I LOVE MY DPMS CARBINE!!!!!

mjbskwim · Apr 19, 2011

Look at the big brain on Brad...
JK

This is all good information and especially the part about "round count",cause if you are just gunna go do some plinking then the DPMS will probably last you for ever.

bkb0000,you are seeing guns with 1000s of rounds thru them.Most aren't going to do that so the lower end guns will work fine.

So ifinn you are thinking about competing,then you would want a better AR than a DPMS, or Bushy?

BTW my DPMS receiver seems perfect. Do they have faults? My local store has a Stag lower just in case.

And seriously,I thank you for your input.

The B · Apr 20, 2011

mjbskwim said:
Look at the big brain on Brad...
JK

This is all good information and especially the part about "round count",cause if you are just gunna go do some plinking then the DPMS will probably last you for ever.

bkb0000,you are seeing guns with 1000s of rounds thru them.Most aren't going to do that so the lower end guns will work fine.

So ifinn you are thinking about competing,then you would want a better AR than a DPMS, or Bushy?

BTW my DPMS receiver seems perfect. Do they have faults? My local store has a Stag lower just in case.

And seriously,I thank you for your input.

DPMS gets a bad rap for their problems, but as these things seem to go, they get a worse rap than they deserve. after making a couple of adjustments, i'd have no problem using a DPMS lower. they make their own parts, claim they are 100% steel castings or machined stock (no MIM/binder), and small part breakage is pretty rare to begin with.

i'd strongly suggest anyone using a DPMS lower to re-righten the castle nut and stake the end-plate. their FCG sear engagements are really hit-or-miss, and whether or not they'll take or hold a polish has also, in my experience, been extremely hit or miss. since a good trigger is important in competition, i'd recommend having a competent AR smith either attempt a tune-up or simply replace the FCG with a tuned CMT or one of the fancy after-market units. buffer weight should be adjusted according to what upper is being used, as 3-steel buffers are rarely appropriate for any gun.

aside from the lower, if you want to make sure a DPMS runs reliably, you're going to want to have a competent, and properly equipped, AR-smith ream the chamber, and i'd recommend an extractor upgrade at the very least, and an entire bolt upgrade at the most. Colt, BCM, LMT, and DD all make TDP-compliant bolts, and you can usually find them for around $50.

make some adjustments, and it'll probably be a pretty good gun for hard use. but it's because of the need for these adjustments that i just don't recommend buying a DPMS- by the time you get done bringing it up to "hard use" standard, you've now spent that extra $100-200 you saved by not buying a "better" brand.

if it's not going to be a defense/duty/otherwise hard-use gun... if it's purely just for fun, just a toy- then nobody's opinion really matters, does it? if it breaks, oh well- you got unlucky... fix it and drive on.

mjbskwim · Apr 21, 2011

Sorry,I just used the stripped lower,no other DPMS parts on mine.I got a G&S Tactical LPK and it fit perfectly to the lower.And as far as I have seen,most of the stripped lowers are cast the same.Until you get into the big money ones

if it's not going to be a defense/duty/otherwise hard-use gun... if it's purely just for fun, just a toy- then nobody's opinion really matters, does it? if it breaks, oh well- you got unlucky... fix it and drive on.

And like I've said from my recent research into AR parts,if you break a part,buy the better one to replace it.Pretty soon (maybe years for us amateur shooters) you'll have that full race AR

Oohrah · May 12, 2011

Gulp, I just mated a DPMS upper to a Spike lower. The upper wears a 16" Bull barrel, Pro low. My thought was a poor man's starter target AR. It came complete, but lacks the dust cover. Up until now, the only bothersome worry was their suggestions of barrel break in of fire a shot and clean for upmteen times. So it appears that I keep an eye on the bolt, carrier and extractor. Since I am not using this for self defense, and have a Bushy should that be a need. All those issues that bkb0000 has noted, as to functioning, I have also seen when used in sustained fire, in wet rainy weather with other brands of ARs and some home builts. The exception is none had broken or extractors that didn't work. No clue yet of accuracy on that big old barrel that is a 1/9 twist that should handle mid weight bullets, and milsurp. Looking forward to a Miltech 1 treatment on the metal and let her rip. I thought with the long Minnesota winters, that DPMS might have time for quality stuff. Certainly looks anything but crude, but I have no idea of the metal type or quality control. I only know the barrel is not chrome plated, nor stainless. The upper fit the the Spike lower like a glove, and tolerances left no play beween the two. Even though the AR is not my favorite platform, if this upper has problems, it can always be swapped out for something else.