DPMS vs. Armalite

Bad Lieutenant

Bad Lieutenant

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Found this comment on another forum. Found it interesting. Thought I would share and see what you guys thought;

So whats this about DPMS and Armalite Uppers and odd cuts to the receivers?

"This is only for .308 AR's.

There are two basic "patterns" out there that .308 AR's follow. DPMS and Armalite. DPMS looks just like a big scaled up AR15. Armalite at the buffer tower area has a straight cut rather than a rounded cut. An Armalite upper will fit on a DPMS lower (but not function), but a DPMS upper WILL NOT fit on an Armalite lower.

There are some even more confusing options out there like LMT .308's follow the Armalite pattern, but accept DPMS magazines. LWRC's LOOK like Armalite patterns, but are totally incompatible with either Armalite or DPMS uppers, but still accept DPMS magazines. KAC also uses DPMS mags with an Armalite style pattern. CMMG makes a DPMS pattern lower that uses HK G3 mags which requires modifications to a DPMS upper.

This all only pertains to .308-based AR's and has NOTHING to do with standard 5.56-based "AR-15's". AR-15's are standardized based on the military's adoption of the M16/M4 platform and are pretty much universally compatible. Armalite and DPMS "AR-15" parts are interchangeable."
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Link to this board available by pm.
 
I suppose the question is which pattern is the more close to becoming the standard, if any?

Or which has the greater aftermarket support?
 
Armalite (founded in 1954) makes AR10 rifles and it is not scaled up AR15 as it was made prior to AR15 rifles were born to begin with.. DPMS (founded in 1985) makes it is own rifle in .308 which most likely is scaled up AR15 (as company started by making AR15 rifles initially). Armalite does make a variant AR10A which does accept PMAGs and other third party mags.
 
netcon said:
Armalite (founded in 1954) makes AR10 rifles and it is not scaled up AR15 as it was made prior to AR15 rifles were born to begin with.. DPMS (founded in 1985) makes it is own rifle in .308 which most likely is scaled up AR15 (as company started by making AR15 rifles initially). Armalite does make a variant AR10A which does accept PMAGs and other third party mags.
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But mags aside, the concern is mating uppers and lowers. Will the AR-10A's cut match up with DPMS?
 
AR = Armalite Rifle, and in 7.62/308 at that, so you've always got the heritage card on your side. Arguably, everything else is just a copy of what you'd have, courtesy of Mr Stoner.

Plus, although Armalites may not make the absolute top shelf rifles anymore, they do very well in the the medium-range types of comparison tests.

Bottom line: You won't have the extreme awesome quality vibe you'd get from Daniel Defense, Knight's Armament, or H&K, but you'd be getting a pretty well-made rifle, and the one that started it all.
 
Bad Lieutenant said:
But mags aside, the concern is mating uppers and lowers. Will the AR-10A's cut match up with DPMS?
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Assume it is "No" until proven otherwise.

There is no milspec like an AR15; neither manufacturer attempted to meet the other manufacturer's specifications. If parts interchange it would be an unintended accident.
 
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Dpms are tiny bit more common if you were to piece it all together. Armalite IS the original ar308. Between the 2, armalite will be better quality for sure.

Mag is a non-issue now that armalite their new version also uses pmags. Of course hands down most people will agree that larue is the bees knee
 
This is no Ferrari but it's a Corvette... Awsome rifle... JP.
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netcon said:
Armalite (founded in 1954) makes AR10 rifles and it is not scaled up AR15 as it was made prior to AR15 rifles were born to begin with.
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Petamocto said:
AR = Armalite Rifle, and in 7.62/308 at that, so you've always got the heritage card on your side. Arguably, everything else is just a copy of what you'd have, courtesy of Mr Stoner.
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sky52 said:
Armalite IS the original ar308. Between the 2, armalite will be better quality for sure.
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I can't believe I have to say this. You guys do know that the ArmaLite Division that Stoner worked for was dissolved in the early '60's, right? That there is no connection between the company that originally built the AR-10 prototypes in the 50s and the company that offers mass produced AR-10 rifles today?

Eagle Arms bought the ArmaLite name and Lion logo, that's it. They didn't obtain a single drawing, tool/jig or staff member that could be expected to make their AR (AR stands for ARmalite, you should know that since the AR-17 was a shotgun) inherently better / higher quality / more authentic than those of DPMS. Both companies fall in the same category: they are makers of clone AR-15s, produced after the relevant patents expired, from reverse engineering or drawings that were released without authorization. They then set about making larger versions on non-standard patterns that could accomodate the .308 Win cartridge.

Both of these companies came into existence in the late 80's, after the AR-15 was so entrenched in the US military-industrial system that technical knowledge of the design was ubiquitous. History and heritage has nothing to do with this conversation.
 
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