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Looking back on the Bushmaster ACR...

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When the ACR was released, there was a great deal of hype about it. People bitched about the price, adopted it early, and already suffered one recall. I know a few people here even bought one and had it for awhile. Then sold them as well...

 

So to those who had/have one, what did you think? What did you like? What did you hate? Why did you keep/sell it?

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kind of answers your question I guess? LOL

I considered that but ended up deciding that if I were going to do a 223 type gun.. I would just stick with an AR..

at the end of the day what is this going to do that an AR is not?

On the same note, what will a SCAR-16 do that an AR won't? I read a write-up about a guy who took apart both side by side, and compared the internals. The internals of the SCAR were MUCH more robust, yet the rifle was lighter. Not only having a lighter rifle, but one that's more reliable, is appealing to some people ;)

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On the same note, what will a SCAR-16 do that an AR won't? I read a write-up about a guy who took apart both side by side, and compared the internals. The internals of the SCAR were MUCH more robust, yet the rifle was lighter. Not only having a lighter rifle, but one that's more reliable, is appealing to some people ;)

 

lugging around an AK47 makes an AR15 feel VERY light.. and for 2grand? or whatever it is the scar costs.. you can build a pretty mean AR.. I mean this talk is all relative.. none of those would really be "the one" if I wanted the single most reliable gun I could grab.. if you know what I mean..

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The only one I know of here who has/had an ACR is EngineerJet. Haven't seen him on here lately.

 

Last I remember, he was off being taught to be hardcore (he joined the Marines).

 

I'm surprised Shane hasn't chimed in, but what really separates the SCAR from the AR, and specifically the piston ARs, is that the SCAR was built up around it's internals, while the piston system was tailored to fit with the current AR scheme. This makes the SCAR more robust, etc, etc (Shane could break it down far more than that).

As for the ACR, I'm glad Dev asked the question, and I had been waiting for a response from someone who has an ACR as well. I almost pulled the trigger more then once for one, but I kept being scared away by the QC issues from Bushmaster (which a lot of it was stupid stuff that had no relations to the rifle itself, but QC mistakes like not screwing bolts down all the way, etc). Time has passed, and I'd think/hope that the QC problems have sorted it self out.

 

I'll admit it, I'd get the ACR (or SCAR) for the intangibles... aka the "cool factor." But being a poor college student, I can't say I have that type of budget :icon_mrgreen: But the price is steadily dropping, and soon it will become, as Magpul envisioned, an affordable rifle (maybe not necessarily as affordable as they envisioned :facepalm:).

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Last I remember, he was off being taught to be hardcore (he joined the Marines).

 

I'm surprised Shane hasn't chimed in, but what really separates the SCAR from the AR, and specifically the piston ARs, is that the SCAR was built up around it's internals, while the piston system was tailored to fit with the current AR scheme. This makes the SCAR more robust, etc, etc (Shane could break it down far more than that).

As for the ACR, I'm glad Dev asked the question, and I had been waiting for a response from someone who has an ACR as well. I almost pulled the trigger more then once for one, but I kept being scared away by the QC issues from Bushmaster (which a lot of it was stupid stuff that had no relations to the rifle itself, but QC mistakes like not screwing bolts down all the way, etc). Time has passed, and I'd think/hope that the QC problems have sorted it self out.

 

I'll admit it, I'd get the ACR (or SCAR) for the intangibles... aka the "cool factor." But being a poor college student, I can't say I have that type of budget :icon_mrgreen: But the price is steadily dropping, and soon it will become, as Magpul envisioned, an affordable rifle (maybe not necessarily as affordable as they envisioned :facepalm:).

 

The price is dropping, but a new version may be coming soon seeing as they just released the ACR v2 for the Individual Carbine solicitation.

 

The only things that kept me from early adopting were the following issues:

-1/9 twist... Why they aren't going with the standard 1/7 twist seen in HK 416s, M4/M16s, XM8s is beyond me...

-M4 Profile barrel... no reason this thing needs that profile seeing as it will never mount a GL on it...

-Weight. Someone actually did a good side by side between the SCAR 16 and the ACR... turns out the only differentiating factor was the weight of the barrels. The ACR barrel is friggin heavy!

-Reliability... it seems that early adopters had some issues with failure to feeds, barrel peening, etc. But those were a few cases and BM fixed things up. The rifle has also gone through some revisions in regards to the gas system and the types of springs used.

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The price is dropping, but a new version may be coming soon seeing as they just released the ACR v2 for the Individual Carbine solicitation.

 

The only things that kept me from early adopting were the following issues:

-1/9 twist... Why they aren't going with the standard 1/7 twist seen in HK 416s, M4/M16s, XM8s is beyond me...

-M4 Profile barrel... no reason this thing needs that profile seeing as it will never mount a GL on it...

-Weight. Someone actually did a good side by side between the SCAR 16 and the ACR... turns out the only differentiating factor was the weight of the barrels. The ACR barrel is friggin heavy!

-Reliability... it seems that early adopters had some issues with failure to feeds, barrel peening, etc. But those were a few cases and BM fixed things up. The rifle has also gone through some revisions in regards to the gas system and the types of springs used.

 

 

there is some on acrforum.com that will put an M4 1x7 twist barrel on a stock ACR. not sure of the price, but it wasnt too much $$. Guys are stripping them & selling parts separately, so there is an abundence of stuff avail to have spares. Unfort, the spares for my SCAR17 are limited, if any. If you can find it, buy it, bc it won t last long. Just look at the mags, if u can find them less than $50, its a bargain! -wtf!

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What can a SCAR do that an AR cant? How about fold :D. 2 things that really bugged me about the ACR is the way it handles. Its very front heavy to me. And I hate the way the Ambi safety digs into my trigger finger knuckle. Nothing a file couldnt fix I suppose. The other concerns were as mentioned QC issues. I do not care for the barrel attachment method either of the ACR. The bolt setup doesnt give me the warm fuzzies either. This is not to say that overall its a bad rifle, these are just the things that matter to me. On the topic of the SCAR, well it handles great for me. But it too has a few things I dont care for. I hate the method in which the PLASTIC side rails are mounted. I mildly dislike the reciprokating charging handle. But that sumbitch is seriously reliable. My buddy has over 5k through his with no lube or cleaning. Carbon is oooozing out of the damn thing and she is still running strong. As for price.... well my AR and my SCAR were within 200 bucks of each other. What I will give the ACR is looks. I really like the looks of it. BUT looks never really play into my buying decisions. The article by my friend hootiewho who is an industrial mechanical failure analysis expert weighed in fairly strong on my buying decision. Will I ever need all that reliability and robustness? Probably not but I like knowing its capable.

 

As a side note, performance is what matters to me. And during those otics test I was performing recently, I noticed that my times and accuracy were starting to really jump forward of my AR's with my SCAR. In other words I think Im starting to shoot my SCAR faster and more accuratly than my AR's despite the fact I have way more time on the AR platform.

 

Shane

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What can a SCAR do that an AR cant? How about fold :D.

 

Not much use in New Jerseystan... But I love that feature about both the ACR and SCAR... that's just sick. Definitely something I'd like to have if I lived in PA and such. I like that the ACR does come with a fixed stock as an option though, one with an adjustable cheek rest.

 

2 things that really bugged me about the ACR is the way it handles. Its very front heavy to me. And I hate the way the Ambi safety digs into my trigger finger knuckle. Nothing a file couldnt fix I suppose.

 

Looks to me that the new v2 version they're coming out with is gonna get rid of that and *possibly* using a reversible one that works similar to the charging handle. But yeah, I heard folks getting annoyed with that.

 

The other concerns were as mentioned QC issues. I do not care for the barrel attachment method either of the ACR. The bolt setup doesnt give me the warm fuzzies either. This is not to say that overall its a bad rifle, these are just the things that matter to me.

 

Agreed! Bushmaster dropped the ball on the QC stuff. I wish Remington were handling the building of both of civilian and LEO ones and Bushmaster just disappeared.

 

As for the barrel attachment, the new version is getting rid of that stupid metal wrench handle thingy, and they are gonna re-profile and flute the barrel to make it lighter. Why they went with the M4 cut is beyond me though...

 

On the topic of the SCAR, well it handles great for me. But it too has a few things I dont care for. I hate the method in which the PLASTIC side rails are mounted. I mildly dislike the reciprokating charging handle. But that sumbitch is seriously reliable. My buddy has over 5k through his with no lube or cleaning. Carbon is oooozing out of the damn thing and she is still running strong. As for price.... well my AR and my SCAR were within 200 bucks of each other. What I will give the ACR is looks. I really like the looks of it. BUT looks never really play into my buying decisions. The article by my friend hootiewho who is an industrial mechanical failure analysis expert weighed in fairly strong on my buying decision. Will I ever need all that reliability and robustness? Probably not but I like knowing its capable.

 

As a side note, performance is what matters to me. And during those otics test I was performing recently, I noticed that my times and accuracy were starting to really jump forward of my AR's with my SCAR. In other words I think Im starting to shoot my SCAR faster and more accuratly than my AR's despite the fact I have way more time on the AR platform.

 

It's just a transition period I guess. When you're so used to an AR it's tough to break some habits.

 

That being said... the ACR needs some fine tuning before becoming a worthy buy for me.

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New guy here with my 2 cents.

 

My ACR is still one of the most used sticks in my safe. Is it on the heavy side? Yes, but I don't really mind. And the weight helps mitigate the recoil (not that 5.56 kicks much, but my follow up shots are faster because the barrel hardly moves). I might find it heavy if I took it to a 3 day tac class, but I haven't gone that route yet.

 

Are the controls ideal? Maybe not, but maybe I would say differently if I hadn't already had so much time/muscle memory on the AR platform? The selector position doesn't bother me, and I like having the charging handle out over the barrel---it's really just the unusual placement of the bolt catch that screws me up occasionally.

 

I'm also very impressed by the modularity: I have both forends, and it's amazing to be able to swap two free floating forends in under 30 seconds by manipulating one pushpin. Try that with a standard AR! Same with the stock (1 pushpin).

 

I also really like the looks--IMHO it's the best looking 5.56 rifle out there (sue me). Your mileage may vary.

 

I am the second owner, and neither the original owner or myself have had a single issue with reliability in over 3k rounds. It's a sample size of one, I know, but I'm pleased so far...

 

Rumor is that Magpul is coming out with some new forends and stocks for the ACR soon. That, coupled with the eventual release of alternate caliber kits (6.8, 5.45, etc), and the positioning of the ACR in .mil's latest carbine trials all make me optimistic that the fat lady hasn't sung yet here...

 

TFD

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New guy here with my 2 cents.

 

My ACR is still one of the most used sticks in my safe. Is it on the heavy side? Yes, but I don't really mind. And the weight helps mitigate the recoil (not that 5.56 kicks much, but my follow up shots are faster because the barrel hardly moves). I might find it heavy if I took it to a 3 day tac class, but I haven't gone that route yet.

 

Are the controls ideal? Maybe not, but maybe I would say differently if I hadn't already had so much time/muscle memory on the AR platform? The selector position doesn't bother me, and I like having the charging handle out over the barrel---it's really just the unusual placement of the bolt catch that screws me up occasionally.

 

I'm also very impressed by the modularity: I have both forends, and it's amazing to be able to swap two free floating forends in under 30 seconds by manipulating one pushpin. Try that with a standard AR! Same with the stock (1 pushpin).

 

I also really like the looks--IMHO it's the best looking 5.56 rifle out there (sue me). Your mileage may vary.

 

I am the second owner, and neither the original owner or myself have had a single issue with reliability in over 3k rounds. It's a sample size of one, I know, but I'm pleased so far...

 

Rumor is that Magpul is coming out with some new forends and stocks for the ACR soon. That, coupled with the eventual release of alternate caliber kits (6.8, 5.45, etc), and the positioning of the ACR in .mil's latest carbine trials all make me optimistic that the fat lady hasn't sung yet here...

 

TFD

 

Did you buy yours from EngineerJet?

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New guy here with my 2 cents.

 

My ACR is still one of the most used sticks in my safe. Is it on the heavy side? Yes, but I don't really mind. And the weight helps mitigate the recoil (not that 5.56 kicks much, but my follow up shots are faster because the barrel hardly moves). I might find it heavy if I took it to a 3 day tac class, but I haven't gone that route yet.

 

Are the controls ideal? Maybe not, but maybe I would say differently if I hadn't already had so much time/muscle memory on the AR platform? The selector position doesn't bother me, and I like having the charging handle out over the barrel---it's really just the unusual placement of the bolt catch that screws me up occasionally.

 

I'm also very impressed by the modularity: I have both forends, and it's amazing to be able to swap two free floating forends in under 30 seconds by manipulating one pushpin. Try that with a standard AR! Same with the stock (1 pushpin).

 

I also really like the looks--IMHO it's the best looking 5.56 rifle out there (sue me). Your mileage may vary.

 

I am the second owner, and neither the original owner or myself have had a single issue with reliability in over 3k rounds. It's a sample size of one, I know, but I'm pleased so far...

Rumor is that Magpul is coming out with some new forends and stocks for the ACR soon. That, coupled with the eventual release of alternate caliber kits (6.8, 5.45, etc), and the positioning of the ACR in .mil's latest carbine trials all make me optimistic that the fat lady hasn't sung yet here...

 

TFD

 

It really looks like they're going back to the drawing board on this and are getting ready to release a new, revamped version. The .mil one looks pretty sweet: http://www.remingtonmilitary.com/Firearms/Carbines/ACR.aspx

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But the slap in the face to the public is that you cant have the mil spec version made at the remy factory, you can only have the civy one made by Bushmaster.

 

Don't they come from the same manufacturer now? Just with different labels? When BM was bought my Cerberus, they shut down their facility and moved in with Remmy. Same with Marlin firearms.

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Nope, ones made for mil trials are made at Remy factory. And if Im not mistaken, are a metal lower too!

 

 

 

Edited to add, its been a while since I paid any attention to the ACR so things may have changed but I believe that the two factories supporting each market was always the intention.

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Nope, ones made for mil trials are made at Remy factory. And if Im not mistaken, are a metal lower too!

 

 

 

Edited to add, its been a while since I paid any attention to the ACR so things may have changed but I believe that the two factories supporting each market was always the intention.

 

Negative... did some looking and found some confirmation. Looks like Bushmaster shuttered it's Windham, ME in March 2011 and moved operations to Remington's facility in Ilion, NY where Remington Arms is located...

 

http://www.wktv.com/news/local/More-than-40-jobs-moving-to-Ilion-as-Bushmaster-Firearms-relocates-to-Remington-118463694.html

 

Looks like both the Remington ACR and Bushmaster ACR are being made from the same manufacturer. Seems they consolidated to save and tooling and workforce costs.

 

As for the metal lower... that may be a great possibility. But I think they will continue to offer the plastic one as a low-cost alternative from here on out. At least according to the pdf on the Remington ACR.

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^^^^^The re-designed one, as pictured in your link, looks SSWWWEEETTTTTTTTT!!!!

 

I like the new look!

 

Yepp! Def. gonna play wait and see in regards to that!

 

Recent pics at TFB: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2011/11/01/photos-of-the-new-remington-acr/

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It really looks like they're going back to the drawing board on this and are getting ready to release a new, revamped version. The .mil one looks pretty sweet: http://www.remingtonmilitary.com/Firearms/Carbines/ACR.aspx

 

that new foregrip looks bad-a$$!

TFDagger...if u ever decide to part with it, drop me a PM.

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Remington has maintained that civvy ACRs will continue to say Bushhamster and the .mil ones will say Remington, but with the Bushmaster factory closed and all manufacturing moved to Ilion NY, that might change. Who knows? I'd be happy to see it all say (and be made by) Remington: Remington's rep for QC is a heck of a lot better than Bushy's.

 

Actually the latest ACR configuration I saw is one newer than what's on the website. The forend is basically the same, but the stock no longer folds, just adjusts. And the lower is metal.

 

It will be interesting to see how things evolve here...

 

TFD

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