Montelores
Buckeye
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2009
- Messages
- 1,338
https://www.brownells.com/aspx/general/clientpage.aspx?bapid=606
Monty
Monty
Brownell’s Retro
- Thread starter Montelores
- Start date
Help Support Ruger Forum:
Valmet
Single-Sixer
I think it's great that Brownells is doing this as there has been a decent market for retro AR stuff for years and I'm sure they'll sell well. Prices seem reasonable and they are well-built (I've had the 601 in my hands).
That said, for those of us that are builders and sticklers for detail, they fall a little short. The brown and green furniture is all wrong. Colors are way too light and some
of the aesthetics aren't quite right. I built a 601 clone two years ago, complete with Colt/Armalite engraving on NDS lower. John Thomas (Retro arms works) out the finishing touches on (dimpled the pins, converted the A1 dust cover to flat, 601 type, etc). Granted the entire build was to the tune of $2k but save paying $30k for a real one it's likely as close as I'm ever going to get to a real one.
The 7.62 guns look pretty awesome but I know that Brownells is considering redesigning the front sight/has block later in the year to be more like the original guns so I'm holding out. Up until now the only option for a retro AR-10 has been one of the pre-ban Portuguese/Sudanese kits on a CKA, Telko, Specialty Arms, Sendra, or Hahn machine lower from the 1970s-80s which run $3-5k pretty consistently. I had a Porto gun on a CKA rec a few years back. Green furniture and overall good shape considering it likely came out of Angola or Mozambique.
Overall the retro line doesn't look to shabby at all considering the price point. Well done Brownells. IMO the only really cool thing from SHOT this year.
That said, for those of us that are builders and sticklers for detail, they fall a little short. The brown and green furniture is all wrong. Colors are way too light and some
of the aesthetics aren't quite right. I built a 601 clone two years ago, complete with Colt/Armalite engraving on NDS lower. John Thomas (Retro arms works) out the finishing touches on (dimpled the pins, converted the A1 dust cover to flat, 601 type, etc). Granted the entire build was to the tune of $2k but save paying $30k for a real one it's likely as close as I'm ever going to get to a real one.
The 7.62 guns look pretty awesome but I know that Brownells is considering redesigning the front sight/has block later in the year to be more like the original guns so I'm holding out. Up until now the only option for a retro AR-10 has been one of the pre-ban Portuguese/Sudanese kits on a CKA, Telko, Specialty Arms, Sendra, or Hahn machine lower from the 1970s-80s which run $3-5k pretty consistently. I had a Porto gun on a CKA rec a few years back. Green furniture and overall good shape considering it likely came out of Angola or Mozambique.
Overall the retro line doesn't look to shabby at all considering the price point. Well done Brownells. IMO the only really cool thing from SHOT this year.
pisgah
Buckeye
Where the heck do you hang the laser, flashlight, scope, can-opener and tire tools on them thangs????
Like the top one with the wood stock. pretty rifle imo. ps
I like the looks of all of them but that will be all I'll ever get to do; look at them. Here in MD they will never get 'accepted' as they have two "no-no's". They have a flash suppressor and and bayonet lug. That make them awful assault weapons.
Valmet
Single-Sixer
powder smoke said:
One on top has brown polymer furniture.
Colonialgirl
Hawkeye
pisgah said:
You forgot the Chainsaw Bayonet.
