08-13-2013, 04:39 PM
Ridgerider Wrote:It not just about the Stoner barrel as many have confirmed where they are being made, just do a little checking . You say and I quote "If you guys read my post again, nowhere will you find the statement that AR-Stoner "6.5 Grendel" barrels are made outside the US.yet in your previous post you imply and I quote "Midway usually expects a 50% margin on their products, so do the math based on their pricing and you can get an idea of where they might be sourcing the "AR-Stoner" pipes from.
When I see a lot of their 5.56 barrels for $159.99, $119.99, or even $104.99, then figure-in even a 30% margin, there's no way those barrels are made in the US or Western/Central/Northern Europe. We're either looking at Central America or Asia is my best guess." end of quote. I am criticizing you on your post about barrels being made in S America or Asia for $99 etc etc and how could they be possibly made in the USA at that price. At least I gave you an opportunity to check prices with ESS Solutions in Rhode Island and correct your statement but you have chosen to ignore that.You state and I quote "If anyone doubts that Asian barrels and AR15 parts are in the market, I've seen Dirtier than Cheap openly advertise $99 "M4" barrels in their catalog, and have seen distributor online catalog pages for AR15 parts, including sub-standard uppers, BCG's, LPK's, fasteners, etc. from Taiwan."end quote. Please confirm where you claim distributors are importing Taiwanese parts so that we all can avoid those distributors and not keep it just to yourself as I thought the idea of a forum was to help and educate.
Everyone has the opportunity to crack open their uppers, look on top of their carrier keys, and confirm that they at least have Taiwanese "YFS" fasteners holding their carrier keys to the carrier. I have several that made it into my guns before I learned about it. I secure them well with heat-resistant sealant and a staking tool specifically for AR15 carriers, and have had no issues. Almost every AR15 parts distributor will likely have "YFS" fasteners in their inventory. The next question is, what about MIM'd parts for my LPK? Where was my barrel extension made? My extractor? Springs? Extension tube?
Here's a 1 Star review of one of those $104 AR-Stoner barrels: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/834998/...der-834998
Quote:The barrel came with minor rust on the inside and outside. The rifling inside the barrel is very shallow and poorly done compared to any other AR barrel I've seen. I took the barrel to my local gunsmith and he urged me to return it.
In all the AR15, M16, and M4 barrels I have seen since the 1980's, I have only seen that type of shallow rifling on a military or high-volume gun that was abused on FULL AUTO, or had a round count into the tens of thousands. If a barrel shows up rusty and rifled like that, it is indicative of the type of poor QC one would expect in a 3rd-world country, especially in a massive push to attempt to satiate the new wave of demand for AR15's post-Sandy Hook.
We have seen spectacular kabooms recently, especially ones with barrel extension failures, with minimal bolt damage, indicating the extension as the point of failure, and no name to pin the liability on. That's what bothers me when I see barrels priced at around $100 or less. Like I said, I have seen CTD ads where they clearly indicated that the "M4" barrels "just like the real GI!" were imported.
I would like to hear it from Midway that they are using US or European-Made barrels that meet certain ISO standards, from a reputable or recognizable manufacturer, using the SAAMI chamber. That's what has stopped me from purchasing any of the AR-Stoner barrels, combined with my experience with the highly questionable and fail-ridden BCG advertised as Nickel Boron Enhanced Bolt Carrier Group, sold at a premium price BTW. Knowing what I have relayed here, does anyone still think it would be fine to buy one of those $104 "M4" barrels under the AR-Stoner brand? Anyone ready to shell out $199 for a Nickel Boron AR-Stoner "Enhanced" Bolt Carrier Group? They still sell 'em.