NEA-15 question

[MrSpit]

So as of recently i have decided to take the advice of my fellow CGN'ers and buy my first AR instead of building one...... seems to make sense, as im likely gonna learn what i do and dont like before i get messed up in a build. In any case, im still about a month away from having the funds to purchase anything, so i have been doing a lot of looking around. i have become some what of a fan boy of NEA's stuff, specifically the NEA-15 14.5" Patrol Carbine. Unfortunately for be (but great for them) it seems as though their stuff flys off the shelf as soon as its made, and most places are sold out. The best i have been able to find is the occasional completed lower, or a stripped lower. now as i mentioned, im looking to buy pre-assembled, but im wondering when this mass Gun Grab is gonna slow down again, and some of these stores will be restocked? Would it make sense to buy the lower now, and just wait for the rest to become available? I have considered the possibility of buying more than one upper so i might have something chambered in .223REM and something else, but im not sure how reasonable it is to swap uppers in and out...

Thanks in advance for any pointers....

 

[Runningfool]

First of all, prepare yourself for the inevitable chit-storm this thread is to become.

Second, NEAs have been hard to come by ever since they started putting out complete rifles 14 months ago. The shortage has nothing to do with the mayhem in the US. If I were you I would call Ryan at SFRC and tell him what you want. He won't charge you a penny until it comes in and all you will have to do is sit and patiently wait - that is what I did and though it was a tough 3 month wait for my 14.5" NEA carbine it was worth it.

Cue the naysayers who will tell you to buy a norc and $400 of ammo, a DD, heck even reply to that nice Nigerian fellow who emailed you, just DO NOT BUY AN NEA!

 

[Avalonthas]

NEAR has been selling off the shelf since they went into production last year, doesn't have much to do about the recent buy craze as NEA is Canadian

 

[MrSpit]

Well thanks for the deets, and I will prolly be calling a distributor soon to work something out.
To my second question, is it accurate to assume that I could swap out uppers and mags to accommodate other ammo?

 

[*MALICE*]

heck even reply to that nice Nigerian fellow who emailed you

What's wrong with the Nigerian fella'?

I sent him the $500 and now I'm just waiting for my $2 million inheritance cheque to come in.........

 

[bear.23]

Well thanks for the deets, and I will prolly be calling a distributor soon to work something out.
To my second question, is it accurate to assume that I could swap out uppers and mags to accommodate other ammo?

Tis the advantage of the AR Platform.. anything from 22 to 50 bewoulf... But longer cartridges like 308 can't

 

[Leviathan024]

i have a nea 14.5 patrol carbine and so far so good. i would keep an eye out for one with a carbine length gas system instead of the mid length but they are not making them carbine as of recentley.

 

[mg4201]

The norinco is a better gun for the money, the quality is higher. Like runningfool said buy the norc and spend the rest on ammo. As for the Nigerian prince, I would stay away from that guy.

 

[ez8]

NEA is about to release another shipment soon...call ryan and see if he will give you a pre order...but I don't think he will..you may just have to check his site 5x a day.

I think someone said that target sports had some in stock...no clue if its a 14.5" though.

 

[hdave]

The norinco is a better gun for the money, the quality is higher. Like runningfool said buy the norc and spend the rest on ammo. As for the Nigerian prince, I would stay away from that guy.

I'd say don't listen to the haters like this guy or even the fanboys.

I own an NEA 15, had to go through a lot of initial issues. It was VERY annoying, and I was very pissed at the time.
NEA customer service is rock solid though, lucky for them they are very good guys there that will do anything/everything to make their problems right.

I can guarantee that the NEA is higher quality than a Norc, it definitely shoots tighter groupings as well.

The problem with NEA.. Their QC was terrible.
They had tons of problems relating to parts, assembly, etc..

I would say most of their issues are a thing of the past now.
They pump out thousands of rifles now, and how many new threads have you been seeing with NEA rifle issues?
At the beginning, there were tons of them, now they are more rare.

The only thing good that came out of it for me, is that I learned a lot about the AR15.
I can fully take it apart and put it back together, and I know how *most* of it works.

So I'd strongly suggest if it comes down to a Norc and NEA, get the NEA.
But only keep in mind you risk initial build issues and might have to deal with warranty.

 

[easysauce]

So as of recently i have decided to take the advice of my fellow CGN'ers and buy my first AR instead of building one...... seems to make sense, as im likely gonna learn what i do and dont like before i get messed up in a build. In any case, im still about a month away from having the funds to purchase anything, so i have been doing a lot of looking around. i have become some what of a fan boy of NEA's stuff, specifically the NEA-15 14.5" Patrol Carbine. Unfortunately for be (but great for them) it seems as though their stuff flys off the shelf as soon as its made, and most places are sold out.sfrc will have more listed in the NEA section as "presale" when they catch up to current orders, I recommend ordering one as soon as the pr order is available since like you know these fly off the shelves. after you pre order you will likely wait a few weeks at least, and ryan at sfrc wont charge you till it ships, so I wouldnt worry if you need a paycheck or so since it wont ship right away. you will also get free shipping from the pre order The best i have been able to find is the occasional completed lower, or a stripped lower. now as i mentioned, im looking to buy pre-assembled, but im wondering when this mass Gun Grab is gonna slow down again, and some of these stores will be restocked? Would it make sense to buy the lower now, and just wait for the rest to become available? I have considered the possibility of buying more than one upper so i might have something chambered in .223REM and something else, but im not sure how reasonable it is to swap uppers in and out...uppers will swap very easily, it is literally something that can be done in seconds with no tools, push out the two pins holding an upper on, put the new upper in its place and re insert the pins. depending on the caliber you want to change to, you may need to swap the bolt/ bolt carrier group as well, but this is also something that takes very little time and no special tools

Thanks in advance for any pointers....

hope that helps, you wont be disappointed with the rifle, and if anything slips past QC they honor the warranty quickly and hassle free.

best tip I can give you, is make sure you set aside some $ for ammo, and buy in bulk (norinco .223 is the best deal currently, sfrc also has some decently priced steel case, and americain eagle brass cased)

I own both the norinco and the NEA AR's, happy with both, but the NEA is of better quality. if I did it all over again I would still buy both.

 

[mg4201]

I'd say don't listen to the haters like this guy or even the fanboys.

I own an NEA 15, had to go through a lot of initial issues. It was VERY annoying, and I was very pissed at the time.
NEA customer service is rock solid though, lucky for them they are very good guys there that will do anything/everything to make their problems right.

I can guarantee that the NEA is higher quality than a Norc, it definitely shoots tighter groupings as well.

The problem with NEA.. Their QC was terrible.
They had tons of problems relating to parts, assembly, etc..

I would say most of their issues are a thing of the past now.
They pump out thousands of rifles now, and how many new threads have you been seeing with NEA rifle issues?
At the beginning, there were tons of them, now they are more rare.

The only thing good that came out of it for me, is that I learned a lot about the AR15.
I can fully take it apart and put it back together, and I know how *most* of it works.

So I'd strongly suggest if it comes down to a Norc and NEA, get the NEA.
But only keep in mind you risk initial build issues and might have to deal with warranty.

The problems are hardly a thing of the past. Unless three weeks ago when an NEA bolt sheared 3 lugs and a bunch of the Christmas special lowers showed up grossly out of spec counts as the past. Ask Chemist he will tell you that the norinco products have the lowest rate of returns of any of his products INCLUDING NEA. If you want a rifle to shoot the hell out of and not worry about sh!tty out of spec parts, Buy the norc.

 

[ez8]

First of all, prepare yourself for the inevitable chit-storm this thread is to become.

Second, NEAs have been hard to come by ever since they started putting out complete rifles 14 months ago. The shortage has nothing to do with the mayhem in the US. If I were you I would call Ryan at SFRC and tell him what you want. He won't charge you a penny until it comes in and all you will have to do is sit and patiently wait - that is what I did and though it was a tough 3 month wait for my 14.5" NEA carbine it was worth it.

Cue the naysayers who will tell you to buy a norc and $400 of ammo, a DD, heck even reply to that nice Nigerian fellow who emailed you, just DO NOT BUY AN NEA!

The norinco is a better gun for the money, the quality is higher. Like runningfool said buy the norc and spend the rest on ammo. As for the Nigerian prince, I would stay away from that guy.

i think you took runningfools post out of context.
he was saying not to listen to people who say to buy the norc and $400 of ammo, or the DD or o give the $ to the nigerian boy and to not buy the NEA.
basically he was saying..BUY THE NEA.

unless i read it out of context, but i know runningfool is happy with his NEA, and so am i

The problems are hardly a thing of the past. Unless three weeks ago when an NEA bolt sheared 3 lugs and a bunch of the Christmas special lowers showed up grossly out of spec counts as the past. Ask Chemist he will tell you that the norinco products have the lowest rate of returns of any of his products INCLUDING NEA. If you want a rifle to shoot the hell out of and not worry about sh!tty out of spec parts, Buy the norc.

to be fair..
1 BCG broke.
and 1 lower showed up that wouldnt fit on 1 of the buyers uppers, but it fit on his other one....yes, it was out of spec by the sound of it.
and you cant warranty a norc because they dont have one...

im done..last time we got a warning.

 

[andrew3081]

Norinco has warranty, where did you get the fact they don't have warranty?
I believe it is one year warranty.
But it does not matter, norinco ar15 rarely need warranty.
Nea has good warranty and the warranty get used alot.


Why not look into core15 or windham weaponry?
Or even the sig ar15 that is coming next month?
They are all around $1099 to $1250 range.

 

[jonathonh]

i think you took runningfools post out of context.
he was saying not to listen to people who say to buy the norc and $400 of ammo, or the DD or o give the $ to the nigerian boy and to not buy the NEA.
basically he was saying..BUY THE NEA.

unless i read it out of context, but i know runningfool is happy with his NEA, and so am i



to be fair..
1 BCG broke.
and 1 lower showed up that wouldnt fit on 1 of the buyers uppers, but it fit on his other one....yes, it was out of spec by the sound of it.
and you cant warranty a norc because they dont have one...

im done..last time we got a warning.

If you were referring to me as the "buyer" of the lower that didn't fit on one of my uppers, but did fit on my "other one" I just wanted to correct you. I only have one upper, and it did not fit. Unfortunately the anodizing chipped off the lugs of my brand new upper trying to get it to fit with my NEA lower. The NEA lower was returned to The Ammo Source for full refund.

Not bashing NEA, just wanted to set the facts straight.

Some have had good experiences with NEA, others have had the complete opposite. All you can do is take all posted experiences and suggestions as just that... suggestions... Do your research and make up your own mind appropriately.

Just my two bits, and good luck with your purchase, no matter what rifle you decide to go with

Happy shooting

 

[ez8]

Norinco has warranty, where did you get the fact they don't have warranty?
I believe it is one year warranty.
But it does not matter, norinco ar15 rarely need warranty.
Nea has good warranty and the warranty get used alot.


Why not look into core15 or windham weaponry?
Or even the sig ar15 that is coming next month?
They are all around $1099 to $1250 range.

good options there. some dint give you the features of the NEA. its give and take with everything.
my friend bought a norc a few years ago, no issues but i remember him saying if something is wrong yer on your own.
also, i remember reading into the 10.5 norcs this about 6 months ago, it seemed to be the general rule of thumb was to buy the 10.5 and buy a new spring kit for it because some of the springs were faulty causing problems, not to even bother keeping the factory springs..cant remember exactly but i think it was the ejector spring.

If you we're referring to me as the "buyer" of the lower that didn't fit on one of my uppers but did fit on my "other one" I just wanted to correct you, I only have one upper, and it did not fit. Unfortunately the anodizing chipped off the lugs of my brand new upper trying to get it to fit with my NEA lower. The NEA lower was returned to The Ammo Source for full refund.

Not bashing NEA, just wanted to set the facts straight.

Some have had good experiences with NEA, others have had the complete opposite. All you can do is take all posted experiences and suggestions as just that... suggestions... Do your research and make up your own mind appropriately.

Just my two bits, and good luck with your purchase, no matter what rifle you decide to go with

Happy shooting

that sounds about right...i read your thread a little, but not wor for word..i remember it not fitting then you got it on...i think

 

[mg4201]

i think you took runningfools post out of context.
he was saying not to listen to people who say to buy the norc and $400 of ammo, or the DD or o give the $ to the nigerian boy and to not buy the NEA.
basically he was saying..BUY THE NEA.

unless i read it out of context, but i know runningfool is happy with his NEA, and so am i



to be fair..
1 BCG broke.
and 1 lower showed up that wouldnt fit on 1 of the buyers uppers, but it fit on his other one....yes, it was out of spec by the sound of it.
and you cant warranty a norc because they dont have one...

im done..last time we got a warning.

thats not true, It was more than one lower, It was at least two and both of those had grossly oversized bolt catch holes as well. and the bolt, that failed after 250 rounds.

 

[APS]

I have had a Norc for the last 3 years. It doesn't always get cleaned and functions flawlessly. I have yet to have any kind of failure in its 4000+ (and counting) round life. It runs whatever ammo I put through it, whereas i have seen friends with "high quality" AR's experince failures. BUT you have to accept the fact that you are not going to get a sub MOA rifle. One of the features i like is it has ambi saftey and mag release. Which works well; as I introduced a new shooter, who is left handed, to the AR who was sceptical about at it first, but found the platform very easy to use. He is now on the hunt for his own AR. I have seen a couple NEA rifles at our 3 gun shoots, one guys AR ran flawlessly, he had experinced no issues and the fit and finish was superior to the Norinco AR. Another guy experinced so many issues that he ended up having NEA fix it and then he sold it. I myself am very interested in an NEA. I have heard good reviews about their customer service and like the idea that if i have an issue it can be sent to them for warranty without a bunch of paperwork. I have heard that the QC issues have goteen better, and that some one from Knights armament had come up to help them out. That's what I heard, no actual facts to back up those claims. All in all, if you are on a limited budget i have no reservations on recommending a Norinco, just be aware you are not going to get a $3000 dollar AR for #700 bucks, what you are going to get is a reasonably accurate M4 that works extremely good for the money.

PS I put a Leupold 1-4 VX-2 on the top of mine which has incresed the accuracy to a very acceptable level.

 

[MrSpit]

All in all, if you are on a limited budget i have no reservations on recommending a Norinco, just be aware you are not going to get a $3000 dollar AR for #700 bucks, what you are going to get is a reasonably accurate M4 that works extremely good for the money.

I think you have just summed up the whole thing!! LOL Thanks for a great and balanced post!