Any complete uppers worth considering?

The Windham upper came with glacier guards, look to be double heat shield, an M16 carrier and unmarked bolt. It is chrome lined as well. Shoots great ejects to 3-5 o'clock with 62 gr. and heavy buffer.
I also recently picked up an M&P15 new old stock. (not sport) haven't shot this yet. smaller m4 handguards with black heat shield. lighter AR15 carrier. Bolt marked MPI 1:9 twist chrome lined. The M&P bore dia. is smaller than the Windham if cleaning rod resistance is any measure

Mosin Bubba said:

I don't think you are going to save $100 building one upper piece-by-piece versus just buying an assembled one.

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Little chance tis true. I forgot to include my lapping kit as well in the tool list, honest mistake. The real point however is that a guy or gal need not be ward off by price in most cases.

My 2 cents
I ment to build a AR a couple years ago but after pricing the parts and comparing what ya got at the end of the day it just wasn’t worth my time and effort.
J

PSA also has FN CHF barreled uppers...

https://palmettostatearmory.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=CHF

Those are very nice complete uppers. Fortunately I spent my gun fund on a Ruger Wrangler Friday.

South Prairie Jim said:

My 2 cents
I ment to build a AR a couple years ago but after pricing the parts and comparing what ya got at the end of the day it just wasn’t worth my time and effort.
J

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It tis a incurable obsession. The only reason I brought stripped AR Lower Receivers was to flip them in the panic that would have followed if HRH had won the election in 2016. With my dream of making some fast bucks shattered I decided to build a AR, then another, then another. Well you get the idea. As my knowledge of them goes so does the need for better tools.

I purchased a 24" 6.5grendel upper from Bear Creek Arsenal and have been pleased with it, the m-lok hand guard is heavy built and sturdy, the stainless steel barrel looks good, I removed the barrel and lapped the upper, I am thinking an ambidextrous charging handle or enhanced latch would be a good addition, keep looking at their site and watch for sales.

BSA1 said:

It tis a incurable obsession. The only reason I brought stripped AR Lower Receivers was to flip them in the panic that would have followed if HRH had won the election in 2016. With my dream of making some fast bucks shattered I decided to build a AR, then another, then another. Well you get the idea. As my knowledge of them goes so does the need for better tools.

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Another sufferer of BRD

BSA1 said:

It tis a incurable obsession. The only reason I brought stripped AR Lower Receivers was to flip them in the panic that would have followed if HRH had won the election in 2016. With my dream of making some fast bucks shattered I decided to build a AR, then another, then another. Well you get the idea. As my knowledge of them goes so does the need for better tools.

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I like the honesty but have to be careful buying guns to flip, there is a whole federal agency which frowns on that kind of thing unless you have a certain piece of paper.

BSA1 said:

It tis a incurable obsession. The only reason I brought stripped AR Lower Receivers was to flip them in the panic that would have followed if HRH had won the election in 2016. With my dream of making some fast bucks shattered I decided to build a AR, then another, then another. Well you get the idea. As my knowledge of them goes so does the need for better tools.

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Nah
It’s curable, just ask any Democrat to explain it to ya.
Then go shoot yer self first

mshootnit said:

I like the honesty but have to be careful buying guns to flip, there is a whole federal agency which frowns on that kind of thing unless you have a certain piece of paper.

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Heck I ain’t afraid of the big bad wolf. My fingerprints and mug shot are on record with five State and Federal Government Agencies that I know of. I regularly send emails to my Senator and Representative in Washington, D.C. so I know that is being stored somewhere. I also believe that the FBI is not totally destroying back ground checks that are called in daily. The Post Office claims it photographs every piece of mail they handle so they know what firearms magazines I get each month.

A co-worker and I had a similar conversation and we decided we will both be killed so why live in fear?

Mosin Bubba said:

I don't think you are going to save $100 building one upper piece-by-piece versus just buying an assembled one.

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Not when it comes to cheap blasting carbines.

When you start talking about high end AR’s, a guy can often save hundreds of dollars by frugal shopping and self assembly.

Varminterror said:

Not when it comes to cheap blasting carbines.

When you start talking about high end AR’s, a guy can often save hundreds of dollars by frugal shopping and self assembly.

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Those are the kind of guys who aren't going to be buying off the shelf anyway.

DeepSouth said:

How’s it shoot? I’m looking for a decent (& cheap) upper for shooting 300-500 yards. I only need to hit a coyote sized target.

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I've only had it out once so far, and mostly to zero the scope so I wasn't measuring groups, but it seemed to be reasonably accurate. No issues with it. I'll spend more time with it once the weather improves.

Jeff H said:

I've only had it out once so far, and mostly to zero the scope so I wasn't measuring groups, but it seemed to be reasonably accurate. No issues with it. I'll spend more time with it once the weather improves.

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Thanks for the update, once you spend more time with it and really try it out another update would be nice if you happen to remember. I probably want buy anything for a couple months.

FYI, I picked up a PSA pistol upper this month. I have not shot it yet, but my initial impression is PSA has really improved their fit and finish. It is nice.

South Prairie Jim said:

My 2 cents
I ment to build a AR a couple years ago but after pricing the parts and comparing what ya got at the end of the day it just wasn’t worth my time and effort.
J

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It all comes down to what you want on your AR. If you’re just happy with basic, then it’s best to just hunt for a sale. This even goes for some midrange uppers. But if you are going for upper end, you can save a good bit of money.
Here’s one I put a good bit of money into, but also saved a good bit of money.


The barrel is a Black Hole Weaponry stainless steel nitride. Regular price is $280. I got it on sale for around $220 and got the stripped upper for free with it.
The handrail is by Diamondhead, regular price was $150, got it on sale for $95.
The comp. is a Lantac Dragon, regular $130, got a sweetheart deal for $40.
The sight are Troy Battle Sights. The set sales for $220. Picked them up at a pawn shop, like new, for $75.
I saved more money on the upper parts then what a standard, already built, upper would have cost. Did I spend more? Yes, but I also got what I wanted.
There are a lot of pre built uppers on the market at really good prices, and if someone can find one they like and at a great price, I say go for it. But if you want something a little special, or built a certain way, you might want to build it yourself.

Nice work @GunnyUSMC
My once aspirations were walnut furniture on a m-16 style full length weapon to honor my favorite uncle Rod who spoke highly of the new arrival while in VN 1967-68
I’ve not completed that project...
J

Like others have said, it depends on what you want to do. I've assembled my own uppers for the last couple of builds mainly because I wanted the experience of doing it. I have a friend who has a BCA sidecharger upper and loves it. I have a couple of their uppers that shoot great. I have one of their SS barrels in 223 Wylde that I'm still trying to sort out. I like to tinker with things, so I didn't mind spending the money for the tools. Putting an AR together does not make one a gunsmith, but shooting a rifle you assembled from it's component parts with ammo you loaded is a very good feeling.