Spikes Tactical

MWL

MWL

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I came across these on the Questar site:

https://shopquestar.com/shopping65/shopexd.asp?id=1795&bc=no

Given the specs, they look pretty good for the money, especially for someone looking for a first AR.

Disclaimer: I have no connection with Questar, and have no personal experience with these rifles.

Regards.

Mark
 
This is what I'm saying...no offense to NEA (or its fanboys) but the Spikes w/options is a better deal overall.
 
Brordo said:
This is what I'm saying...no offense to NEA (or its fanboys) but the Spikes w/options is a better deal overall.
Click to expand...


apparently we are the only 2 people who understand the fact that a high value ar with a low price tag isn't earth shattering news.

these things are like gold in the states, some people are on back order lists that are 12+ months
 
Interesting. If the upper is indeed made by Spikes, then that is a deal on par with the new LMT prices and the Stag M4 clone prices.

The ad is perhaps unfortunately worded as they call it a Spike's complete lower with LE upper. Leads you to believe the upper is of another make.

That being said, Spikes is NOT (IMHO) as good as Stag or LMT despite what you fanboys say.

Spike's doesn't actually make the vast majority of their guns. Their forged upper/lower sets are re-badged Aero Precision, for example. They get a lot of parts from CMT as well.

I think the Questar LMT offerings are a better buy if you are chasing the best quality available.

As for NEA, I don't see these offerings as being the same thing. One is a billet gun with FF barrel available in many not commonly available (from the US) bbl lengths, the other is a basic M4 pattern. A basic M4 is great though, if that is what you want.

I think if I was in the market for a basic M4 though, I'd be tempted to go 16 so I could bring it to the states if I wanted to.
 
Not a big fan myself, but they do offer a quality alternative for people whose budget does not stretch to the equivalent LMT without the neutered features.

Although they source out a lot of their parts, I believe they are a step above the DPMS/RRA/Shrubmaster/Olys in terms of overall quality.

For my money, I would take one over the NEA, as it ticks off more boxes for me, and it would only require the addition of a rear MBUS, Norgon ambi-catch, LMT ambi safety, Ergo grip, Magpul handguard, Aimpoint PRO, and possibly PRI front sight/gas block, to set it up to my preferred gp carbine configuration, all of which I have plenty of spares in hand already.

Regards.

Mark
 
MWL said:
Not a big fan myself, but they do offer a quality alternative for people whose budget does not stretch to the equivalent LMT without the neutered features.

Although they source out a lot of their parts, I believe they are a step above the DPMS/RRA/Shrubmaster/Olys in terms of overall quality.

For my money, I would take one over the NEA, as it ticks off more boxes for me, and it would only require the addition of a rear MBUS, Norgon ambi-catch, LMT ambi safety, Ergo grip, Magpul handguard, Aimpoint PRO, and possibly PRI front sight/gas block, to set it up to my preferred gp carbine configuration, all of which I have plenty of spares in hand already.

Regards.

Mark
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Your mileage may vary, but I would put RRA above Oly, shrub master and DPMS.

DPMS is an interesting maker. They make a lot of low-end AR parts, but they also make a lot of high-end AR parts under contract for big-name manufacturers. They seem to make things at almost every price point which means there are people who curse their stuff (the cheaper stuff) and people who praise their stuff as well. DPMS actually makes great chrome-lined barrels for the price, IF you buy the right part number. They also make some crappy barrels.

Another interesting bit of info is that DPMS is actually a unmbrella company (now owned by Remington) with exclusive contracts from a lot of little niche AR parts makers. It's not like there's a big factory somewhere with DPMS written on it that makes all the DPMS product line. But at least everything branded DPMS is made by a DPMS-owned or DPMS exclusive-contracted manufacturing facility.

Bushmaster makes a great C7-clone upper with A1 integral carry handle, but in general, I'm not a fan of Bushy rifles or parts.

I think of Spike's as a middle-tier maker. Others (fanboys) may rate them higher and they are free to do so - I personally struggle to call them a maker at all. They are more like a sporting goods store that has other companies make gun with their name stamped on it, like an (Eatons brand .22 made by Cooey). This b/c Spike's outsources virtually everything and makes virtually nothing.

This does not mean Spike's stuff is poor quality - far from it. They tend to procure good parts to brand under their trade name. I like and use many Spike's parts in my builds. But calling them a "manufacturer" is a stretch.
 
Dilligaf,

It is a good deal when you consider the quality of the parts, the warranty, the savings from not having to purchase any tools, the extra postage for sourcing parts from a bunch of different suppliers, and the fact that it will arrive, you can take it out of the box, and go straight to the range and shoot it without having to come back on here to ask for help because your frankengun is not feeding/firing/ejecting reliably.

It is the preferable option for an AR virgin on a reasonable budget.

Regards.

Mark
 
Claven2 said:
If I'm not mistaken, these are "quester brand" uppers on spike's lowers, not complete Spikes rifles.
Click to expand...

As our website clearly shows, these are Spike's uppers and lowers...

Upper:

The Spike's Tactical LE series of upper receiver groups is designed to meet the needs of today's law enforcement officer. Every component is carefully manufactured, finished, and tested to meet or exceed applicable Mil-Spec standards and every upper is backed by the Spike's Tactical Lifetime Warranty...

  • 14.5' Spike's Tactical, 1:7 Twist, Mil-spec Grade Chrome moly Vanadium Barrel
  • Extended M4 Feed ramps
  • Mil-spec Hard Chrome 5.56 NATO Chamber & Bore
  • 1/2x28 Muzzle Threading
  • Government Barrel Profile, Carbine Gas System
  • Barrel is HP Tested & MP Inspected
  • F-marked A2 Front Sight Base (FSP), .750' Diameter Gas Seat
  • Spike's Tactical Mil-spec M16 Bolt Carrier Group
  • Bolt is shot peened, HP Tested, & MP Inspected
  • Forged Mil-spec Charging Handle
  • Laser Engraved T-Markings
  • Mil-spec Dry film Lube inside Upper Receiver
  • M4 Handguards
  • A2 Flash Hider
  • ST-T2 Tungsten Buffer
 
I agree with you on the RRA vs the others. I debated on whether to include them in that grouping, but decided to in the end only compared with the Spikes, as I would rate Spikes in a slightly higher grouping to include Stag, S&W, SDI, and a couple of others.

As for personally choosing it over, say NEA, that is because of what I posted regarding what I personally liked, but would rather go with LMT if my budget allowed it. Rather a moot point though, as I build mine from parts, and have done since purchasing a couple of SDIs in the UK way back before I knew what I preferred.

As for manufacturers, it's like calling what we do "building", when all we really do is assemble, even if we turn/cut/dremel a few bits. Most of the companies out there do the same.

Regards.

Mark
 
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