Freedom Group is really starting to tick me off. It seems like every time I want to review one of their weapons, the company immediately decides to discontinue it. It happened with the Remington 887 Nitro Mag shotgun, the economical Remington 770 rifle, the R51 pistol (that I was SO excited for but they ended up ruining it), and now they may have discontinued this: the Bushmaster Carbon 15. I need to write about this thing before it becomes impossible to find.
Before I finish my rant, let me say this: THESE ARE GOOD FIREARMS (except the R51). Unlike the other guns mentioned, I haven't been able to confirm that the Carbon 15 has been discontinued. The Bushmaster website is under construction and the catalog is showing a very small production line. So who knows at this point. I'll update this when I know for sure.
**Update: I have been officially informed by Bushmaster that the Carbon 15 is no
longer in production. It can still be occasionally found in stores.**
The Bushmaster Carbon 15 is a platform that very few manufacturers dare to even attempt. The upper and lower are completely made of, you guessed it, carbon fiber (amongst other materials). The only other AR manufacturer that comes to mind that has had success with a carbon fiber platform is Windham Weaponry. According to several sources, carbon fiber builds hold up to tolerances above that of aluminum with the added benefit of being very light. This AR weighs in at only 6 lbs. That's super light compared to most ARs. Of course once you add modifications like a quad rail, grip, good scope, etc, you'll get back up to average AR weight in no time. The Carbon 15 is rated for 5.56 rounds and the barrel is a 1/9 twist rate which stabilizes bullets as heavy as 69 to 70 grains. This gun's MSRP is about $900 but you can pick one up for $700 or less at most retailers. Just make sure that you get the second generation Carbon 15. The first generation had mixed reliability reviews and it also lacked the dust cover and forward assist.
So far, the gun seems very versatile and I've not had any issues so far after several hundred rounds. The only thing that I had to replace was the "red-dot" sight that it came with. See the one in the picture? That one. Don't even bother installing it. Give it to charity or trash it and install something (anything) else. It's blurry, ugly, unnecessarily large, has a battery cover that WILL break immediately, and makes the gun top-heavy. I've since added an inexpensive TruGlow 5 MOA red/green dot open sight and it's a 100000% improvement. I've also added an aluminum quad rail to the front with a MAGPUL forward grip. Even after the additions, the light weight of the rifle makes shouldering and maneuvering very easy. You may need to install some flip up iron sights eventually, as this is an ORC (Optics Ready Carbine). I'm excited to get out and do some more shooting. Powdering clay targets on a dirt hill is extremely fun with this guy.
If you are wanting a lightweight, durable, reliable, optics-ready AR-15, take a look at the Bushmaster Carbon 15. Hopefully you will still be able to find this rifle for many years to come.
How can you tell if it's first or second generation carbon 15? Mine has a CRB_ _ _ _ _ _ on the left side. of it
ReplyDeleteSecond generation (or the most current version) will have a few "modernized" features such as a forward assist and an ejection port cover. These items were left off of the original production model due to the added weight.
DeleteIt's also worth mentioning that the original Carbon 15 was made by Professional Ordnance. These early models were good but fragile. Bushmaster picked up production in 2009 and is the most commonly owned model. Bushmaster replaced some of the polymer internal components with heavier metals and slowly started incorporating features like the forward assist and dust cover as the years passed, so there's a chance you have a Bushmaster-made Carbon 15, but without the more modern features. I consider this model as "First Generation." If you have a Professional Ordnance model, that's almost an entirely different firearm - they're unique and rare!
DeleteHow do you determine if the model is a professional ordnance, and why would they be rare please
DeleteI have a first generation built in july 2014. Bushmaster did confirm it no longer makes carbon 15 rifles.
ReplyDeleteThe Bushmaster Carbon 15 is a piece of junk and is no longer supported by the company. They are very fragile and susceptible to breaking, and CANNOT be repaired! If you are offered one to buy, simply laugh and tell the current owner good luck, and move on.
ReplyDeleteI will address your comments in parts:
Delete- Yes the gun is no longer in production - as stated in the article. This happens to good products and bad ones, and does not necessarily correlate to product quality.
- As far a quality, I've shot thousands of rounds without any sign of an issue. Literally no issues whatsoever. What are people doing to break this rifle?! Will it survive being run over by a truck? Probably not, but that's not why you buy this gun. You buy it because it's affordable and light.
- To each their own. I couldn't be happier with the C15. If mine were to break or give me trouble, I'll be sure to update the article accordingly. Until then, it gets an A from me!
Fair enough. But the company does not honor their warranty if you are the 2nd owner. Furthermore, their limited warranty is only good “within one year and ten days from the date of first purchase by customer”. So it’s possible for one to buy a NIB Bushmaster from a FFL dealer (the first purchaser) that was made 13 months earlier, and it will already be out of warranty. No more plastic or carbon fiber guns for me…. I’m staying with Heavy Metal.
DeleteNeed more? Here’s a link to their owner’s manual that details their Limited One Year Warranty (typos included).
https://www.remingtonoutdoorcompany.com/sites/default/files/407568-C22-Manual-Addendum.pdf
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ReplyDelete