any reason to avoid an Oly Arms "Plinker" as a first AR?

[Detritus]

howdy all,

while at the gunshow yesterday an idea came to me, regarding how to go about the "A1 clone for wife/first AR in the family" project.

a couple of the tables had examples of the Olympic Arms "plinker" which is sort of their entry level gun i guess, it's got an A1/C7 style upper, with carbine length barrel/handguards and that weird ringed muzzle they put on some of thier post bans (muzzlebreak attatchment??).

the the average pre-tax cost of this rifle is within a reasonable amount of what i was planning to pay for a complete post-ban A1 style upper from bushmaster.

what this sort of got me thinking was, that i could buy an example of this gun, and be SHOOTING it while i saved up and bought the needed bits (barrel, forearm, buttstock, pistol grip, etc) to convert it to a more accurate redition of an A1, and possibly if/when the ban sunsets get a REAL A1 barrel and birdcage (and the sight tower with bayonet lug too)!


so what reasons if any are their to avoid this course of action?? or is it perfectly fine and a few of you have them and love them??

an enquiring gunnut wants to know. b/c after i get my transmission fixed (fingers crossed that it's only a linkage pin that dropped out or similar) this is PROBABLY my next gun purchase priority.

as always thank you for your time, any and all input you care to give, and your patience.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

If you want something to shoot, the Plinker is a good deal; but you would spend more money converting it to a more correct A1/C7 standard than you would just buying an A1/C7.

The plinker uses a cast upper and lower receiver; but it is backed up by a lifetime warranty from Olympic. It is the budget line from Olympic; but Olympic does stand behind their products well.

 

[ckyllo]

to me, the plinkers I have seen the finish just dont appeal to me it seemed low quality. if that dont bother you and the thought of a cast reciever, no chrome in the chamber or barrel than enjoy. dont get me wrong I have no problems with oly arms and like the other models offered, just with the plinker. if spending an extra $100-150 for the right gun is cheaper than trying to get the wrong gun into the right gun.

 

[Detritus]

just to clarify/ give more info that i should have earlier

when i came home last night i checked compared what it would cost me both ways. and the parts cost for the piece needed to convert from "plinker" to "A1 standard" would bring the all up cost for the project to no more than $100 (and probably alot less) of what i would pay to get a separate lower and an A1 complete upper from Bushy.

and if the AWB sunsets and stays gone long enough to matter, i'd be converting ANY AR i bought prior to that to "real" config anyway, probably by sending it to someone like KKF. in fact odds are it'd go to him even if the ban didn't sunset so that i could get a faux A1 Birdcage FS but on (i have a picky wife adn the gun's for her, long story)


i was just sort of wondering if their were mechanical, or QC reasons not to get that model, or if it was somehow "weird" and would make such a later conversion difficult.

 

[Gary G23]

It sounds like you have your mind made up so get what makes you happy. To me though I'd gladly pay the extra money for a forged receiver, A2 sights, and chrome lining. I like Bushmaster.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Well, the A1/C7 both have forged receivers. So by bringing it up to "A1" standard, what parts were you planning to change?

If you just want to swap a few parts to make the Plinker look like an A1, that should be similar to the prices you are budgeting for; but be warned that doing so would probably void the warranty.

One reason I like the Plinker is that Olympic stands behind it with a lifetime warranty. That means that even if I should have trouble with some of the cheaper parts used in the Plinker, Oly will replace them.

I would be real cautious about a solution that voids the warranty on the Plinker though; but still leaves you with budget parts that may or may not hold up in a lot of the gun.

 

[Master Blaster]

How much is the plinker from the source you have lined up?

I have a bushmaster XM-15E2s 20" hbar built in carry handle a2 sights.

I love mine. You can get them for $699 + shipping and transfer so $725 here http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/copy_of_XM15_E2S_20__A3_Heavy_Bbl_Rifle.html

That is what I would recommend, mine is excellent and very accurate.

 

[Rocko]

If you weren't planning on doing any sort of customization to the rifle, the plinker may be an OK choice for... well, plinking. However, the cost of "upgrading" to a rifle with a forged upper and lower and receiver is a pittance when compared to the total cost of ownership. Especially if you were planning on customizing it to the extent that you were going to send it to a smith.

And even if not, I'd say get something a bit better. As mentioned above, when I'm buying a new gun, I try to look at the total cost of ownership. No matter what AR you end up getting, you'll probably be shooting the same ammo, buying the same mags, cleaning supplies, etc. So, while the difference between $550 (around what I've seen the the plinkers go for in my area) and $700 may seem like alot now, after buying 10 or so mags and shooting 3-4K rounds, it will be the difference between, say, $1100 and $1250. At this point, the $150 doesn't seem like much difference, given the return, and that $150 difference is only going to get relatively smaller the more you shoot.

Rocko

 

[Detritus]

more info, more questions

the examples i've seen of the plinker are running at around $525-550

compare this to $250-300 for a complete lower (depending on whether RRA or Bushy, from a Vendor that does most of the TX shows)

and about $530-540 for the complete A1 style upper from Bushmaster.

so that's a range of about $780-840 for a "build from separate assemblies" AR.

and IS there any REAL (as opposed to subjective/personal) proven downside to Oly's cast assemblies?? i know there has been an ingrained "Forged is better" attitude for years, but the tech of investment casting has come a LOOOONG way.

i truly am curious guys, if there IS a real reason to not get cast from oly, then i'll look at the "GI 16" as well which amounts to a plinker with forged receiver halfs.

and liek i said the only things that would be done to it that MIGHT need a gunsmith would amount to a barrel swap, b/c even if the ban sunsets all the "pre-ban goodies" that we'd want would be part of the barrel assembly anyway.

So, so far the downside that has been expressed is that the receiver is cast on the plinker, so i need to know how much of a downside this is. so that i cna figure such things into my thoughts.

thanks for the replies so far guys, it really does help to get as much info as possible.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

People have different opinions on the subject of cast vs. forged AR receivers. AR receivers are not high stress parts to begin with - I mean they make them out of plastic nowadays, so cast aluminium can certainly hold up for thousands of rounds of range use.

I think the main sticking point is that forged receivers are unquestionably stronger and usually only $10-$30 more. If you don't abuse the rifle, I doubt you'll ever notice the difference between the two; but I think a lot of people like the extra insurance.

Check out this thread for more info:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=66&t=187104

 

[Bikeguy]

I have a Plinker. It is a fine gun, but I now wish I had saved a bit and bought something a little better/different. The finish is bothersome, but that is mostly an aesthetic issue - however, the mag well is rough like the rest of the rifle, and mags don't drop free very well. Not wild about the sights, and wish I had bought a flat top for the versatility. Chrome chamber and barrell would also be nice when it comes time to clean it.