Saw this thread from a few years ago & I'd like to add my 2 cents worth, since there's been no activity of late. I recently sold my AR and was looking for a better weapon. The old one was a run of the mill M4 clone (ASA Scottsdale) with sloppy fit, lousy accuracy & misaligned parts, a genuine POS in my opinion. I've been a bolt gun shooter for most of my 62 years, so it's been hard for me to warm up to a "new" design like the AR platform.
I was looking around last week and went by the store to talk with Josh & Steve at the Armory. They build quality weapons from good parts and are working to serve the LE community. They do very little retail & walk-in stuff now, but are ordering for people on an as-needed basis. I just wanted to say that the weapon I chose (Patrol rifle III) is a nicely made M4 which shoots very well, functions properly and is very accurate for an off-the-shelf AR. It has a good trigger, 1:8 twist barrel, proper assembly & is a pleasure to handle. It just feels right.
I shot it for the first time yesterday with a 2-7 scope & sand bags off a bench. The target was a 50 yard rim-fire type I use, so at 100 yards it was nearly impossible to see the circles properly (20 - 1" circles on notebook paper from my printer). It seemed to like the Ventura Munitions 52 grain HP loads best (7/8"), followed closely by some Black Hills 52 grain HP (1 1/16"). The "cheap" stuff I shoot (PMC) was the usual 1 1/2" - 2" groups at 100 yards. I'm planning on trying some better quality stuff with heavy bullets once it arrives, just to see what's really working. Will also use a better scope & a bipod to see how it shoots.
If you're looking for a well made, direct-impingement, high quality AR for a fair price, take a look at these rifles. They really shoot well and customer service is excellent. I've read that a chrome lined barrel isn't as accurate as a SS barrel, but this one shoots pretty well. It's a good value for the price paid.