AR 15 upper receiver

308Loader · March 4, 2019, 07:28 PM

looking for a inexpensive yet functional upper receiver for a 300 bo build. I found a blem from gorilla machining that looks promising. any one have any experience with this company? any other suggestions on where to look?

this is a spare parts build. I picked up a barrel from a friend at a ok price, would like to assemble a separate upper for the 300BO for ease of change out. have 2 lower's I can snap it into.

Mobuck · March 5, 2019, 08:01 AM

"any other suggestions on where to look?"

just google "AR 15 upper receiver--11 suggestions on the first page and all decent places to order from

zukiphile · March 5, 2019, 08:43 AM

Does a "blemished" upper have the correct dimensions? It may be that you can't tell until you order it. That same supplier has regular uppers for $13 more. For $40 you could likely find an unblemished upper for $40-ish.

308Loader · March 5, 2019, 10:37 AM

yes, of course I googled it. that's what brought me to the gorilla company. just never herd of them. midway, cheeper than dirt,... all have one for 15-20 bucks more, just looking to save $ on this one.

FrankenMauser · March 5, 2019, 11:24 AM

Each company is going to have to be taken on its own, but...

Typically, "blemished" receivers have problems that are only cosmetic. I.e.: Bad anodizing, chunks in the anodizing, blotchy anodizing, flawed engraving, T-marks with no (or unwanted) white fill, etc...
(I've seen all of the above, and more.)

I haven't had a problem with any of my 'blem' receivers (upper and lower). But they were also all from otherwise reputable companies that specifically state that the blems are dimensionally within spec and only cosmetically flawed.

Two examples:
I have a PSA 'blem' upper that has white T-marks, but no fill in the PSA logo -- opposite of what that batch was supposed to get. Thusly, they sold the whole lot as blems.
I have an Aero Precision upper that has small ding/divot in the side, with a shiny spot in the anodizing. It looks like it was dropped on something, or a tool was dropped on the upper. It's purely cosmetic, and there are no other issues; but I got it for less than half price. ("Super blem blowout sale", and it was a special item listed by itself.)

I've heard of Gorilla Machining, but have never done business with them.

zukiphile · March 5, 2019, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Two examples:
I have a PSA 'blem' upper that has white T-marks, but no fill in the PSA logo -- opposite of what that batch was supposed to get. Thusly, they sold the whole lot as blems.

I posed the question because I bought a PSA blem lower that was supposed to have a cosmetic blemish. I couldn't find any cosmetic blemish, but the fit to any upper was pretty sloppy. I suspected a dimensional problem that left it usable but less desirable.

On the other hand, I ordered an entire blemished upper from PSA. They disclosed the rub mark on the barrel under the handguards; it was a great upper.

308Loader · March 5, 2019, 06:11 PM

Company states "Our blemished products are fully functional, they just didn't meet our high standards. They are a great product at a discounted price for someone who doesn't mind a slight imperfection."

But their is this "We do not accept returns on blemished products."

From the photo on the page I see a small section on the right hand side rear that looks to be cut out or cut into after the finish was applied. could just be the pic.

Seems no one here has done business with these folks. For $29 thinking about giving it a go. Ill give it another day or so to see if any one has input on this company. If I pull the trigger on this product (pun intended) Ill let you all know what I find. If anyone has a functional upper (stripped or complete) they want to get rid of in this price range pm me, we might be able to work something out.

as always thanks for the input.

Mobuck · March 6, 2019, 07:41 AM

Cosmetic blems may be only a tiny variance in the final finish. I doubt any conscientious seller would let an out of spec part out their door intentionally.
A couple months back I ordered some stripped uppers from Radical Arms. When they showed up, the pin hole for the dust cover retainer pin was mis-aligned. I offered to keep both buggered uppers at a discount but the seller wanted them back--no messed up parts left with a customer. There wasn't anything functionally wrong as long as the user didn't need the dust cover.

March 4, 2019, 07:28 PM	#1
308Loader Senior Member Join Date: August 24, 2014 Location: Minnesota Posts: 639	AR 15 upper receiver looking for a inexpensive yet functional upper receiver for a 300 bo build. I found a blem from gorilla machining that looks promising. any one have any experience with this company? any other suggestions on where to look? this is a spare parts build. I picked up a barrel from a friend at a ok price, would like to assemble a separate upper for the 300BO for ease of change out. have 2 lower's I can snap it into. __________________ Just a dude with stuff.

March 5, 2019, 08:43 AM	#3
zukiphile Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2005 Posts: 4,451	Does a "blemished" upper have the correct dimensions? It may be that you can't tell until you order it. That same supplier has regular uppers for $13 more. For $40 you could likely find an unblemished upper for $40-ish. __________________ http://www.npboards.com/index.php

March 5, 2019, 10:37 AM	#4
308Loader Senior Member Join Date: August 24, 2014 Location: Minnesota Posts: 639	yes, of course I googled it. that's what brought me to the gorilla company. just never herd of them. midway, cheeper than dirt,... all have one for 15-20 bucks more, just looking to save $ on this one. __________________ Just a dude with stuff.

March 5, 2019, 11:24 AM	#5
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	Each company is going to have to be taken on its own, but... Typically, "blemished" receivers have problems that are only cosmetic. I.e.: Bad anodizing, chunks in the anodizing, blotchy anodizing, flawed engraving, T-marks with no (or unwanted) white fill, etc... (I've seen all of the above, and more.) I haven't had a problem with any of my 'blem' receivers (upper and lower). But they were also all from otherwise reputable companies that specifically state that the blems are dimensionally within spec and only cosmetically flawed. Two examples: I have a PSA 'blem' upper that has white T-marks, but no fill in the PSA logo -- opposite of what that batch was supposed to get. Thusly, they sold the whole lot as blems. I have an Aero Precision upper that has small ding/divot in the side, with a shiny spot in the anodizing. It looks like it was dropped on something, or a tool was dropped on the upper. It's purely cosmetic, and there are no other issues; but I got it for less than half price. ("Super blem blowout sale", and it was a special item listed by itself.) I've heard of Gorilla Machining, but have never done business with them. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

March 5, 2019, 06:11 PM	#7
308Loader Senior Member Join Date: August 24, 2014 Location: Minnesota Posts: 639	Company states "Our blemished products are fully functional, they just didn't meet our high standards. They are a great product at a discounted price for someone who doesn't mind a slight imperfection." But their is this "We do not accept returns on blemished products." From the photo on the page I see a small section on the right hand side rear that looks to be cut out or cut into after the finish was applied. could just be the pic. Seems no one here has done business with these folks. For $29 thinking about giving it a go. Ill give it another day or so to see if any one has input on this company. If I pull the trigger on this product (pun intended) Ill let you all know what I find. If anyone has a functional upper (stripped or complete) they want to get rid of in this price range pm me, we might be able to work something out. as always thanks for the input. __________________ Just a dude with stuff.

March 5, 2019, 08:01 AM	#2
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	"any other suggestions on where to look?" just google "AR 15 upper receiver--11 suggestions on the first page and all decent places to order from

March 6, 2019, 07:41 AM	#8
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	Cosmetic blems may be only a tiny variance in the final finish. I doubt any conscientious seller would let an out of spec part out their door intentionally. A couple months back I ordered some stripped uppers from Radical Arms. When they showed up, the pin hole for the dust cover retainer pin was mis-aligned. I offered to keep both buggered uppers at a discount but the seller wanted them back--no messed up parts left with a customer. There wasn't anything functionally wrong as long as the user didn't need the dust cover.