Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Opinions on DPMS Rifles

How much do y'all shoot them?

I see nothing wrong with a DPMS as a hunting or sporting rifle.

the question was directed to the pig picture man, "is that a box stock DPMS".

even a blind pig etc.

Lets start with the most important DPMS problems-

Bolts made of 8620 Chrome moly instead of Carpenter 158 (or better) are not HPT/MPI tested and therefore suffer from premature failure.

Bolts typically do not feature a black insert or extra powere O ring for the extractor leading to stuck cases.

Gas keys are not staked. Leading to failure to extract/eject.

Barrels are not 4150 (or better) steel, tend not to be fully chrome-lined, chambers are not usually chrome-lined, they are not 5.56 chambered even when so marked, some times are not 1-7in twist even when so marked, are not HPT/MPI tested. This leads to stuck cases, inability to shoot 70gr + bullets and premature barrel wear.




There is quite a few more issues with the DPMS/RRA/BM/Windham/etc guns, but those are the major ones and regulate them to hobby guns from the start.

DPMS stainless barrels tend to be accurate, however claims of consistent aub MOA performance is like the same claim applied to most guns and is more a figment of imagiantion or wishful thinking rather than reality. As a pure hobby gun it probably would serve fine however as i said earlier- when you can get good guns for less than $800 there is no rea to buy junk. And if self defense, protection, etc could ever conceivably be asked of it, get a gun that's built correctly.

I've shared the problems I've had with dpms and a few other companies parts and guns, I suggest you do a search cause I no longer care what anyone wants to try. Let em find out for themselves, cause they sure get butthurt when you tell em the truth.

And remember all of my guns are mutt guns I put together myself, no blind loyalty to any company. Carry on however you like.

Like others here have already stated, you'd better be picky about the barrel and the BCG if

1) You are after accuracy

2) Your azz might depend on the rifle running while hot and dirty.

I've posted before I would not hesitate to use a DPMS lower/upper/parts kit because I don't think there are actual differences between what they buy and Daniel Defense and other buy, 'cause they all get 'em from the same vendors.

Like I said before, not feeding the Freedom Grope bean counters is reason enough to avoid DPMS. Thanks Formid for elucidating the corners they cut on their rifles.

I have seen pictures of sheared off bolt lugs on an AR bolt, not seen one in person because I don't buy things like that or maybe I just don't fire 3000 rounds per year, I don't know. Its ignorance and nothing more on the face of it. Me I just don't want something not to spec that close to my face and eyes. Nose to the charging handle.

well... maybe a couple cosmetic changes

cosmetic in like barrel, bolt, bolt carrier

Even if it is a DPMS that is a hole lot of bacon on the ground.

I wonder how much the latest DPMS guns are improved as the AR market is getting a lot more sophisticated and properly staking the gas key is not exactly rocket science.

Bolt steel is more of a question but 9310 is widely available and, in my opinion, equivalent to Carpenter 158. Somebody would have to be a moron to use 8620 these days. Not saying it does not happen still but it would seem a pretty bad business decision.

I am pretty sure AAC, who is a part of Freedom Group (Grope? TAK ) is specifying 9310 bolts.

A good buddy of mine got a DPMS from his wife for his birthday and it does shoot decent. It had some function issues but it was dry as a bone and filled with dust from living in his truck. A little lube got it running.

Sorry bud, my mistake.

Larry

The best things I see on it are the night vision and can, even an H&R single shot can be effective on hogs rigged like that.

you don't want to go after guys like this with a single shot

You may never see one on anything except an M4 or shorter barrel. I'd never heard of one on the longer guns. Bolts would wear out and not pass a guage test but they never cracked.

Edit: Glenn Zediker has written that cracked bolts were common on the early AR10 variants that guys tried to used at Camp Perry. I guess the engineers finally got that sorted out. The M110 came in as I was on my way out of the military so I didn't get much time on them.

the can obviously changed gas system so i added an adjustable gas block. other than that...

stock - to get my face high enough to see thru the scope
trigger upgrade - because trigger was crap
bcm charging handle, different grip, antiwalk pins, pmags - just because
a little polishing on the feed ramp and chamber for good luck

i'm on my second upper because the gas buster charging handle i tried first wore completely through the catch and would slide freely. i don't know the round count, but based on the number of cases of ammo i've bought, i'd say a few thousand rounds.

admittedly, i don't know much about ar10s. it was in stock locally and i wanted one, so i just got it. i didn't know so many people had egos and attitudes wrapped around brands, but i guess it's like everything else. without knowing any better, i just went out and started shooting hogs with it. most malfunctions came from being dirty, especially under the extractor. here's a better view of it, not that it's anything to write home about.

No offense to djones, his DPMS is obviously working for what he needs. But this is why I always take posts like his first one with a grain of salt.

He's modified things to make it better (the polishing and the gas system). He's also had an unknown number of malfunctions and he's pretty sure he knows why some of them happened.

That's the very definition of a hobby gun, which is all he needs. But to come to a thread where the OP is asking about an AR for home defense and talk up an AR that has still had undiagnosed problems even after work being done to it isn't good for anybody. Especially when you don't mention the extra work and malfunctions until later.

Everybody's needs are different, and that's what some folks don't get. If you want a range gun a few malfunctions won't hurt you any. But if I have a malfunction at a major match, it costs me money. I'm not fast enough to clear a malfunction and make up the time later. I've gotta have everything working well the whole time.

AR10's aside, as they are a whole subject unto their own, this is what is being discussed when people talk about certain makes being "hobby" guns. ANY malfunctions are unacceptable to me. I personally average four to five M4/recce barrels a year. My guns don't malfunction. Like ever. The last malfunction I experienced was almost two years ago, and it wa a complete case separation. 100% ammo problem.

My chrome-lined guns get sent for a rebarrel or new upper when they will no longer consistently hold 2 MOA for 10 rounds of MK262. Stainless barrels when they won't break 1.5 MOA for 10 rounds consistently.

Use good ammo, good mags, keep them wet and they should not malfunction. Like ever. "Spec" guns will do that. Hobby guns won't.

I love it when a plan comes together.

When you can afford to shoot 50,000ish rounds of ammo in a year, spending an extra hundred or so dollars on a better barrel is nothing.