Piston Upper Recommendations

[smith629]

After years of scraping carbon fouling off my bolts I'd like to try a piston upper for my next AR build. My goal is to build a patrol rifle, something short and nimble, and rugged and reliable. The plan is to have an A2 front sight and run an Aimpoint PRO optic. I'd also like to be able to mount a light on the forend, so perhaps a magpul stock is in order.

That said, what brand of completed upper would you guys recommend? Are piston uppers pretty reliable and generally well received now-a-days?

[FLIGHT762]

SIG 516. I love my upper. 100% reliable and it's a first generation upper, 1.5 MOA with good loads. The only thing I'll say is I would have preferred a mid length gas system the get a longer grip on a hand guard, but I can live without it.

The other upper I'd look at is the Stag Arms 8HT for a longer rail. https://www.stagarms.com/model-8ht-piston/

[Repr762]

Lwrc is amazing but pricey. I also own 3 Adams arms piston uppers and they are fantastic as well. They melonite(salt bath nitride) their barrels which gives higher velocities and better wear resistance than chrome lined barrels. Adams arms uppers run a lot cheaper than lwrc as well if you can pony up for an L Dub

[Steve_In_29]

While I have no personal experience with them you could look at the ARAK21 uppers for a multi-caliber option.

[calaveras]

I really like my Adams Arms upper. One item to note though: the cam pin absolutely will gouge the inside of the upper for a while, until it gets fully broken in. The gouging will get to a certain depth then stop. However, for the first two hundred rounds or so, I got quite a bit of short stroking and failures to lock back. I am positive this is because of the cam pin striking the upper.

Ultimately this problem doesn't really matter, after the rifle is broken in the gouge causes no functional problems. But you may want to buy one of the aftermarket rounded or roller pins if you are worried about it.

I would absolutely buy another Adams Arms upper. I have around 3000 rounds through mine now with no more problems; it has become a super reliable gun. And between the piston system and the melonited everything, cleaning is a breeze. The inside of my lower looks just like it did the day I assembled it. Compared to the other options out there, Adams Arms is priced very well too.

[Repr762]

My cam pin also gouged my adams arms uppers. Its no biggie and isnt a problem. I should have mentioned it before but it never effected functionlity for me. If you do go with Adams Arms make sure you use a standard carbine buffer and not an H or H2 as the upper is tuned for the lighter buffer from the factory. You may experience short stroking with too heavy a buffer.

[CrossedRifles]

I've owned 3 LWRCs, sold prematurely and ended up coming back every time.

I don't have any other experience with other gas pistons, other than the SCAR17, but they run so clean it's almost absurd how little residue / carbon buildup there is. Then you open up your direct impingement and gawk at how dirty it is after only 100 rounds.

[violentmouse]

Stag arms all the way. for one: lifetime warranty.

All you adams arms guys.... somehow justifying that a cam pin gouging an upper is in any way acceptable because it stops after it's totally ruined your upper is absolute insanity.

At the first sign of scraping or gouging I would have returned for full refund, especially considering that the upper was a complete unit and you didn't put it together yourself.

Don't go cheap, get stag or get metal shavings.

[Nocturnal-G]

I just finished my first build 30 minutes ago.

Went with an Adams Arms upper. Carbine length piston system.

And I don't believe the cam pin should gouge the upper.

[Crusader]

I recently bought my first piston AR - a Sig 516. I've put about 300 rounds through it so far and was really impressed with its accuracy. I have the Gen2 model which is apparently quite a bit better

[Quiet]

Leitner-Wise Mk VI gas-piston complete upper

Leitner-Wise will also do service work on any Leitner-Wise AR designed gas-piston system made by other manufacturers.
Why go with a clone (that is based off of a Gen 2 gas-piston system), instead of the original designer (who has improved it into Gen 6 gas-piston system)?

[Dumas1012]

If having an A2 sight is your requirement then the LWRC if not then PWS.

[thai562]

I went with Adams Arms conversion kit. Love it. No problem so far, no cam pin gouge that I can see. Relatively cheap to other kit. But cant have A2 sight.

[Nocturnal-G]

I went with Adams Arms conversion kit. Love it. No problem so far, no cam pin gouge that I can see. Relatively cheap to other kit. But cant have A2 sight.

Is there a benefit to the A2 sight? Just out of curiosity. Or is it mostly aesthetic?

[thai562]

Is there a benefit to the A2 sight? Just out of curiosity. Or is it mostly aesthetic?

In my case, there is no real benefit of having an A2 sight. I use a red dot most of the time for my AR and the A2 sight will just be in the way.
But I do have a flip up front sight which is a little expensive to find a good one, that could be negative.