What do I tell him?

I would want to know if it was mine.

 

Wow, you do have a tough call on this one. I would probably ask him if it was a used gun. If he ask why I would say it just appeared to have unusual wear and discoloring in areas that a new gun wouldn't have. Who knows maybe it was a demo gun. My humble 2 cents.

 

I would have to say tell him. That way if the gun shop sold it to him as new he will, at minimum, know to take his business elsewhere in the future.

 

He's your friend. Tell him. Chances are hes not going to care, as long as the rifle works. Hes probably too excited that he has it to really get upset about it. Like the others said, he should know about it though so he can take his business somewhere else in the future.

 

Definitely would have to let him know.

 

Maybe your buddy ran a bunch of rounds through it before he brought it to you

 

I would ask him a lot more questions before telling him but I would tell him the facts.

 

This & maybe have a reeeeeeeeeeeeally cold beer to hand him.

 

This is the best answer IMO.

 

Absolutely tell him what you found.

 

If he's your friend I would tell him immediately. Always ask yourself in these kind of situations, if it were turned around would you want to know? Being a good friend sometimes means being the bearer of bad news. Getting hosed on a gun, or having someone tell you your wife is fooling around on you are two that come to mind that anyone is better off knowing than not.

 

He got taken for a ride or DPMS did extensive testing on the rifle. If the wear on the inside doesnt match the wear on the outside its either a home built / rebuild or the rifle went through testing.

No scratches on the shell deflector tells me its a new Upper or a protected one. You say there is a lot of wear, so either you are wrong or its all factory testing. You cant have carbon build up on the inside and no wear on the outside unless you planned that. Its possible you are seeing all the carbon from the inside of the barrel and its a re-build / homebuilt using an old barrel...NOT COOL. .... OR... all that black was actually dry film lube from the factory and you don't know what you are talking about.

Have your friend call DPMS and get info on the serial number. They can say if it left the factory as a stripped lower, or complete rifle. Find out how long ago. If they doesnt match what the salesman says, then your buddy can go back and demand his cash back.

The fact you commented on all the chicom MIC gear tells me you need to have that talk with him too. Just becareful there too. I have had "experts" tell me things about my rifle not realizing I have been using and building AR15s/M16s since early 1980s....and I know they were clueless. IE..my BAD lever is a chicom part meant to be on airsoft toys.... My Mako Defense AG43 was ChiCom airsoft...again real Mako Defense is Israeli gear...not chicom crap. I know "experts" who say Magpul is chicom. Just becareful there unless you know for a fact what you are looking at.

 

Another way is to look at the brass deflector on the lower. If it is a new rifle you should be able to see no more than 5 brass transfer marks from the empty cases that hit it. The factory does not clean these off. All of my Bushmasters, Colts, and my DPMS had these marks where the guns were proofed at the factory. After the first range trip you could see the difference.

Most all manufacturers ship their weapons dry, but you can tell by disassembly, (which you should do to any newly purchased AR-15), and by looking at the bolt cam pin. After just a couple of rounds fired at the factory, it will still show the flat Phosphate coating on it. After just one range trip the cam pin will show shiny wear as the excess Phosphate wears off. Any new AR-15 will show this difference before and after the first range trip. If it was worn shiny after he bought it, the gun was used, period.

 

Lots of good advice above and things to check. Definitely find out if he bought a used gun then tell him your concerns.

 

Before you let him go off in the cold, cruel world alone, verify that he didn't buy a used firearm. If he didn't, then I'd be having a chat with the local gun store about WTF they are doing.

 

Get the whole story first. Once you have the whole story, you can work from there.
Oh, +2 on the adult beverages.

 

Keep us in the loop, EW. I hope there is a good outcome for your friend. Something like he paid $500 for a used AR that works ok for his purposes.