I've only ordered a few parts from them but they have a good rep. I would not be afraid to buy from them. I'd probably buy from them before I'd buy a Bushmaster or a DPMS, and I don't have a problem with DPMS, they and Bushmaster tend to use schit for barrels on all but their high end guns, IME. The Bushie Varmints shoot, and the DPMS SASS's shoot, everything else, not so well. As far as any of these name-brand guns breaking, I've just not seen it. What you will see is guns shipped with maybe a buffer that is too light, or is under or overgassed due to the wrong size gas port hole. This is why myself and others tell people to learn to assemble their own uppers. Buy a complete lower, you can often get a complete lower for not that much more than the parts.
Sorry, but Del-Ton is buying their stuff from the same guys that supply Bushmaster and DPMS and a million other folks in the AR business. There are only so many suppliers in the industry for stuff like bolts, carriers, firing pins, bolt catches, selectors, barrels etc. I know; I used to order all the parts above in 1000 piece lots for one of the premier manufacturers of AR's in the nation. A VERY small number of real manufacturers push out 10's of thousands of parts every year which are then sold on to the industry.
Randy Luth, the former owner of DPMS will readily confirm the above as that is how he got his start in the industry; he worked for a company that bartered AR and other defense parts to Colt and others and saw an opportunity to get in on the deal. Stag Arms President Mark Malkowski did the same thing when he saw an opportunity after the parts his dad's company (Continental Machine and Tool) were making for Colt could be rolled over into rifles and make some money.
In reality, very, very few companies are actually manufacturing every part that goes into their rifles, in fact, I would dare say not ONE AR company in the USA makes ALL their own parts. Connecticut Spring and Plate make 95% of the springs in the AR market as they turn out millions of springs a year. Most AR barrels are made by either ER Shaw or Wilson (NOT Wilson Combat BTW) but Ruger are in on the market with their hammer forged barrels as are Daniel Defense. Bulldog Barrels are coming thru and have made barrels for Colt in the past.
I can 100% guarantee that Bushmaster, DPMS, Bravo Company, LaRue or Noveske rifles all share some of the same parts whether they will admit it or not; only the uninformed try to convince themselves of the opposite.....
