Ar opinions: NEA vs Norinco

I have a norinco AR, yes it hasn't failed me. Never mis fired. Always went bang.

Do I like it?

Well. I bought it to see if I would like ARs.

From personal experience I would spring for a higher end AR.

Like what civil advantage guy said. The only bad thing about owning a Norinco is saying you own a Norinco. Or something like that
 
I appreciate the sentiment, but your keyboard, monitor, and even computer were likely all made in China or some other communist country. It is like a pro-environment activist decrying the burning of fossil fuels then taking an airplane to their next appearance...

Not a personal attack, just a comment.



SPRTN308 said:
My 18" NEA works great, looks great, shoots straight, and also, didn't support fu$&ing communism.

Buy North American. There are a lot if great options. Stop supporting communist oppression when ever you can.
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icabod123 said:
There are a number of closeup shots, a good one is at around 00:19. Maybe they are scratches, but I've never seen it to that extent on any other AR...then again maybe the guy just treats his gun badly...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ED7Dfz8O84
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Sorry, I thought you said, "I have also seen a lot of pictures where the finish has worn off in certain places exposing silver underneath."
Anyhow, I've used and abused my NEA-15 for the past 2+ years. Over 6000 rounds, 20 multigun matches/practices, and it hasn't missed a beat. No finish wearing off anywhere. I don't know what the guy in that video did to his to create those shiny spots but I'd say that whatever it was, it would have done the same to a norc, DD, kac, you name it.
The norc vs. NEA decision is a non-starter IMO; Canadian made, lifetime warranty, free-floated handguard, enlarged trigger guard, wicked accurate barrel is worth the extra $.
 
Armedsask said:
My brand new NEA doesn't like PMAGS. They don't engage the bolt hold open and I get a double feed regularly.
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I saw the same thing on an older gen NEA a couple of years ago. Couldn't quite figure out why. I have two NEA lowers and they both work fine with PMags because that is pretty much all I use.


Other than that, it's a great rifle for the price. Could definitely use some attention to cosmetic details though. Both my new NEA rifles have burrs that will cut you (caused by dull tooling). The barrel on one has an uneven coating. Its not just nitpicking, half the barrel is a different color. Yeah, it's just a cosmetic thing and doesn't affect function, but the fact they put that out the door doesn't instill confidence.
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Apparently the new nitride process produces a nice black finish so it seems NEA has solved that particular issue .... which was always merely cosmetic anyway. I have noted the front corners of the mag well are a little bit sharp but its not something that has bothered me as I don't place my hands there when shooting.
 
Armedsask said:
My brand new NEA doesn't like PMAGS. They don't engage the bolt hold open and I get a double feed regularly.

Other than that, it's a great rifle for the price. Could definitely use some attention to cosmetic details though. Both my new NEA rifles have burrs that will cut you (caused by dull tooling). The barrel on one has an uneven coating. Its not just nitpicking, half the barrel is a different color. Yeah, it's just a cosmetic thing and doesn't affect function, but the fact they put that out the door doesn't instill confidence.

I'd put the Norinco and NEA on near equal footing with the NEA edging ahead with the better furniture and barrel.
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Wow ... at our current date, I would not expect to be seeing this coming from NEA. Reports like this make me hesitant on getting it as a second AR. My PSA Carbine was a lot cheaper than NEA, and included an optic. I would be pissed if I got a rifle in this condition NIB from NEA.
 
andrew3081 said:
Yes I am aware of that.
There are ar15 out there that have short barrels like 7.5" and they run without any issues.

I am asking for people's experience with NEA

148glf9.jpg
"

Only runs flawless on 75gr bthp, expensive.
Did upgrade to o ring extractor
And h2 buffer
Linear comp helps with back pressure.
Was it worth $1000 bucks, YOU BET.
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icabod123 said:
I appreciate the sentiment, but your keyboard, monitor, and even computer were likely all made in China or some other communist country. It is like a pro-environment activist decrying the burning of fossil fuels then taking an airplane to their next appearance...

Not a personal attack, just a comment.
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Show me a north American or European brand for computers and I will gladly buy it. In addition, warranty for my computer can be achieved at any electronics store or any tech shop. My computer fails I get it fixed or get another. My rifle blows up in my face its a bit of a problem. Warranty on a norc is near non existent.

Tdc
 
icabod123 said:
I appreciate the sentiment, but your keyboard, monitor, and even computer were likely all made in China or some other communist country. It is like a pro-environment activist decrying the burning of fossil fuels then taking an airplane to their next appearance...

Not a personal attack, just a comment.
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Annnnnnnd two of you take the bait.

Reading COMPREHENSION. It means understanding what you read, and not just reading it.

I clearly said WHENEVER YOU CAN. Buying a gun is an excellent opportunity to NOT buy Chinese.
 
Suputin said:
Apparently the new nitride process produces a nice black finish so it seems NEA has solved that particular issue .... which was always merely cosmetic anyway. I have noted the front corners of the mag well are a little bit sharp but its not something that has bothered me as I don't place my hands there when shooting.
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I was told the same thing about the barrel finish, that they had color issues. I just never expected it was that significant.

Also, I agree, some sharp edges on the mag well area I'd prefer to see addressed. But I'm an anal perfectionist. I hit every part that went out the door personally with a hand file.

All minor cosmetic issues. Other than the PMAG thing, the rifle runs flawless with steel mags. It really is a great rifle for the price. The upper and lower fit is amazing.
 
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I understood exactly what I read, which is why I said that I appreciated your sentiment and that I was not launching a personal attack...but thank you for suggesting I can't process information. You are very clever indeed. It would appear that you also took the BAIT.

I was trying to highlight the very clear fact that buying a Chinese rifle is not supporting communism with any more fervor than the purchase of any other product made in China. Not everyone has the cash to buy an expensive rifle, and they should NOT be made to feel guilty by people who don't understand the economics of trade.

SPRTN308 said:
Annnnnnnd two of you take the bait.

Reading COMPREHENSION. It means understanding what you read, and not just reading it.

I clearly said WHENEVER YOU CAN. Buying a gun is an excellent opportunity to NOT buy Chinese.
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OP: Ultimately it comes down to this:

From what members have said, the NEA sounds like a really good bet. If you have the cash, and you don't mind the slight risk that something may go wrong, buy it! I can say from personal experience that their customer service is incredible, so even if something does go wrong you will be well served.

If you want something in the mid-price range, buy a DPMS or an M&P.

If you don't subscribe to Neo-Mccarthyism and want a reliable gun at a cheap price, then buy the Norinco.
 
What do they cost?

The Oracle from DPMS is sub $800 before tax so is that a better or worse price?

I wouldn't buy either but I pretty much believe if you're debating what bottom of the barrel AR to buy go with the cheapest one.

Why else would you be bottom feeding?
 
I wouldn't buy either but if I had to I would go with NEA simply because you can get warranty for it. Unless your Norinco fails the first day after you buy it good luck getting any help with it. You will be buying milspec parts of a known North American brand name and hoping they fit your probably out of spec m4gery.
Sure lots of people have a Norc and haven't had any problems with it yet but how many rounds do most of those have through them? A few hundred? My PWS AR has around 4000 rounds through it and has yet to fail to feed or fail to extract. I expect it will go another 4000 without issue as well since it still looks like new inside and out.
If you are on a budget I would suggest you either buy used or save a couple hundred more and buy a Windham, Core, DD, Armalite, Spikes, etc. Lots of great rifles out there for under $1500 and you won't regret spending the little extra once you have it.

Good luck
 
xdmer said:
Wow ... at our current date, I would not expect to be seeing this coming from NEA. Reports like this make me hesitant on getting it as a second AR. My PSA Carbine was a lot cheaper than NEA, and included an optic. I would be pissed if I got a rifle in this condition NIB from NEA.
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Every consumer product on earth is going to have some number of issues. You totally ignored the number of people who posted they have NEAs and have had no issues with them and fixated on one who claimed a problem.



Armedsask said:
I was told the same thing about the barrel finish, that they had color issues. I just never expected it was that significant.

Also, I agree, some sharp edges on the mag well area I'd prefer to see addressed. But I'm an anal perfectionist. I hit every part that went out the door personally with a hand file.

All minor cosmetic issues. Other than the PMAG thing, the rifle runs flawless with steel mags. It really is a great rifle for the price. The upper and lower fit is amazing.
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For sure the old nitriding process produced a less than attractive finish which fulfilled function over form. To my understanding this issue has been addressed and the barrels will be a nice even black now.

Hand filing every single part when parts are being made on an industrial scale is simply not possible.

Seeing as NEA has its share of haters who glomm on to any hint of criticism, it would have been nice to have included the last sentence in the OP.
 
icabod123 said:
OP: Ultimately it comes down to this:

From what members have said, the NEA sounds like a really good bet. If you have the cash, and you don't mind the slight risk that something may go wrong, buy it! I can say from personal experience that their customer service is incredible, so even if something does go wrong you will be well served.

If you don't subscribe to Neo-Mccarthyism and want a reliable gun at a cheap price, then buy the Norinco.
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THIS is probably the most important factor. Every product will suffer the odd problem. How the manufacturer deals with those issues is key.

How about another option? If you would like to support a domestic (non-government controlled) arms industry, buy the NEA.
 
Suputin said:
Hand filing every single part when parts are being made on an industrial scale is simply not possible.
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I'm aware but a part that's uncomfortable to hold bothers me. Like I said, I can be nitpicky. That being said, tumbling the parts would solve a lot of the sharp edge issues. It also improves finish by giving the whole part an even texture and feel.

Seeing as NEA has its share of haters who glomm on to any hint of criticism, it would have been nice to have included the last sentence (about the rifles being a good buy) in the OP.
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I did.
 
For the most part both of them work, but both of them do have more issues then most other brands but they aren't as bad as everyone makes them seem. Given that I still wouldn't buy either of them, and if I was on a tight budget I would save a couple hundred more and get something like a Core15, WW, Armalite etc. In the long run 200$ is nothing, and it will definitely be a nicer gun.
 
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