Re: Whats your thoughts on Olympic Arms Inc?
Generally no, Olympic has a poor reputation for quality and I almost always recommend against them. They do make good barrels but I wouldn't buy an AR from them. I did have a SGW (old Oly) during the ban but it needed to have the ears machined to use any upper other than the A2 that came with it.
You can (and IMHO) should keep a front sight as it in no way affects your use of a scope but gives you one less thing to buy to run irons. Flat top is always a good idea for obvious reasons but again, I'd stick with the A-frame front myself.
There are any number of quality makers out there that are comparable in price with a higher quality product. At this point I think the "M4" clone is a little passé' but that doesn't change the fact that it's a good base and since they are pretty much the de-facto standard any more they can be had for a good price. I agree that you should get one that you can grow with though.
Charles Daly went out of business about a year ago but the AR's they made just before going under were some of the best at a very good price and can be found for under $1000.
Case in point:
This auction I'd advise getting the 5.56 chamber over the .223 so you can feed it pretty much any crap that you can find in .223 or 5.56.
As far as quality makers other than CD; Stag, Spikes, Colt, Bushmaster, Rock River Arms, Daniel Defense, CMMG, and about 200 other makers are all fairly reputable. It's easier to say stay away from Olympic, Hesse, Blackthorne, any plastic lowers other than Cavarms (they are good but no longer made), or any new AR that sells for under about $700. Personally I'm not a DPMS fan either but YMMV as I know several people who are happy with them.
I hope that helps.
