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DPMS Oracle for first AR?

16K views 89 replies 24 participants last post by  DieselNut 
#1 · (Edited)
I have recently decided to venture into AR15's after a long debate with both of my parents. Not because they are against guns, they both were career military, but because of the type of AR I would be getting and the amount of money I was going to spend on one. Naturally they dont want me to drop all of my savings on a rifle so we made a deal since we will be shooting as a family. We decided the gun has to be a reliable entry AR that would do it's job on the range allowing me to get the fundamentals of shooting rifles down before I drop 1k+ on a high level AR. I would have gone with a Spikes Tactical Entry carbine but they are backordered from my Local Gun Store without any idea when they will be in.

So I put down a deposit on a DPMS Oracle instead. I have heard nothing but good things from people who own them and nothing but bad things from people who own the upper echelon rifles like colt, daniels defense, and rock river. With that being said, i would only like opinions from people who actually own, have owned, have personally fired this weapon. You aren't going to change my mind, so don't bother trying.

Only after I become proficient with shooting/handling an AR my family as a whole will venture into 3 gun competitions. Naturally we will probably chose a higher quality battle tested AR for this, but until then, I need to learn the basics with this gun. Now, i've been stalking different AR forums on the do's and dont's of AR's. Wolf/Cheap surplus ammo is a no-no for most. But I need to learn to shoot and at this time and cannot afford to spend the money on the amount of good ammo that it will take to become proficient. So I will be buying bulk wolf ammo until I can send a few thousand rounds down range. Now before you say anything, this is strictly a range gun, as I use my Glock for HD. I would never dare rely on cheap quality surplus ammo to save my life. But as far as range use, I think cheap surplus ammo is just fine. I would like to know are there any legitimate concerns/problems surrounding this rifle or using cheap wolf ammo with it. Like i previously stated, I would like to keep the replies to people with personal first hand experience.

Thanks so much for reading my extremely long post, and any help would be very much appreciated!!:wavey:

EDIT: As I can already see that my learning to shoot is going to come into question, both of my parents have always qualified expert and sharpshooter with the m16 and pistol respectively. My mother actually holds the record for the M4 at the range at the United States Training Center, Blackwater at the time she broke the record. So i'm in good hands as far as learning to shoot goes.
 
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#78 ·
There's some decent places on the I-net where you can score the SASS for around $1,700. IMHO it is a very good value for what you get, especially compared to its competitors. That said, I think CMMG recently brought an AR-10 style 7.62 to the market, which is even less than the DPMS. Please note that I've never seen one or held one or shot one in person. I can however rep for the DPMS - compared to its competitors I believe it to be an excellent rifle for the cost (and a tackdriver at that!).
Naw. Colt and LMT are both making the 7.62 in that price range now.

:wavey:
 
#80 ·
Thanks again for everyone's input and words of wisdom, I've decided to do a built, and here is the link for the Project: http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=18823543#post18823543
Good call bud, you won't regret it. Just me, but I'd pass on the BAD Lever, at least for now. Learn the rifle in standard form first. And some people love it, but personally, I can't stand the damn thing. Don't care much for having obstructions within the trigger guard.

As for the upper, you mentioned the $500-$600 range...

$600 is enough to get a BCM basic 16" upper in carbine or midlength, their full-auto spec bcg, and gunfighter charging handle. :supergrin:

Again, for now, try not to get wrapped up in accessories. Keep it simple, spend the money on quality core components, and learn the platform.
 
#81 ·
Good call bud, you won't regret it. Just me, but I'd pass on the BAD Lever, at least for now. Learn the rifle in standard form first. And some people love it, but personally, I can't stand the damn thing. Don't care much for having obstructions within the trigger guard.

As for the upper, you mentioned the $500-$600 range...

$600 is enough to get a BCM basic 16" upper in carbine or midlength, their full-auto spec bcg, and gunfighter charging handle. :supergrin:

Again, for now, try not to get wrapped up in accessories. Keep it simple, spend the money on quality core components, and learn the platform.
Thanks for your input. I've been looking at the BCM uppers and they look pretty good, i've also been cheeking out some CMMG upper also. Anyone have input on them?
 
#82 ·
Thanks for your input. I've been looking at the BCM uppers and they look pretty good, i've also been cheeking out some CMMG upper also. Anyone have input on them?
No problem man. Ya, BCM is a helluva good way to go. Heard good things(mostly) about CMMG, but have not personally built one yet. I usually go BCM, but for a shoestring build, Palmetto State make good stuff for the money.

But if you keep the doo-dads to a minimum, you can build high quality on a budget. Here's a BCM 16" carbine I built for about $1,000...

 
#83 ·
No problem man. Ya, BCM is a helluva good way to go. Heard good things(mostly) about CMMG, but have not personally built one yet. I usually go BCM, but for a shoestring build, Palmetto State make good stuff for the money.

But if you keep the doo-dads to a minimum, you can build high quality on a budget. Here's a BCM 16" carbine I built for about $1,000...

I'll look further into BCM
 
#85 ·
The AR platform is a proven design, even the cheap ones get it right most of the time. For my money I would go with the company that has a proven service department. Even the high end companies but out a weapon that just doesn't run right. You'll have alot less headaches with good customer service.
 
#86 ·
Hello all, I to like bigmoney890 am looking into the DPMS Oracle 5.56 as it will be my first AR other than the .22 cal AR I have. I found it at A Big Outfitter here in Ohio for $629 But after a lot of research and talking to a few friends and Gun enthusiasts I found that the upper/barrel was the down fall to the DMPS Oracle which is the major part of the Gun, I said well I can upgrade that later but it is also the most expensive part of the gun ....... hmmmmm ... so I looked at an Armalite M15a4 with dual stage trigger for only $220 more. I found that the Dual stage trigger alone was roughly $100 - $175 upgrade and the Barrel/upper is a much better Barrel "16" Double Lapped, Chrome Lined\Chrome Moly Vanadium" verses the DPMS Barrel "16" Lightweight 4140 Chromemoly" ..... No Comparison , So I decided for $220 more to get a better longer lasting Barrel/upper and a Dual Stage Trigger that's only Savings for more Ammo, Optics and Accessories. So Armalite it is Unless there are experts that think the STAG Model 2 is the way to go???? But As for now I think i am going with the Armalite ..... I would like any input I can get and I will not be like "bigmoney890" :tongueout: I will respect all input I can Get as I am by far a Professional, Expert, or a No it All.
Thanks All and Hope to here from you
 
#87 · (Edited)
For those that have DPMS built rifles, they are servicable rifles. Keep spare parts handy, just like Colt owners should and enjoy shooting your rifles. Better practice beats pricier products 364 days a year. For those looking to buy, DPMS rifles no longer represent a good value because now there are better rifles available in the same price range. S&W Sports can be had in most areas for 625-650 and a PSA m-4 comfiguration can be had for 675-725. Many gun stores push DPMS because margins are a little better. If you cannot get a Sport or a PSA, DPMS might be OK, but unless you just have to get a rifle today, I would still wait a week or to for a PSA or S&W.
 
#88 ·
i recently bought a dpms oracle. have shot it about 150 times now. have used five different mags, three types of powder, three diff bullets,and the gun has been 100% relible. i own other ar's, wanted something light with no sights. what more do you want out of an ar. i've handled and shot some colts. they don't impress me much.
 
#89 ·
Odd that this thread got revived right as I finished my build. Yes it took me 7 months, but I'm sure as hell glad i decided to build. I built it from top to bottom with the help from people on here and some youtube videos. Dropped it off at the gunsmith to check everything over, and headed to the range.


At a total of $750 for my build, it's way more gun (and i get the satisfaction of building it) than the Oracle, and I am much for familiar with the platform than I would have been by just buying a complete rifle. I recommend anyone build if they're looking at a gun in the 600-1000 range for their first gun.
 
#90 ·
I've not had good luck with dpms. Unless something has changed in the last 3 years they're still bottom of the barrel. If buying something less than milspec I'd suggest double star, stag, S&W, cmmg....

if you only have $600 to spend buy an ak.
 
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