NEA 18" gun

[wicked_police]

Just saw this. NEA will be getting more of my money.

And as far as I'm concerned, the barrel finish isn't an issue. Neither is the lighter anodizing color. If I'm worried about the color, there's lots of paint at Canadian Tire. What matters is how it runs and how it shoots. And it runs great (with admittedly only a few hundred rounds through it), as well as shoots terrific. I also doubt I will get close to shooting out the barrels. I don't get my ammo for free, and can't afford to buy tens of thousands of rounds to put through my rifles/carbines.

I also agree with this,

...The chinese will use anything they can get their hands on as evidenced by lead in children's toys and poison in dog food yet nobody on CGN so much as questions what slag might be in the chinese rifle receivers?

It seems some people got a hate on for NEA and can't let it go no matter what. Too bad for them, but I never have, and never will, let what is said on cgn influence or sway my decisions.

Epoxy, I went with an 18" because I've wanted an SPR type gun for a while. The upper I always thought I wanted was closer to $2k than $1k, and as much as I want it, it's too much for me to pay. I got the NEA because I heard the guns shot well, and it was well priced. It lets me change out the parts I want to as well as get decent glass. A $2000 upper is nice, but it would have sat unused.

quality Canadian made AR priced between a Nork or ATRS ...

As surprising as it may sound (since I tend to be a bit of a snob when it comes to my kit and gear), I had a Norc ar for a short period of time. To me, there is no comparison between a norc ar and an NEA ar. None at all. The norc is a cheap stop-gap to get someone into the sport, while they either get more money available for a real gun, or decide if ar's are for them. My NEA is a gun I'm extremely happy with, and will keep for a very long time (unlike the Colt, KAC, LMT, etc, ar's that I've owned). Also, my experience with the atr ar's is not what others make them out to be. I would not hold them up as a model of excellence, at all. They are way over priced, and over hyped for what you get. And if the serial numbers on the ones I have weren't custom ordered, I would have gotten rid of them a long time ago.

 

[fenceline]

Misprint? Not sure how the 10.5 and the 14.5 can have the same overall lengths.

 

[wicked_police]

Pretty sure it is a misprint. Didn't notice before.

 

[boss351cleveland]

My personal reasons:
- Taking pride in something with "Made in Canada" written on the side, and
- Choosing 18" to meet 16" minimum for US travel. If NEA made a 16" barrel, the 18" would still be chosen for maximizing performance over a 16" barrel for hunting applications (in the US)

I am nothing but happy with my NEA rifles. I have 5 "NEA" ARs ranging from complete NEA primary parts (barrel, upper and lower, BCG) to guns with an NEA lower that are a mix of other manufacturers. Love them all!

The 18" is my favourite to shoot. Here's mine with the old style handguard:

I dont think you will be able to take that NEA AR to the USA it does not comply with 922r import regulations , that means any semi auto centerfire rifle that uses a double stack detachable magazine must have about 80% US made parts .. Pretty sure they will only approve a rifle with US made and marked lower. Cause i know we cant take any Swiss Arms , Israel made Tavors , Norinco ARs , CZ858s ect . This is the reason they had to build a factory in the US to make the Tavor legal for the US market instead of just importing it from Israel like we do ,, stupid laws there too lol

 

[StrikerSW]

Very nice groups, thanks for the post.

 

[Hitzy]

Just saw this. NEA will be getting more of my money.

And as far as I'm concerned, the barrel finish isn't an issue. Neither is the lighter anodizing color. If I'm worried about the color, there's lots of paint at Canadian Tire. What matters is how it runs and how it shoots. And it runs great (with admittedly only a few hundred rounds through it), as well as shoots terrific. I also doubt I will get close to shooting out the barrels. I don't get my ammo for free, and can't afford to buy tens of thousands of rounds to put through my rifles/carbines.

I also agree with this,

It seems some people got a hate on for NEA and can't let it go no matter what. Too bad for them, but I never have, and never will, let what is said on cgn influence or sway my decisions.

Epoxy, I went with an 18" because I've wanted an SPR type gun for a while. The upper I always thought I wanted was closer to $2k than $1k, and as much as I want it, it's too much for me to pay. I got the NEA because I heard the guns shot well, and it was well priced. It lets me change out the parts I want to as well as get decent glass. A $2000 upper is nice, but it would have sat unused.




As surprising as it may sound (since I tend to be a bit of a snob when it comes to my kit and gear), I had a Norc ar for a short period of time. To me, there is no comparison between a norc ar and an NEA ar. None at all. The norc is a cheap stop-gap to get someone into the sport, while they either get more money available for a real gun, or decide if ar's are for them. My NEA is a gun I'm extremely happy with, and will keep for a very long time (unlike the Colt, KAC, LMT, etc, ar's that I've owned). Also, my experience with the atr ar's is not what others make them out to be. I would not hold them up as a model of excellence, at all. They are way over priced, and over hyped for what you get. And if the serial numbers on the ones I have weren't custom ordered, I would have gotten rid of them a long time ago.

The Nork/NEA comparision is based on "doesn't matter what it looks like finish-wise, as long as it shoots good and is reliable"...fairly common statement between both owners.
And here anyway, it's not NEA hate, it's Canadian pride....I just expect more from a Canadian company, I would be THRILLED to see them make even DPMS level quality of AR's, or even better then that. I've bought quite a few NEA parts, would buy a barrel if they can fix the finish issue in 2 seconds. These were all fairly recent purchases, and there is still QC issues with them as I had a major failure with one of the critical components. Nobody is trying to sway you or anyone else away from NEA, at least I'm not. I just want to see them improve quality to a level that is expected from a Canadian manufacturer....

 

[Jäger1]

I dont think you will be able to take that NEA AR to the USA it does not comply with 922r import regulations , that means any semi auto centerfire rifle that uses a double stack detachable magazine must have about 80% US made parts .. Pretty sure they will only approve a rifle with US made and marked lower. Cause i know we cant take any Swiss Arms , Israel made Tavors , Norinco ARs , CZ858s ect . This is the reason they had to build a factory in the US to make the Tavor legal for the US market instead of just importing it from Israel like we do ,, stupid laws there too lol

Those laws only apply to permanent imports, not temporary imports that eventually leave the country with their importer. I have both my 16" and my 18" on my ATF papers, as well as my CZ 858, and my SAN Black Special, and have brought them into the US without incident.

The pride of "made in Canada" only really means anything to me if it's the best. The Canada space arm, winning in hockey, the Canadian C7 rifle, the Avro Arrow etc. I'll buy Canadian if it's comparable and close in price. I won't pay more for less just because it says made in Canada on it. My national pride doesn't make me slow at making decent financial decisions.

I would say at the very least it is comparable and close in price. For $1,000 you get a complete gun with a free floating quad rail when the other American bargain rifles were coming with fixed front sights and plastic handguards. Now I never bought a factory AR. I put all mine together. I chose NEA parts because they were Canadian and I will always explore Canadian options first, they were priced well and they were available. After my first was complete and I had no problems, I had no reason to strike the manufacturer from my list. My experiences are all positive, and the DPMS 16" barrel I have on a Colt A2 upper in my experience has not been as accurate as my NEA 14.5", both iron-sighted rifles. I'll hand the guns over to someone else sometime and see if they get the same results. But for me it's a measure of the relationship between quality, price, availability, performance and personal taste.

I've found the quality only to be lacking in the finish department on the receivers. For whatever reason, the handguards I've handled and own are all great, but the receivers have room for improvement. NEA has always said the finish isn't a spec'ed component, so although some don't like the colour and the odd tool mark, the guns work and the anodize is deeper so it's purely an aesthetic issue and not a question of the performance of the gun. I don't bring these guns to tea with the Queen, so I really just don't care about the finish. Others do and I understand that. I've of the mindset that you should never buy something so nice that you'll never use it, so I can even appreciate the finish being flawed since I'm less likely to baby the gun. That's just me, but I would have an issue with it if I didn't know about it beforehand. A buddy of mine who is looking to build his first AR this winter has been asking me about parts and I suggested an NEA lower to start but mentioned people throw fits about the finish and he said "who cares? If it runs it runs" or something to that effect. This is going to vary from person to person and judging by some threads on CGN, some people really care and were very deeply disappointed when they unboxed their rifles. I can see that being a considerable letdown and with it being the exterior of the rifle, raising questions about the overall quality of the firearm.

Performance on all my NEA guns has been smooth. I had a tough time getting my 7.5" running right (short stroking), which has NEA receivers and their handguard but an ER Shaw barrel. It was only after I weighed bolts, bolt carriers, buffers and selected the lightest of each along with what I felt to be the weakest of recoil springs between all my ARs that the gun would run like a top. In all doing so shaved about 30 grams off of the mass that the gas system had to cycle and that was all it took. When I first took my 16" out that gun was doubling and tripling like a bastard. Turns out the culprit was the disconnecter in the LPK Dlask sells. My 18" would not engage the bolt hold open after I took it out when the temperature dropped, but I changed to a more appropriate lubricant and everything ran as it should again. As far as I'm concerned, aside from the disconnector, which was not an NEA-made or NEA-sourced part, I've had no breakages, and the other issues I've described are commonplace and obviously easily fixed. Thousands of rounds later, they all do what they should and do it well.

The price is obviously competitive, and the availability surpasses all other manufacturers. As for personal taste, I like the look of the stuff they made, I like the colour, and I like "made in Canada" written on the side of my gun with all other things being equal.

When you say it's one of your favourite rifles to shoot... I'm a gunnut. Why is it your favourite to shoot? I'm sorry but the "it's really good" explanation doesn't cut it for me. I don't really want a subjective opinion based on nothing. May I suggest it may be your favourite because it has a softer recoil pulse due to the rifle length gas system on 18" length vs most companies using the brisker carbine length system with the 16" barrel. Or this along with 18" being a good compromise in balance and weight between the 16" and 20" barrels. That I could understand.

Some more details on the NEA barrel might clear this up. 1:7 twist I'm guessing and melonite or whatever coating instead of chrome lined. Chamber? Match or duty?

It's my favourite because it was the first AR I ever owned or put together, it's a nice soft shooter due to it being heavier than the others and the mid-length gas system, it makes a nice satisfying boom because of the brake, and it is the only AR I've put a magnified optic on, producing tighter groups and a more satisfying shooting experience. I put the magnified optic on this gun because it shot the best with iron sights, although this could be due to it having the longest sight radius of any of the guns with its 12" handguard. Twist rate is 1:7 and the barrel has their ARC+ treatment with a 5.56 duty chamber.

Need to see some ammo testing with 62 grain, 69 grain and some 70 grain stuff. If it shoots like a match barrel then question answered regarding the barrel length and choice.

I will be getting into loading my own this winter so stay tuned in the BR forum for results. I do have some IVI 62gr 5.56 I can run through it as a part of the tests. 55gr AE FMJs, 55gr Sellier & Bellot FMJs, 55gr MFS hollow points, 55gr MFS FMJs, 62gr 5.56 from Portugal along with an array of off the shelf hunting loads will be tested too.

 

[Hitzy]

My first build was Canadian made as well. Still running like a top.

 

[Mauser GDog]

Am I crazy to consider picking up an 18" NEA upper to use with a Norc lower? Difference is about $300 between complete rifle and just the upper, but right now I'd sure like to keep that $300.

 

[Crazyest Canuck]

Am I crazy to consider picking up an 18" NEA upper to use with a Norc lower? Difference is about $300 between complete rifle and just the upper, but right now I'd sure like to keep that $300.

Keep the $300 and go for it
You know you want too

 

[Suputin]

Ppl would have a #### if they knew where the barrel blanks are sourced.

There is a reason why they can shoot like lasers.

They are pac nor barrel blanks.

Doubtful. Pac Nor is a US company and NEA doesn't use any US made parts so that their rifles can be exported more easily.

I think they are open to improving. Here are Chemist's own words on this very issue in October of this year:

"I just spoke with the owner of NEA and we discussed the blotchy finish on the barrels. They are going to work with the company that nitrates them to try and come up with a more even looking finish. Since April more than 1000 NEA's have been sold in Canada as well as 100-150 individual barrels. This is only the second time anyone has brought up the blotchy look to the finish. As such it's never really been something even looked at. NEA promised me they will come up with a solution for future batches of barrels that should result in a more visually appealing look."

I have mentioned it several times to Jeff and I know they are working on it. In the past the barrels have looked like ass but lets face it they are good barrels and how they shoot and last is more important. Personally I'd just blast the thing and cerakote it but I understand the average owner isn't going to have the resources to do that.

 

[Suputin]

INTERESTING. The buttstock looks quite like the Rogers Super Stock I have been lusting after.

 

[Hitzy]

The polygonal rifling kind of gives it away where they source the blanks....pretty limited number of companies using them. Rainier gets them at the same source I believe....

 

[Runningfool]

This barrel mystery is interesting...we have some here stating matter-of-fact they are PAC NOR, others saying not likely, some saying they would bet a large sum of money that no one could guess who, and some saying the rifling gives it away who makes them! For someone who knows nothing about the industry side of things, it all seems quite curious despite the fact that it matters little (to me).

 

[Suputin]

Jeff told me their barrel supplier recently but I wasn't paying attention and can't remember who it was. It was a name I had never heard of before and am almost certain it is not Pac Nor. I am nearly positive it is not a US supplier.

 

[A.T.R.]

Its not US.

 

[Hitzy]

Lothar-Walther but that's just a guess....

 

[misanthropist]

Unless things have changed, it's none of the obvious choices like pac-nor, lothar walther, green mountain etc.

Unless you work in the industry or are involved in some really specific way with particular types of competitive shooting, you would almost certainly have never heard the name.

 

[RememberTheSomme]

Great looking groups Wicked Police I am super impressed with the 100m accuracy with bulk ball ammo. Looks like you're getting every drop of MOA that ammo can produce there. Could precision bolt rigs do much better with this bulk ammo?

 

[Epoxy7]

Great looking groups Wicked Police I am super impressed with the 100m accuracy with bulk ball ammo. Looks like you're getting every drop of MOA that ammo can produce there. Could precision bolt rigs do much better with this bulk ammo?

I've had the 55 PMC Bronze shoot very tight groups out of a Remington VSSFII. 24" fluted SS barrel 1:12 twist. That ammo can shoot very accurately. So yes that ammo can shoot better. But.... WP's accuracy is very good from that rifle. I was impressed. I find the PMC stuff to be pretty good ammo.