"Oh No! I bought a BM/RRA/Stag before I knew better!"

[rob_s]

S2P, I wouldn't sweat it. Follow the instructions in the first post and go out and shoot the gun.

[RetreatHell]

I'm new to ARs and to this site. Unfortunately, I bought a Bushmaster about two months ago. I ran across this site before I ever shot it and I have been trying to sell it every since...with no luck. I really want a BCM but I can't afford one without selling this Bushmaster first.

I have finally accepted the fact that I will probably have to keep it. However, now I am soured on the whole thing and will probably end up leaving it in the safe forever hoping that the government tries to pass another gun ban so I can move it. This sucks. I wish I would have found this site just two days earlier and saved myself some headache and heartache.

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to get rid of this piece of $&@% without taking a huge hickey?

I'd either do what Rob said above, OR if you are desperate to sell it try taking 20% off of the price you paid for it (or the price you're currently trying to sell it for) and put it up on gunbroker and see if it sells then. A good friend of mine here gave me that advice (i.e. taking 20% off the price I paid for it, NOT including any tax) when I couldn't sell something and it worked.

Regardless of the tactic you use to sell it, you are going to take a sizable hit to your wallet. I know it sucks because I've been there... more than a few times. But that's just how it goes, man. Good luck.

[carbinero]

Agree with Rob S. No point in selling at a loss, when it can be easily remedied. Besides, you will want a back-up anyhow, after you get the one you "really" want.

[TehLlama]

Honestly, it's really difficult to buy worthless AR hardware. Even the equipment that I've made somewhat obsolete within my collection has seen new life with the addition of .22lr kits, or the like.

That said - tier 2 hardware works. Throughout a carbine course the areas that are lacking will become evident, but a properly maintained, op checked, 'mediocre' stick will still go through all the ammunition most folks will have on or with them before it hiccups.
They should definitely be encouraged to go to a carbine course, provided they've done the requisite stuff, and have read enough to realize that there are certain problems they're more likely to face, and they should be particularly mindful of preparation, lubrication, and marking.

I say the opposite problem is the most common - top end equipment that goes basically unused - I trust this less than a 'lesser' model that's had a few hundred down the pipe without a hicccup.

[Amicus]

Street2Peschel:

All of the above is good advice. A good shooter with OK equipment is always better than an OK shooter with good equipment. Work on your skills.

Many of the complaints about certain rifles center on particular, and relatively minor, details. Carrier key not properly staked? Get someone to MOACKs it. Some folks are chasing that elusive "perfect" rifle, and there ain't no such beastie. Your rifle is not proven bad until you and your experience with it demonstrate such.

Take it out, shoot the hell out of it, and decide for yourself. I have some old milsurp rifles that shoot 4 MOA cold, and all day thereafter. I have great confidence in them, up to the limits that I know they and I have. Make up your own mind about your Bushmaster.

[MSP "Sarge"]

Just go out and shoot it! Save some cake up and get a new one later. Work on your skills. Take your BM apart and see what makes them tick so next time you can see the differance.

[87GN]

I would humbly submit that having the chamber reamed to 5.56 is a good idea, in addition to the items listed in the first post of this thread, S2P.

Just based on the number of rifles I've owned with "5.56 chambers" that weren't really 5.56 and ended up popping primers. Including some higher priced barrels.

[Ryo]

Thanks for sharing.. Definitely good info for a beginner. There's a lot I didn't know when I bought my first AR.

[Selftest]

Can I vote for this to be stickied on the top of every sub-forum?

I just wanted to tell you all, that this site has probably saved me a lot of heartache, and I haven't even purchased my AR yet. Just knowing that there is a forum dedicated to education warms my cold, dead heart.

Thanks for a smashing job, fellas. (and ladies!)

[rob_s]

I would humbly submit that having the chamber reamed to 5.56 is a good idea,

I tend to agree, however....

I also think that this gets over-stated a lot lately. Clearly there are many thousands of guns from the hobby makers that run just fine with the "incorrect" chamber (200 rounds/year owners and internet picture-posters not included). I see them all the time at matches and classes. I've stood next to, or down the line from, the same guy at multiple carbine classes where I know he's shooting a "shitty Bushmaster" and the gun just keeps banging away. Maybe he has a lucky combination of gun and ammo, but it works for him.

I'm not against reaming, and I have suggested it to people quite often, but for me it's not a preemptive move at the individual owner level. Now if I was an armorer for a department or something, and the bean counters bought us something less than what I asked for, I'd be reaming every barrel before the guns went out.