another "which upper?" thread

[Wicked K5]

Well my first AR build will soon be completed. I've been cleared to spend *about $500 on an upper. I say about cuz I can go a little over but that will put me in a monetary bing with other accessories like a range bag, cleaning supplies, rear sight, & ammo.

So now I call on you calgunners to help me decide on a decent upper. My build is basically a KISS/budget plinker build. I plan on adding a free float 4 rail and an optic down the road, but for now I'll be shooting irons.

So here's what I've narrowed it down to, from low end (to allow me to get more accessories) to high end (to break my budget and make me save longer)

JSE with options
BCM
Spikes
Armalite
Stag

I plan on shooting lighter bullets. Are the more commonly desired 1:7 twist uppers I've chosen gonna have a seriously negative affect on accuracy? I may rarely shoot beyond 100 yards.

[cmace22]

From that list I would go with BCM. But if you just want a plinker you cant go wrong with Stag.

[LloydXmas250]

A 1:7 twist is a little fast for a light load. My guess is you'll primarily shoot 55grns and those do well with a 1:9 twist. I have a Stag and have no complaints. It makes me look more accurate than I am.

[paintballdad]

From reading a lot of post around here, you'll probably get a lot of suggestions for the BCM. Great uppers and ended up ordering one for my first build. The Spike's are spec'd pretty close to the BCMs and with the $50 off coupon code (MIDLEUP,) it's a pretty good deal.

By the way, the Spike's come with handguards and their ST-T2 buffer. You would still need to get handguards for the BCM which would run you about $20 more.

[Wicked K5]

The twist rate was my main concern with BCM and Spikes. It would be nice to also have the piece of mind features like MPI testing and better barrel material, but if the 1:7 isn't gonna work well with the cheaper 55 gr bullets, then JSE might be the one I'm leaning towards. I sent them a PM for pricing on a semi custom setup. It's all a matter of whether or not they'd be willing to put it together in my desired configuation.

[bombadillo]

How light is light for the bullets you want to shoot. My reason I ask this is that if you're going to be varmint shooting or something with it, get a gun more dedicated to it. Maybe a Coyote gun from RRA would suit your needs. They have a 1:8 twist, are a more versatile chamber for just about anything, and still fairly lightweight. If you're going the military look, then I'd either go BCM on your list (Hands down the best thing you've got going on your list there) or a Riflegear.com upper here: http://riflegear.com/p-752-riflegear...ete-upper.aspx That would be a really solid upper for you.

[cmace22]

The twist rate was my main concern with BCM and Spikes. It would be nice to also have the piece of mind features like MPI testing and better barrel material, but if the 1:7 isn't gonna work well with the cheaper 55 gr bullets, then JSE might be the one I'm leaning towards. I sent them a PM for pricing on a semi custom setup. It's all a matter of whether or not they'd be willing to put it together in my desired configuation.

Ive never had an issue with 55gr and 1/7. It wont be a .25 MOA rifle but plenty good for Minute of Man and plinking.

[bombadillo]

You can always get mil surp 69 gr steel tip bullets that will probably shoot a bit better than your standard PMC or anything like that.

[Wicked K5]

Ive never had an issue with 55gr and 1/7. It wont be a .25 MOA rifle but plenty good for Minute of Man and plinking.

Would something like 4-5 MOA be too much to expect from 55 grains out of a 1:7 twist? I'd like my setup to be able to hit COM on a human size target from 100 yards.

[gun toting monkeyboy]

1-7 twist will handle 55 grain bullets just fine. You run into issues with bullets lighter than 55 grains though. Some of the 40-50 grain varmint bullets can come apart in flight from a combination of thin bullet jackets and torque. But 55 grain bullets will function just fine. If you don't mind giving up some of the heavier bullets (69+ grains) and the current military tracers (not normally an issue here), you can go with 1 in 9 twist instead. Those can shoot the lighter bullets just fine. As for price and quality, that BCM summer sale is pretty hard to beat. I even picked up a mid-length upper from them. You could also cruise the for sale section on here and arf.com for a used upper.

[dfletcher]

Would something like 4-5 MOA be too much to expect from 55 grains out of a 1:7 twist? I'd like my setup to be able to hit COM on a human size target from 100 yards.

I would think a 2 MOA would be fairly easy to accomplish - if you're doing 4 to 5 MOA I'd say you have an issue. But I'd think the common 1 - 9 will do well with anything less than 69 grains.

For $275.00 plus the cost of a BCG, this DSA is a pretty good deal, I think:

http://www.dsarms.com/DSA-ZM4-Forged-7075T6-A3-AR15-Upper-Receiver---DSZM4CBU/productinfo/DSZM4CBU/

[Jpach]

Would something like 4-5 MOA be too much to expect from 55 grains out of a 1:7 twist? I'd like my setup to be able to hit COM on a human size target from 100 yards.

Not at all. Not sure where people ge the idea that shooting 55gr in 1:7 barrels will be inaccurate. Its stabilized so its good to go brotha. As others have said, theres only problems with lighter varmint bullets but thats because their jackets are so thin that the bullets will end up disintegrating.

[Wicked K5]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I just got off the phone with Nick at JSE and he informed me that he can build my desired setup right at the limits of my budget. Now I got a tough decision to make...

[mydogsmonkey]

BCM!

[perpetual otter]

BCM! The sale right now is amazing.