Semi-precision upper

[np307]

Looking for a little help wading through all the manufacturers and options currently out there. I'm looking to buy (or if yall say building is a much better option I'm not opposed to building) an upper for range use and possibly some hunting use. I currently shoot my 30-06 bolt gun out to 600 but ammo is pretty expensive even handloading. I also have no problems using my current AR hunting under 100 yards but it's a short barrel with red dot.

So here's what I know I want:
.223/5.56 chamber
18-20" barrel
1:7 twist
At least 1.5 MOA accuracy (obviously load dependent)

ideally I'd like a stainless barrel and 1 MOA but those aren't deal breakers.

So what recommendations do yall have?

 

[Tim]

1.5MOA is easily achievable with an AR.

I’d go with an 18” heavy stainless in .223 Wylde (.223 or 5.56) chamber though.

I went with an Odin Works barrel for this purpose. With 77gr ammo, I’m 1MOA or better.

Equally important will be the trigger. For precision work I still like the 2 stage triggers from Geissele. But there is plenty of competition out there.

 

[11B CIB]

Budget? That’ll depend heavily on the answer

The upper on my competition rifle is a Rainier Arms forged receiver with trued face, a Proof Research 20” stainless 1:7 rifle gas with 15” Geissele Mk14. Definitely not the cheapest setup especially in the barrel alone

I’ve got a 16” Rainier Arms ultramatch barrel from a Shilen blank that’s fantastic; accuracy is phenomenal for a 16” and fortunately I bought a matching barrel since they went a different direction with their Mod2’s so both of mine are from Shilen blanks

I’ve got a Criterion CORE hybrid barrel that isn’t a “match” barrel per se but given the accuracy it’s putting out, I imagine one of their HBARs or precision oriented barrels would be hard to beat for the price

There are other solid barrel brands of what I’d consider precision that aren’t bank breakers:
Criterion, Rainier Arms, White Oak, Centurion…there’s plenty more good ones out there but budget really plays a part in deciding

 

[np307]

1.5MOA is easily achievable with an AR.

I’d go with a .223 Wylde (.223 or 5.56) chamber though.

I went with an Odin Works barrel for this purpose. With 77gr ammo, I’m 1MOA or better.

Equally important will be the trigger. For precision work I still like the 2 stage triggers from Geissele. But there is plenty of competition out there.

.223 wylde, I knew there was a third option. Been a long time since I looked at any technical info on ARs. I figured 1.5 MOA would be easy but I just used that as an absolute maximum. 77gr TMKs is what I'm hoping to load for it. You loading 77s yourself or using factory ammo?

 

[np307]

Budget? That’ll depend heavily on the answer

The upper on my competition rifle is a Rainier Arms forged receiver with trued face, a Proof Research 20” stainless 1:7 rifle gas with 15” Geissele Mk14. Definitely not the cheapest setup especially in the barrel alone

I’ve got a 16” Rainier Arms ultramatch barrel from a Shilen blank that’s fantastic; accuracy is phenomenal for a 16” and fortunately I bought a matching barrel since they went a different direction with their Mod2’s so both of mine are from Shilen blanks

I’ve got a Criterion CORE hybrid barrel that isn’t a “match” barrel per se but given the accuracy it’s putting out, I imagine one of their HBARs or precision oriented barrels would be hard to beat for the price

There are other solid barrel brands of what I’d consider precision that aren’t bank breakers:
Criterion, Rainier Arms, White Oak, Centurion…there’s plenty more good ones out there but budget really plays a part in deciding

Under $500 for the upper would be great. I literally haven't priced these things in years so feel free to tell me thats way off.

 

[Cole_McD]

Under $500 for the upper would be great. I literally haven't priced these things in years so feel free to tell me thats way off.

At that price point I'd recommend a BA barrel/upper. Probably the 18" stainless fluted?

18

18

www.ballisticadvantage.com

 

[1075tech]

You should be able to build a sub-MOA upper for your budget (minus glass of course) or close to it.

https://bkingsfirearms.com/?s=Ballistic+advantage+&post_type=product Get a 16 or 18" with a mid or rifle length gas system.

Clamp-on adjustable gas block

And free float handguard.

True the upper and bed the barrel and gas block.

 

[11B CIB]

The upper receiver itself is easy; something of solid, known quality but not out of the ballpark: Aero, BCM, Rainier

I don’t know if Ballistic Advantage barrels still carry the accuracy they were known for originally. Others might be able to chime in there

I prefer a set screw adjustable gas block so you can fine tune how much gas is going through the system. You can get a smooth shooting rifle this way.

I started off the match/precision road with a barrel similar to this and it shot extremely well for me:

18” Rainier Arms select barrel (rifle gas)

• Stainless Steel Match Grade Blank
• Twist: 1:7
• Thread Pitch: 1/2 X 28
• .750 Gas Block Seat
• 5.56 NATO Chamber
• 5 groove polygonal rifling
• M4 Feed Ramps
• Proprietary Contour
• Nitride Finish

Rainier Arms Select 5.56 NATO Barrel

Rainier Arms Select 5.56 NATO Barrel Many have asked us to build a barrel with the same workmanship as our Match barrels while keeping it more affordable. We are able to reach our goal by sourcing a very high end barrel blank at an affordable price. We st

www.rainierarms.com

The other main thing would be the rail itself. I really like how solid a Geissele Mk14rail is but they’re not cheap.

Another solid one would be the 15” Aero R-One. The longer the barrel, the longer the rail you typically will want

Aero Precision AR-15 Atlas R-ONE M-LOK Handguard - 15\\\

Aero Precision AR-15 Atlas R-ONE M-LOK Handguard - 15\

www.rainierarms.com

RA BCG (I’ve got a few of these and like them so I threw it in but obviously this part can be preference for coating, brand etc)

Rainier Arms AR-15 Precision Match Grade BCG - Nitride

Rainier Arms AR-15 Precision Match Grade BCG - Nitride The Rainier Arms Precision Match Grade Phosphate BCG - 5.56 Nitride is machined and finished to a higher standard to meet and exceed all Mil Spec. It is machined using the most precise equipment in th

www.rainierarms.com

Superlative Arms block & tube

Superlative Arms Adjustable Gas Block Bleed Off (Solid) - Melonite

Superlative Arms Adjustable Gas Block Bleed Off (Solid) - Melonite The Superlative Arms Patented “Bleed Off”, direct impingement, gas block for the AR-15/AR-10/LR-308 platform adjusts the gas flow by bleeding the gas out of the front of the block instead

www.rainierarms.com

And finally muzzle device. If you run a can, you may have that in mind already but if not, you may want a muzzle device that helps reduce recoil and muzzle rise in order to assist with accurate follow up shots

I kinda broke the budget but I don’t think you’d be left wanting down the road with the larger main components in here and nothing is more expensive than trying to build cheap if you’ve got to spend the money redoing something. And again these aren’t the end all be all selections, it’s more about WHY the parts are decided upon.

 

[np307]

The upper receiver itself is easy; something of solid, known quality but not out of the ballpark: Aero, BCM, Rainier

I don’t know if Ballistic Advantage barrels still carry the accuracy they were known for originally. Others might be able to chime in there

I prefer a set screw adjustable gas block so you can fine tune how much gas is going through the system. You can get a smooth shooting rifle this way.

I started off the match/precision road with a barrel similar to this and it shot extremely well for me:

18” Rainier Arms select barrel (rifle gas)

• Stainless Steel Match Grade Blank
• Twist: 1:7
• Thread Pitch: 1/2 X 28
• .750 Gas Block Seat
• 5.56 NATO Chamber
• 5 groove polygonal rifling
• M4 Feed Ramps
• Proprietary Contour
• Nitride Finish

Rainier Arms Select 5.56 NATO Barrel

Rainier Arms Select 5.56 NATO Barrel Many have asked us to build a barrel with the same workmanship as our Match barrels while keeping it more affordable. We are able to reach our goal by sourcing a very high end barrel blank at an affordable price. We st

www.rainierarms.com

The other main thing would be the rail itself. I really like how solid a Geissele Mk14rail is but they’re not cheap.

Another solid one would be the 15” Aero R-One. The longer the barrel, the longer the rail you typically will want

Aero Precision AR-15 Atlas R-ONE M-LOK Handguard - 15\\\

Aero Precision AR-15 Atlas R-ONE M-LOK Handguard - 15\

www.rainierarms.com

RA BCG (I’ve got a few of these and like them so I threw it in but obviously this part can be preference for coating, brand etc)

Rainier Arms AR-15 Precision Match Grade BCG - Nitride

Rainier Arms AR-15 Precision Match Grade BCG - Nitride The Rainier Arms Precision Match Grade Phosphate BCG - 5.56 Nitride is machined and finished to a higher standard to meet and exceed all Mil Spec. It is machined using the most precise equipment in th

www.rainierarms.com

Superlative Arms block & tube

Superlative Arms Adjustable Gas Block Bleed Off (Solid) - Melonite

Superlative Arms Adjustable Gas Block Bleed Off (Solid) - Melonite The Superlative Arms Patented “Bleed Off”, direct impingement, gas block for the AR-15/AR-10/LR-308 platform adjusts the gas flow by bleeding the gas out of the front of the block instead

www.rainierarms.com

And finally muzzle device. If you run a can, you may have that in mind already but if not, you may want a muzzle device that helps reduce recoil and muzzle rise in order to assist with accurate follow up shots

I kinda broke the budget but I don’t think you’d be left wanting down the road with the larger main components in here and nothing is more expensive than trying to build cheap if you’ve got to spend the money redoing something. And again these aren’t the end all be all selections, it’s more about WHY the parts are decided upon.

Very helpful, thank you. The only bad part about breaking the budget is it starts to put me into the territory of what I can get a Tikka bolt gun for and I'm not married to the idea of this .223 gun being an AR. But you've definitely given me enough info to start pricing out some options and seeing what I want to do.