Which AR-15 upper?

Which Upper Do You Prefer?

  • Rock River Arms Upper

    Votes: 25 49.0%

  • Palmetto State Armory Kit

    Votes: 26 51.0%
  • Total voters
    51
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
I don't know, (did not vote), they are not the same animals, one's just a complete upper and the other is a complete gun without the lower receiver.

Depends on how much bread you have to spend. I would go with #2 option and get a stripped lower ($79) to build for a whole rifle.


But that's just me.

Jim
 
The upper, as long as it is in spec, has less to do with accuracy than a well made barrel. That is unless we start talking about the botique makers like JP or LaRue. They are simply in a different class altogether.

Between those two? Six one way, half dozen the other. I'd take the RRA. But only because that is what my upper is built on.
 
You don't need a bull barrel for it to be a tack driver, although they certainly can help cooling in extended strings of fire. But you absolutely need a free float tube to be consistantly accurate.

I know, a lot of people will scream they can hit a pie plate at 100 yards with their non floated m4 knock off they put together with duct tape and bailing wire, but that's simply not accurate. For an AR to be considered accurate by me it has to shoot moa all the time, not one group in ten but every group.

I've been very happy with the RRA ATH upper I bought a month or two ago, I shot it in a 3 gun match Saturday and even with just a Burris 332 red dot was making first round hits on a 6x9 steel plate at 300 yards everytime. And I'm not known for being a great rifle shot. For me it has all the right bits, a heavy match (but not bull barrel size), 18" lapped and cryo'd barrel and a good free float tube. Even with just the red dot it shoots MOA with several different Black Hills loads from 100-300 yards.
 
I went with PSA M4A1 hammer forged, chrome-lined rifle kit and it is plenty accurate for me. So far all I have used is WPA 62gr. hp ammo which is definitely not match grade ammo, but I can put it through a dime consistently. For the price I think you will like the PSA...also no malfunctions of any kind yet.
This is it...
IMG_6645.jpg

The guy next to me at the range the other day bet I couldn't hit this at 50yds on the 1st try because he said that the hammer forging and chrome-lining affected accuracy to where it made a noticeable difference...I proved him wrong haha.
AmericanSpirit1shotkill.jpg
 
saenzrich said:
I went with PSA M4A1 hammer forged, chrome-lined rifle kit and it is plenty accurate for me. So far all I have used is WPA 62gr. hp ammo which is definitely not match grade ammo, but I can put it through a dime consistently. For the price I think you will like the PSA...also no malfunctions of any kind yet.
This is it...
IMG_6645.jpg

The guy next to me at the range the other day bet I couldn't hit this at 50yds on the 1st try because he said that the hammer forging and chrome-lining affected accuracy to where it made a noticeable difference...I proved him wrong haha.
AmericanSpirit1shotkill.jpg
Click to expand...
Not even close to the setup I think of when I hear "tack driver." For a precision AR, a free floated handguard is a must, and a stainless steel barrel helps too, but certainly not a chrome lined barrel.
 
Gus McCrae said:
Though I never have problems hitting the 8" plate at 425y. Until the timer is running that is...
Click to expand...
Ain't that the truth.
"Everyone has a plan until the timer beeps."
 
just ordered a predator pursuit upper myself in 20"..cant wait to get it...have had plenty of ppl tell be how accurate it will be...wont know till i get it though...but RRA guarantees 3/4 inch moa and everyone i talk to says its better than that...worst group ive seen from a good shooter was 10 shots .9 inch at 100 yards with remington umc ammo...its really up to you on what u want..but for $755 with full length quads, chrome bolt, bcm gunfighter charging handle in the 20 inch model i obviously thought it was worth it
 
FYI, PSA's hammer forged barrels are made by FN, like Noveske's, by the same materials as go into our FN249 SAW barrels.

Not even close to the setup I think of when I hear "tack driver." For a precision AR, a free floated handguard is a must, and a stainless steel barrel helps too, but certainly not a chrome lined barrel.
Click to expand...

Did I miss sarcasm?

Because your post contains a picture of a cigarrette filter shot with a barrel without any of your "must haves". Maybe you don't really need any of that crap, and a chrome lined properly built AR shoots about as well as a SS barreled free floated prairie dog gun...
 
I voted RRA. The RRA predator pursuit upper is very similar to my RRA ATH (same barrel but 18"). With FGMM or BH ammo, my ATH easily beats RRA's 3/4" guarantee. If you want a tack driver, that upper can deliver.
 
Did I miss sarcasm?

Because your post contains a picture of a cigarrette filter shot with a barrel without any of your "must haves". Maybe you don't really need any of that crap, and a chrome lined properly built AR shoots about as well as a SS barreled free floated prairie dog gun...
Click to expand...

A well built SS free floated barrel will be more accurate than a non free floated chrome-lined, anybody with experience with both knows this.

As for the cigarette filter, could be lucky shot, or could be he got lucky with the barrel, but 50 yards isn't the distance I would shoot at to measure the accuracy of a "tack driver." I would need to see a 10 shot group at 100 yards with that rifle to determine whether or not it qualifies. But even with match grade ammo and a good shooter, I'm pretty sure I already know about what it would look like.
 
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I have a new favorite AR. Check out AR15 Performance . H assembled a 6.8 for me. He does have a problem keeping barrels in stock so there will probably be a little wait but believe me, his uppers are worth it. The cost is reasonable too. Check him out. Here is an 8 shot group that I put on target with my 6.8 at 100 yards with only 40 rounds down the pipe...The barrel was green.

Sent from my ADR8995 using Tapatalk
 

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As for the cigarette filter, could be lucky shot, or could be he got lucky with the barrel, but 50 yards isn't the distance I would shoot at to measure the accuracy of a "tack driver."
Click to expand...

I knew I should've posted a picture of the 19 other cigarettes too :)
 
The RRA uppers shoot well because they are free floated, use the Wylde chamber (tighter tolerances) and typically stainless steel barrels for their varmint rigs. What also aids inaccuracy is the weight of the barrel (or complete rifle) and mid-or standard length gas system. Personally I like light weight fast handling rifles which the RRA is not. If you plan to shoot using a bi-pod, bench & bags for long distance I feel that the RRA is the way to go. For a fast handling carbine then go the way of the PSA rig.
 
IMHO this must be "free floated for any accuracy" is way over exaggerated. Unless you are applying a tremendous amount of pressure with a sling support shooting style, there is not that much difference. The quality of the barrel and chamber and ammo is far more important than floated or non-floated hand guards.
 
madcratebuilder said:
IMHO this must be "free floated for any accuracy" is way over exaggerated. Unless you are applying a tremendous amount of pressure with a sling support shooting style, there is not that much difference. The quality of the barrel and chamber and ammo is far more important than floated or non-floated hand guards.
Click to expand...
Fair enough, I honestly have never tried a match grade barrel and ammo in a non-free float configuration. It just seems like if you're going to go with a good barrel you might as well free float it, because nothing out there suggests that a non-free float is more accurate.
 
So I guess I need to clarify my question: if both barrels are stainless with a 1:8 twist and 223 wilde, how much difference will there be if one is free-floated and bull barrelled, and the other isn't?
 
The theory is free floating is more accurate..it may or may not be true...but it can't hurt to go free float...at worst it shoots the same...but may shoot better...I went free float cuz it can only get better..it wont be worse
 
Tex4426 said:
The theory is free floating is more accurate..it may or may not be true...but it can't hurt to go free float...at worst it shoots the same...but may shoot better...I went free float cuz it can only get better..it wont be worse
Click to expand...

There was an article in an AR dedicated Guns and Ammo a couple years ago. They shot a standard AR for accuracy, then changed to a free float and shot it again for accuracy. The free float was worth a fraction of an MOA in group size, if I remember correctly.
 
I built an upper with almost the exact same barrel on the RR and was happy with its accuracy. Sub moa and then some.
 
Noveske uses PacNor Barrels
Click to expand...

Yeah, the SS ones. Their CHF barrels are made by FN to their specs.

A well built SS free floated barrel will be more accurate than a non free floated chrome-lined
Click to expand...

Enough to matter? We're talking about shooting a cigarrette filter at 50 yards. That would be good enough for me. "Snipers" in WWI used 3moa rifles and did just fine.

anybody with experience with both knows this.
Click to expand...

Sure, very high road...
 
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