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Posted: 11/15/2014 4:46:37 AM EDT
Actually, it cometh pretty darn quickly. Scooped this complete upper up off of AR15depot (ARD) on a veteran's day special for a paltry $325 out the door, no tax or shipping. Did some research on ARD, finding some concerns about their lackluster website design and rumors that they were Chinese something-something. The mediocre website was par for the gun culture course to be honest, and not really a concern. I found nothing to substantiate the Chinese build materials debate, so I figured what the hell. There are worse ways to spend three bills and the manufacture preemptively assured me the barrels are made in the USA... Not that I asked. I figure they must get that question a lot :) So what did my impulse buy get me? 16" FLAT TOP UPPER
CHAMBER: 5.56 X 45 mm BOLT AND CARRIER: MIL-SPEC Chrome Moly Carrier Carrier Key - Chrome lined Attached with grade 8 Screws Properly Staked & Sealed gas key Bolt: Phosphated-Carpenter Steel M.P.I. Heat Treated HANDGUARD MID-LENGTH FREEFLOAT UPPER RECEIVER: Forged 7076 T6 Aluminum A3 Flat Top With T-Marks Hard Coat Anodized Mil-Spec Ejection Port Cover and Round Forward Assist Right Hand Ejection Bore's surface is coated with dry film lube, over the anodized surface. COMPLETE WITH BCG & CHARGING HANDLE BARREL H-BAR SOCOM-MID-LENGTH GAS SYSTEM 4142 Heat Treated Chromo Moly 1/7 Twist 7.50 Gas Block. THREADED 1/2 X 28 SOLID BLACK FINISH ON BARREL (post is too long. New accounts are limited to 2000 character. Con't below.) (Not sure why photobucket isn't posting the pics, feel free to click on the urls.) |
Not to damn bad, actually. First off, some disclaimers. Post purchase customer service is nearly non-existent, to the point where I had to prompt them by email to find out anything about the shipment. I'm certain without that email, I would have been left in the dark as to the details. It's a far cry from, say, Classic Firearms, who has one of the best store to door tracking systems I've seen to date. The communications I received here was definitely indicative of either somebody who uses English as a second language or was tying shorthand off a cellphone. Neither are crimes in my opinion, but I can see where the whole China thing got started even if there is no factual merit to it. ARD, if you're reading this, seriously work on your customer communications as a whole. All of that said, shipment and replies to emails were prompt. I ordered the upper on the 10th and received it on the 14th. Receipt was in the form of a nondescriptly, amateurishly packed box. Yeah, didn't inspire much confidence in me either. Reminded me of the ebay stuff my wife gets, but it was decently packed and extraction revealed no issues that may have occurred in shipment. (still too long. Con't.) |
Overall, the thing looks pretty solid. You've noticed the specs of course, so let me confirm that yes, the barrel is only chromemoly, not lined or melonite. As somebody here famously said, they only tell you it's chromemoly to distract you from the fact it's not anything else. In fact, when asked about it's composition, I was advise "... it's a different Black not melanite." Um, sure. Okay. Let's not get too specific. I'll just assume it's a bare barrel, which, for the price point, is perfectly fine by me. I'm not an operator and I'll be surprised if I shoot it out. If I do, I got enough use out of it and saved enough to justify a better one next round. The bolt is also phosphated, another no-frills, budget feature. To balance it out, I got my quad cheese grater flatop, forward assist, dust cover and handsome muzzle device. The free floated barrel is nice and the 1:7 twist is a bonus. It's a bit of give and take and I'm fine with the balance of it all for the price. Should be a pretty accurate shooter if everything else holds up. The lower is waiting on a Black Friday special or Cyber Monday, but I'm pretty sure by the time this is all said and done, I can keep this under $450; easily under $500. And then we get to shoot it, which will either confirm or deny the imminent comments concerning ARD itself :) |
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Not sure why a generic upper from an unknown company merited a long-winded review (unless you're affiliated with the company in some way), especially since you've yet to shoot it.
Seems like a decent price, though I recently purchased a USGI upper with Colt SOCOM barrel and FN BCG for the same price. I personally would have sprung for a BCM upper for a little more for all the negative marks you gave ARD. Salad days. |
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Quoted:
Not sure why a generic upper from an unknown company merited a long-winded review (unless you're affiliated with the company in some way), especially since you've yet to shoot it. Seems like a decent price, though I recently purchased a USGI upper with Colt SOCOM barrel and FN BCG for the same price. I personally would have sprung for a BCM upper for a little more for all the negative marks you gave ARD. Salad days. This. |
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Quoted:
Not sure why a generic upper from an unknown company merited a long-winded review (unless you're affiliated with the company in some way), especially since you've yet to shoot it. Seems like a decent price, though I recently purchased a USGI upper with Colt SOCOM barrel and FN BCG for the same price. I personally would have sprung for a BCM upper for a little more for all the negative marks you gave ARD. Salad days. Took the post from my fingers. |
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Meh. There are some incredible deals on quality parts, currently.
The shill tactics of this "company" the last couple of years was a turn off, and there are a couple of reviews that are just horrific. Perhaps you can de-bunk all of this when you get a lower. You certainly have taken the first and only quality photos of these parts. |
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Not sure why a generic upper from an unknown company merited a long-winded review (unless you're affiliated with the company in some way), especially since you've yet to shoot it.. Consider this a well meaning work in progress. Nothing more, nothing less. Even if you choose to get/build something else based on my experience here, then it has served its purpose since there is virtually nothing about this company anywhere else beyond hearsay and rumor. |
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Seriously, does everybody that posts something from an off brand have to be a shill, affiliate or other like corporate puppet? I simply have a new toy from a company with very little information information floating around about it and thought somebody would like to know what they're getting into from box to range. Even if it's only buyer beware, and that somebody can choose to spring for a BCM upper instead. I mean, honestly. We're complaining that I may be affiliated with the company and that I have so many negative remarks about them that you would buy something else? Really? Consider this a well meaning work in progress. Nothing more, nothing less. Even if you choose to get/build something else based on my experience here, then it has served its purpose since there is virtually nothing about this company anywhere else beyond hearsay and rumor. Quoted:
Quoted:
Not sure why a generic upper from an unknown company merited a long-winded review (unless you're affiliated with the company in some way), especially since you've yet to shoot it.. Consider this a well meaning work in progress. Nothing more, nothing less. Even if you choose to get/build something else based on my experience here, then it has served its purpose since there is virtually nothing about this company anywhere else beyond hearsay and rumor. So that's a no? You have no affiliation with ARD? Make it a simple yes or no. |
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So that's a no? You have no affiliation with ARD? Make it a simple yes or no. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Not sure why a generic upper from an unknown company merited a long-winded review (unless you're affiliated with the company in some way), especially since you've yet to shoot it.. Consider this a well meaning work in progress. Nothing more, nothing less. Even if you choose to get/build something else based on my experience here, then it has served its purpose since there is virtually nothing about this company anywhere else beyond hearsay and rumor. So that's a no? You have no affiliation with ARD? Make it a simple yes or no. 
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Meh. There are some incredible deals on quality parts, currently. The shill tactics of this "company" the last couple of years was a turn off, and there are a couple of reviews that are just horrific. Perhaps you can de-bunk all of this when you get a lower. You certainly have taken the first and only quality photos of these parts. This. They've been shilling up these forums lately. Makes me wonder if OP is affiliated too or not. |
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You are brave to have even made it past the AR-15 carrying alien on the front page of their website. Please understand our collective skepticism. It's not unusual to have new members with low post counts turn out to be shills to drum up discussion.
They sure are charging a lot for no-name parts of questionable origins. I am betting that some of the components, like the gas block and rail are made overseas. Again, I personally wouldn't even bother when respected companies are putting out product not much more than ARD's sale price, and less than their regular price. Get back to us after you've mated your upper to a lower and fired some rounds through it. |
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