WANT TO PUT YOUR FAVORITE FORGED UPPER RECEIVER AND FREE FLOATING FOREND TO A LITTLE TEST?
REMOVE YOUR SIGHTS AND OPTICS FROM YOUR FLAT TOP AR'. TAKE A STRAIGHT EDGE, LIKE A GOOD STEEL RULER, AND LAY IT ACROSS THE TOP RAIL OF YOUR FORGED FLAT TOP UPPER, FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER. NOW LOOK FOR LIGHT COMING UNDER THE RULER IN THE MIDDLE.
NEXT, SIGHT DOWN THE SIDE OF THE TOP RAIL OF THE RECEIVER AND FOREND. SEE THE FOREND POINTING A TAD "UPWARD"?
FAR TOO MANY FORGED UPPER RECEIVERS ARE WARPED, OR "SWAY-BACKED", WITH THREADS NOT SQUARE UP FRONT. AND THAT'S NOT ALL OF THE PROBLEMS WE'VE SEEN WITH CONVENTIONAL FORGED RECEIVERS ....
ONE BASIC FACT: I'VE SENT MORE RECEIVERS BACK TO THE MANUFACTURERS OF RECEIVERS OUR COMPETITORS USE THAN I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP AND USE IN CUSTOM BUILDS.
I'VE ACTUALLY HAVE HAD MORE THAN A RUDIMENTARY COURSE IN STATISTICS. I'VE GOT A SHEEPSKIN TO PROVE IT. I'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO FREELY ADMIT THAT OUR EVIDENCE OF PROBLEMS WITH FORGED RECEIVERS WE'VE EXPERIENCED IS TECHNICALLY ANECDOTAL, NOT TRUE SCIENCE. NEVERTHELESS, IT WAS SUFFICIENT TO CONVINCE PAUL AND ME THAT WE WANTED SOMETHING BETTER. I ALSO FEEL THAT OUR COMPANY, MSTN, IS MORE RESPONSIBLE THAN ANY OTHER IN BEATING THE DRUM LONG AND HARD ENOUGH TO GET BETTER RECEIVERS FOR OUR CUSTOM BUILDS.
KEEP IN MIND THAT THE ISSUE IS REALLY NOT WHETHER THE RECEIVER IS BILLET OR FORGED. THE ISSUE IS WHETHER OR NOT THE RECEIVER IS SUFFICIENTLY CORRECT DIMENSIONALLY TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE BARREL. THAT'S ALL. I WOULD NOT CARE IF THEY ARE BILLET, FORGED, CAST, OR HAMMERED OUT ON AN ANVIL, SO LONG AS THEY WERE SUFFICIENTLY STRONG AND TRUE. I DO ADMIT TO LIKING GOOD LOOKS, BUT THIS IS JUST A SECONDARY BENEFIT OF THE HIGH END STUFF WE USE.
WE'VE WORKED WITH FORGED RECEIVERS IN CUSTOM BUILDS SINCE 2000 ON A REGULAR BASIS. WE'VE SEEN WARTIME DEMAND CAUSE CIVILIAN PRODUCT QUALITY TO SLIP, FRANKLY, IN MANY AREAS. THE CIVILIAN MARKET GETS A LOT OF REJECTS. I'VE SEEN EVERYTHING FROM GOOD TO BAD, FROM COLT, LMT, KNIGHT'S, AND STAG, PLUS OTHER POPULAR BRANDS. THE BILLET RECEIVERS FROM VLTOR AND LARUE HAVE WORKED OUT MUCH BETTER FOR US, OVERALL, DUE TO THEIR DIMENSIONAL ACCURACY, THAN CONVENTIONAL FORGED RECEIVERS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BUY. I CANNOT SPEAK FOR OTHER BILLET RECEIVERS I HAVE NOT USED, OF COURSE.
VLTOR IS NOW BEGINNING TO FORGE THEIR UPPER RECEIVERS. THEY'RE WORKING OUT VERY WELL. LARUE STEALTH RECEIVERS MACHINED FROM BILLET CONTINUE TO WORK OUT QUITE WELL FOR US, ALSO. WHY - BECAUSE THEY ARE
STRAIGHT.PAUL AND I WORK HARD TO BUILD THE BEST CUSTOM PRECISION UPPER RECEIVERS AVAILABLE. WE'RE NOT ASHAMED THAT THEY COST MORE. PRICE IS A SIMPLY A MEASURE OF VALUE, REFLECTING OF THE COST OF THE COMPONENTS USED AND THE TIME DEVOTED TO SELECTION, ASSEMBLY, FINAL FIT AND FINISH, PLUS FUNCTION TESTING WITH MATCH GRADE AMMO. OUR BUILDS ARE NOT IDEALLY SUITED FOR EVERYONE'S NEEDS. HOWEVER, WE'VE GOT ABOUT ALL THE CUSTOM BUILD WORK WE CAN HANDLE, SO I SUPPOSE THERE ARE SUFFICIENT CUSTOMERS OUT THERE WHO LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING.
GOOD SHOOTING,
WES GRANT
MSTN.BIZ