Olympic ARs

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BlackJackID

New member
I was just wondering why we dont see much mention of the olympic AR's on this forum? Is it because of the whole Cast receiver debaucle with the plinker model several years ago?

I had avoided them until I found one NIB at a gun show for 600 otd. Figured for that price I would try it out. Its a carbine model, marked "model M.F.R.". Build quality and finish is great, and several trips to the range have proven it extremely reliable, except with steel case (which was discussed a while back).

Its very accurate, fit and finish is great, and all in all, I think I got a heck of a deal on a great rifle..And if this is what has been coming out of olymic for a few years, how come I dont see much about them anymore?
 
Their issues a while back turned off some potential buyers; while they tend toward accuracy, they are indeed a budget level gun. As long as you know what you're getting, enjoy your rifle. I've not heard of any endemic issues with them recently, but once you start getting into the $700-900 range, there's plenty of choices with added features.
 
Its actually my second AR, I have an A1 colt build on a CMMG lower (that I love), but was looking into building a carbine when I ran into the oly at the gun show.

I had the preconceived notion that they were the bottom feeders of the AR world, but thought, for 600 bills, it was well worth trying on my own...And I was impressed. Side by Side , I like it better than my brothers DPMS, not by ALOT, but I do...seems to have a better feel to the trigger and smoother operation, and, at least marginally more accurate.

It has really changed my mind on the rifle and I wouldnt hesitate to buy another if it finds its way into my mitts..
 
I am no expert, but the opinions I hear from owners is that Olympic Arms are pretty good ARs. They are one of only a couple of companies that make their own receivers, barrels, and internals. Yes there was the cast receiver debacle, and the barrels they were using until about 6-7 years ago were not always the best. Now they make their own, so it's a non-issue, but opinions are hard to change. They have an excellent quality control program, too. And if that fails, they have a lifetime warranty.
 
Yes there was the cast receiver debacle, and the barrels they were using until about 6-7 years ago were not always the best
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I have a Cast Oly lower, and a complete carbine upper I got in the late 90s. It has thousands of rounds through it with no issues at all.
 
I had one with a stainless steel 20" inch bull barrel on it. I sold it to a friend who loves the thing and did everything but twist my arm to sell it to him. It is topped of with a Leupold AR scope and a reflex sight for close range. Plus it was getting a little to heavy for me to lug around with the bursitis in both shoulders. He can almost drive tacks with the thing.
 
The newer Olympic ARs aren't bad... though they're still relatively rough. Smith & Wesson makes a basic model that retails for around $699, I'd go with that over the Olympic.
 
All things being equal, if I didn't already have 2 30-06's that I adore, I would get a .25 WSSM upper from Olympic for hunting.
 
though they're still relatively rough
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Could you define that. I have owned a Colt AR-15 and several other brands as well and found the Olympic comparable to any of them in terms of fit and finish. The one I sold my friend does not have any roughness in the accuracy department either.
 
I don't follow the comments about "loving" one brand of AR but disliking another. Good Grief, they're so much the same that all the parts interchange. An AR is an Ar. If one has a good trigger that you "love" and you put that trigger in another, it will have very much the same trigger as the one you "love".
 
An AR is an Ar.
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No. Just because parts can interchange (and there's some brands that are so low quality you can't take that as a given... there's a reason I tell people to run the other way from Vulcan/Hesse/Blackthorne), there are some slight differences in materials and options (Carpenter 158 steel here, some chroming there, it adds up) that may or may not matter to the end user depending on the plans for the rifle. For some purposes I strongly recommend the improved materials and extra options. For other purposes it won't amount to a hill of beans. Just depends on what you're planning to do with it, but just because the lower end rifle might suit your purposes just fine doesn't make it the equal of the higher end rifle. It just means you have no reason to spend the extra money.
 
When I was a kid...

...Olympic were the cream of the crop. Colt was a joke. Bushmaster, a company with a stupid snake on their gun, eventually won a government contract...

Ah, the good old days.
 
Blackjack, I did a quick search as well just in the "Art of the Rifle Forum" and came up with plenty of "Olympic" references, some written by myself.

I own a 6.8 SPC upper, their K68 model, built with the optional free float tube and railed gas block, and my 15 yo shoots 1.5" groups from it at 100 yards. I have found the fit/finish to be much like other ARs/M-16s/M-4s I've held.

My experience is as Technosavant mentioned: trouble a while back takes a lot of time to get past. My experience hearing from those critical of Olympic never include owners of rifles made anytime in the last 10 years, and often come with the caveats "I've heard that..." or "my sister's best friend's cousin's hardresser knew a person that..." or "I knew a guy that..."

I visited the Olympic Arms facility in 2009. I found the people there very friendly and they gave me a tour of the facilities. I can confirm what Scorch mentioned: they are milling their own receivers, barrels, etc. They showed me their CNC machines at work producing their products. I saw their lathes that were turning out their barrels. I then toured their assembly area and watched their workers assembling rifles for orders, being just amazed at the speed they could assemble the lowers (seems to take me hours...). I watched rifles being packaged for shipment with great care to protect them. I left impressed with the organization. Am I an engineer and checked each of their dimensions with a micrometer? No. But they were a hardworking bunch that cared about producing a quality product. Their showroom is a petting zoo filled with the various models they make as well as a good amount of optional, Olympic-produced parts and after-market branded parts.

My next 2 AR purchases will be a matched pair of K16 uppers, one in 6.8 and the other in 5.56, to put on a lower I built. That's not to say I dislike their lowers, but I am building lowers with my kids to allow them to learn assembly, disassembly, how it works, and to spend good time with them.

I've got no experience shooting steel cased ammo, as everything I buy and shoot is brass. I wish I could be more help to you in that regard.
 
I have two Olympic lowers and 3 uppers and all are absolutely 100% functional. The barrels are as accurate as any other AR that I have and the triggers are no worse than any other. My lowers are all milspec components and I haven't upgraded them. Mags fit and lock in properly and I can't remember having any issues with them.
 
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