I can only speak from my personal experience.  I own a Bushmaster XM15 20" heavy barrel, and have had it for five years now and have never had one problem with it.  It is accurate as heck and has gone through several incarnations of different optics and bipods, pistol grips and slings.  I love it.

 

+1 ... same 20 inch heavy barrel ... I've run sooo many of rounds through it .... No worries ...

I can only speak from my personal experience. I own a Bushmaster XM15 20" heavy barrel, and have had it for five years now and have never had one problem with it. It is accurate as heck and has gone through several incarnations of different optics and bipods, pistol grips and slings. I love it.

 

I have a Colt HBAR Sporter that I've had since 93. Never had a problem with it. I have a Bushy lower with a Colt upper that works great too. i think either way you'll be fine. If you're looking for top quality Bravo Company makes great rifles. Just google "Filthy 14."

 

I own a Bushy carbine...excellent rifle. Very tight tolerances, very snug fit between upper and lower (albeit I use Accu-Wedges), excellent internal components. I have fired well over 10,000 rounds off of it this past year and did not need to replace any parts due to failure or the like.

If you have the money however, I would highly recommend looking into purchasing a complete Bushmaster (or Colt for that matter) lower and then slapping on an Adams Arms gas piston upper (LWRC upper if you have the bookoo bucks for it) your maintenance of the rifle will be cut drastically by using a piston vs. direct gas impingement. The huge bonus of gas piston is the rugged functionality of the AK (no jams, ability to fire with water / sand in the chamber, etc) in a vastly superior weapons platform. The combined cost of separate upper and lower as I have describe would likely be only 200-300 more than a traditional AR config.

Since this is your first AR, I would spend the money if you can. Even if you have to push the purchase back 2-3 months I would say do everything you can to get a piston upper on a great lower like a Colt of Bushy.

Do some hw and get back to me...I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

One more thing...If you like the match AR aspect consider this: gas piston systems allow you the functionality to turn the piston gas off completely and allow you to fire the rifle from a closed bolt such as a bolt action would fire. Much greater accuracy and practically zero recoil since the moving parts wont move in that setting (your charging handle would be the equivalent of a bolt actions bolt).

 

+1 ... same 20 inch heavy barrel ... I've run sooo many of rounds through it .... No worries ...

just recently switched to a quad rail gas block and the worst thing about it was getting those tapered pins out, apparently Bushmaster pins are a real tight fit. Another plus.

 

i love my colt.ive never had any experience with a bushy.colt is true mil-spec.the barrels are m.p.i.  have a shot peened bolt,heavy buffer on carbines,parkerizing under fsb,etc..the colts are the same as military issue except for the obvious and the evil features.it wont make a difference to us at the range they all go bang.the colt will cost you alittle more.LMT is nice also.

 

If you have the money however, I would highly recommend looking into purchasing a complete Bushmaster (or Colt for that matter) lower and then slapping on an Adams Arms gas piston upper (LWRC upper if you have the bookoo bucks for it) your maintenance of the rifle will be cut drastically by using a piston vs. direct gas impingement. The huge bonus of gas piston is the rugged functionality of the AK (no jams, ability to fire with water / sand in the chamber, etc) in a vastly superior weapons platform. The combined cost of separate upper and lower as I have describe would likely be only 200-300 more than a traditional AR config.

Since this is your first AR, I would spend the money if you can. Even if you have to push the purchase back 2-3 months I would say do everything you can to get a piston upper on a great lower like a Colt of Bushy.

Do some hw and get back to me...I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

One more thing...If you like the match AR aspect consider this: gas piston systems allow you the functionality to turn the piston gas off completely and allow you to fire the rifle from a closed bolt such as a bolt action would fire. Much greater accuracy and practically zero recoil since the moving parts wont move in that setting (your charging handle would be the equivalent of a bolt actions bolt).

The AR was not designed to be a piston rod driven weapon. All other piston designs ride on rail. The AR does not, leading to bolt tilt that put additional wear on the back of the BCG/extension and the back of the bolt lugs.
While it might run cleaner, it does not run cooler, instead of putting heat into larger metal parts(bcg) it put it into small little springs and collars. Not good for long term reliability, which is important since there are no standard parts for piston upper, so you can only get replacements from one manufacturer opposed to a whole lot of AR manufacturers.

A piston upper will not suddenly become a match rifle when turning off the gas.

The only place pistons have shown an increase in reliability is on suppressed SBRs. If you aren't running one, then they are not worth the money

Between Colt and Bushmaster. Colt is a far superior rifle

 

Say Pauly any pics ??? I'd like to see what you did with her (your rifle ) .....

just recently switched to a quad rail gas block and the worst thing about it was getting those tapered pins out, apparently Bushmaster pins are a real tight fit. Another plus.

 

Say Pauly any pics ??? I'd like to see what you did with her (your rifle ) .....

Ask and ye shall receive!
Aside from the gas block, I added a quad rail, a magwell grip, magpull extended trigger guard, tango down pistol grip, harris bipod, and in this picture is a Bushnell Bone Collector Scope, my other configuration is with Troy Industries flip up battle sights.

 

Buying new today? Colt.

 

Ask and ye shall receive!
Aside from the gas block, I added a quad rail, a magwell grip, magpull extended trigger guard, tango down pistol grip, harris bipod, and in this picture is a Bushnell Bone Collector Scope, my other configuration is with Troy Industries flip up battle sights.

F-in Sweet !!! ... In the words of the iconic Bill Murray in Stripes "Lee Harvey, you are a madman. When you stole that cow, and your friend tried to *&*^%% with the cow. I want to party with you, cowboy" ...
Nuff said

 

Thanks! Excellent reference as wel.

 

Just buy a Ruger SR-556 .....

 

Note to DEADMAN - you're not going to go wrong with either a Bushy or a Colt - A lot of folks here know A LOT about firearms - I've been around them literally my whole life, personally and professionally, … and some of these fellows here, have expertise that sometimes have my head spinning - and that's why LIF is so great … But don't let that get the best of you ...

If you can afford it - buy an AR, get some training, esp. when it comes to safety in the home environment and then get to a range and send a bunch of rounds down range ..

Trust me you'll be VERY happy when you do …

 

I agree with KCK2100, you won't go wrong with either a colt or a bushmaster. I have several Colts (pre and post ban) and Bushmasters too. If you are looking for a nice colt rifle, I would reccomend on of the NY compliant Match Target M4 carbines. I got one at campsite for about $1200. I also have one of the monolithic upper Colt Carbines, which is a little more money, but is very nice,. As far as Bushmaster, the only one I would stay away from is the "dissipator" models. It is not that they are bad rifles, it is that because of the dissipator gas block (under the handguard), you will have a difficult time using anything but a standard AR full length for arm (forget switching to a Quad Rail without major mods to it).

With regard to Piston vs Direct Gas impingment, keep this in mind; When Stoner Designed the AR platform (back in the day) it was designed to be direct impingement, and hence the design of the reciever was with that in mind. I have seen the wear in piston recievers and buffer tubes that you will not see in the standard direct impingement AR's. Pistons were not a new thing when Stoner designed the AR (M14,AK47,etc are piston driven), so if your start thinking you want a piston gun, I would recomend getting a M1a. I can tell you that with all of the AR's that I have / have had, I have not bought a piston, and I do not intend on getting one till I buy the HK MR556 (and I will buy one of them just because it is a HK).

 

Its funny, I bought my Bushmaster before there was a TON of companies producing the AR platform, but I never knew it to be held in that type of regard to contend against a Colt.  I have shot some DPMS, Rock River Arms, Stag Arms, and Armalite in the past; but never a Colt.  Out of those, the one I liked best was the Rock River Arms which had a 22" Target barrel and was sickeningly accurate.  

 

Its funny, I bought my Bushmaster before there was a TON of companies producing the AR platform, but I never knew it to be held in that type of regard to contend against a Colt.

It is not. Its a everyday rifle for everyday people. If you shoot from the bench a couple hundred rounds a year, then its a great rifle for the money. If you shoot a lot, then your money is better spent on the likes of Colt, DD, BCM Noveske.

 

You really cannot go wrong with either.  If money is no object I would buy the Colt as it will hold it's value better than the Bushmaster.  Colt is sort of what all other are judged against.   I have heard people describe Bushmaster as an entry level AR.  My experience is that they make an excellent rifle.   I don't know what Post Ban configurations the current Colt's are offered in but again if money is no object a Pre-Ban rifle is another good investment.  As far as Bushmaster goes they make a nice little M4'Gery in the AK Shorty.  Basically a 14.5 inch barrel with an AK74 style welded on muzzle brake and no bayonet lug.  The brake makes the length of barrel just over 16".  A nice light little carbine, a little loud for the shooters next to you, but a nice combination.  Bill

 

Word was Bushmaster really did not stake gas keys all that well, I hear they have done better but still not as good as Colt.

Anyone who owns a Bushmaster can chime in as I own a Colt.

Take a look at this

Young is supposed to make one of the best with the National Match Carrier and they do not stake them at all and swear by them.

They go into a long explanation on their website for this.

I picked up a Young from Rainer as they stake them aftermarket, I was not impressed.

If anyone has a MOACKS I would love to borrow it to tune up the staking on the gas key for the Rainer BCG.

I also picked up a Spikes BCG, that was just as good as the Young if not better, they staked the gas key just like my Colt and the finish seems to be a bit better so go figure.

Having a chrome BCG just makes it a bit easier to clean, but if I had it to do over gain I would have left well enough alone with the BCG I got from Colt.

 

Personally I own a Colt, 2 Bushies and a Rock River...A few hundred rounds of each downrange and I could hardly tell the difference. I completed a carbine school using a Bushmaster and it ran perfect through 100's and 100's of rounds. So did the Colts and Rock Rivers for that matter. (The G36's were a little tempermental, but they were old and the Ruger pistol carbines were just outclassed!) In my opinion, you can't go wrong with any of them.

GOOD LUCK, send pics!

 

Another vote for : "You can't go wrong with either one."

But ......... since I've owned a Colt for the past two years , with no problems ...... given the choice, I'd buy a Colt again.

 

I have owned a bushmaster A2 style carbine for 10 years now and have put thousands of rounds through it. It never jammed once on me and it is extremely accurate. It's a great gun to shoot and I would have trusted it in Iraq with me if I could have had it modified to shoot in burst.
In the Marines I carried a Colt M16A2 to my first tour in Iraq and an FN M16A4 on my second tour. Both were great weapons. I favored the colt M16A2 because it was lighter. I shot expert on the range with both weapons multiple times.
I still favor my Bushmaster. I never had the opportunity to abuse it the same way I did to the colt and FN rifles - firing hundreds of rounds through them in such a short period of time I melted the sling off them and burned my hands. But I am confident that my Bushmaster will stand up to the abuse my Military rifles took.
Bushmaster makes a great gun of the highest quality, in my opinion. If you want a colt you're going to pay more for it because of the name on the side, not because it is going to do something better than bushmaster can do.

 

Word was Bushmaster really did not stake gas keys all that well, I hear they have done better but still not as good as Colt.

Anyone who owns a Bushmaster can chime in as I own a Colt.

Take a look at this

Just watched the video. Interesting but there are a few things wrong with it. I took a look at my 10 year old bushmaster bolt carrier (the one on far right in his video) and the staking was exactly the same as his favored smith and wesson. I dont know what bolt he used for sure, but the staking in my bushmaster is good.
He was wrong about a few other things in there regarding the firing pin and the extra mass on the bolt carrier group in military rifles. I think he is just making things up as he goes.

 

Just watched the video. Interesting but there are a few things wrong with it. I took a look at my 10 year old bushmaster bolt carrier (the one on far right in his video) and the staking was exactly the same as his favored smith and wesson. I dont know what bolt he used for sure, but the staking in my bushmaster is good.
He was wrong about a few other things in there regarding the firing pin and the extra mass on the bolt carrier group in military rifles. I think he is just making things up as he goes.

everything he said in the video is pretty much spot on
If you have evidence to the contrary, please let us in on it

 

Oh the staking... :

The biggest overblown mountain out of a mole hill shooting related issue I think I've ever seen.

(okay I just deleted a whole bunch of stuff I wrote. Instead just read Young's take on it. (it says they don't stake them, but they do stake some. The lightened bolt on my match rifle came staked)

http://www.youngmanufacturing.net/stakekeys.php