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A bit of a different tack--hopefully people will understand
You can have a good rifle with "inferior" equipment. The single most important thing is to "know your rifle" That is if you have a BM or DPMS but have pushed it to the extreme, then there is no need to be concerned. Any problems will have shown themselves (note: cycling 100 rounds at the range is not "pushing it").
While purchasing a quality brand from a reputable dealer helps insure your chances of success, it is no guarantee. Far too often we think that purchasing is a one and done item. Not so.
This is not so much a defense of the "lower tier" as it is a message that purchasing from top tier is automatic success. Everyone can and has had lemons. It is your responsibility to shakedown your specific gear.
However when people making the decisions on 500 or 1000 rifles--then it becomes a bigger concern. The one-off or two off can get away with a possibly good, but the armory or department won't get that lucky. Its they who really will begin to develop a true picture of which equipment stands out.
I'm sure there will be comments of "You can't polish a turd" but today's state has rifles that could use of lot of polish and fixing. BM and DPMS aren't turds, but they aren't polished either. Beware the man who puts 60,000 rounds through his DPMS. I'll bet it works and parts that don't have been replaced. Fear the idiot with a Noveske Safe Queen.
This should not be construed as a "just as good as" statement. More importantly it is a note to the individual to check and maintain their gear. Lots of folks don't have a choice. If you do, consider carefully--your chances with BM and DPMS or RRA are not as good as with Colt, BCM, DD. But if you are stuck with BM, DPMS, or RRA push you rifle and know it inside and out. You will be better served with that than concerning yourself with a rollmark. Hopefully the experience gained can help influence decision down the road.
Last edited by TXBob; 12-27-11 at 14:34.
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Last edited by charmcitycop; 09-21-13 at 17:38.
I keep reading posts about folks avoiding the FET on firearms. While not all moneys go where they are supposed to (we are talking about the Feds here), do people realize that the FET on firearms was lobbied for by sportsmen for such things as creating and maintaining public shooting ranges? Just something to think about
INSIDE PLAN OF BOX
- ROAD-RUNNER LIFTS GLASS OF WATER- PULLING UP MATCH
- MATCH SCRATCHES ON MATCH-BOX
- MATCH LIGHTS FUSE TO TNT
- BOOM!
- HA-HA!!
-WILE E. COYOTE, AUTHOR OF "EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW IN LIFE, I LEARNED FROM GOLDBERG & MURPHY"
I am American
With respect to retailers selling crappy products (along with the good stuff)...
Once upon a time, I used to be into paintball in a big way. Mind you, this was some time ago.
I poured a ton of cash into (what was, at the time) one of the best guns out there...the WGP Autococker. Beyond that, I spent a bunch on modding it with a straight rifled hard-chrome barrel, remote feed with expansion chamber, etc. I did this all at a local shop that carried nice stuff.
The mouth-breather gun of the day was the "Stingray". It went for 99 bucks, and was a hunk of plastic junk. You'd snicker if you saw someone show up to the field with one.
My jaw hit the floor one day when I arrived to drop off most of my paycheck at my favorite shop, and I saw a stack of Stingray boxes on the shelf. I looked, incredulously, at the owner, and asked, "what gives? You really selling that crap?"
He then proceeded to tell me that he knew those guns were total junk. However, he also told me that he got 20 or 30 calls a week (the interwebz weren't so big back then) from people who were asking if he carried the Stingray. When he'd tell them no, theyd thank him, hang up, and most likely never set foot in his shop.
There wasn't much money in those guns...at 99 bucks, how can there be? However, like the firearm business, the profit was in the accessories...masks, paint, etc. When he'd turn a customer who was hell-bent on buying a crap gun away, he lost -all- of their business. Beyond that, when they realized that they'd bought a crap gun, and wanted to upgrade to a better rig, they'd probably end up doing it at the shop that had "taken care of them" for their initial purchase.
He hated the fact that he had to keep extra Stingrays on-hand to swap out the (inevitably) broken guns people would bring back in. The company had a decent warranty policy, but they were slow to ship replacements, and it was easier for him to hand customers another replacement and deal with the manufacturer, than to tell them to go direct.
Initially, I'd been kind of torqued that my favored shop had "sold out". However, that discussion was fairly sobering. Unless you're already independently wealthy, running a business is a for-profit venture. Owners have to act accordingly. If the masses demand crap, becoming a purveyor of crap is profitable.
I wouldn't have a problem at all with it, but I don't think for a second that money is properly used or tracked. That's a lot of tax money and I've never seen a public range range. Maybe the one on post @ Lewis but I don't know if that qualifies. Everywhere else I've been, public ranges have been shut down.
But we're getting off topic. I think AZpilot nailed it. You can't hold it against a dealer for selling merchandise that the majority wants. The best you can hope for is they sell the cheap AND the good stuff. They need to stay in business so they can offer the good stuff to informed buyers.
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