Here's a question that I'm sure has been beaten to death here, but I haven't found what I need to hear.  
I just bought a new Mega lower (nice looking product with very fast ship time btw), and I want to built a standard 20" A2 rifle with a ff tube around it.  Oly sells a kit for $449 +$30 for 20" barrel+ $53 for ff tube =$532.  Their 20" A2 complete upper without the ff tube is $510. It seems that if I go with the kit, I could get the 20" A2 upper that I want, plus the ff tube and the entire lower assembly including the buttstock for only $22 more than just the upper that only comes with the standard A2 handgaurd.  
  My question is this.  Does a complete upper come with higher quality parts vs. a kit, such as a forged receiver and front sights or something? Or is a kit just a better buy generally?  (from any manufacturer)
 I'm not 100% sold on Olympic, but the folks over at Snipercountry have me more than halfway convinced that the Oly barrel is the way to go for a precision plinker, long-range small game, and varmint getter.

Chris

If you are buying the parts, you aren't paying the federal tax that is slapped on all assembled weapons, so you should be saving some money.

The complete upper is the same one that is going to come on the parts kit or on the full weapon.  There is no difference.

I just picked up an Oly SUM 20" 5.56 barrel.  I am probably going to build it up Sat or Sun, and I can't wait to see how it shoots.  I should probably say, I can't wait to see how I shoot with it.

For the money, I would strongly recommend going with the Oly Stainless UltraMatch barrel.  It is a great barrel at a great price.

Thanks,
   I like to hear someone agreeing with the decision I'm leaning toward. I like the fact that the Oly SUM barrels are black.  I don't want any silver on this rifle, but I read that the Oly SUM barrels are .223 SAAMI chambered and the CrMo barrels are 5.56.  I would ocassionally like to plink with some less expensive SS109 or other milsurp ammo.  Would that be harmful or unsafe to a SUM barrel?

Chris