The AR-15 has been dubbed ‘America’s Rifle’ for a reason…
It’s by far the most popular rifle is the country, and when you think about it, it’s easy to see why…
It’s an accurate design, it’s reliable, and it offers you (as the shooter) some really fantastic ergonomics…
In addition to that, there are many quality AR’s being built right now that you can get at very budget friendly prices…
So in this DPMS AR 15 review, we’re going to examine if the DPMS Oracle is one of the AR 15’s that offers you good quality at an affordable price tag…
And we’ll do that by discussing how the Oracle stacks up in the following categories…
- Barrel And Accuracy
- Bolt And Carrier
- Upper And Lower Receivers
- Trigger
- Stock, Handguard, and Pistol Grip
- Pros and Cons
In the end, I’ll tell you if I would personally choose a DPMS AR 15 as my own budget-friendly AR or not…
And you should have all the information you need to determine if it’s the right gun for you…
Let’s start the review!
Check Out My 2 Favorite Budget-Friendly AR-15s…
Barrel And Accuracy…
The DPMS Oracle features a barrel made from 4140 steel which has a 1/9 twist. 4140 is a decent barrel steel…
It’s not quite as hard as 4150 or some other barrel steels you’ll find out there, but for a budget AR (which probably won’t have a very high round count) it should serve you pretty well…
In addition to that, the 1/9 twist on the barrel is ideal for lighter (55 grain) 5.56 or .223 loads. Typically, a 1/7 twist barrel is better for heavier loads, and it’s what I personally prefer when I can get it…
But the 1/9 twist barrel that you get on the Oracle works pretty well, and actually shoots pretty accurately too…
There is no barrel lining with the DPMS Oracle such as a chrome lining, but as long as you clean your rifle and barrel, that shouldn’t be much of an issue either…
Overall, I think the barrel quality that you get with the DPMS Oracle is fair-to-good, but there is room for improvement in terms of the materials used.
Bolt And Carrier…
The bolt carrier group (BCG) that comes with the DPMS AR 15 has a full auto profile. Even though that’s not a huge deal in a semi-auto civilian-use AR 15…
I still like having a full auto profile bolt carrier, and I’m glad that DPMS didn’t choose to go with a semi auto profile carrier, even though it really wouldn’t make much of a difference in terms of how the gun functions…
In addition to that, the carrier and the gas key are both chrome lined which will help prevent corrosion and make them easier to clean…
And the gas key is properly staked onto the carrier, so it won’t loosen up as you fire the rifle…
On top of that, the extractor on the bolt includes an O-ring which gives you a little extra extractor power when the rifle pulls out spent cartridges and then kicks them out…
There are no markings on the bolt or carrier showing if they are MPI and HP tested, and DPMS doesn’t seem to have that information easily accessible…
However, they seem like they’re decent quality in relation to that budget-friendly price tag that you pay for the rifle.
Upper And Lower Receiver…
Both the upper receiver and the lower receiver on the DPMS AR 15 are made from 7075 T6 aluminum and they appear to be mil spec in terms of their dimensions…
They also fit together fairly tightly, and the charging handle also appears to be a standard mil spec charging handle as well…
The upper does include M4 feed ramps which will help aid you in terms of reliability, and it also features a forward assist and a shell deflector which are features that you don’t always find on budget AR 15s…
The gas block is aluminum, and it sits on a lower plane than the rail on the top of the upper receiver.
I’m not too sure why they chose to go with this system because if you do end up putting flip up iron sights on the rifle you might run into issues getting them zeroed…
That said, it won’t end up being an issue for you at all if you decided to put a red dot (check out my favorite budget red dot here) or a scope on this rifle…
The lower receiver is also mil spec in terms of its dimensions, and the receiver extension has a castle nut which is staked (another feature that you don’t always find on budget AR 15s)…
Additionally, you get a carbine weight buffer, and the receiver extension is commercial spec. So if you ever want to change out the stock, make sure you get the commercial spec size rather than the mil spec size…
Last, the extension gives you 6 positions for your stock, so you get a lot of adjustability when it comes to fitting the length of pull to what is most comfortable for you.
All in all, I think the quality of the upper and lower receiver are pretty good considering the price point of this rifle, but I’m not a fan of the gas block that sits lower than the rifle’s top rail.
Trigger Specs And Feel…
The trigger appears to be mil spec in terms of the way it is constructed, and it breaks like a mil spec trigger when you pull it at around 6 pounds…
It’s perfectly usable, but like all AR 15 triggers, it’s pretty easy to swap out if you want to upgrade it in the future…
Stock, Handguard, and Pistol Grip…
The handguards that come included with the DPMS Oracle are a bit strange. They don’t include any sort of heat shield on the inside, and they also have these strange ridges that fit around the barrel…
They’re also kind of fat to hold on to, and they just seem kind of clunky. They’re an easy thing to swap out, but honestly I would have preferred a more slimmed down design even if it doesn’t include a heat shield (similar to the M&P 15 Sport)…
The pistol grip is an A2 style pistol grip which is pretty standard on AR-15s. I’m personally not a big fan of the little nub because it always hits my finger in the wrong spot…
But that’s not too big a deal because again, it can easily be swapped out or even just grinded off if you don’t want to spend 20 bucks on a new grip…
Last, the stock that DPMS includes is also kind of clunky. The back of the stock is angled outward toward the bottom, and it’s just not a really comfortable design in my opinion…
Again, the stock can easily be swapped out for something better, but I wish that it was just flat at the back because I think it would end up being a more comfortable design.
Overall, I’m not a fan of any of the furniture included on the DPMS AR 15, but as I mentioned before, these are all accessories that can be easily swapped out for something better…
The only problem is that that is going to cost you more money as you upgrade the accessories along the way.
Pros and Cons…
Pros…
- It’s An Accurate Rifle
- Its Reliable
- The Upper and Lower Receiver Are Good Quality
- The Bolt Carrier Group Is Chrome Lined
- The Extractor Includes And O-ring For Extra Power
- In Includes A Forward Assist And Shell Deflector
- The Castle Nut On The Receiver Extension Is Staked
Cons…
- The Barrel Steel Could Be Better Quality
- The Aluminum Gas Block Sits Lower Than The Top Rail
- The Handguard Is Odd and Clunky
- The Stock Design Is Not Very Comfortable
DPMS AR 15 Review – Final Thoughts…
In the end, I think the DPMS AR 15 gives you some decent value at its budget price, but would I choose it as my budget rifle?
No, I would not… I think that the M&P 15 Sport, The PSA PA-15, and the AC-15 from Aero Precision are the best budget AR 15s available and they’ll give you a ton more quality at a similar price point as the DPMS…
Click The Buttons Below To Check Out My Favorite Budget-Friendly AR-15s…
That said, if you like the DPMS AR 15, and you don’t intend to shoot a high round count through it, it will probably serve you just fine as a plinker for range use…
But if it’s a rifle that you think you might like to use as a self-defense gun, like I said, click the buttons above because I consider each of those rifles to be a big step above the DPMS in terms of quality.
Anyway, I hope this helps you out, and remember to stay safe at the range!