Spikes Tactical AR's in 5.56... Who Has Trigger Time?

[mallard8767]

Hey guys,

I want to know who has trigger time behind the Spikes Tactical AR's in 5.56. More specifically any of their complete guns like the ST-M4LE. This company and topic seems to generate a lot of heat for and against ST, so I would really prefer to only hear from those who own or have shot the ST AR's.

Im looking in to getting my first AR. I dont have a lot of expendable income but i know the value of buying quality products. Everything i can find about spikes from credible sources and their website leads me to believe that their ARs are quality, but they are a new company and their prices are so low that my cautious side kicks in.

Let me hear about your experiences with ST and post some PICS of your ST AR's if you got em....

Thanks
Jon

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[bnr32gtr]

It's an AR15 with a spider on it. Pretty standard stuff that they don't make many of, if any parts for. Their uppers and lowers are contracted through some of the very few shops making them so quality is high.

I would not hesitate to recommend their quality and the customer service is mighty great.

After shooting a few, I would rank them with DPMS, Model 1, Del-Ton, etc for build finish and quality. This is not a bad thing at all. They are not top tier but for the price, one can't expect LMT quality.

 

[mallard8767]

Part of me just thinks they are regarded as "not top notch" because they are relatively new to 5.56 AR's?

Their specs seem right on:
4150 CMV MP CL 1:7 5.56 chamber barrel (just not CHF)
M4 feed ramps
CL bolt carrier group and key with proper staking and heavy extractor spring
their proprietary heavy buffer with properly staked castle nut
F marked FSB with phosphate finish underneath
etc
etc
etc

I cant see anything that might lead me to believe they are bad quality unless their QC is lacking or they move around through different suppliers/machinists too often to maintain quality....

Who else has trigger time? Lets here it I need the real world info : )

 

[ikari2_2000]

What's you're budget and why did you decide to look into Spike's? I know nothing about Spike's, so that's why I'm curious as why you chose them.

 

[mallard8767]

my budget is $1000

i initially wanted to get a S&W MP15 MOE because it came with most of the hardware I wanted but...

the spikes ST-15M4LE mid length starts out at 800 then i can upgrade to...
Nickel Boron BCG and trigger group
ambi safety
samson rear BUS
vortex flash hider
BCM gunfighter charging handle and latch
as well as have all the same MOE hardware as the smith

Also, ST uses 4150 CMV steel for their barrels where what ive read about smiths says they use 4140 steel

so to me it seems like the better option, i just cant find enough real world data on ST to make my decision because they are fairly new to 5.56 AR's and are based in Florida

I want my first rifle to be reliable, shoot straight, made of quality parts, and come with all the necessary accessories to make my life easier all for under 1K

EDIT: also ST comes with a LIFETIME warranty and from what ive read on AR15.com they have amazing customer service and go out of their way to make all purchases pleasant and affordable : )

 

[Bhowe]

Better than DPMS, on par with STAG or LMT. They are still new to the game, very popular for spider design and affordable price. No complaints that I can recall. All companies have little differences, some better some worse. Avoid DPMS, Bushmaster is always a safe bet. Colt is by far the best, most amount of mil-spec parts. LMT is all over the board. I know a lot of guys that came back from Iraq with nothing but good things to say about LMT. I have had several. One had a bolt catch lever snap right off out of the box, investigation under the scope showed it was not to mil-spec. One call to LMT and Brian had a Mil-Spec replacement in my mailbox in 2 days. Also we have seen a lot of variation in where there uppers and BCG come from. Big differences in how they are staked from one shipment to the next. Spikes has been pretty consistant. Not the best thing out there. Charts exsist which show which manufacturers use various parts. Not sure where to find them. I would say very few AR's get used to the point where you would notice a difference. Most will never be able to shoot enough rounds through it to even truely wear them in, simply due to the price of ammunition. You can put $20,000 worth of 5.56 through a colt or bushy, and still have years of life left. My older colts and bushy's actually feel and function better than my 2-3x more expensive new custom builds, after literally 10K rounds or more.

 

[Mac_Fan]

Here's a good read comparing Spikes and Bravo Co. AR's.

http://vuurwapenblog.com/2010/05/18/bravo-company-mfg-vs-spikes-tactical/

 

[ikari2_2000]

Here's a good read comparing Spikes and Bravo Co. AR's.

http://vuurwapenblog.com/2010/05/18/bravo-company-mfg-vs-spikes-tactical/

Bravo Company uses Mil-Spec MIL-B-11595E (CMV) barrels. Spike uses Cold Hammer Forged 4150 Chromoly Vanadium Alloy barrels.

 

[Dutchy556]

Here's a good read comparing Spikes and Bravo Co. AR's.

http://vuurwapenblog.com/2010/05/18/bravo-company-mfg-vs-spikes-tactical/

That's the link I was going to post. Buy Spikes with confidence, a couple years ago I'd have been skeptical but they've made leaps and bounds and are putting out a good product. Running a couple of their ST-T2 buffers currently.

Bravo Company uses Mil-Spec MIL-B-11595E (CMV) barrels. Spike uses Cold Hammer Forged 4150 Chromoly Vanadium Alloy barrels.

Both Spikes and BCM offer standard and hammer forged CMV barrels as options - both companies are selling outstanding barrels. I'm drinking the BCM kool-aid myself (have been for a few years now it seems) but I also think the Spikes stuff is top notch.

 

[safehaven]

the spikes ST-15M4LE mid length starts out at 800

$800 is a great deal. Use coupon code MIDLEUP for $50 off making it an outstanding deal.