DPMS Recon


RJ_Whitlock

RJ_Whitlock

M&P 9mm
Has anybody shot or held one of these? What are the pros and cons?

I'm selling my four wheeler and I am looking at getting an AR-15, I checked out the Recon because it will be defiantly be in my price range. I'm also a Magpul fan boy and it comes with a lot of Magpul accessories on it.

I'm looking for a AR-15 that has a full 4 Picatinny rail handguard. I plan on doing a few mods, before I do though I would like to have a nice base AR to build from.

Also, suggestions for accessories would be awesome as well. I know for optics, I will be leaving the stock flip ups on and will be co-witnessing with an Eo-Tech.

Any help will be greatly appreciated, Thanks!
 

Cons (typical of most DPMS rifles):

1:9 twist
.223 chamber
Improper steel type for bolt
Batch or no testing for barrel and bolt
Improper feed ramps
No staking on castle nut or gas key
Commercial receiver extension
Typical poor DPMS quality in both parts and assembly

Pros:

It's not an Olympic Arms rifle

For the price of that rifle, you could get into a Colt (with Magpul furniture) or a Bravo Company rifle - they're both basic rifles with no rails, but it would let you choose which rail you wanted, including opening up to newer "slick" designs like the Troy TRX Extreme or similar.

If you really want a Recce style setup - I'd get a BCM upper:

AR-15, 16" Recce Upper Groups (Mid Length)

and then add a BCM blem lower from G&R Tactical (most people have trouble finding the blemish in the finish):

BCM Blemished Lower at G and R Tactical

Add in your favorite irons and you're probably right back to what a DPMS Recon can be found for (at least if your local pricing on DPMSs is similar to what I see)

Anyway, that's my .02 - if you're going to spend that much money it doesn't make sense to buy an inferior product.

RJ_Whitlock said:
Has anybody shot or held one of these? What are the pros and cons?

I'm selling my four wheeler and I am looking at getting an AR-15, I checked out the Recon because it will be defiantly be in my price range. I'm also a Magpul fan boy and it comes with a lot of Magpul accessories on it.

I'm looking for a AR-15 that has a full 4 Picatinny rail handguard. I plan on doing a few mods, before I do though I would like to have a nice base AR to build from.

Also, suggestions for accessories would be awesome as well. I know for optics, I will be leaving the stock flip ups on and will be co-witnessing with an Eo-Tech.

Any help will be greatly appreciated, Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
KevinD said:
Cons (typical of most DPMS rifles):

1:9 twist
.223 chamber
Improper steel type for bolt
Batch or no testing for barrel and bolt
Improper feed ramps
No staking on castle nut or gas key
Commercial receiver extension
Typical poor DPMS quality in both parts and assembly

Pros:

It's not an Olympic Arms rifle

For the price of that rifle, you could get into a Colt (with Magpul furniture) or a Bravo Company rifle - they're both basic rifles with no rails, but it would let you choose which rail you wanted, including opening up to newer "slick" designs like the Troy TRX Extreme or similar.

If you really want a Recce style setup - I'd get a BCM upper:

AR-15, 16" Recce Upper Groups (Mid Length)

and then add a BCM blem lower from G&R Tactical (most people have trouble finding the blemish in the finish):

BCM Blemished Lower at G and R Tactical

Add in your favorite irons and you're probably right back to what a DPMS Recon can be found for (at least if your local pricing on DPMSs is similar to what I see)

Anyway, that's my .02 - if you're going to spend that much money it doesn't make sense to buy an inferior product.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm kind of new to the AR platform and would like to buy everything all in one then add certain things here and there. Unless putting together a lower and upper doesn't require that much work, I might go that route.

The biggest thing I'm looking for is a AR that can shoot both .223 and 5.56, I plan on using it for deer hunting later on this year and I'm not entirely sure if I can use 5.56. I know I can use .223.
 
DPMS is towards the bottom of the barrel when it comes to AR's, Your far better off starting with the higher end S&W M&P 15's, Stag Arms, Palmetto Armory or better yet Colt, Bravo Company or Daniel Defense. Not all AR's are created equal.
 
SGB said:
DPMS is towards the bottom of the barrel when it comes to AR's, Your far better off starting with the higher end S&W M&P 15's, Stag Arms, Palmetto Armory or better yet Colt, Bravo Company or Daniel Defense. Not all AR's are created equal.
Click to expand...

I was looking at getting a M&P 15, since I carry a M&P. I'll look into the other manufactures, thanks!
 
Buying a separate upper and lower is very simple to put together - in fact, you have to separate them to clean the weapon - it's merely two pins you push out and you're done. Also, buying a separate lower and upper saves you the 12% Federal excise tax that all firearms manufacturers have to pay (only applies to a complete functioning AR, not a lower only).

If you are new to ARs and wanting to learn before spending the coin on one - I wholeheartedly suggest doing some research. I'll even point you in the right direction:

Link Removed

The chart that used to be attached to this has been superseded by a newer version - however the Explanation of Benefits is the most important part anyway as it teaches WHY something is important.

A little easier to read and with pictures, the following link is from the owner of Bravo Company Manufacturing on how they build their rifles:

BCM Stuff... - M4Carbine.net Forums

The key is to find out what is important to you and then find a rifle with those features. You mention .223 vs 5.56 - You can fire .223 in a true 5.56 chamber, but you cannot fire (reliably and sometimes safely) 5.56 in a .223 chamber. Most Freedom group rifles (DPMS, Bushmaster, Remington) and Rock River Arms will be labeled 5.56, but in reality the chambers are usually closer to .223. This is important as the only way to fix it after buying the rifle is to have the chamber reamed.

I'm no expert, but I am well read on ARs because I thoroughly enjoy them, but cannot afford to waste money - if you have any specific questions, let me know and I'll answer as best I can.
 
KevinD said:
Buying a separate upper and lower is very simple to put together - in fact, you have to separate them to clean the weapon - it's merely two pins you push out and you're done. Also, buying a separate lower and upper saves you the 12% Federal excise tax that all firearms manufacturers have to pay (only applies to a complete functioning AR, not a lower only).

If you are new to ARs and wanting to learn before spending the coin on one - I wholeheartedly suggest doing some research. I'll even point you in the right direction:

Link Removed

The chart that used to be attached to this has been superseded by a newer version - however the Explanation of Benefits is the most important part anyway as it teaches WHY something is important.

A little easier to read and with pictures, the following link is from the owner of Bravo Company Manufacturing on how they build their rifles:

BCM Stuff... - M4Carbine.net Forums

The key is to find out what is important to you and then find a rifle with those features. You mention .223 vs 5.56 - You can fire .223 in a true 5.56 chamber, but you cannot fire (reliably and sometimes safely) 5.56 in a .223 chamber. Most Freedom group rifles (DPMS, Bushmaster, Remington) and Rock River Arms will be labeled 5.56, but in reality the chambers are usually closer to .223. This is important as the only way to fix it after buying the rifle is to have the chamber reamed.

I'm no expert, but I am well read on ARs because I thoroughly enjoy them, but cannot afford to waste money - if you have any specific questions, let me know and I'll answer as best I can.
Click to expand...

Thanks for info Kevin! This is much appreciated!
 
Yes. If I am remembering correctly S&W ARs are slightly overgassed, but their chambers are usually correct and their assembly and QC is good. The tactical has 1:8 rifling which is becoming more popular as it seems to be a good over all twist rate. The barrel is not the "mil-spec" barrel steel, but 4140 will meet your stated needs. By and large it is a much, much better choice than the DPMS.
 
KevinD said:
Yes. If I am remembering correctly S&W ARs are slightly overgassed, but their chambers are usually correct and their assembly and QC is good. The tactical has 1:8 rifling which is becoming more popular as it seems to be a good over all twist rate. The barrel is not the "mil-spec" barrel steel, but 4140 will meet your stated needs. By and large it is a much, much better choice than the DPMS.
Click to expand...

Alright thanks Kevin! I also found a Stag Arms Model 3 at a pawn shop where I live for $835 new, so it's between that or the M&P 15. Unless the Stag Arms Model 3 isn't good then it'll probably be just the M&P lol
 
This my Stag model three cerakoted magpul and vltor everything..... shoots 5.56 and 223 the fit and finish on these rifles are tight, supertight. I have ran 3000 rounds through it not one problem! And is still tighter than a frogs ass!
 
I am not a big fan of the Colt AR's. You pay too much just for the name, and with the front take down pin a different size than everyone else's you can just switch out your upper with a different manufacturer. I have a Rock River and I love it.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies, I know I'm going to get hate for this, but I ended up buying a Huldra Arms Mark IV Tactical Evo 14.5 Piston rifle. I love it, I know a lot of people like DI and are not a fan of Piston rifles. I took it out and shot about 175 rounds, hand a few failure to feeds but I kind of expected that. The rifle is super accurate and I didn't get a chance to sight in. Just slapped on some iron sights and started at it. I ordered all my Magpul parts and hopefully will have them and installed by next week sometime.

The only thing I'm waiting for is an Eo-Tech, my car broke down so that's coming first. After that, I'll be ordering a Eo-Tech.
 
XD40FAN said:
Piston driven are definetly heavier but supposedly more reliable?
Click to expand...

The piston driven guns being heavier aren't entirely true, unbalanced perhaps. The gun I own is 6.8 pounds which I don't think is very heavy, the M&P 15 tactical I was looking at weighs about the same. So far it is very reliable, it has a very crisp trigger pull and the reset is amazing. Cleaning is very easy, I fired 200 rounds and the only thing that was semi dirty was the gas block. To clean that all you have to do is remove the piston rod and wipe it down with a cloth and that's it.
 
The weight distribution up from with a piston model and accessories fatigues the left arm after a few rounds more so than the DI. Both are great and have advantages over the other! Congrats man for the 1300 dollars I would have picked up a stag 3G stainless barrel and all.:cool:
 
XD40FAN said:
The weight distribution up from with a piston model and accessories fatigues the left arm after a few rounds more so than the DI. Both are great and have advantages over the other! Congrats man for the 1300 dollars I would have picked up a stag 3G stainless barrel and all.:cool:
Click to expand...

Are you insulting me because of what I spent on a rifle that I wanted? I bought it for home defense, and probably going to take a carbine class. I also like to support my local gun manufactures.
 
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