New AR 15 build shooting way right

[LSUTiger]

I seem to remember someone saying one time that UTG buys sights that were rejected by other manufacturers. That explains how they can sell them so cheap.

Chalk that up to stupid crap people say on gun forums.

As far as the UTG buys rejects... ok, you heard it at an armorers workshop, same difference... just another rumor like "Walmart guns are sub-standard"... You said it yourself, they made and imported products from China.

I am suspect of anything I buy from Walmart as being substandard after learning that some of their products had different UPC codes for the "same" products sold elsewhere. Some products are made to lower quality standards or have less features than the same item bought elsewhere. That is why some of their prices are so low.

This especially is true with some electronics and definitely true with anything that is "Black Friday" tagged. I learned that the hard way with a GPS unit. "What do you mean it doesn't do that? It's a model xyz-a. I'm sorry sir the -a means its a black friday item and doesn't have those features. The model xyz does have those features but cost $100 more."

After some research and shopping around and product comparison on child car seats my wife found this to be the case, also true with diapers. It would not surprise me if it were true with firearms, although I have not been in a WalMart that sells firearms anymore since a long darn time ago. They barely even sell ammo any more either. Shelves are always bare.

If the UPC codes on the box for the same thing at two different places don't match, they aren't the same thing. There is something different about them, even though the description is the same. Read the fine print. Buyer be ware.

On some items I try to find out the UPC codes and then check them at the store to make sure I'm getting a legit item and not the "Wal Mart" version.

Don't confuse UPC with SKU they aren't the same, the UPC is universal and different companies have different SKU's (internal numbers)

[ShootDontTalk]

Tolerance stacking is pretty predictable where it will show up - at least in AR-15's. The sight system had never been one of those places because it takes more than thousandths of an inch errors between two parts to make the system out of tolerance. The sights are, by definition, adjustable.

Most mil specs comprehend the tolerance stacking issue well enough that two errors at the limits of the spec don't add up to compromise the system. The sight problems were on the order of 1/4 inch or more out of spec. That's well outside the acceptable level and is not really a tolerance error, but a gross machining error.

Most companies specify how much error in machining they will tolerate when buying from a manufacturer. Good companies will spec their acceptable level of variation from center point of the spec so that the there might be a really gross tolerance stacking error in say, 1 part in 10,000 or so.

Not-so-good companies will take, if you will, anything that walks out the door. That means they don't get rarely seen tolerance stacking errors, but much more frequent gross errors. All because they will accept anything and everything from the manufacturer - even parts the manufacturer would normally destroy or scrap. As long as it looks like an AR-15 rear sight, they'll buy it.

Somebody once said that in the world of machined parts that was called "maximizing profits." Sorry for the somewhat long explanation.

[cyphertext]

I seem to remember someone saying one time that UTG buys sights that were rejected by other manufacturers. That explains how they can sell them so cheap.

Chalk that up to stupid crap people say on gun forums.

As far as the UTG buys rejects... ok, you heard it at an armorers workshop, same difference... just another rumor like "Walmart guns are sub-standard"... You said it yourself, they made and imported products from China.

I am suspect of anything I buy from Walmart as being substandard after learning that some of their products had different UPC codes for the "same" products sold elsewhere. Some products are made to lower quality standards or have less features than the same item bought elsewhere. That is why some of their prices are so low.

This especially is true with some electronics and definitely true with anything that is "Black Friday" tagged. I learned that the hard way with a GPS unit. "What do you mean it doesn't do that? It's a model xyz-a. I'm sorry sir the -a means its a black friday item and doesn't have those features. The model xyz does have those features but cost $100 more."

After some research and shopping around and product comparison on child car seats my wife found this to be the case, also true with diapers. It would not surprise me if it were true with firearms, although I have not been in a WalMart that sells firearms anymore since a long darn time ago. They barely even sell ammo any more either. Shelves are always bare.

If the UPC codes on the box for the same thing at two different places don't match, they aren't the same thing. There is something different about them, even though the description is the same. Read the fine print. Buyer be ware.

On some items I try to find out the UPC codes and then check them at the store to make sure I'm getting a legit item and not the "Wal Mart" version.

Don't confuse UPC with SKU they aren't the same, the UPC is universal and different companies have different SKU's (internal numbers)

You just said it yourself... you aren't looking at the "same" items, as the UPC codes are different. Very common in electronics to change items a little bit to avoid price matching wars. When I was in the service, the PC I bought at the base exchange was an AAFES exclusive. The "same" model number was not available at the local electronic stores.

Walmart has had some exclusives with firearms, such as different stocks, or different finishes... but they are not substandard quality for that particular maker. They aren't any less accurate, or any more prone to failure, or built in Chinese sweatshops (unless the model you buy at the LGS is built in Chinese sweatshops).