From the "old" Bushmaster archives...

[kirkland]

Girth is more important than length.

[17K]

So are old Bushmasters somehow good guns now?

[HKGuns]

So are old Bushmasters somehow good guns now?

Nope. They weren't good to start with and don't age well, unlike a fine Cabernet.

[Slater]

So are old Bushmasters somehow good guns now?

Bushmaster seems to have had more QC up and down cycles than most. Also these were made in different factories depending on the timeframe. The example in the OP is marked "Huntsville". Over the years I've heard generally favorable comments on their barrels, but I don't know who made those.

[markm]

Bushies weren't the worst thing. Really if "we" had BRT gas tubes to tune them down, they'd have been very usable guns. I shot a 14.5 govt bushmaster upper for years. It was over gassed a bit and the rear sight didn't dial up straight, but I beat that thing to death.

[Slater]

Haven't heard any feedback on the "new" Bushmaster, but presumably they're an assembly house of subcontracted parts. And they really should update their snake logo.

[titsonritz]

So are old Bushmasters somehow good guns now?

I thought mine sucked, sold it and got into AKs for about 6-7 years before buying a Colt 6920.

[SteyrAUG]

Bushies weren't the worst thing. Really if "we" had BRT gas tubes to tune them down, they'd have been very usable guns. I shot a 14.5 govt bushmaster upper for years. It was over gassed a bit and the rear sight didn't dial up straight, but I beat that thing to death.

I was real lucky with the two I had over the years. Had a pre Clinton A2 and it ran issue free, sold it sometime during the middle of the ban as I had so many 20" A2 rifles and prices were getting insane.

[DG23]

Bushmaster seems to have had more QC up and down cycles than most. Also these were made in different factories depending on the timeframe. The example in the OP is marked "Huntsville". Over the years I've heard generally favorable comments on their barrels, but I don't know who made those.

Still waiting on pictures of the barrel profile. Help a brother out dude!


When are you planning to shoot it and test it out for yourself?

[Krazykarl]

My BM A4 never offered the precision that I had hoped for. Sold it and bought a Colt A4. For a machine gun barrel, the Colt meets my precision Standards. However, the BM was my first taste of the AR world. It always worked, had all of the features that it should have had when Colt was not participating, but I don't miss the HB 1:9 barrel that ignored my handloading expertise.