Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Building AR15- which upper /have barrell

Trying to figure out which upper to build off of. I have the barrel- just can’t decide which brand for a quality build. Suggestions appreciated.

BCM “demo”. I’ve used a bunch of these and “blems” are small to nonexistent. Perfectly functional.
Be prepared to heat to fit barrel and install FA and dust cover.

https://bravocompanyusa.com/bcm-upp...mps-complete-unassembled-demo-scratched/

Aero Precision M4

My next will be a Young slick side.

Aero or BCM blem

Upper for a "Quality" build? And no one brings up billet uppers? Just Aero and BCM?

Is it a quality build or Gucci build?

Quality I go aero or BCM( BCM blems when possible). I’m sure others are quite nice as well

Gucci I would say billet and as expensive and crazily machined as they can make one I suppose

I would venture to say that the upper or lower would make no difference in a quality build as long as they meet mil spec.

Popcorn & beer ordered up.....................................

And heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go.

MM

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Not sure if it's considered a gucci but I just received a Vltor and it seems pretty nice!

I've put a few together using budget-friendly uppers from PSA, and AR-Stoner from Midway. Haven't had any issues with them.

Maybe the op hasn't seen the other threads.. Ha ha..

Damn, didn't mean to start a popcorn show!! I was looking not as a gucci build but something along the lines of a quality patrol rifle. Read on the patrol rifle lightweight build, but didn't see anything on the upper.to use. Thats all!! Just wanted something that will hold up and had good tolerances. Billet or otherwise. I'm not gentle on my stuff.

Aero M4E1 has something going for it as a receiver set. However, your criteria are not hard to meet. The upper is not where you need to spend money to avoid breakdowns.

So far, I've had trigger, safety and buffer retainer trouble on high round count ARs. If you look at higher end stuff, those kinds of places are where money is spent.

You can buy what you like in regards to the upper with no worries.

brassman, have you heard of Noveske? Also, where is this Josephine Oregon? Do you believe in supporting your local economy?

Noveske is here in gp. Since John passed, I really haven’t seen any of their uppers listed as separate items. I used to get stubborn mule, but they got sold to I believe aero precision.

I try to use quality parts on my builds. I’m fortunate that I’m in the industry and do business with several major companies, so I’ll use one of them. Was just asking for recommendations to see if anyone stood out.

As for buying local, I refuse to buy a name when there are lots of vendors out there with great products that don’t have name recognition.

You'd think with this kind of experience, you'd be telling us what to buy. My popcorn ran out and I was waiting for someone else to make a suggestion. Guys like MM. He has some very nice uppers and rifles. He's been at this game far longer than I have. Like I said earlier, we've had discussions and threads on parts many times. You ever heard of "parts is parts"? A lot of guys will sit this one out because we know it just turns into an online brawl. For the most part, a lot of uppers you see are forged in the same place, or forged in one of about 3 or 4 different locations. Where quality comes from is when the manufactures get their hands on them and add the finishing touches. It depends on how critical they are with the inspection process of each individual part. Then it depends on how good their coating process is and how durable it is and how good it looks. Most uppers meet most peoples expectations, as most are termed "mil spec" and for a lot of guys, that is good enough. As for the guys just saying "Aero", there are many Aero's to choose from. You have the least desirable blemished uppers, then you have what they term "mil spec", then you have the ones with no forward assist, then lastly you have the venerable M4E1, which looks like a billet upper and is a little beefier than a standard aero upper. Probably the best option for doing an accuracy build. So, when you guys say "Aero", be a little more specific. They are not all the same in regards to shape and aesthetics. They will all work just fine though and at a bargain. The next one I want to hit on is BCM, which is very popular with the crowd here. I have one and it is ho hum to say the least. It for damn sure works, but the finish is garbage. To me, I base a product on how well it holds up and their finish does not hold up well. Will the receiver last a long time? Yeah it will and I'm sure it meets military spec. The use of heat to get the barrel extension in is interesting. Does it aide in accuracy? Yes, it helps in that regard, but you better have yourself a good heat gun and be prepared to heat the sob up to get that barrel in there. If you buy a BCM handguard, you'll have to heat that up as well, so be prepared. Good product, but no better than any cheap upper I have in the stable. At least in terms of finish durability. My least expensive upper (Rogue Defense) has a rock solid finish that holds up better and looks much nicer than the BCM. brassman, being from Oregon, you may have never heard of Rogue Defense, but they are manufactured a couple hundred miles from you in Milwaukee. Now that I've hit on the 2 popular brands everyone is regarding as the "best", or "quality" I'll add that for the most part, I have seen no difference between most other manufactures except for a brand or name on the side of them. If a little spider or an iron cross, or some name on the side of your receiver makes you happy, go for it. My favorite upper is one that no one here has heard of (as you say, "lots of vendors out there that have great products that don't have name recognition", this is one of them) and is also manufactured near by in Hubbard Oregon. It's built by a company called Northtech Defense. Fit and finish on these uppers are exceptional, and since they are billet, they are more rigid than a standard mil spec upper, beefed up in critical areas, which helps in maintaining consistent accuracy. Much like the VLTOR MUR. That is probably the next upper I am going to buy and try out, but it will say Noveske on it. I expect great things from that upper, as I know Noveske offers some great products. That's my experience on some uppers I have. Hope that helps. I also know some guys are going to cry that I bad mouthed their favorite BCM, but that is the way the cookie crumbles sometimes..

This.