I like to group ARs into 2 tiers:
Tier: I can depend on this gun with my life or Tier: its a POS hobby gun :cool:
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I like to group ARs into 2 tiers:
Tier: I can depend on this gun with my life or Tier: its a POS hobby gun :cool:
This is the problem I've always had with the Chart. The casual observer or shooter who has little technical knowledge of the AR-15 style rifle looks at that chart and assigns brands into "tiers", good, bad, or indifferent. The order of the names on the chart is the thing most people immediately look at, not the actual information about the particular brands. I thought the second file which was written by the author of the chart was actually much more informative as it aimed to educate shooters about the TDP and what they should look for in a rifle before buying or building.
Knowledge is power in many things in life and these rifles are no different. I agree there are no such things as tiers, just manufacturers who either adhere to a standard or not and it is the responsibility of the buyer/shooter to decide what they are comfortable with before buying. Obviously, more intricate knowledge of the TDP and the reputations of different manufacturers are more helpful than any "Chart".
To reiterate, tiers are bullshit and so is blind adherence to the TDP (although this is the simplest way to go about it). Ultimately, the best gun for a person is the one that meets their needs and budget. The only variable is whether or not someone is competent to make that determination. Become your own SME.
Tiers are just ordering mechanisms. There are various levels of AR quality. If you don't like the word "tier" because of its military implication and corollary mall-ninja'ness when used improperly, then fine, I'm with you. But there quite obviously ARE various levels of AR quality that manufacturers can be logically ordered by. This isn't to say that every single rifle from every single manufacturer can be placed nicely into some hierarchical chart. I'm just saying that natural groups do emerge when comparing various examples.
A simple example that is not all inclusive by any means:
1) BCM / DD
2) RRA / BM
When considering these four manufacturers, there is clearly a logical way to group them. You might even say -- put them into a tiered order. Gasp.
Tiers are just a somewhat less precise way of stratifying things than ordering from best to worst. It is nowhere near unique to the military/firearms community.
In the AR market, it would be hard to list the absolute #1 best AR manufacturer. It's a lot easier to group them into tiers where everything in a given tier is roughly equal and you can't go wrong. From reading posts on M4C I would have to conclude that the most recommended brands known for quality, accuracy, and customer service are great, brands like BCM, DD, Colt, and Noveske. Maybe KAC, LaRue, Rainier (if they count), Centurion, H&K, LWRC, and LMT as well. Then you get "bad" brands like Oly, Bushmaster, DPMS, and DTI. And middle of the road brands like Spikes, RRA, PSA, Stag, S&W, and maybe CMMG.
That makes an easy 3 tier system, doesn't it? You could even name the tiers "Take into combat," "Commercial grade," "Don't trust with your life."
Pretty much this.
Sure. It's all just personal opinion. However, there are some common observations from multiple experiences of knowledgeable people that allow categorizing different manufacturers, at least in a broad sense. Milwaukee vs DeWalt might be a horse apiece, but not many would argue Milwaukee vs Century (Harbor Freight).
I see it more are a "Go" or "No Go" type of delineation.
AR15s that are built correctly from quality components are in the "Go" category, whereas rifles built incorrectly from inferior components are simply a "No Go".
Go:
Colt, Daniel Defense, Bravo Co., LMT, Noveske etc.
No Go:
Bushampster, Rock River, DPMS, Stag etc
The only place where someone really shed light on the components and build specs was "The Chart" that is linked to in the technical forum.
Without a simplistic reference like that, in order to discern if a rifle was good to go we really had to wade through a massive amount of anecdotal information on gun forums or publications. That is why companies like Bushampster still outsell a company like Bravo Co.
Cameron