I’m looking to do just that (spot #11).

where would one even do such a thing?

I have mine listed in the EE in the NFA section.

I don't know about Thompson Machine, but IIRC, around the 2008-2009 time frame Bazooka Brothers sold an AR-15/M16 magwell adapter assembly that used AM180 drums.

MHO, YMMV, etc.

Do you plan on buying the upper for them and then selling it to them?  I'm guessing Lage isn't just going to let you substitute someone's name in for yours so you can make $850.

ETA:  Anyone that pays you for that spot is a fool that deserves getting ripped off.  That list is going to shrink very rapidly, and there most likely won't be much of a wait difference from 11 to someone that puts their name down now.

Not necessarily. The list was over 750 last I heard and that could go way up once the upper is officially released, especially if the internal recoil system is approved. When I got on the list for the MAX-11k I was #51 and was quoted 4-5 months. Even with people dropping out I could see the wait being well over a year.

People will be willing to pay a premium to get them sooner rather than later, even with how high the price is to begin with.

It is my understanding that the original S.A.B.R.E. design had a captured spring inside the upper.  So put a mag in the magwell, pull the CH back, and let it go, the upper would run by itself.  If the recoil spring has one end being held by the inside of the MAC style receiver, like the factory or Lage uppers, then the "upper" must have the registered lower to run.  That to me is the difference.

And can you replace it for $2,500?  To me it is what it can do, not what I paid for it.  I'm guessing you bought your M11/NINE about the time I bought my DIAS ($9,000) and my Fleming HK sear ($11,500).  Hell, I have more in uppers and tungsten bolts then I spent for my M11/NINE two years ago.  I own a S.A.B.R.E. for my M10.  I think it is cool that all of my 5.56X45 machineguns (DIAS, 53k, 53, and 33k hosts for Fleming sear are made with SW53/93 AR receivers, and M10 S.A.B.R.E.) all us AR mags and drums.  I whip my 9mm subguns all took the same mag.  I have four different 9mm mag systems.

Is $3,000 a lot of money?  I think so.  Does the value of having yet another 5.56X45 machinegun that uses AR mags exceed the $3,000 cost to me?  Yes it does.  Buy the Max11/15, don't buy the Max11/15.  That is your choice.  If you don't want it for that, move on.  Whining about the price isn't going to change anything.  A rifle caliber upper for the M11/NINE is such a niche market.  How many will Lage sell total?  I don't know how many Max11 pistol caliber uppers he has sold, but I bet it is less than 2,000.  How many rifle caliber uppers will be sold?  I don't know, but I'd be willing to bet that at $1,500 he would sell more than at $3,000.  But It is not like twice as many units at $1,500.  Adapting the AR rifle caliber mechanism to an open bolt lower is much more complicated than adding a steel weight to the top of a standard M11/NINE bolt and putting it in an attractive clam shell upper.  There would be hours of refining, testing, and refining some more.  That is all time that Lage could be spending building things he could sell.  R&D is expensive, especially for a one man operation.  Who's paying for that?  The people that are spending $3,000 to buy one.  YMMV.

Scott

It really comes down to what you want to do with your toys. Because that's what they are.

I always wanted an M16. But I suspect the vast majority of the shooting I would do with it would be in 9mm. And compared to an Uzi or a slow-fire M11/9, the M16/9 is not as nice to shoot.

So yes, I would pull out a rifle-caliber upper from time to time, mostly to let friends put a few mags through it. And I would then use the 9mm setup to shoot subgun matches and whatnot.

And a MAX11/15 would likely be the same. Shoot it occasionally, but mostly run it in one of the various 9mm setups. Not that that's a bad thing.

But then this thread gets me thinking. I could sell off my Uzi and Reising and be pretty close to the price of an RR AR15. I would still have the M11/9, and then I would also have a closed bolt setup for the Creek.

Or maybe I'll just buy the MAX11/15 when my number comes up and be happy. I already have the hole in my receiver, so no real issue there. I bought the M11/9 specifically to drill the hole for a TASK conversion. It was only a $700 gun, after all.  And because I didn't want to mess up my "more valuable" PS MAC10 doing a TASK setup on it.

I'm on the list, and a buyer <$2K.   I've got an M16A1, otherwise I would pay the $3K.  What I really want is an AR based .22 upper that takes Black Dog mags.  Even though my M16 is 100% reliable with a .22 kit, I'd rather put the round count on the M11.  When they come out with a .22 upper, I'm in with no doubt.