DPMS G2 Recon review from a good friend of mine....

[Cavedweller]

Don't see much info on the G2 series rifles, so here ya go. Ryan know his stuff.


https://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/dpms-g2-review.208053/

 

[Surveyor1653]

Not a bad write-up.

I agree about the rail and also bought the MI forend to replace the one from the factory. ***A note for the uninitiated: As far as I can tell, ONLY YHM and Midwest make forends that will fit the G2 pattern of rifles with their proprietary bbl nut diameters. This seems a little nonsensical since the entire reason for these rifles was to be adaptable to most of the AR accessories on the market. I would hazard that the forend is the most replaced part of an AR-patterned rifle. Be warned***

I also went ahead and replaced the factory trigger with an ALG ACT package with a much lighter trigger pull. Frankly I'm of the same opinion that a rifle in that price range should not contain a heavy, gritty trigger.

I wondered if my rifle was the only one that didn't pop the ejection port cover open when the action was cycled. Apparently, it's not. I haven't noticed the wear spot on the bolt release but will be looking for it now. The stock and muzzle device are moot for me personally, because I swapped stocks and am putting a Surefire adapter on to accommodate my can.

Thanks for linking to his review.

 

[henschman]

Nice review, and I like the site. I went ahead and registered there, and shared my method for achieving proper optic height on the AR, since it is something he struggled with as well.

I want another .308 semi, but I'm still kinda leery about the GII. I like the weight they were able to achieve, and I REALLY like how they were able to shorten the back of the upper to match the LOP of an AR-15 (that has long been my main gripe about every other .308 AR)... but all the little issues like what is reported in the review, handguard availability, and persistent reliability issues popping up on the 'net have me a little gun shy about them. My current plan is to go with the Armalite DEF10. By all accounts, Armalite Inc. pretty well has their act together after making .308 ARs longer than anybody but Knights, and they just flat out work. That is definitely my main concern after negative experiences with a custom DPMS pattern build and a S&W M&P 10. Plus the DEF10 is only about half a lb. heavier than the GII AP4. I can live with that. There is a much larger selection of handguards for the Armalite pattern, too. I recently tried a UTG Pro Keymod handguard on a lightweight AR-15 build, and was VERY impressed with the quality and with how solid their mounting system is. It is much better than MI's system... and this is coming from a guy who has MI-SS G2 handguards on 3 different rifles. I think I will try their Armalite pattern Keymod handguard on the DEF10.

 

[Cavedweller]

So UTG is good to go? I always avoided their stuff as I thought it was cheap airsoft quality stuff?

 

[Surveyor1653]

The Pro series is all American made and seems to be GTG. Safe Home has their forends in stock all the time if you want to check them out in person.

 

[henschman]

Yeah, I wouldn't use anything outside of their Pro line... but their Super Slim Keymod handguards are definitely good to go. You don't have to time the barrel nut to align with the gas tube, and the handguard bolts straight to the barrel nut instead of just pinching around it, like the Troy and MI handguards I've used. It also has anti-rotation "wings" that engage the upper, making it even more solid. It's nice and slim and very light weight too, and comes with 3 rail sections.

 

[Surveyor1653]

BTW, I just got my forend mounted today and, I have to agree, the whole "glue then clamp" method of attachment on the Midwest gear left me...uninspired. I much prefer the "screws to the barrel nut" style utilized by ALG.

 

[technetium-99m]

The parts availability of the first gen DPMS (SR25 pattern) rifles has me sticking with them. Plenty of barrels, handguards, receivers, mags, etc. As long as the gas is under control they work very well too.

The aftermarket support would have to grow a lot to get me thinking about buying one of the G2's.

 

[henschman]

I mean don't get me wrong... Like I said, I have the MI handguards on 3 different ARs and have used them in many Run 'n Guns and hunts and they've never come loose on me... but I just think screwing to the barrel nut is a better design. I don't see what the $300+ handguards like the Geiselle do better than the UTG Pro. The UTG Pros cost about the same if not a little less than the MI.