One thing about AR shooters – they love to take ownership of their craft. They perhaps more than any other shooters like to actually build their platforms from the ground up.
Well, sort of – for some tinkerers, building with an assembled upper receiver is the better, faster, more convenient choice.
With that said, there are some reasons for building with an assembled upper, which comes with most of the upper components (if not all) that you need to mate to a lower to build a functioning rifle.
Here are 3 of the best of them.
Save Time
If you build with an assembled upper, it’s all but guaranteed to save you time. An assembled upper, also known as a complete upper, will come with a stripped upper, a barrel, a handguard, a gas system, and will usually also come with a muzzle device, charging handle, ejection port cover, and forward assist. A complete upper will also come with a bolt carrier group.
As you might assume, all you need to do is mate the upper to a ready lower and you’re ready to hit the range.
Save Money
This one’s a bit of a toss up, because if you’re a smart shopper you might be able to save money by building piecemeal, but at the same time, buying a bundle (that is, a complete upper) can probably save you over all of the components. So it might be the economical choice to complete your project with an assembled upper.
Guaranteed Compatibility
This one’s a big one. If you’re not as savvy as a gunsmith, it might be a bit tough to make sure all the parts you’re going to buy are going to work nicely together. It’s easy to buy gun parts; it’s not easy to buy gun parts that are all compatible.
And on top of that, sometimes this goes deeper than mere compatibility. For instance, you could buy a short 5.56 barrel that technically works with your upper, but has the wrong rate of twist. These fine details are better addressed by getting an assembled upper.
When Is an Assembled Upper Not the Answer?
Now that we’ve made a strong case for building with an assembled upper, let’s take a step back and look at some conditions that might suggest the opposite. For some builders, spec’ing out a stripped upper with piecemeal parts might be the better way to go.
When You Want Full Control Over Customization
If you love swapping out parts, color-customizing, or personalizing your rifle, then in most situations an assembled upper is not going to be the better bet. Then again, there are some attractive assembled uppers out there – so you just might need to do your shopping smart.
When Tinkering Is Your Thing
For those of you that simply enjoy putting things together, you will be detracting from the experience when you complete the build with an assembled upper.
When You Need to Fine Tune Performance and You’re Not in a Rush
Lastly and by far most importantly, building with parts, piecemeal, is the best way to build a rifle if you are concerned about performance. Choosing a BCG with a custom finish, an adjustable gas system, a specific muzzle device – these are just a few of the things you can easily swap out when building from scratch. Granted, you could just upgrade an assembled upper later, but then you’ll spend twice as much if not more.
Where to Find Stripped and Assembled Uppers
Interested in exploring a wide catalog of assembled uppers and parts? Visit MCS Gearup. They carry build kits and parts for ARs, along with mil-spec parts, short barrel rifle kits and AR-15 uppers for pistol builds. Visit their website to learn more or contact them at [email protected].
