upper build newbie questions

[1911vm]

I am not a  newbie to shooting But I have never build one my self and decided to try. first question that I never thought of. are upper receiver basically all the same? And the same question on bolts.

I am using stretch 16 barrel , BCM hand guard . 

I have also considered going the lightweight direction and just ordering all A2 armament but that gets costly and fast.

thanks

[Clint U66]

Regarding the upper receiver, yes, they are pretty much the same.  Of course some may be better than others from a quality standpoint (billet vs forged) and overall QC but you could probably go with a $49 upper vs. a $149 upper and not tell the difference.  

You'll probably find that everyone has a different opinion on who makes the best bolt.  I'll just say that whatever manufactures bolt you go with, make sure its headspaced correctly for the barrel you are using. 

[Snausages32]

I built my first AR just over a year ago, with some help from this forum.  It was a little intimidating at first, but it turned out to be pretty easy...  except for that damn roll pin on the bolt catch...  If you know how to take it apart to clean it, and put it back together, you can build one.  The only extra steps would be to install the gas block, gas tube, and insert a barrel into the receiver and tighten it down with the included parts.  

 

Also, make sure you have a GOOD set of punches.  

 

I'll echo the receiver statement, you won't notice a difference.  I picked one (aero precision) without the forward assist.  Saved almost a quarter of an ounce, haha.  Just thought it looked better, and I've never met anyone who's ever used a forward assist.

 

If you're going to build from scratch, start an excel spreadsheet, and cost everything out before you start buying things.

 

If you're going to use a lightweight bolt, you'll want an adjustable gas block to get the benefit of it.

[emjbe]

Although uppers are very similar, if you are looking for very pinpoint accuracy and you are planning to use a bipod you would want a stiff upper.   Take a look at this thread for info:

https://forum.snipershide.com/threads/accuracy-and-upper-receivers.6888138/.  It shows the amount of deflection that loading the bipod can impart on the  barrel to shift POI. Some people even tested by loading in the magwell and saw shift in POI.