All posts tagged Colt upper receivers

What do you want in an AR15?

So many people have that itch to constantly modify their firearms, and there is nothing wrong with that, but the one thing that I have constantly seen happen on firing ranges, especially Carbine courses, is people simplifying their firearms and accessories.   The different between a 7lb Carbine and a 10lb Carbine is considerable and you really feel it at the end of the day.  Even the best shot will have trouble keeping up the consistency under stress and physical stress will always occur at some point in the field.  If  you think about it like this, if you had to use a firearm in your home and hold it in a ready position, a double stack 45acp is going to be hard to kept upright on a threat for very long. People with experience in  using firearms always trend towards simplicity.

The trend towards simplicity actually occurred almost 50yrs ago when the Army adopted the M16 and replace the M14.   That was the first major transition towards simplicity and a lighter firearm.   The AR15 complete upper receivers that we sell have very diverse applications.   Some are for designated marksmen applications with longer and usually heavier barrels and then some are for Patrol vehicles and are as short and light as possible.  Right now the Daniel Defense uppers that we sell win the lightest AR15 contest but it’s been too early for us to claim they are as tough as some of the others.

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Finding a gun case for your expensive Carbine

It always bothered me that guys would call off going to the range with me when there was the slightest chance of rain coming down because they didn’t want their gun to get wet.   It’s funny that someone would spend $2000 to get a combat worth rifle and then be afraid they might damage it if it gets rained on.  Most modern firearms can handle the rain and you better get use to the fact that rain isn’t going to ruin it.  If you had a wood stock on your rifle that might be another issue, but people can be far too protective of firearms when real operators know that firearm parts wear out.  Guns get scratched and things come loose and anyone that is that concerned about it probable doesn’t really have a spike in a fight anyway.

One thing that I don’t have a problem with is people getting good gun cases and protecting their guns and gear in storage.  Sometimes rifle optics can double the value of your guns, and some people upgrade their guns with new AR15 complete upper receivers that can further increase the value of a firearm.  Guns, especially M4 Carbines should be rugged and tough and getting good Magpul Accessories on it and tightening them with loctite is a way to prevent problems.   There are some really nice gun cases from Elite Survival Systems like the Covert Operations gun case that has velcro straps for locking down your optics and firearm securely.

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Too much to think about or lots to think about ?

After watching many Youtube videos about what is coming out in 2012 I was mostly bored out of my skull trying to understand why I would bother spending another $2000 for an AR15 that is slightly different than what I already own.   Sure there are improvements but spending $2000 on something that is 5% more of a gun than an AR15 that you already own doesn’t justify the cost.   I am a big proponent to upgrading what you have.   There was a really good article in Swat magazine years ago about improving what you already own and the small things you can do to improve your AR15.   Replace extractor springs, stake screws, lube your gun right and you’ve just improved your gun for less than $150.

If you are looking to make your Carbine a firearm that you can rely on, make sure you don’t over think the configuration and setup.   I understand why people spend $2000 on AR15 upper receivers that have folding front and rear sights, but if you have folding front sights keep in mind that you have one more step to getting your firearm up and running and that is something to seriously think about.   I am a firm believer that people need to adapt to weapons and gear and not always expect to adapt the firearm to them.  Fixed front sights have been around for a long time and I don’t think changing that another thing that needs to be folded or screwed on is worth the liability.

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Uppers and Lowers and endless modifications, what’s the answer?

The simple answer is get more guns.   The real problem I see with many people that tinker too much with firearms is that they can really mess stuff up.  I remember seeing this with guys that overly modified their 1911s and put springs in the guns that they should not have and they ended up with an accurate POS.   I don’t know how many times i’ve say behind a guy on the firing line that continuously informed me that his firearm was reliable but I’d watch them clear malfunctions all day and they would just blame the ammunition.

In my opinion, that is like watching a guy put tires on a car that are  not the same size and saying the only reason he crashed the car was because when he made the wide turn the tires that were not uniform made him loose control.   Well, stop messing around so much with your AR15 lower receivers and your AR15 upper receivers and make sure that once you get something that is reliable, stop screwing around with triggers and springs.   You are better off with multiple firearms that do different things than trying to push a firearm to do everything.  There is a trade off between reliability and accuracy and rarely does a firearm do both for very long.

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Push two pins and you’ve got a new firearms

Not only is the AR15 the most accessorized firearm there is, you can change the barrel lengths and even the calibers by pushing two pins out.  Sometimes a hammer spring or recoil spring needs to be replaced but that about it.   I would suggest that someone buy multiple uppers for one lower but the beauty of the AR15 is that if you want something else and are happy with most of what you own, you might just want a new  upper.  For instance if you are use to using an AR15 for self-defense or for training, but you want to do longer range shooting and are lucky enough to find a State where you can varmint hunt with an AR15, all you need is a different upper and you can reach out with a 20+ inch upper.

There are better calibers for varmint hunting but many people think that you need a 22/250 to hunt ground hogs or prairie dogs.   One nice thing about our AR15 complete upper receivers for sale at Rogue Elite is that you can practice hunting with your military style rifle.   You may have some adjustments to make to the stocks you are using especially if you are using larger optics, but once you’ve zeroed your scope in and if it’s properly mounted, you won’t have to sight it in again even if you pop out the lower.  Some upper receivers perform quite well even with shorter barrels.  My LWRC M6A2 16″ barrel is varmint accurate with the right ammo out to 400yds.

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Remember when everyone and an AR15A2?

Remember how long ago it was when an AR15 meant the long 20inch barrel and it was virtually impossible to find an M4 style firearm.   AR15 firearms have come a long way, both the upper receivers and the lowers.   Trying to find a firearm now that does not have staked parts or is not chrome plated is getting harder and harder.   Even the machining on bolt carriers has improved to the point that Direct Impingement firearms are 10xs more reliable than before.  All you have to do is pop the bolt carriers out of the guns and you can feel the difference.

Even the average AR15 now is a minute of angle firearm and can still run like a military rifle.   Barrel technology on your average AR15 upper receivers has doubled and tripled.   I have an LWRC M6A1 rifle that supposedly has a barrel life of about 7500rds but the newer ones are close to 20,000rds.   The bolt carrier group is a  one piece unit and there has been absolutely zero broken parts on it.   Hopefully the only things that will eventually where out anytime soon are the extractor and springs.  It’s always wise to keep some of the basic spare parts around no matter what AR15 you own.

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