Originally Posted by
samuse
Are they stagnant, or consistent?
Do their carbines run? Yeah.
Do their carbines blow up, wear out, malfunction, etc because they're not "middies" No.
Are their small parts, receivers and barrels some of the best in the business? Yes. There's a reason they're recommended by many and demand a premium.
Do they have high quality standards and maintain them consistently? Yes.
Do they support their products after the sale? Yes. They may not be as accommodating as the smaller boutique brands, but they do have a decent warranty/service dept. and they're big enough to meet the demands of large organizations.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the innovation made in past few years when it comes to free-float handguards (even though I don't have one), triggers, furniture, slings, optics, lights, magazines, etc.
But, there's also something to be said about a platform that's good enough for people to be able to put so much effort into what's basically minutia.