]

A good friend has a Oly. I have not had a chance to shoot it. However he is a Marine, and he loves it.

 

[Chondro788]

Bought mine last Janueary from Bradis and couldn't be happier. Shoots any ammo I put in it, and seems to be very accurate. It was a little tight when I first bought it, the mags were a little tight, and the firing pin retaining pin was tight, but over the past year with lots of shooting and cleaning, both have eased up to be just perfect.

A little backround, I bought my Olympic for plinking. I looked at alot of AR's and even shot a couple of brands. I feel my Olympic shoots just as well as the more expensive Bushmaster and DPMS that I shot. Yeah, the barrel is not chrome lined, but by the time I put enough rounds through it for that to be a factor, I will have my $689 worth out of the rifle! I would reccommend them to anyone on a budget.

 

[antsi]

It's not true that Oly only makes low end ARs. They also make some upper-mid grade ones. Their "stainless ultra match barrels" are very highly regarded in competition circles; you have to pay a LOT more to do better than Oly for a match grade barrel.

My general impression of Oly is that you can get equivalent quality for a bit less than comparable guns from other companies. I have a service match rifle from them - set up for NRA high power service rifle competition. It has the ultra match barrel, free float hand guard, 1/4 MOA sights, and one of the best match triggers I have ever fired. The only malfunction I ever had was magazine related; not the gun's fault. At the time I bought this gun, Bushmaster was selling their "comparable" rifle with a standard trigger and inferior barrel for $200 more. I guess the Bushy would have had better resale value, but I have been very pleased with my Oly and I think I got a better rifle for less $.

Comparing Oly's "bargain basement" $600 rifle to someone else's standard AR that is 2x the price is not a reasonable comparison. You certainly can't get any better AR new for $600. Keep moving up the price/quality scale, and it appears to me that Oly generally offers good value for the money - you generally get a comparable rifle for one or two hundred $ less.

I think your real question isn't "do I want an Oly?" Your real question is, "will I be OK with a low-end rifle, or do I need a mid- or high-end rifle?" Answer that question first, then go brand shopping - and I bet Oly still comes out ahead.