NEA Issues *WARNING*

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cr5 said:
Exactly :p

Of course there are better brands out there but NEA isn't as bad as most people make them out to be. There are far more happy customers than angry ones. I have a couple buddies that compete in 3-gun with their NEA rifles who have had no issues after thousands of rounds. The problem with believing everything on the internet is that the few people with problems spam the forums with their stories while the happy customers are busy shooting and can't be bothered to come on and tell everyone that it works as advertised.

I'm not saying they are all good but most of the stories of problems were from earlier products and NEA has switched vendors for their bolts and changed their manufacturing process to improve their product line. The earlier problem bolts were cracking at the cam pin, this isn't going to cause an explosion but will cause a stoppage and you're out for the rest of the day unless you have a spare.
TW you must be a very high level competitor, you make it sound like the end of the world if someone has a stoppage or doesn't have a full milspec rifle. Some people just want something cheap to play with a couple times a year at the range.
I agree with you that given the choice and if it's in the budget I'll pick high end parts and rifles every time but I think your hate on for NEA is a little unjustified (not entirely but a little). When I did my CQB course in Sept I ran my PWS for a day and a half with zero issues, I then switched to my franken AR that uses an NEA upper/lower and BCG and the rifle ran perfectly all afternoon. The other guys on the line weren't very impressed with the JP brake that I have on it but the rifle functioned great. Before you say it, I know, one afternoon is hardly a test of a product. I have around one thousand rounds on that rifle now and so far so good. I find that rifle just as much fun to shoot as my other AR's and so far it's reliable. Good enough for me so far. If I have problems with the BCG I'll be replacing it with another brand, I like the nickel boron coated units as I find them much easier to clean and they look nice :)
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There are still far better options for the price in all reality they should be a third of the price
 
Maybe not 1/3 the price but I agree with you on the other options. When I built my last 300BLK upper I bought a Fail-Zero nickel boron coated BCG for $200 and so far it's been great. The prices of the competition have been coming down. NEA used to be a lot cheaper than the rest, now they are only $30-$40 less than some of the more proven brands.
 
The only reason I would consider an NEA rifle is because of their x39 options. Wyndham is the only other option I see available from site sponsors and is only available in 16". I'm holding out till Xmas for a deal on NEA/ammo from canam - roll of the dice I suppose
 
Sumppi said:
Here's my experience with my NEA 18 DMR -rifle.

First off, the chamber was unfinished, it left a nasty "belt" in the fired brass.
20140705_180606_Android_zpssl6izmlz.jpg


After a gunsmith cleaned the chamber up, there weren't any issues for about a year.

Then the bolt broke in in half. At that point, round count was about 3400.
IMG_20150803_090602_zpsnfwex3sk.jpg

The broken bolt got replaced with a chromed bolt from NEA.

After just 340 rounds, trouble started again. The locking lugs of the new bolt had considerable deformation.
Also, pieces from the lugs were chipped off.
IMG_20150920_195720_zpsaqd1qyc7.jpg


And once again, the gun was sent to a gunsmith to be inspected.

The gunsmith inspected the rifle and these are his findings:
Headspace is 0.12 millimetres(or 0.0047 inches) over the C.I.P.(equivalent of SAAMI) maximum (Headspace was OK when the replacement bolt was installed).
Barrel extension is most likely damaged too as headspace was over the maximum with numerous different bolts.

The BHO groove in the lower receiver has been deformed, bolt doesn't lock back with empty magazines.
IMG_20150922_082106_zpso9hqyf9q.jpg


The upper receiver is also really worn out; for example, charging handle is reaaally loose in the upper.

Total round count with the rifle is little over 3700
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This saga is finally coming to an end.

My retailer will provide me with a brand new quality AR made by Hera Arms.

My old NEA is heading to be scrapped/shredded, I will not miss it..

My retailer has had really hard time with NEA rifles in general, several rifles are in the same condition as mine is.
To top this off, NEA hasn't provided my retailer any monetary compensation for these broken rifles.

I'm glad to get rid of this sorry excuse of an AR
 
cr5 said:
Don't worry, it's not as bad as they make it out to be. A few guys have had problems and the others have run away with it. My NEA BCG has worked fine for close to 1000 rounds. Even if it fails just contact NEA and they will give you a new one for free.
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3six7 said:
I originally had an NEA bolt in mine, no problems for 5-600 rds. Swapped it out when I changed barrels but I'd have no problems running a NEA bolt again.
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These assessments would be a little more impressive if they had another zero at the end of those numbers.

I have no stake in the NEA issue but there has been way too much smoke for way too long with these rifles.
 
cr5 said:
Exactly :p

Of course there are better brands out there but NEA isn't as bad as most people make them out to be. There are far more happy customers than angry ones. I have a couple buddies that compete in 3-gun with their NEA rifles who have had no issues after thousands of rounds. The problem with believing everything on the internet is that the few people with problems spam the forums with their stories while the happy customers are busy shooting and can't be bothered to come on and tell everyone that it works as advertised.

I'm not saying they are all good but most of the stories of problems were from earlier products and NEA has switched vendors for their bolts and changed their manufacturing process to improve their product line. The earlier problem bolts were cracking at the cam pin, this isn't going to cause an explosion but will cause a stoppage and you're out for the rest of the day unless you have a spare.
TW you must be a very high level competitor, you make it sound like the end of the world if someone has a stoppage or doesn't have a full milspec rifle. Some people just want something cheap to play with a couple times a year at the range.
I agree with you that given the choice and if it's in the budget I'll pick high end parts and rifles every time but I think your hate on for NEA is a little unjustified (not entirely but a little). When I did my CQB course in Sept I ran my PWS for a day and a half with zero issues, I then switched to my franken AR that uses an NEA upper/lower and BCG and the rifle ran perfectly all afternoon. The other guys on the line weren't very impressed with the JP brake that I have on it but the rifle functioned great. Before you say it, I know, one afternoon is hardly a test of a product. I have around one thousand rounds on that rifle now and so far so good. I find that rifle just as much fun to shoot as my other AR's and so far it's reliable. Good enough for me so far. If I have problems with the BCG I'll be replacing it with another brand, I like the nickel boron coated units as I find them much easier to clean and they look nice :)
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So if you are one a budget why not something with a better track record like the smith & wesson m&p15, or a windham, or a shrubmaster, or a core15, or even a sig m400?
 
r34skyline said:
So if you are one a budget why not something with a better track record like the smith & wesson m&p15, or a windham, or a shrubmaster, or a core15, or even a sig m400?
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I can answer that question! OUT OF STOCK! Given how bad the dollar is, I think the days of reasonable priced US made ARs are over.
 
desporterizer said:
Price don't matter if nobody has one. If I am going to pay $1400 for any entry dpms, I may as well get a CC at $1800.
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There are some decent uppers for sale and decent deals on complete rifles in the EE for a lot less. Guns can be ordered in and at a price that is less than the fanboy CC rifles. Nothing wrong with them as far as quality goes, but they offer nothing special for their high price tags(the CC that is, NEA is garbage).

TW25B
 
desporterizer said:
Price don't matter if nobody has one. If I am going to pay $1400 for any entry dpms, I may as well get a CC at $1800.
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So let me get this straight, just because they have nea available despite it being widely known as junk you will still get one because they have one in stock? And that's assuming you don't shop around at other retailers. Or are you trying to tell me nobody has any ars in stock?
 
r34skyline said:
So let me get this straight, just because they have nea available despite it being widely known as junk you will still get one because they have one in stock? And that's assuming you don't shop around at other retailers. Or are you trying to tell me nobody has any ars in stock?
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Have a look at out sponsors and see what they have in stock under $1500. I am not saying NEA is a good option for the 7.62x39 crowd but there's mighty slim pickings out there & prices are going up.
 
TheWhole9Yards said:
The only reason I would consider an NEA rifle is because of their x39 options. Wyndham is the only other option I see available from site sponsors and is only available in 16". I'm holding out till Xmas for a deal on NEA/ammo from canam - roll of the dice I suppose
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Find a CMMG Mutant
https://shopquestar.com/shopping65/shopexd.asp?id=2615&bc=no


GunsNotPuns said:
These assessments would be a little more impressive if they had another zero at the end of those numbers.

I have no stake in the NEA issue but there has been way too much smoke for way too long with these rifles.
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Agree'd, another couple thousand rounds would be a better assessment but that's what I have through is so far and it's worked perfectly. If my bolt broke or whatever part failed I would replace it with something else but I'll worry about that when the time comes.
 
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desporterizer said:
Have a look at out sponsors and see what they have in stock under $1500. I am not saying NEA is a good option for the 7.62x39 crowd but there's mighty slim pickings out there & prices are going up.
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If you are looking at 62x39 might I suggest a csa or a cz instead?
 
I was completely unaware of the significant issues some NEA owners have experienced and sure enough this would have swayed me away for sure.

However, it seems reassuring that the company appears to stand up for their products and address any issues that surface even replace the whole rifle if need be. Some well regarded and expensive AR manufacturers will leave you to fend for yourself after the initial warranty expires.
 
I currently own ARs from Colt, CC, DD, PWS, and NEA. I purchased the latter partially out of curiosity, but mostly because it was the only AR that came in PDW configuration from the outset for the (then) comparatively low price of $1100 CAD. I added a .300 B/O barrel, adjustable gas block and an extractor upgrade kit - and I haven't looked back since. The NEA functions perfectly and is a cheap way to get into the .300 B/O game. I should note that the rifle was initially over-gassed for 5.56mm from the factory, and experienced FTEs as a result. However, once I rebarrelled to .300 B/O and tuned the gas block it has been an excellent performer inside of 200 metres.

I'm not about to suggest that the NEA is the equal of the upper-end ARs for less money. Less money gets you...... less gun. Duh. That said, I believe that much of the anti-NEA sentiment on CGN is overly hyped. Have some folks received "lemon" rifles that did not function properly out of the box? No doubt. That said, I am willing to bet that the overall percentage is quite small - we just keep hearing about the relatively few failures over and over again. Seriously - do the "anti-NEA crusaders" on here even own an NEA or have first-hand experience?

I'm not defending my decision to purchase an NEA - it is what it is and I am happy with my purchase at that price point. I just don't understand the continual "bash-fest" that NEA seems to elicit from the "AR Elite" on this board. It is a cost-effective, entry-level AR rifle/carbine/PDW manufactured in Canada by Canadian employees for a very competitive price - especially with the ongoing devaluation of the CAD versus the almighty USD. I say we ought to support the Canadian companies where and when we can. Just because the NEA is an entry-level firearm does not mean that it is dangerous junk. The company stands behind its product 100% of the time to ensure that customers are satisfied. What's not to like about that?
 
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