AR uppers

Lazer32 said:
@Dane G I seriously considering going with the 6 ARC after all the recommendations. I might just buy one piece at a time until I have everything. I've learned that acquiring guns is a marathon not a sprint. Gotta pace myself...lol
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X-Caliber has several 20 or 30% off sales though out the year. No doubt they'll be having one shortly for the up coming holidays.
 
I never have and mine have shot MOA or better with decent ammo. The last one i put together was with a BCM upper receiver and they are thermal fit which eliminates the need for lapping. That said my previous upper receiver was from PSA, non-thermal fit, and not lapped and it shot MOA too. My impression on this is it's something only people who are trying to eke out every last ounce of precision they can and not really all that necessary. I hope that brownells video didn't cause more confusion than help šŸ˜
 
The video didn't cause any confusion. I know how it goes. When it comes to guns and reloading everyone takes a different approach. It seems that machining has improved a lot since these things first came into existence. Scope rings come to mind; I don't know anyone that laps scope rings but it might have been something my grandfather would have done and would probably still recommend.
 
Lazer32 said:
It seems that machining has improved a lot since these things first came into existence. Scope rings come to mind; I don't know anyone that laps scope rings but it might have been something my grandfather would have done and would probably still recommend.
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Well said. I couldn't agree more.
 
Lapping an upper can't hurt if done by a gunsmith. One less variable if it doesn't shoot. I've done all of mine and they all shoot very well. I'll skip the interweb bragging but they are very accurate.
 
Have my second bear creek side charger on the way. 1st was a 16" 1:7 5.56, this is a 20" stainless 1:8 6.5 grendel. Gonna use it for deer, id like to go on a hog hunt and might try taking a few coyotes with it at night. Others are saying the 6.5 varmit bullets are dropping coyotes almost instantly... mainly the complete upper was $220.
 
Here are the specs for the barrel I bought.
Configure Your Custom AR-15 Barrel
Barrel Steel: 416R Stainless Steel
AR Barrel Length: 18"
Caliber & Twist Rate: .219/.224 1:7 Twist 6 Groove
AR 15 Chambers: 22 ARC
AR Gas System: Rifle Length
Gas Block Journal (Length): 1" Long Gas Block Journal
Gas Port Options: Will Use Adjustable Gas Block (Slightly Oversized Port)
AR 15 Contours: Light Weight .980, .700, .875(step)/.750GB, .700 (Up to 20")
AR Muzzle / Crown: 1/2"x28 Threads (.20-.224), 11Ā° Crown
Finish: Matte (media blasted) [+$15.00]
Omit X-Caliber Logo?: Please DO NOT engrave X-Caliber Logo on this line-item.

Pretty excited to start this upper build. It will be my first one, hope it's a shooter.
 
I ended up going 22 ARC, only because of I have a 22 suppressor that I run on an 223 AR. I will probably end up getting a 6 ARC upper but I would like to have a suppressor that would work with it.
 
Lazer32 said:
I bought everything else I needed for the upper. Now I just need a torque wrench and some free time.
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Personally, I don't think a torque wrench is a necessity. There's wide range of acceptable torque values for the barrel nut.
 
alf said:
Personally, I don't think a torque wrench is a necessity. There's wide range of acceptable torque values for the barrel nut.
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I put my last AR barrel on by getting it tight, backing it off, then tightening it up again. Anyone else just throw on the barrel without a torque wrench?
 
First time you tighten the nut is to 'even out' any bad threads. Then get final torque to seat it properly. You are bolting steel into aluminum - need to smooth the aluminum.
 
popper43 said:
First time you tighten the nut is to 'even out' any bad threads. Then get final torque to seat it properly. You are bolting steel into aluminum - need to smooth the aluminum.
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It's my understanding that the bolts head space off the inside of barrel, the threads merely hold everything together. You can't just hand tighten them, but no need to use a certified torque wrench either. The German spec is "guentight" or 2 "ugh's".
 
You want to make sure the barrel is properly tightened to the upper as the upper has the sights. You can hand tighten lug nuts too, but not enough and they come off, too much and the studs break.
Edit: doesn't need to be a specific value, usually someplace around 30-40 ft-#. You want to pre-load the threads but not strip them. Aluminum shrinks a lot at low temp.
 
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Lazer32 said:
I don't think my brain could let me put it on and not know the torque value...lol.
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My 1st three uppers I built were with the Seekins hand guard, & really no way to use a torque wrench on the 1 /1/4" barrel nut. So I just leaned into it a bit & called it a day.

I replaced all 3 of those a while back, & the new hand guards came with a wrench & I had a torque wrench anyway. Directions said to set your wrench to 35 and see where the hole lines up for the gas tube, & the picatinnies line up. Keep tightening from there till they do, & call it a day. I believe I was around 65 to get it right. So evidently they feel 35 for the minimum is A OK, which isn't much really.
 
Yeah it's a fairly recent thing to have barrel nuts that can be torqued to a specific, perfect value, and most of mine don't fall into that category as they have to have the gas tube hole lined up like Alf said. So a torque wrench in that scenario is pointless. I've had to really bear down on a few to get to the next hole. That said I do like the new system with no gas tube holes a lot better. I'm just too cheap to go through and replace all my current ones unless I need mlok slots.
 
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