New AR15 build

Bullfrog21 · January 16, 2018, 11:25 AM

Is this upper any Good? http://karrisguns.com/kg-defender-El...er-bundle.aspx

Can't find much on the company

TrueBlue711 · January 16, 2018, 11:47 AM

Never head of them, but looks like they just put together parts from other companies. Ballistic Advantage barrel, Rise Armament trigger, etc. Looks like a good deal though. Could be a diamond in the rough, who knows.
I hear good things about Ballistic Advantage though. And their statement saying they're guaranteed to be sub MOA with match ammo is a bold one. I wonder if it's a money back guarantee...

rickyrick · January 16, 2018, 02:40 PM

Looks like a decent barrel paired with a light trigger and a decent hand guard. The rest of the parts are unknown, but probably ok.
Not bad priced.
Have a couple of BA barrels and they are pretty good.

Bullfrog21 · January 16, 2018, 04:15 PM

If I paired it with a toolcraft nickel boron bcg do you think it would be a pretty solid rifle? I'm also looking at aero precision and sionic uppers. Also watching for PSA's premium CHF stuff. Do you have any suggestions for a AR15 build? preferably a built upper I can build the lower

rickyrick · January 16, 2018, 06:22 PM

Nitrided bolts like the one in the link are popular now. The one in the link it’s probably a good bcg, but they don’t list the source.

Aero Precision is my favorite, they have BA barrels, because they own them. PSA CHF barrels are good to go, but BA is probably a little better.

We are talking about differences that probably would go unnoticed by the average person, me included.

If you have a specific setup in mind, don’t settle because you’ll end up swapping components later anyway.

odugrad · January 17, 2018, 09:36 AM

If you have to ask if something is any good, I would avoid it. There's too many options out there at great price points to risk money on something with an unknown track record.

Kvon2 · January 17, 2018, 09:42 AM

As others have said it looks like you should be good to go but once you add the cost of a lower you're likely over $500 and for that same price you have a lot of options.

Bullfrog21 · January 17, 2018, 06:10 PM

I already have a stripped lower. My budget for a upper/LPK is $500 what else would you suggest I look into

Kvon2 · January 17, 2018, 07:44 PM

Browse the sales. Stag arms, PSA, bear creek, lots of others. There are always sales these days.

DubC-Hicks · January 17, 2018, 08:12 PM

http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-1...516446780.html

Here's another good option. Would likely be the way I'd go if I didn't want to assemble my own upper.

rickyrick · January 17, 2018, 09:06 PM

PSA rifle kits are just fine.

That’s what My first AR was

Nathan · January 18, 2018, 06:45 AM

It looks pretty good to me. Barrel and trigger are top notch. Not sure about the rest...I would call.

Bullfrog21 · January 18, 2018, 10:22 AM

Yeah I asked where they source the BGC and handguards from but they said they make them. I think I'll just buy it and get a toolcraft bcg. Would you guys recommend nickel boron vs nitride and stuff? It's only like a $10 difference

Mobuck · January 18, 2018, 10:29 AM

" Would you guys recommend nickel boron vs nitride and stuff? It's only like a $10 difference"
I have a nickel boron BCG in one of my suppressor host AR's. It's easy to clean-basically just wipe it off. As far as longevity? Don't know as I don't shoot that many rounds thru it.

jad0110 · January 20, 2018, 09:07 AM

I can only speak for the Aero Precision upper - excellent, I'll definitely go with them again for my next AR. I did get the one without the Forward Assist - saves something like 3 to 6 oz of mass and my objective was to build a sub 6 lb carbine (including the weight of optics, sights, sling and light). The absence of a FA comes with the added bonus of not having as much crap getting in the way of running the charging handle ... nice! But to each his own.

You haven't mentioned the barrel. Depending on what you plan to do with the gun, the barrel is probably the single most critical component. For a lightweight, fast handling carbine a 14.5" (with a welded on muzzle device to meet the 16" min length) to 18" pencil barrel is probably a good bet. From someone like Faxon as an example, whose barrels are stress relieved so that your zero does not wander as much as the barrel heats up - other manufacturers have similar offerings, I can't think of them at the moment. Thicker barrels have their place too, especially if you plan to do 3+ mag dumps in a row. But for most folks building a general purpose AR (especially a 16" or so length) that won't be used to simulate a SAW or launch grenades, a pencil profile barrel from a manufacturer that stress relieves their barrels (only important if you want to maintain a higher degree of precision as the barrel heats up) is a good way to go. Also, a good quality barrel should probably be paired with free floating.

And then of course that gets into CAR vs mid length vs rifle length gas systems.

rickyrick · January 20, 2018, 03:51 PM

Saying that they make them can just mean that they paid someone to make the components for them. If they were proud of the source of the BCGs, they’d announce it

January 16, 2018, 11:25 AM	#1
Bullfrog21 Junior Member Join Date: January 15, 2018 Posts: 4	New AR15 build Is this upper any Good? http://karrisguns.com/kg-defender-El...er-bundle.aspx Can't find much on the company

January 17, 2018, 08:12 PM	#10
DubC-Hicks Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2009 Location: Backwoods, Northern MI Posts: 1,031	http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-1...516446780.html Here's another good option. Would likely be the way I'd go if I didn't want to assemble my own upper. __________________ ”Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.” ~Unknown

January 20, 2018, 09:07 AM	#15
jad0110 Senior Member Join Date: May 30, 2007 Posts: 761	I can only speak for the Aero Precision upper - excellent, I'll definitely go with them again for my next AR. I did get the one without the Forward Assist - saves something like 3 to 6 oz of mass and my objective was to build a sub 6 lb carbine (including the weight of optics, sights, sling and light). The absence of a FA comes with the added bonus of not having as much crap getting in the way of running the charging handle ... nice! But to each his own. You haven't mentioned the barrel. Depending on what you plan to do with the gun, the barrel is probably the single most critical component. For a lightweight, fast handling carbine a 14.5" (with a welded on muzzle device to meet the 16" min length) to 18" pencil barrel is probably a good bet. From someone like Faxon as an example, whose barrels are stress relieved so that your zero does not wander as much as the barrel heats up - other manufacturers have similar offerings, I can't think of them at the moment. Thicker barrels have their place too, especially if you plan to do 3+ mag dumps in a row. But for most folks building a general purpose AR (especially a 16" or so length) that won't be used to simulate a SAW or launch grenades, a pencil profile barrel from a manufacturer that stress relieves their barrels (only important if you want to maintain a higher degree of precision as the barrel heats up) is a good way to go. Also, a good quality barrel should probably be paired with free floating. And then of course that gets into CAR vs mid length vs rifle length gas systems. Last edited by jad0110; January 20, 2018 at 09:16 AM.

January 16, 2018, 11:47 AM	#2
TrueBlue711 Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2011 Posts: 489	Never head of them, but looks like they just put together parts from other companies. Ballistic Advantage barrel, Rise Armament trigger, etc. Looks like a good deal though. Could be a diamond in the rough, who knows. I hear good things about Ballistic Advantage though. And their statement saying they're guaranteed to be sub MOA with match ammo is a bold one. I wonder if it's a money back guarantee...

January 16, 2018, 02:40 PM	#3
rickyrick Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2010 Posts: 8,236	Looks like a decent barrel paired with a light trigger and a decent hand guard. The rest of the parts are unknown, but probably ok. Not bad priced. Have a couple of BA barrels and they are pretty good.

January 16, 2018, 04:15 PM	#4
Bullfrog21 Junior Member Join Date: January 15, 2018 Posts: 4	If I paired it with a toolcraft nickel boron bcg do you think it would be a pretty solid rifle? I'm also looking at aero precision and sionic uppers. Also watching for PSA's premium CHF stuff. Do you have any suggestions for a AR15 build? preferably a built upper I can build the lower

January 16, 2018, 06:22 PM	#5
rickyrick Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2010 Posts: 8,236	Nitrided bolts like the one in the link are popular now. The one in the link it’s probably a good bcg, but they don’t list the source. Aero Precision is my favorite, they have BA barrels, because they own them. PSA CHF barrels are good to go, but BA is probably a little better. We are talking about differences that probably would go unnoticed by the average person, me included. If you have a specific setup in mind, don’t settle because you’ll end up swapping components later anyway.

January 17, 2018, 09:36 AM	#6
odugrad Senior Member Join Date: March 13, 2013 Location: The East Coast Posts: 477	If you have to ask if something is any good, I would avoid it. There's too many options out there at great price points to risk money on something with an unknown track record.

January 17, 2018, 09:42 AM	#7
Kvon2 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2016 Posts: 757	As others have said it looks like you should be good to go but once you add the cost of a lower you're likely over $500 and for that same price you have a lot of options.

January 17, 2018, 06:10 PM	#8
Bullfrog21 Junior Member Join Date: January 15, 2018 Posts: 4	I already have a stripped lower. My budget for a upper/LPK is $500 what else would you suggest I look into

January 17, 2018, 07:44 PM	#9
Kvon2 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2016 Posts: 757	Browse the sales. Stag arms, PSA, bear creek, lots of others. There are always sales these days.

January 17, 2018, 09:06 PM	#11
rickyrick Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2010 Posts: 8,236	PSA rifle kits are just fine. That’s what My first AR was

January 18, 2018, 06:45 AM	#12
Nathan Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2001 Posts: 6,326	It looks pretty good to me. Barrel and trigger are top notch. Not sure about the rest...I would call.

January 18, 2018, 10:22 AM	#13
Bullfrog21 Junior Member Join Date: January 15, 2018 Posts: 4	Yeah I asked where they source the BGC and handguards from but they said they make them. I think I'll just buy it and get a toolcraft bcg. Would you guys recommend nickel boron vs nitride and stuff? It's only like a $10 difference

January 18, 2018, 10:29 AM	#14
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	" Would you guys recommend nickel boron vs nitride and stuff? It's only like a $10 difference" I have a nickel boron BCG in one of my suppressor host AR's. It's easy to clean-basically just wipe it off. As far as longevity? Don't know as I don't shoot that many rounds thru it.

January 20, 2018, 03:51 PM	#16
rickyrick Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2010 Posts: 8,236	Saying that they make them can just mean that they paid someone to make the components for them. If they were proud of the source of the BCGs, they’d announce it