I just got a new postban barrel assembaly with the two port recoil check perm attached to it.  When I turned the barrel upside down, I noticed a 1mm gap on the sight base where the bayo lug would be and I also noticed the sight base looked rough and yucky.  It does not even look as nice as my M & A Parts barrel assembaly.  Is the front sight base cast instead of milled?  Is this normal, or did I get a lemon?  Other than the sight base looking like shit, the finish on the rest of the barrel has been done very well and it looks like very good quality.  What's up with the shitty front sight base?  Do any of you guys have an Armalite rifle you can look at to see if yours is like that also?  Thanks for any responce.

I don't have a camera.  Anybody else have an new production Armalite?

I have a 2000-vintage ArmaLite upper.

The front site base appears to be a casting.  It's clamped to the barrel with two socket-head screws that do not go through the barrel (as the pins on a traditional one do).  There is a gap of about .080" between the two "ears" through which the screws protrude.

(Considering that the brake is pinned and welded I've always thought the screws on the front site base were a bit odd.)

Where the bayo lug would be, there is nothing.

Thanks, that is what I needed to know.