I dont know about that, A good friend of mine has a Olympic Arms AR that is a damn fine rifle, not exactly my cup of tea, the AR just isn't my choice for a firearm, cant touch an M-1a anyday.. for looks anyway, seems to be a better target rifle.
anyways back on topic I think you would be happy with any of the AR-15 rifles they are all pretty good, although with the aformentiond rifles Bushmaster, Colt, Armalite, Rock River, Oly arms you may have a higher quality weapon
Posts: 675 | Location: anchorage | Registered: 17 February 2002
I have an Essential Arms AR-15, have had it for about 12 years, never a malfuntion. Lot's of guys have them around here, they were made in a small town called Krotz Springs.
Posts: 3097 | Location: Louisiana | Registered: 28 November 2001
You won't. They did not build complete rifles. At the time, their lowers were some of the very best priced lowers out there. Some were cast, some were forged. Alot of their cast lowers were made by Ruger. Like I said, they did not sell complete rifles. Guys that would spend as little as possible on a lower would also spend as little as possible on the rest of the gun, hence the large number of EA lowered rifles out there with shitty parts on them.
Show me a company that produces National Match lower receivers, and I'll give you $100. Putting Colt in your list of quality rifle makers isn't exactly lending you much credibility...
[ 07-05-2003, 01:19: Message edited by: Urodoji ]
Posts: 546 | Location: Oklahoma City, OK | Registered: 29 November 2002
45LCshooter: Go to the Brownells Catalog #55 on page 1; you will see several AR-15 lowers and even an A2 matched upper/lower set. DPMS offers a stainless steel lower (p/n 231-015-100) for $370 in black oxide and the matched set (p/n 739-000-001) is $310. The matched set is also available in the A4 designation (p/n 739-000-002) for $310. SOCOM Manufacturing offers a billet machined receiver in multiple colors. You ought to call Brownells and order the catalog; it's just $5 and is a great read with lots of pictures.
quote:Originally posted by Urodoji: Show me a company that produces National Match lower receivers, and I'll give you $100. Putting Colt in your list of quality rifle makers isn't exactly lending you much credibility...
I have a Rock River NM rifle in my hands right now. Rock River NM upper AND lower. The lower has a superbly crisp trigger. Marred only by the requirement that it break at no less than 4 1/2 lbs total weight.
In fact, Rock River NM triggers are preferred by John Holliger, the civilian service rifle champion at Camp Perry last year, and one of the best AR-15 smiths in the nation.
Pay up.
Posts: 2206 | Location: USA | Registered: 31 August 2002
quote:Originally posted by Urodoji: You won't. They did not build complete rifles. At the time, their lowers were some of the very best priced lowers out there. Some were cast, some were forged. Alot of their cast lowers were made by Ruger. Like I said, they did not sell complete rifles. Guys that would spend as little as possible on a lower would also spend as little as possible on the rest of the gun, hence the large number of EA lowered rifles out there with shitty parts on them.
Show me a company that produces National Match lower receivers, and I'll give you $100....
I guess I'm missing your point here. Orion 1 claims that these receivers are crap. So are you saying that these receivers are actually high quality, but then agreeing that serious shooters DON'T use them? And what does being "National Match" have to do with anything?
They difference is all EA lowers are preban. Why would a guy go buy a preban receiver(at preban prices) from a company that is out of business(and cannot repair it if damaged) to take and compete with when he could spend far less money on a brand new postban receiver, or potentially spend as much on the lower only as he would on a complete postban match ready rifle?
The claim was their rifles are crap. How can their rifles be crap, when EA never produced complete rifles? If you do not know that EA never produced rifles, how then are you qualified to give an opinion of them? Does Armalite, Bushmaster, Rock River, DPMS, Oly, Les Baer, JP, Cav Arms, etc. produce good high quality rifles? Yes. Are they worth the money? In most cases, definately so. I've owned DPMS, Armalite, Cav Arms, PWA, Eagle Arms, Bushmaster and Olympic receivers. There is not much difference between them, Cav being the exception. It's just a lower receiver...
[ 07-05-2003, 07:29: Message edited by: Urodoji ]
Posts: 546 | Location: Oklahoma City, OK | Registered: 29 November 2002
quote:Originally posted by Urodoji: Excluding the trigger, what makes it a NM receiver? Are you aware that Rock River does not make their receivers?
The trigger IS the heart of the AR-15 lower. If you mean RR doesn't forge and machine its lowers, no shit, Sherlock. I work in a MUCH bigger manufacturing company (airplanes) and we don't forge our parts. We eventually will end up buying most of our parts completely machined anyway.
You don't seem to have a clue.....
This whole shit is academic anyway. Nobody who's anybody in the highpower world uses them, or cares where they went.
[ 07-05-2003, 07:28: Message edited by: Orion 1 ]
Posts: 2206 | Location: USA | Registered: 31 August 2002
45LC, if you want to plink you will most likely be happy with your EA lower, if you want hi power match grade accuracy you may want a different brand...everyone seems to be dicking around your question, if its plinking your after go ahead get it.
EA makes good lowers IMHO, just like CAI makes nice M-1 garands IMHO I like mine it may not be a springfield but it works so what the hell, buy the lower and make a sweet pre ban style plinker and have fun.
Posts: 675 | Location: anchorage | Registered: 17 February 2002
Check your IM's, 45LC. Dark Paladin, exactly. If you want to shoot matches, buy a cheap postban. If you want a fun preban plinker, the EA will do quite nicely.
Posts: 546 | Location: Oklahoma City, OK | Registered: 29 November 2002
The original EA's made by the original maker Vaughn Johnson were EXCELLENT!
Posts: 8346 | Location: Jennings Louisiana, Arkansas by way of Alabama by way of South Carloina by way of County Antrim Irland by way of Lanarkshire Scotland. | Registered: 02 November 2001
It didn't seem fair to tell a guy a nice preban plinker on the inexpensive side of things(priced a preban Colt lately?) was a piece of crap, especially when the factory had nothing to do with how the rifle turned out.
Besides, "specially hand selected and fitted national match upper and lower" is just nice way of saying "your cleaning kit will need a hammer".
BTW, during the first Gulf War, Essential Arms suspended most of their civilian sales, and was on standby to start punching holes in receivers for auto sears for Uncle Sam. They never got that call, but Bushmaster did. That however is another story.
[ 07-06-2003, 06:37: Message edited by: Urodoji ]
Posts: 546 | Location: Oklahoma City, OK | Registered: 29 November 2002
No, I don't want a match rifle. Actually, I should have given you all my situation. I work in a pawn shop and we were trying to price a carbine we have. It is built on an Essential Arms reciever... I should have deduced that they did not make complete rifles as the name did not appear in our price books.
The rifle was built up as a 16" carbine with collapsible stock. We were using Eagle Arms as a guide for pricing it as they have an identical model but I knew it wasn't really Eagle, as they have a distinct logo.
The rifle is clean with 98% finish (a little wear on the barrel near the front sight) and the action seems like new. One of the employees wanted to buy it and priced it at $600. I knew that the Eagle lists over $750 (about $795 in our book in exellent shape) and just wanted to give a fair assesment. Employees get a good discount here, and there is no reason to lowball a price if the rifle is good.
Thank you all for the input and I am sorry I've not been around to make clear what I am asking. I shoot FAL's for fun and my 10/22 for cheap fun and bigbore when I want to go at a slower pace. That is when I am not shooting pistols. I have no preconceptions about AR's so I asked you fellows.
Thanks again, 45
Posts: 381 | Location: Kiowa, AL | Registered: 08 April 2003
Can't price it by Eagle pricing, and then there's the whole pre/postban thing going on. That rifle would, with a decent upper on it, easily sell for 1200. Try checking Auction Arms, Gunbroker, the ar15.com for sale forums, etc. to see what preban Essential rifles are going for.
Posts: 546 | Location: Oklahoma City, OK | Registered: 29 November 2002
I originally did such a search and came up with a receiver going for 500. Figured that it was pre-ban since it had all the no-no's. The Eagle we compared it to was similarly equipt, so I thought it might be fair to start there. If our empoyee isn't serious about it, I will put it on auction arms. I am about to have enough purchases to start selling.
Thank especially for sticking to your guns on this thread, Independence Day had me away from a screen.
45
(edit) ok, I just went on AR15.com, I see what you mean. Thanks again.
It's rare for me to see an Essential Arms lower, even at the larger gun shows. My preban carbine originally wore an EA lower, but it was traded for a PWA that better matches the annoziding on the upper. If a customer came in here with an EA he wanted to sell, I'd snap it up in a heartbeat.
Posts: 546 | Location: Oklahoma City, OK | Registered: 29 November 2002
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