Bushmaster is up to something...

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I'm afraid they won't get my money any time soon, if ever, if that is the case.

Evenly priced, the SCAR ranks higher on my wish list... make the ACR even more expensive than the SCAR (who would have ever thought we'd be saying *anything* was more expensive than the SCAR??), and the SCAR will be considerably higher on said list.
 
Yep, the only reason I wouldn't buy an XCR first is because I already got one... in 2007!

Really, I can't believe that is where they would put the MSRP.

I don't know if Bushmaster/Rem have noticed or not, but their rifle is NOT a military rifle, regardless of how many people they can have wearing camo in their promotional videos... the SCAR is.

Right or not, the SCAR commands some premium because it comes with the "cred" of being military selected. The ACR does not. Put down the crackpipe indeed, Bushmaster...
 
The rifle looks awesome, and I want one, but I am with Matrix187. You can get two (2!) Colt 6940s for that kind of money. I'll be keeping my eye on them in the hopes that the prices come down, but I am not counting on anything.
 
Magpul has posted that the price ($2,700) being bandied about in the forums is not what they were told the base price would be and advising everyone to wait for official release vice the "My FFL just told me" and "I called Bushmaster and they said" reporting of the other posts. Although the other posts are being pretty consistent on the number.
 
My source says they expect street price to fall once initial demand is met.

I am up for one. The ergonomics are super, user changeable barrel (don't like the twist/length - it's a minute to change).

The price reflects what they think the market will bear. I'm told it's cheaper to make than the AR thanks to extrusions and injection molding, so there should be some wiggle room once they amortize machine cost.

This gun has been delayed because they know they have one chance to get it right and can't afford a lemon. Only time will tell if it lives up, but I expect price to stabilize around the same retail as the SiG556.

BTW, 1:9 twist is the ideal choice for a rifle that going to shoot both M198 and M855 as it stabilizes both equally well. A faster twist is fine for heavier bullets, but leads to bigger dispersion with M198, which many foreign countries still have in abundance if you are looking at foreign sales.

Cartridge conversion only requires a barrel and bolt change and is easily and quickly done. Having a second caliber won't mean a whole new upper like the AR.

Finally, this is not a rifle to compete with the AR. It's meant to compete (in the civilian market) with various piston ARs, the SiG similar high end rifles. Given the price of the POF, SiG556, etc, I expect we'll see the ACR at around $1700 or so for the base model.
 
What I like is the "impact modified polymer lower" (see the photo in post 29 for details), so they beat the crap out of it till it fit...yay! :D

On a serious note I believe the bolt/carrier looks like a well proven design that I am fond of...looks a whole lot like the AR-18 bolt carrier assembly to me. FWIW, I don't like it that much, and I have 2.5-3k reasons to support that decision. ;)
 
Note parts in bold.

Bushmaster® Announces Revolutionary Adaptive Combat Rifle (ACR™)
Fully-Modular, Mission-Configurable and Torture Tested

Windham, ME – The Adaptive Combat Rifle (ACR) was conceived to provide a more reliable, accurate and mission-configurable, American-made rifle platform for today’s military, law enforcement agencies and commercial tactical markets. The ACR is specifically designed to meet the challenges of the modern battlefield from close-quarters applications to the long-range marksman; configured in the field without the use of tools. Three American companies – Magpul Industries Corp, Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC (BFI) and Remington Arms Company, Inc. – shared a common design vision to put the best, most versatile rifle into the hands of the US Military. With emerging concept designs and after rigorous testing, Bushmaster, Magpul® and Remington® utilized the strongest materials and components to produce the most innovative and adaptable combat rifle yet – the ACR for military, law enforcement and commercial applications.

The ACR offers the ability to change calibers from 5.56mm/223 Rem to 6.8mm Rem SPC in minutes by swapping the bolt head, barrel and magazine. Barrels, stocks, and accessories can also be changed, without tools, at the user level allowing the ACR to go from a close-quarters battle platform to a designated marksman platform. The ACR gives the operator all of the options needed, while utilizing a superbly reliable gas piston operating system, fire selector capability, a non-reciprocating charging handle and intuitive, ambidextrous controls on a platform that is a natural fit for any operator.

Standard core features of the ACR include 16.5-inch, cold hammer-forged barrel system, featuring proprietary protective coating for enhanced barrel life and maintenance reduction, with quick-change 10.5, 14.5 and 18-inch barrel length options in multiple calibers; A2 “birdcage-type” suppressor for muzzle blast reduction; adjustable, 2-position gas-piston system to support suppressed or unsuppressed firing; hardened internal bearing rails; bolt carrier assemblies for 223.5.56mm NATO to 6.8mm Rem SPC; ambidextrous operator controls for magazine release, bolt catch and release, fire selector and non-reciprocating charging handle; hand guard, lower receiver and stock constructed from a rugged high-impact composite; and to further enhance operation and reduce wear, all action components feature our innovative protective coating.

Added to the core platform features of this fully-adaptable rifle are free-floating MIL-STD 1913 monolithic top rail for optics mounting; enhanced hand guard with heat shield and acceptance of rail inserts; functional lower receiver design with textured magazine well and easily-accessible, modular grip storage; A-frame style stock with rubber butt pad and sling attachment mounts; Magpul MBUS front and rear flip sights; and 30-round PMAG. Mission-ready, all ACR components ship in an oversized, hard case with room for accessory storage.

The Bushmaster ACR for the commercial market is available in the Basic and Enhanced configurations. The additional features for the Enhanced version include an AAC® Blackout™ NSM Flash Hider for exceptional reduction of muzzle flash; multi-functional, three-sided aluminum hand guard with integral MIL-STD 1913 accessory rail; and folding, six-position telescoping composite stock with rubber butt pad, sling attachment mounts and 2-point push button sling. Each configuration of the commercial ACR is offered in a non-reflective, black finish or Coyote Brown (30118). Suggested retail price: Basic $2,685 and Enhanced $3,061.

By combining dedicated, multi-brand research and development; relentless iterations of torture testing; and the most advanced materials available in the market today with Bushmaster’s uncompromising commitment to quality construction - the result is the ultimate, fully-modular, combat-adaptable Bushmaster ACR.

PLEASE NOTE: Bushmaster will sell the ACR to commercial customers and state and local law enforcement agencies. Initial shipments for the Basic commercial configuration are slated for March 1, 2010; followed by release of the Enhanced commercial version on May, 1, 2010. Versions for the law enforcement community are configured for the unique operators’ requirements and restricted for sale. Remington Arms Company, Inc. will sell the Remington branded ACR to US Military, US Federal Agencies and select foreign militaries.
Click to expand...
 
The press release doesn't mention anything about 7.62 x 39mm versions, or AK magazine compatibility. For me, the ability to swap to that caliber and use AK magazines was a big selling point.
 
I am up for one. The ergonomics are super, user changeable barrel (don't like the twist/length - it's a minute to change).
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You can have all you want of them for that price. If you want to spend $2,685 on a rifle and then wait to buy a barrel in the twist you actually want (hoping someone makes it), then have at it.

The price reflects what they think the market will bear.
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They thought wrong if that is the case. They must have really limited production capability because they have intentionally chosen a price that will definitely limit their sales.

BTW, 1:9 twist is the ideal choice for a rifle that going to shoot both M198 and M855 as it stabilizes both equally well. A faster twist is fine for heavier bullets, but leads to bigger dispersion with M198, which many foreign countries still have in abundance if you are looking at foreign sales.
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You know what? I've shot a lot of 55gr ammo (including actual M193) through 1:7 barrels and the "greater dispersion" argument is nonsense. 95% of the shooters out there don't have the basic skill to even notice that dispersion from a stable position and the ones who do are not going to be using the ACR; because it isn't Service Rifle legal. The reason this dispersion is not noted is because it is so small, you need a really good shooter (or a machine rest) to even prove it exists.

Cartridge conversion only requires a barrel and bolt change and is easily and quickly done. Having a second caliber won't mean a whole new upper like the AR.
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You better also have a pre-zeroed optic on a Larue mount in your pocket. At least one positive thing about switching uppers is that the sights are zeroed to the barrel when you switch.

Finally, this is not a rifle to compete with the AR. It's meant to compete (in the civilian market) with various piston ARs, the SiG similar high end rifles. Given the price of the POF, SiG556, etc, I expect we'll see the ACR at around $1700 or so for the base model.
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Looks like you missed it by about $1,000. I would argue about whether a 5.56mm semi-automatic rifle of any kind is meant to compete with an AR or not; but at that price point, it clearly isn't aiming for even your high end AR market.
 
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Watched the countdown on the Bushmaster site while feeding the baby. And ... nothing - the timer just changed to "ACR Launch". No spec sheets, nada. Marketing / web design strategy = lame and done before (usually by less reputable firms).

Pricing strategy = way, way off the mark. Unless their production costs are way out of line. In which case, this is an Edsel, from an economic perspective. When I think "Bushmaster" I think "Ford" not "Ferrari". I agree with the others here that they've missed their main market.

I'm feeling like this might be just an over hyped, over priced BM product. If I had that much disposable cash, I'd go for a SCAR in the first place. Or an HK-SL8, with a ton of cash to spare.
 
I mean really, the *base model* costs as much as a SCAR, and has no railed forend and no folding stock. This thing makes the SCAR look like a good value.

Their "gotta have it" business will be out and they will be done selling them in 6 months at this rate.

And if there is nothing illegal about owning the Remington branded model, it will make it to market eventually whether Remington wants it to or not, ala Colt LE branded models, etc. It would be slightly less retarded to buy a $3k Remington than a $3k Bushmaster... but not much. Especially when the SCAR already comes with rails and a folding stock for the bargain price of $2500. :rolleyes:
 
One of the reason why Bushmaster is handling all the civilian sales and Remington is handling the military & government sales is because the Bushmaster ACR is semi-auto only (Title 1) and the Remington ACR is select fire (Title 2 / Post-'86 MG).
 
This is DOA at $2700. That's out of touch with reality, and only more so if you look at what it costs them to make.

I would consider one at maybe $1200 and under. I have a feeling that I won't be buying one this year. If I get the itch for that type of carbine I might just have to send some lawyer money over to Robinson Arms for an XCR.
 
Whats the difference between the ACR and FN SCAR? Price is almost just as much.
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Off the top of my head, the differences are:

1. The SCAR is produced by FN, a manufacturer with a long and well-established reputation of building quality firearms. The ACR is produced by Bushmaster, a manufacturer know primarily for building second-tier ARs that usually work or can be made to work with minimal tweaking.

2. The SCAR is adopted by USSOCOM and actually issued to our military forces and has seen substantial independent testing, with some of those results available on the Internet. The ACR has seen no military testing as of yet and I'm not aware of any independent testing data for it available to anyone.

3. The basic SCAR model was originally released with an MSRP of $2,696 and is now selling for $2,381. The basic ACR model has an MSRP of $2,685.

4. The SCAR has a 1:7 twist, quick-change cold hammer forged barrel that can shoot the full range of 5.56 ammo. The ACR has a 1:9 twist quick change cold hammer forged barrel that will probably be OK with most 5.56 ammo; but may have trouble shooting the heavier stuff accurately, especially in cold climates.

5. The SCAR comes with a collapsible, folding, adjustable cheek-rest stock standard. The ACR comes with a cool looking fixed Magpul stock standard. Not sure about adjustable cheek rest yet.

6. The SCAR comes with folding iron sights good to 600m and the front sight is part of the gas block. The ACR comes with MBUS Gen II plastic folding sights., the front sight attaches to the receiver rail.

7. The SCAR comes with a built in quad rail. The ACR comes with plastic handguards.

8. The SCAR has a forward mounted reciprocating charging handle. The ACR has a forward mounted non-reciprocating charging handle.

9. SCAR has an aluminium lower. The ACR has a molded polymer lower (no changing grips).

10. SCAR weighs in at 7.25lbs empty for the standard model. ACR weighs in at 8.3lbs empty for the basic model.
 
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The only sense I can make of it is maybe they observed the SCAR hoopla for the first year on Gunbroker, and decided to try to set their pricing so they could cash in on the initial demand rather than private buyers or dealers who just happened to get lucky enough to get an early spot in line.

I.e., they set the price high now, sell them till they stop selling, then incrementally lower the price and repeat, so as to get "what the market will bear" from the maximum number of buyers.

I guess we'll see how it plays out.
 
Wow after Bart summed it up like that, why is the ACR so expensive!? It's in no league with the SCAR, the msrp should be $1200. Thanks for answering my question Mr. Roberts.
 
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