Author Topic: Bushmaster  (Read 935 times)

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Offline radio2

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Bushmaster
« on: March 02, 2008, 06:18:39 PM »
Hi all, Well I want to a bushmaster A3 M4 carbine and want to know what you think about this rifle?  Is it a good one or not?

Offline Bill T

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Re: Bushmaster
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2008, 05:48:28 AM »


These are my 5. All run like a top. Bushmaster builds a nice rifle.  Bill T.

Offline targshooter

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Re: Bushmaster
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2008, 03:42:37 PM »
If you peruse various AR15 specific sites and forums, the Bushmaster variants seem to be fairly well regarded. Looks like Bill T has invested heavily, and he is not the Lone Ranger, as many seem to prefer this brand. Good luck with your purchase.

Offline Bill T

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Re: Bushmaster
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2008, 12:41:11 AM »
You will find brand loyalty in AR-15's, as much as in trucks and cars. The differences are a bit more profound among the rifles however. There are many in the AR-15 game that will all but call your mother a whore if you suggest anything other than a Colt! While Colt builds a hell of a weapon, I disagree. Here is why: 

1.) Bushmaster produces 39 different models of AR-15's in 5 different calibers, (.223, .22 LR, 9 MM, 6.8 MM, .450 Bushmaster). A .50 Browning is coming, and in fact is listed in their newest catalog. That number increases to a much larger one when you include all of the different cataloged upper and lower combinations they offer.

2.) Price. Bushmaster's are priced far lower than Colt's for the same configured rifle.

3.) Customer service. I have yet to read about a problem with a Bushmaster rifle that wasn't resolved in a timely fashion at low, (if any), cost to the customer. Colt has had a "buyer be damned" attitude for years. Before anyone asks, I have no personal experience with Bushmaster customer service on repairs, simply because I've never had any of the 5 that I own fail.

4.) Availability. If you can't find Bushmaster rifles and pistols at your local dealer, you need to find a new one. Bushmaster products are everywhere. If a dealer is out of stock on a certain model, it can usually be restocked in 72 hours or less. Try that with Colt. Chances are you'll be on Social Security before one turns up after you order it.

As far as Colt's "Tier 1" status, it in itself means nothing to 99.999% of AR-15 owners and shooters. Bushmaster rifles are in service in our government, as well as countless law enforcement agencies, and dozens of foreign countries. If they work for them in the applications they are used for, they'll work equally well for whatever any citizen may have in mind. People over play Colt in this capacity. It has been mentioned about percentages of failures of Bushmaster's vs. Colt's in a lot of these "carbine courses", that require owners to "push their weapons". This in itself means nothing. How many people buy a rifle to intentionally abuse it to see "if it can hold up"? Firing any weapon until the barrel heats up enough to blister skin is abuse. Would anyone buy a $65,000.00 Corvette, then race it until it fails, just to see if, "it can take it"? Besides, if an individual buys any AR-15 for self defense, and is required to use it in that capacity to save life and limb, he or she isn't going to find themselves shooting magazine full after magazine full. Even police weapons aren't subjected to such over use. In the North Hollywood Bank Of America shootout, police discharged in the neighborhood of 850 rounds. Divide that number by the amount of police weapons that were fired and you'll find most didn't fire over a box of ammo in the 1.5 hour standoff. Such "Rambo tactics" prove little to nothing about weapon quality. The owner care, cleaning, and lubrication given to a weapon will contribute far more to it's reliability than any particular brand name will. All of this isn't saying Colt is "bad" by any stretch of the imagination. No more than it makes a Chevy "bad" if someone chooses a Ford instead. In terms of what I have outlined, having a coiled snake stamped on the side of your AR-15 represents as good of a weapon, at a better value, than having the same gun with a prancing pony stamped in the same place. Bill T.

Offline Bill T

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Re: Bushmaster
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2008, 01:20:32 AM »
Another thing is a lot has been said about Bushmaster not manufacturing to the Mil.-Spec. This is simply not the case. I received the following Email from Bushmaster after inquiring about this:

 Hello,
    Bushmaster tries to meet or exceed the Mil Spec whenever possible. Yes, the carriers are manufactured and inspected to the Mil Spec. Basically the only non conforming parts is the commercial telestock extension tube which is slightly larger in diameter than a Mil Spec tube.
    On the other hand Colt civilian models have been produced with screw type front pivot pins instead of push pins, fire control parts http://www.bushmaster.com/catalog_parts_lower_receivers_p2.asp#AREHAB that use larger pivot pins, sear blocks installed over the safety so some competition triggers can not be installed as well as plastic buffers filled with lead shot in some of the telestocks.
    Thank you,

Jim Eden
Technical Support
Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC
Office:  1-800-883-6229 ext. 277
Fax:  207-892-8068

Please note that I'm not "waving the banner" for Bushmaster. It is just the fact a lot of misinformation has been put out on various forums without anything substantial to back it up.  Bill T.

Offline Savage

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Re: Bushmaster
« Reply #5 on: March 06, 2008, 08:36:32 AM »
My experience with Bushmaster has been nothing but good. Bought a 14" barreled "Shorty" in 2003. Not one failure of any kind, and really accurate. Just had another AR built on a Wilson upper. Hope it performs as well!
Savage
An appeaser is one who feeds the crocodile hoping it will eat him last,

Offline myronman3

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Re: Bushmaster
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2008, 09:16:56 AM »
i shot more colts than i care to think about.   my bushmaster is a better gun in my opinion. 
   and i have talked with bushmaster customer support,  not because i had a problem but because i needed some advise regarding installing a two stage trigger.   top notch service, period.

Offline Cheesehead

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Re: Bushmaster
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2008, 05:27:08 PM »
I have had a Bushy in 6.8 for about one year, lots of rounds, great accuracy, flawless performance, I am pleased.

Cheese
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance.

Offline Bigbuck

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Re: Bushmaster
« Reply #8 on: March 11, 2008, 06:51:30 AM »
I bought my Bushie from a guy right after the Y2K scare, so I've had mine about 8 years.  (He bought it new in mid 1999).  No complaints....no problems.  I'm actually looking to get rid of my 20" HBar and picking up a M4 upper....or I could just go to Bill T's house to play  ;D

If you want to do some serious AR15 reading....try AR15.com


Offline radio2

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Re: Bushmaster
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2008, 04:16:53 PM »
Well I finally got mine today and love It.  Will try it out this week, Thanks all for your input

Offline jasonprox700

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Re: Bushmaster
« Reply #10 on: March 17, 2008, 03:26:47 PM »
Just had my Bushy Varminter out yesterday.  Had a 5 shot group that measured at the .5" mark @ 100 yards using an ammo box, leather glove, and the back of my truck as a rest.  Slapped in a 20 round and did a steady fire (about 2 seconds between shots-just for fun) and shot a 1.25" group, I was very happy. 

I have read a lot of good about Bushies barrels.  I love mine.