Firearm Reliability

[Matt Landfair]

Reliable in regards to firearms is an interesting concept which people without a frame of reference misunderstand. Reliable means I recieve the gun, load it, fire it and encounter no issues. This continues as long as I conduct the normal upkeep- cleaning/lube as needed for tens of thousands of rounds.

There is a baseline for what reliable is (again, works out of the box and continues) - that baseline has been established in AR15s by BCM, Sionics, and SOLGW. These brands have a noticeable lower failure rate and overall higher quality than the brands people seem to go through for budget options. They invest in quality control and quality assurance along with using good quality parts.

Unfortunately many people only view this concept through a financial scope and fail to recognize the big picture of performance. It seems many people are more concerned with appearances and owning something than for it to actually work and for them to use it effectively.

Will a brand X rifle explode when you buy it and shoot it the first time? Probably not but the odds are greater that you will experience a failure far more with a "budget option" than with SOLGW, Sionics, and BCM- and additionally you will be spending the same amount of money f not more as those brands above to fix that "budget rifle".

There is nothing wrong with owning a budget item like brand X but don't try to argue its virtues as a dependable option out of the box.

 

[TheBigDog65]

The best AR I have is an LMT. It's pretty darned good for what it is, and has never failed me (although I am pretty anal about keeping it cleaned and lubed) and I have full confidence in it. I've never been concerned with price points when it comes to kit, I just want what works. As noted above, what works most reliably, very often, has an increased cost associated to it. Sometimes there are things at lower price points that just flat run pretty much regardless... Glock is a prime example.

 

[Seth Thompson]

In the "old days" of the mid-2000's, we had the infamous "chart" of features and processes used by rifle builders, as well as the true Mil-Spec technical data package (as used by Colt and others) as baselines to help decide on AR platform quality.

However, two interesting trends happened since then- many of the lower end builders upgraded their materials and QC/QA methods (MP inspection of bolts and barrels, upgraded extractor springs, properly-staked carriers, etc.), and the high-end outfits came up with materials and processes that actually exceeded the old TDP and Mil-Spec standards. To further muddy the waters, things like AR-10's and gas piston rifles came along, with no TDP or mil-specs in existence.

It definitely makes it more complicated to pick quality parts and guns, but the massive amount of options available now is pretty cool.

 

[pointblank4445]

In the "old days" of the mid-2000's, we had the infamous "chart" of features and processes used by rifle builders, as well as the true Mil-Spec technical data package (as used by Colt and others) as baselines to help decide on AR platform quality.

However, two interesting trends happened since then- many of the lower end builders upgraded their materials and QC/QA methods (MP inspection of bolts and barrels, upgraded extractor springs, properly-staked carriers, etc.), and the high-end outfits came up with materials and processes that actually exceeded the old TDP and Mil-Spec standards. To further muddy the waters, things like AR-10's and gas piston rifles came along, with no TDP or mil-specs in existence.

It definitely makes it more complicated to pick quality parts and guns, but the massive amount of options available now is pretty cool.

That chart was a blessing and a curse. While it encouraged some to go into the minutiae, many focused on the wrong specifications...for example, the "Colt parkerizes under the gas block, LMT does not".


It was much later when we figured out how barrel length, dwell time, port size, buffer weight, ammo selection and the cycle of function can be optimized...and with that came the ability for the builder with good intentions to piece together too much of a good thing that wouldn't function.