I have to agree with the pricing being high on the Bushmasters. As a dealer, I've fondled them all, and shot quite a few of them also. There is NOTHING wrong with the Olympic Arms these days and they are very accurate. Olympic got a bad rap some years ago when they were selling CETMEs and such. It really wasn't their fault either as they were reliant on 3rd party quality. Nevertheless, they corrected that problem by doing more manufacturing on their own. A person will DEFINITELY get more value from them than from Bushmaster today. You'll also get a LIFETIME warranty, but probably won't need to use it. The cheapest Olympic barrels will go about 80,000 rounds.
Another thing I like about Olympic is that they've done a fine job grading their own products. They have a wide product line with the AR-15s, and it's pretty simple to figure out. The more you pay - the better it gets, but even their top of the line, premium rifles, are still not overpriced.
As a side note, the owner of Olympic, before he started selling rifles, was a master barrel maker in my home town of Colorado Springs. His barrels were, and still are, right up there with the best that money can buy. This is a man who understands both quality and economy and has found a way to put the two together and create real value. One just doesn't see much of this dynamic in firearms manufacturing anymore. Right now, we've got an Olympic Arms PCR-3 that can't be touched by a Wilson UT-15 -- talk about paying a ton extra for a "name"?
Also, the guy at Olympic gives a 60 DAY SATISFACTION guarantee on all his rifles - which includes accuracy. How can you possibly go wrong? You can't!
