AR for $340 Retail

[Rapier]

Saw this phenomonon in Tulsa at the show (upper) and in Vegas at New Frontier (lower).

A complete flat top A-3 upper (sans bolt group), mil spec all around, 5.56 chamber, with four rail free float handguard, low gas block w one rail, 1/2x28 thread w birdcage, 1-9 or 1-7 twist for $240. Bolt group, $100, Charging handle $14.

If you put the upper group together with a Polymer lower from New Frontier, for $100 you have a second AR for $340 (just switch bolt groups and charging handle) or a full blown stand alone AR for $454.

I was about 3 rows down from the folks selling the uppers in Tulsa and recognized the uppers from Las Vegas where I went to a little show south of town. It appears that the uppers are being made in Korea, China or the PI.

How do they work when put together? Well I examined a New Frontier Polymer lower test gun that had a reported 65,000 rounds through it, had been literally run over by a PU and given a fine powder dirt bath out in the NV desert, it functioned as new. The gun I have put together, a 1-9 version shoots .75 inches at 100. It has a pretty heavy trigger pull as the trigger and hammer are polymer. The metal finish is a bit rough for the bolt carrier but I expect that will wear smooth with a bit of function or I can just wear it with a fine stone if it gets to be a problem.

I have several good scopes to put on it but decided to stick an old cast off Bushnell 4x12x40 on top just to keep in the cheapo veign.

Now The question of the day, who are these folks selling the uppers, well one group was a bunch called Mic-Mak out of CA, but they have no contact info and have been written up as not real good business folks in the past, I understand the problems they had are gone now. The guy in Tulsa, I have no idea who he was although I bought a bolt assembly from him just to put up.

If you see these uppers look them over carefully and buy one if you can use it. Nothing fancy, plain mil spec steel bbl. But, mine shoots one ton better than an AK or SKS and when you get to this level in $ that is the comparison. If the bbl gets messed up, replace it with a better bbl for $100 to $150.
Ed