Recommend to me some AR Uppers please

[Garet Jax]

There are several uppers for sale in the Classified section here...

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Thanks - took a look and didn't find anything compelling.

 

[Garet Jax]

Thanks folks. I ended up going with the NBS handguard based on the 485 reviews (99% were 4 or 5 stars). I am a little worried it won't go together too well. I also got the BCM barrel and Larue trigger so wanted to save some money on other pieces. I ended up deciding to try the NBS upper to go with the Aero lower. I will report back when I get everything and see how it all goes together.

Here is the list of prods I ended up buying:

1) Aero Blem Lower - bought in August 2013. $75
2) TOOLCRAFT NON-LOGOED PREMIUM 5.56 NICKEL BORON BCG WITH CARPENTER 158 BOLT $80
3) BCM Gunfighter Charging Handle (Model: 5.56mm / MOD3B) $40
4) NBS AR-15 Assembled Upper Receiver $60
5) NBS 15" Free Float M-LOK Handguard $57
6) NBS Anti Rotation Pin $1
7) Aero Precision AR-15 MOE Lower Parts Kit Minus FCG $43
8) UTG PRO 6-Position Mil-Spec Stock Assembly $50
9) LaRue Tactical MBT-2S Trigger $80
10) Aero Precision .625" Adjustable Low Profile Gas Block $40
11) Expo Arms Mid-Length Gas Tube - Stainless Steel $8
12) BCM BFH 5.56 NATO 1:7 Mid-Length ELW AR-15 Barrel - Stripped .625 - 16" $290

For a total of $824 + some shipping and taxes.

Just in case, I also bought an Aero Assembled Upper Receiver. Wasn't sure if it was better to match the upper and lower or the upper and handguard. Also wasn't sure the NBS anti rotation pin would fit in the Aero upper. From what I have been reading, fitment is likely to be an issue so having an extra upper gives me some flexibility.

I figure I have 5 other lowers so I will use the extra upper at some point.

I am going to be watching the Del-Ton at MidsouthSS waiting for it to drop in price.

I decided against the Larue upper because at $750, I still needed to buy $150 of lower stuff and I already own CHs and BCGs. I thought of returning/selling 1 of each of them, but decided not to. I was also concerned that the barrel expectancy was 10,000 rounds - seemed like a lot to spend for that. I may go this route for one of the lowers in the future.

If I could have found the non-BFH BCM barrel for $100 cheaper, I would have bought that instead. If I remember correctly, I found it in stock for at most $50 less than the BFH and that wasn't enough value for me.

I also picked up the Aeroshell grease since it's one of the few things everyone agreed on.

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

Just in case, I also bought an Aero Assembled Upper Receiver. Wasn't sure if it was better to match the upper and lower or the upper and handguard. Also wasn't sure the NBS anti rotation pin would fit in the Aero upper. From what I have been reading, fitment is likely to be an issue so having an extra upper gives me some flexibility.

Use the Aero upper over the NBS, all day long. NBS is fine for non critical components (handguard for example), but you want the upper to be in spec. I have only worked with one NBS upper, and it was badly out of spec. Main issue was the feed ramps. You may get one that's perfectly fine, but I'd trust an Aero upper much more. Worth noting that the NBS upper was bought at the height of the covid craze, so QC may have dropped. I'd still use the Aero first.

The NBS handguard anti rotation pin will fit both uppers.

Matching branded upper and lowers is a myth. The only time there is a benefit, is when the folks will physically match the upper and the lower together that has the best fit (SOLGW does this). Also, super tight upper/lower fit is an overexaggerated issue. Don't worry too much about it.

I also would have considered spending $5 more for a more reputable gas tube. As said before, brands like Expo arms are fine for non critical stuff, but your gas tube should come from a source with trusted QC. Expo arms is not that.

 

[Garet Jax]

Use the Aero upper over the NBS, all day long. NBS is fine for non critical components (handguard for example), but you want the upper to be in spec. I have only worked with one NBS upper, and it was badly out of spec. Main issue was the feed ramps. You may get one that's perfectly fine, but I'd trust an Aero upper much more.

The NBS handguard anti rotation pin will fit both uppers.

Matching branded upper and lowers is a myth. The only time there is a benefit, is when the folks will physically match the upper and the lower together that has the best fit (SOLGW does this). Also, super tight upper/lower fit is an overexaggerated issue. Don't worry too much about it.

I also would have considered spending $5 more for a more reputable gas tube. As said before, brands like Expo arms are fine for non critical stuff, but your gas tube should come from a source with trusted QC. Expo arms is not that.

How did you figure that out?

Interesting - didn't do that to save money. As I recall, it was an "add on" recommended from the website. Might just buy another one and compare the two when they arrive. Could compare length and volume.

Anything else you look at wonder WTF was he doing?

Was a little worried the carbine buffer wouldn't be heavy enough so I bought the adjustable gas block - not that I have any clue on how to determine the right volume of gas to let through. LOL

 

[SkiPatrolDude]

How did you figure that out?

Interesting - didn't do that to save money. As I recall, it was an "add on" recommended from the website. Might just buy another one and compare the two when they arrive. Could compare length and volume.

Anything else you look at wonder WTF was he doing?

Was a little worried the carbine buffer wouldn't be heavy enough so I bought the adjustable gas block - not that I have any clue on how to determine the right volume of gas to let through. LOL

I was assembling multiple uppers, so I had 3 barrels (2 Ballistic Advantage, 1 Criterion), 1 BCM Upper, 1 Aero Upper, and 1 NBS upper. Test fitting the barrels revealed that the feed ramps were badly misaligned on the NBS upper, to the point where I am 100% certain it would have resulted in feeding issues. All other combinations of barrels and uppers (the BCM and the Aero), were totally fine.

The anodizing on the NBS was also noticeably lower quality.

Unless you have precise measuring equipment (calipers), you will unlikely be able to compare the gas tubes. This is why you should just buy from a reputable shop where they are known to measure and verify QC.

Overall, you got a nice build. Get a better gas tube for sure though, and make sure it comes with a roll pin. BCM are my go to tubes, but even an Aero tube would be better most likely. Nickle boron sure is easy to clean, though.

To me, there's value in doing things right the first time. I think we'd all rather you have a rifle that runs well out of the gate, rather than you starting another thread titled: "my build is having issues, what now?"

I don't care for Nickle Boron carriers. They seem to have the most issues with the gas key coming loose. It's not an issue with all of them, though. But that said, I only run phosphate, chrome lined carriers. Toolcraft is generally decent stuff.

 

[wtaboas]

Thanks - took a look and didn't find anything compelling.

Are NBS uppers worth the price