Posted: 12/20/2021 11:33:30 AM EDT
[Last Edit: eddymunster][Edited]
|
FORGED A2 UPPER RECEIVER, STRIPPED ITEM #: AR0052A NOTE: THIS ITEM IS CURRENTLY ON INDEFINITE BACKORDER. I really want to purchase this and do a complete build. I am concerned about wait time. |
|
There are some being machined now, and as far as I know they are not all spoken for...but they will probably be the last we run if the market for them stays where it's at. If you need one, I would get one on order. If you have one on order, it will come out of this batch, in date order. Steve/RRA |
|
Originally Posted By ColtM4A3: I ordered a A2 20" Upper in February 2020, didn't get it until September. 7 months. Just an FYI.. That was an upper receiver issue that has been ongoing for a couple years. The minimum run quantity on forgings is pretty high, and the demand for A2s goes down every yearm which makes more forgings cost-prohibitive. Steve/RRA |
|
Originally Posted By RRAMODERATOR: There are some being machined now, and as far as I know they are not all spoken for...but they will probably be the last we run if the market for them stays where it's at. If you need one, I would get one on order. If you have one on order, it will come out of this batch, in date order. Steve/RRA Thanks Steve, I placed my order today for a standard A2 upper. Kevin |
|
Originally Posted By RRAMODERATOR: Still a few not assigned to orders. Steve/RRA Thanks! The reason I asked was because I had ordered one about a week ago and I never got a shipping confirmation email. I thought I might've just missed the boat on these... But as coincidence would have it, I just had the upper show up at my door from UPS! Though, as my luck is lately I found a flaw pretty quickly with the sight channel cutout on this particular upper. It will still work fine, but I'm sure it won't play well with my FSB alignment rod.  Other than the weird veered off angle in the machining of the sight channel cutout the upper is pretty nice. I figure the upper must have become a bit loose in it's fixture during that part of the machining process or something. I'm not really thinking it's an issue worth returning it over with as scarce as A2 uppers are becoming, but I wanted to post it as an FYI to get your take on it... Are they all like that? |
|
Originally Posted By 556Cliff: Thanks! The reason I asked was because I had ordered one about a week ago and I never got a shipping confirmation email. I thought I might've just missed the boat on these... But as coincidence would have it, I just had the upper show up at my door from UPS! Though, as my luck is lately I found a flaw pretty quickly with the sight channel cutout on this particular upper. It will still work fine, but I'm sure it won't play well with my FSB alignment rod. https://i.imgur.com/3GGhJqKh.jpg Other than the weird veered off angle in the machining of the sight channel cutout the upper is pretty nice. I figure the upper must have become a bit loose in it's fixture during that part of the machining process or something. I'm not really thinking it's an issue worth returning it over with as scarce as A2 uppers are becoming, but I wanted to post it as an FYI to get your take on it... Are they all like that? Help me out here...it's late and I've been looking at a screen for about 10 hours so far today. What are you seeing veering off and to which side? It should be okay, bnt I want to take a better look once I know where I'm looking for. Thanks. Steve/RRA |
|
Originally Posted By RRAMODERATOR: Help me out here...it's late and I've been looking at a screen for about 10 hours so far today. What are you seeing veering off and to which side? It should be okay, bnt I want to take a better look once I know where I'm looking for. Thanks. Steve/RRA The channel cutout in the handle basically changes it's course at about the midpoint of the handle. It's most easily seen looking at the tops of the ears of the handle. It won't be any problem in use with just the irons, but it probably would prevent any carry handle mount scope adaptors/ACOGs (which I don't plan on using with this upper anyways) from fitting correctly, or maybe even at all. My main concern is that it likely won't allow my ArmaLite FSB alignment rod to fit and point straight to indicate proper alignment of the front sight post as it should. It's kind of difficult to get it to show how obvious it is in pictures, but I tried taking a few more anyways... It's most obvious in the third picture looking from the rear of the receiver. Looking from the front of the upper the channel veers off to the left going towards the rear sight.   Looking from the rear of the upper the channel veers off to the right coming towards the rear sight.  I'm not really looking to get it replaced though, this is just more of a heads up so you can see if your other A2 uppers have the same flaw. |
|
Originally Posted By hapjack: The one I received is the same way, the sight channel is not centered. Hmm, I wonder who is doing the machining on all the carry handle uppers these last few years? A1s/C7s/A2s? Seems to be a constant theme with the carry handle channel being off in one way or another. Usually like with the A1s and C7s the cutout was just way off center. Though the slight change of course midway into the carry handle channel on my A2 in the pictures is something I haven't seen before. Just odd when you consider they got everything else right, to include the channel for the charging handle. I'm not sure if RRA is doing the final machining on these or if it's outsourced? Also, this is not intended as a bash on RRA, but I just wanted to bring it to their attention. |
|
Just a thought, but It may be a that the forgings are a little "off", too. If the forging isn't perfect, the C-N-C is still going to run its program, and make the channel cut offset as a function of the forging being slightly off-center. Unless you're using a front sight that is rotationally adjustable on the barrel via screws or whatever other means, it should be pinned to the barrel at TDC. With the rear sight housing being on the receiver BEHIIND the carry handle, and the front sight on the barrel, you should be in pretty close (or even exact) alignment regardless of the channel. Steve/RRA |
|
Originally Posted By RRAMODERATOR: Just a thought, but It may be a that the forgings are a little "off", too. If the forging isn't perfect, the C-N-C is still going to run its program, and make the channel cut offset as a function of the forging being slightly off-center. Originally Posted By RRAMODERATOR: Just a thought, but It may be a that the forgings are a little "off", too. If the forging isn't perfect, the C-N-C is still going to run its program, and make the channel cut offset as a function of the forging being slightly off-center. I thought that that's a possibility, but that would result in the sight path through the carry handle being either more biased to the left or the right within it. Like with a lot of the A1 and C7 uppers from over the last couple of years. Though the sight path that was machined through on those uppers is still a straight path with no dogleg where it goes off course like on this A2 upper. I'm not a machinist, but do the C-N-C machines generally auto correct on a warped receiver and start cutting off on a different angle once they've already started off machining half way through what should just be a straight course through a carry handle? I don't think so, but like I said, I'm not a machinist.  Originally Posted By RRAMODERATOR: Unless you're using a front sight that is rotationally adjustable on the barrel via screws or whatever other means, it should be pinned to the barrel at TDC. With the rear sight housing being on the receiver BEHIIND the carry handle, and the front sight on the barrel, you should be in pretty close (or even exact) alignment regardless of the channel. Steve/RRA Yes, and that's exactly what the old ArmaLite FSB alignment rods (since discontinued) were originally made for since they had those clamp on FSBs. However, I use mine for checking and verifying alignment on barrels with pinned FSBs all the time. I actually use the alignment rod to check alignment prior to barrel installation as well. Sometimes an FSB might be biased to the left or right of perfect alignment with an upper and it's nice to know that to see if something is way too far off before you start applying torque to the barrel nut. If the alignment isn't too far off it aids in choosing the right fixturing tool to get the pair (upper and FSB) into closer or perfect alignment. If you use a Reaction Rod type tool, that will force the upper to rotate to the left when under torque which will correct for a slight left cant in the FSB and if you use an upper receiver vise block, it will force the barrel to rotate to the left which will correct for a slight right cant in the FSB. |
|
It's almost impossible to get this to show up in a picture from directly above the receiver, but right about where my thumb passes through the mid point of the carry handle is where the straight sight path doglegs and veers right. The red line in the image is a bit exaggerated to illustrate what I'm trying to show in all these pictures. The green line is the straight path that the machining course was set on and the red line is about where it veered off to the right. No idea if this was the C-N-C auto correcting for a warped receiver or if something else happened. I wouldn't think that it would change course like that, but it did. 
|
|
Originally Posted By 556Cliff: I thought that that's a possibility, but that would result in the sight path through the carry handle being either more biased to the left or the right within it. Like with a lot of the A1 and C7 uppers from over the last couple of years. Though the sight path that was machined through on those uppers is still a straight path with no dog leg where it goes off course like on this A2 upper. I'm not a machinist, but do the C-N-C machines generally auto correct on a warped receiver and start cutting off on a different angle once they've already started off machining half way through what should just be a straight course through a carry handle? I don't think so, but like I said, I'm not a machinist. Yes, and that's exactly what the old ArmaLite FSB alignment rods (since discontinued) were originally made for since they had those clamp on FSBs. However, I use mine for checking and verifying alignment on barrels with pinned FSBs all the time. I actually use the alignment rod to check alignment prior to barrel installation as well. Sometimes an FSB might be biased to the left or right of perfect alignment with an upper and it's nice to know that to see if something is way too far off before you start applying torque to the barrel nut. If the alignment isn't too far off it aids in choosing the right fixturing tool to get the pair (upper and FSB) into closer or perfect alignment. If you use a Reaction Rod type tool, that will force the upper to rotate to the left when under torque which will correct for a slight left cant in the FSB and if you use an upper receiver vise block, it will force the barrel to rotate to the left which will correct for a slight right cant in the FSB. Your points are well-thought out and you've explained your methodology very well. Steve.RRA |
|
Originally Posted By RRAMODERATOR: Your points are well-thought out and you've explained your methodology very well. Steve.RRA Hey thanks! I gave it my best shot trying to be as clear as possible.  Or maybe you think I'm nuts after reading all that... I dunno.  Though I might not be able to check alignment with my alignment rod on this particular upper, I'll still manage my way around it through the old school method of bore sighting on a perfectly straight vertical line and verifying alignment with the windage at the rear set to mechanical zero before applying torque to the barrel nut. I'll certainly manage with this upper.  I just wish I had the funds for a second one honestly. 
|
|
Originally Posted By HEATH223: Are there any of these still not spoken for? I hope so I just put in an order for 1. A few. The "system" is always a little behind reality, but everything that was built/shipped last week is out of it, and I still show a few here and not assigned to orders. Steve/RRA |
|
Originally Posted By Dave76: @RRAMODERATOR Hey Steve, any of these left? Dave76 Just relying on "the system" (not having someone physically looking), they are gone. whether or not there will be anymore, eventually, I don't know. We'll continue looking for any forgings that are out there, but that isn't a promising approach at this time. Thre is no "just run a few more" when it comes to forgings. Thanks, Steve/RRA |
|
You website won’t let me pick a different billing and shipping address. My billing address is a PO Box and the only shipping options are via UPS which other than surepost, won’t deliver to a PO Box. And I don’t see an option to select surepost. |
Preferred Pronoun: Space Lord Mutherfucker
|
Originally Posted By HeavyMetal: You website won’t let me pick a different billing and shipping address. My billing address is a PO Box and the only shipping options are via UPS which other than surepost, won’t deliver to a PO Box. And I don’t see an option to select surepost. Best to call in the order at that point. Either Sales/Customer Service or, if it comes to it, I can take your order. Steve/RRA |
|
Originally Posted By RRAMODERATOR: Best to call in the order at that point. Either Sales/Customer Service or, if it comes to it, I can take your order. Steve/RRA My apologizes, I completely forgot to follow-up. Any new production in the new year? |
Preferred Pronoun: Space Lord Mutherfucker
|
Unobtanium arrived yesterday in a most American fashion! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Order placed by phone 5/31/22, just after Memorial Day last year. Call came in two weeks ago that the forgings had arrived, had been inspected, and were being sent off for anodizing. RRA customer service was calling to give me a heads-up that the charge would be processed soon, and to verify whether I wanted to use the credit card on file from my order or an alternate card. Charge hit my account on the invoice date 6/27/23. UPS tracking indicated delivery expected 7/3/23. Stripped upper arrived yesterday 6/30/23 just in time to kick off my 5-day weekend in celebration of the birth of the greatest nation in history! 🎆🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Finish is perfect and sight channel is straight. Great job, RRA - and thank you! Attached File Attached File Attached File Have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 |
|
Originally Posted By flcracker: Unobtanium arrived yesterday in a most American fashion! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Order placed by phone 5/31/22, just after Memorial Day last year. Call came in two weeks ago that the forgings had arrived, had been inspected, and were being sent off for anodizing. RRA customer service was calling to give me a heads-up that the charge would be processed soon, and to verify whether I wanted to use the credit card on file from my order or an alternate card. Charge hit my account on the invoice date 6/27/23. UPS tracking indicated delivery expected 7/3/23. Stripped upper arrived yesterday 6/30/23 just in time to kick off my 5-day weekend in celebration of the birth of the greatest nation in history! 🎆🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Finish is perfect and sight channel is straight. Great job, RRA - and thank you! https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/74872/20230701_073127_jpg-2869554.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/74872/20230701_073135_jpg-2869555.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/74872/20230701_073249_jpg-2869556.JPG Have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Nice! I wish my sight channel was straight. It was a bit annoying when I went to install the barrel because I couldn't use my FSB alignment gauge which is supposed to be a slip fit in the carry handle's sight channel. Also, if I wanted to use any of those nifty carry handle mounted optics that would be a no-go.  Anyways, I'm glad to see that they finally got these back in stock even if I'm not allowed to buy them living in Washington. 
|
|
https://www.rockriverarms.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=1321 Yoink! Just got mine ordered. Stock shows in stock. |
Preferred Pronoun: Space Lord Mutherfucker