Professional Ordnance

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hi50phd

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I'm considering the purchase of a Carbon 15 Type 97 rifle from PO. It's primary use will be as a hiking companion and its weight is certainly an advantage. I have no great demands for accuracy but am interested in having a reliable weapon. No plans to mistreat the 97, but it will see dust, sand, the occassional rain drop....unavoidable in Southern Utah. I'd appreciate some input from folks on this list who have experience, positive or negative, with this rifle. Thanks in advance.
 
I was interested in purchasing one of these... I saw a lot of negative feedback on AR15.com in the Prof Ord section of the forum. It seems that it is among of the least recommended of the AR style designs. A couple of people (if I remember correctly) had good things to say about it on this forum, but the general consensus was that they are not very reliable.

I went through hell trying to decide on a rifle... my girlfriend finally made the choice and cajoled me into getting an AK.
 
Just to be fair...

I think they offer a lifetime warranty, so if you get one initially that is good or need to send it in to be fixed and still turns out good, you've got an accurate, lightweight rifle.
 
I read the negative reviews. The problem is the "negative sampling effect". People with complaints are more likely to look for problem-oriented forums and write in than folks who don't.
 
Exactly, clear example of YMMV. IF you really decide to get one, shop around because I have seen some for $850 (NIB), but the majority of the prices are easily $1000 and up. I have also heard conflicting reports on the Thermold mags that it comes with, but the majority have said that they are good mags.

Good luck.
 
I know two people that have these rifles, and one of them is me. I'll have to say, I'd recommend against the purchase at this time. I have yet to get mine to fire more than 20-25 rounds without a stovepipe or similar jam, sometimes much more frequent. My friend with one has a similar story. Yes, the people with problems tend to speak out, but there are enough people speaking out that you have to give those reports some credence.

Yes, they have a lifetime warranty, but my personal experience and the other reports I've seen are pretty negative on the quality of the service. Add to that the aggravating problem and expense of shipping it back a few times, and you'll be ready to sell it for half price! If you want a compact AR, buy a Bushmaster shorty.
 
I didn't intend to imply that the negative comments were anything but sincere. And, I give them a lot of weight. I just wish there was a way to figure out if there were a small, finite number of correctable issues. Or just poor craftmanship and service producing many different problems. My NAA Guardian went back to the factory four times before it worked properly.....luckily I live 35 miles from the factory. Lake Havasu City is pretty far from Salt Lake.
 
Purchased mine last year and never had a single problem with it. Read all the bad posts two weeks ago and figured that I had missed something, so I took it to the range and shot 150 rounds of reloads without a single problem. I get 1.0 MOA with the Coyotee reloads from 3D and 0.75 from Black Hills while benchrested. I've shot about 1000 rounds so far. I really love this rifle. It is very easy to point quickly.
 
As I understand it the Carbon 15 series have gone through some engineering changes, probably for reliability. I must admit I really like the idea of the type 97, just havent gotten arround to trying it yet. Just remembered the revision has iron sights and a scout type rail now as I remember it.
 
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