you get what you pay for, and DPMS is cheap for a reason-low quality...haven't heard of Del-Ton...i was first thinking the same for my ar-"there are some that go for like $650 man!", but i was shown rifles that were bought for 650, and those that were bought for 1100, and saw the quality for myself.
i have a Stag...i would use their uppers at the least...and a timney trigger would be a great call, but at this point, the price is already close to $750...
you might want to save you $ and spend it on quality...it doesn't have to be the best of the best, but i'm sure that after building it, you'd want to keep it for a while, right?
Don't want to start a debate here. I respectfully disagree that DPMS is a "low quality" rifle.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHNvUPjIOzY]YouTube - DPMS Mark 12 Torture Test[/ame]
When compared to Colt or LMT, I agree that the DPMS (and Bushmaster) don't compare - specification wise. From that perspective, particularly when comparing the materials, and processes used in manufacturing the rifle(s) and components, one could fairly judge DPMS as being not as "serious" as a Colt. According to published data, Stag falls in the middle of the range when held in comparison to Colt and LMT, respectively.
My point here is that for civilian applications and sporting purposes, The DPMS products are just fine. My DPMS rifle is well made and operates flawlessly in the casual application for which it was purchased.
I respect the opinion that is held by some that the lower end AR's would be a liability in a combat / bet your life on your weapon application. IMHO, just because the DPMS products are a value, doesn't make them low quality. I have been in combat with the Colt rifle, and have seen many instances where they have
failed.
Don't count DPMS out when making this decision. I love my rifle, it's a DPMS.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPls_W7r2Is&NR=1]YouTube - DPMS Segment from FirePowerTV[/ame]