Dividing lines of today’s society is all around us. It kind of reminds me of a BOD meeting. No one can agree that the sky is blue sometimes. In reflection this review is about my last AR purchase. A $449 Rural of the King Bushmaster. This ORC is the stepchild of a great firearms manufacturer times three.
I begin in the early 70’s when my older brother and I tried to keep his Colt AR running. It was really hard for me to get around this platform because .308 ammunition was dirt cheap in military surplus and for my money it was a superior round. After all, anything under .270 was critter getters on the farm. So I had a hot and cold relationship with Colt AR’s in the early years.
One day at a local HighPower match, I noticed the line showing up with more and more Bushmasters. In observance, I noticed that these guns worked and stayed working right out of the box. The rate of twist was a stepping stone to overcome at that time but they got it figured out for heavier bullets. When I bought my first Bushmaster, I noticed 3 things. One, it worked and the sights came adjusted for ball ammo out of the box. Two, other than the slave pins being slightly different the gun conformed to the AR specs. And three, they were readily available and the company cared about the civilian market. You had to be a four star General to get Colt to talk to you. They didn’t and don’t give a rat’s AXX about the civilian market. Caution, from time to time they may say they do, but it is a trap. They cannot spell civilian customer service in my way of thinking.
Well, I was hooked. I played with several models of Bushmaster. They worked and worked accurately. Had a blast and never looked back. Maybe I got all the good ones. That is until 2011 when Remington purchased Bushmaster. I really had no doubts that Remington could build this gun as S&W and many others did a fine job and like the 1911, manufacturing is manufacturing with some good and some not so good. I bought a few Bushingtons but if I wanted the real deal, I started buying from Richard Dyke again in Maine. Company History - Windham Weaponry Online. AR-15 Manufacturer. I have another on the radar in a larger caliber as I write this.
So production being what it is, I started playing with building my own, JPEnterprises, Rock Rivers, Les Baers, accessories out the whazoo. One 20 inch from Rock River had so much stuff on it, it was difficult to shoot offhand. Now all my Bushmaster, Windhams, and Bushingtons worked and shot groups like the one pictured. I have to say, that in retrospect I gained very little for my money in custom AR’s.
When 911 hit, unity was strong, several of us donated our time and efforts by joining the IGR under Col Dwight Dickerson. Join The Indiana Guard Reserve. Drills, National Guard support efforts, firearms practice and training. It reminded me of the Civil Defense teams we used to organize on a local level back in the day. At Atterbury custom guns were not the norm. One day while getting my Military Drivers License renewed at Stout Field, the troops teased that not all of us can afford custom guns. That was it for me, they were right and I spent the next few years getting rid of most of my AR’s. This $449 Bushmaster was made in Alabama at Remington’s heavily invested plant. My first Bushington that was not made in Ilion or Maine. What to expect?
This thing shoots great and has nothing on it I do not need. I switch from a Leupold scope to my RDS Freedom RDS (Red Dot Sight) BDC 1x34 W/Mount Scopes | Leupold from time to time. This target pictured was one my best groups at 100 yards this summer. On the average my groups hovered around 1 ¼ inches however. I shoot factory ball and handloads running the 69Gr Sierra as well. I cannot get this thing to jam. With the lower price points that these were, one gives up the standard chrome lining and thicker barrel but this is a peach to handle. Comes up very fast, recovery is fantastic and it is lightweight to carry. Mind you, I did install a Rock River two stage National Match trigger as that’s what I run in all my AR’s. The one drawback is that this gun came with a plastic 30round magazine. Not for me. Luckily I have many metal ones to use.
It was funny at Rural King when I asked to see this rifle, he handed me one that was $50 less. I see many of these brands at the range and you can always tell them from afar as they seldom run without hickups. First rule, stuffs gotta work ALL THE TIME..
This Bushington and my next Windham will be my last and only Ar’s as I ride into the sunset. So when Bushmaster died in Maine, New York and finally in Alabama, will there be another resurrection of the famous snake? Just like 1911’s, the AR’s have been perfected here in America and the design is proven. However, no matter what your cup of tea is and what you favor, there will still be this division on what works and what doesn’t in the gun industry. I vote for simple reliability first. Guns that don’t work are called toys. Many times the mind justifies the heart and we defend our choices to the grave as the best so often without proof. Mine shoots or it’s gone. I test them almost everyday.
There will always be Ford vs Chevy, Coke vs Pepsi, etc. but in all the division we have today, I think we all can agree that we are free to follow the road we want and in the end we come together to help each other and that makes us the most unified people in a free America. Long live the AR.
Good Shooting.
I begin in the early 70’s when my older brother and I tried to keep his Colt AR running. It was really hard for me to get around this platform because .308 ammunition was dirt cheap in military surplus and for my money it was a superior round. After all, anything under .270 was critter getters on the farm. So I had a hot and cold relationship with Colt AR’s in the early years.
One day at a local HighPower match, I noticed the line showing up with more and more Bushmasters. In observance, I noticed that these guns worked and stayed working right out of the box. The rate of twist was a stepping stone to overcome at that time but they got it figured out for heavier bullets. When I bought my first Bushmaster, I noticed 3 things. One, it worked and the sights came adjusted for ball ammo out of the box. Two, other than the slave pins being slightly different the gun conformed to the AR specs. And three, they were readily available and the company cared about the civilian market. You had to be a four star General to get Colt to talk to you. They didn’t and don’t give a rat’s AXX about the civilian market. Caution, from time to time they may say they do, but it is a trap. They cannot spell civilian customer service in my way of thinking.
Well, I was hooked. I played with several models of Bushmaster. They worked and worked accurately. Had a blast and never looked back. Maybe I got all the good ones. That is until 2011 when Remington purchased Bushmaster. I really had no doubts that Remington could build this gun as S&W and many others did a fine job and like the 1911, manufacturing is manufacturing with some good and some not so good. I bought a few Bushingtons but if I wanted the real deal, I started buying from Richard Dyke again in Maine. Company History - Windham Weaponry Online. AR-15 Manufacturer. I have another on the radar in a larger caliber as I write this.
So production being what it is, I started playing with building my own, JPEnterprises, Rock Rivers, Les Baers, accessories out the whazoo. One 20 inch from Rock River had so much stuff on it, it was difficult to shoot offhand. Now all my Bushmaster, Windhams, and Bushingtons worked and shot groups like the one pictured. I have to say, that in retrospect I gained very little for my money in custom AR’s.
When 911 hit, unity was strong, several of us donated our time and efforts by joining the IGR under Col Dwight Dickerson. Join The Indiana Guard Reserve. Drills, National Guard support efforts, firearms practice and training. It reminded me of the Civil Defense teams we used to organize on a local level back in the day. At Atterbury custom guns were not the norm. One day while getting my Military Drivers License renewed at Stout Field, the troops teased that not all of us can afford custom guns. That was it for me, they were right and I spent the next few years getting rid of most of my AR’s. This $449 Bushmaster was made in Alabama at Remington’s heavily invested plant. My first Bushington that was not made in Ilion or Maine. What to expect?
This thing shoots great and has nothing on it I do not need. I switch from a Leupold scope to my RDS Freedom RDS (Red Dot Sight) BDC 1x34 W/Mount Scopes | Leupold from time to time. This target pictured was one my best groups at 100 yards this summer. On the average my groups hovered around 1 ¼ inches however. I shoot factory ball and handloads running the 69Gr Sierra as well. I cannot get this thing to jam. With the lower price points that these were, one gives up the standard chrome lining and thicker barrel but this is a peach to handle. Comes up very fast, recovery is fantastic and it is lightweight to carry. Mind you, I did install a Rock River two stage National Match trigger as that’s what I run in all my AR’s. The one drawback is that this gun came with a plastic 30round magazine. Not for me. Luckily I have many metal ones to use.
It was funny at Rural King when I asked to see this rifle, he handed me one that was $50 less. I see many of these brands at the range and you can always tell them from afar as they seldom run without hickups. First rule, stuffs gotta work ALL THE TIME..
This Bushington and my next Windham will be my last and only Ar’s as I ride into the sunset. So when Bushmaster died in Maine, New York and finally in Alabama, will there be another resurrection of the famous snake? Just like 1911’s, the AR’s have been perfected here in America and the design is proven. However, no matter what your cup of tea is and what you favor, there will still be this division on what works and what doesn’t in the gun industry. I vote for simple reliability first. Guns that don’t work are called toys. Many times the mind justifies the heart and we defend our choices to the grave as the best so often without proof. Mine shoots or it’s gone. I test them almost everyday.
There will always be Ford vs Chevy, Coke vs Pepsi, etc. but in all the division we have today, I think we all can agree that we are free to follow the road we want and in the end we come together to help each other and that makes us the most unified people in a free America. Long live the AR.
Good Shooting.
