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Posted: 11/26/2010 8:26:36 AM EDT
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Hello All,
I am fairly new to AR's and I found that since I cannot buy a BCM AR15 16" Middy (live in MA and they will not ship lowers here) that I would need to get the parts independently, make MA compliant and then assemble into a complete rifle. With that said I can get a lower from (LINKS TO THIS VENDOR ARE NOT ALLOWED), so that hard part is over with. I plan on getting a lower from then, but the overwhelming part is getting the upper.... but back to the lower for a moment. Lower: The lower I plan on getting is (LINKS TO THIS VENDOR ARE NOT ALLOWED) and one option I am not familiar with is the option for the standard, Noveske QD and Magpul ASAP receiver plates. What pro's and con's would these different options have? Like I said earlier I am new to AR's so I am still learning a lot. Would there be anything else that is needed for this lower that I am overlooking? Upper: Now this is the overwhelming and confusing part for me. BCM will ship me an upper but I will need to make it MA Compliant, or go with one that is MA Compliant (basically no bayonet lug, flash hider or threaded barrel... I need a compensator pinned and welded to the barrel). I looked on their website and there are soooo many options to choose from. Do they have significant differences or are the differences simply having different rails and hand-guards from various companies? With that said, I know that I am looking for a 16" middy when all is said and done. Are there advantages over a 14.5" upper since the compensator needs to be pinned and welded on which would (depending on the compensator) bring the barrel length to the 16" mark, or should I just go with the 16" barrel? Also it looks like I would need a bolt carrier group to complete the upper. Any suggestions or things that I should know on that? Is there anything else that I am overlooking that I would need? My thinking is that a lower group, upper group, charging handle, bolt carrier and stock would all make the complete rifle but I would not be surprised if I am mistaken in this assumption. Thanks, BE4TNUT |
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The end plates are for attaching a sling. The Noveske accepts a quick detach swivel. The ASAP accepts a clip.
As for the upper... I don't know much about MA law except that they suck... You may have to buy the upper and have it shipped directly from the vendor ,(we are not allowed to mention them on this forum). to an AR smith to get pinned and neutered. Personally, if it has to be pinned, I would opt for the 14.5" midlength. No sense in having the extra length. But know that if you want to add a free floated rail such as a Daniel Defense Lite rail, the muzzle device will have to be cut off and in the process will be destroyed. Or you could install Daniel Defense's Omega rail and not have to modify the rifle in anyway. The bolt carrier group, I would sick with BCM. They make the best BCGs on the market right now. The complete lower w/ stock, upper group w/ BCG and charging handle, and hanguards will get you close, but you forgot one very important thing... You will be needing a rear sight to be fully functional. Good luck on your rifle, BCM is really good stuff and they have a lifetime warranty and excellent customer service. I hope I was able to help. |
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Quoted:
The end plates are for attaching a sling. The Noveske accepts a quick detach swivel. The ASAP accepts a clip. As for the upper... I don't know much about MA law except that they suck... You may have to buy the upper and have it shipped directly from the vendor ,(we are not allowed to mention them on this forum). to an AR smith to get pinned and neutered. Yeah the laws here do suck. Thanks for the clarification on the end plates that does help. The upper being that it is not a receiver and not a serialized part of a firearm, it is not considered a firearm until mated to a lower. I still have a little more research to do but believe that I can get the upper first and have it modified to be MA compliant once its ready to be mated to a lower. The only part that is regulated so much is the lower/receiver, buying even a stripped lower is treated the same as if you are buying a handgun. Once that is done I can get the lower and complete the rifle. P.S. So what is with not being able to mention the vendor on this forum? |
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Here's a thought + my $0.02.
1. Sling adapter: I'd go standard unless you already know you want something else. I don't have one, but the Noveske looks pretty nice and a lot swear by them. The Magpul is relatively specialized to their sling, so it ties you into that. 2. I didn't see this in your post and apologize if I'm reading it wrong, but IF you are ever going to get a rail, wouldn't getting the upper with a rail and no FSB solve your bayo lug problem since it will have a gas block and no lug? This option will require you to get a front sight. 3. If I read your post correctly you have to pin your FH no matter what. If so I would go 14.5/pinned. It's really personal preference. As for pinning the flash suppressor, I don't have to worry about it where I live, and you may already know this, but some states make a distinction between flash hider and flash suppressor so make sure you get the right type. 4. If you buy the bolt with the upper you save $10 (WHEE!) and get a free charging handle. 5. The only thing left if you get the lower, the upper w/bolt & charging handle are front+rear sights and/or an optic. Good luck. |
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Quoted:
Here's a thought + my $0.02. 1. Sling adapter: I'd go standard unless you already know you want something else. I don't have one, but the Noveske looks pretty nice and a lot swear by them. The Magpul is relatively specialized to their sling, so it ties you into that. 2. I didn't see this in your post and apologize if I'm reading it wrong, but IF you are ever going to get a rail, wouldn't getting the upper with a rail and no FSB solve your bayo lug problem since it will have a gas block and no lug? This option will require you to get a front sight. 3. If I read your post correctly you have to pin your FH no matter what. If so I would go 14.5/pinned. It's really personal preference. As for pinning the flash suppressor, I don't have to worry about it where I live, and you may already know this, but some states make a distinction between flash hider and flash suppressor so make sure you get the right type. 4. If you buy the bolt with the upper you save $10 (WHEE!) and get a free charging handle. 5. The only thing left if you get the lower, the upper w/bolt & charging handle are front+rear sights and/or an optic. Good luck. Cool, yeah all the opinions and thoughts are welcomed as it makes me think about things I may have overlooked. I do like the flattop uppers that are railed, like the Recce style uppers. Now that you point it out I see they do not have the bayonet lug like the non Recce ones seem to have. As for the FH... I need to put on a compensator instead of a FH and then pin and weld it in order to eliminate a threaded barrel (a no no in MA). Once it is welded the compensator is considered part of the barrel and the barrel is measured from tip to tip of the welded compensator. I am not 100% of the laws around a SBR in MA right now, may look into that in the future, but want to make sure it comes out to 16" to make sure it is considered a rifle. I do believe to have a SBR you need to have your C&R FFL (Collectors & Relics). The optics/sites I failed to mention but I do know I would need them. Basically I am trying to make sure I am not missing anything to make a complete, safe and functioning rifle. |
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In that case I would get a 14.5 with a pinned COMP...BCM offers the PWS FSC556 COMP as a "stock" muzzle device on THIS upper.
I'm not saying "get this one" (although I did buy this one for my son's graduation present), just an example of A (not the) way to go. |
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Send BCM a message with what you are looking for, they will help you out. That way you get the upper to your door ready to go, with out having to send it out for the pinning of the muzzle attachment or find a good smith in your area to do it. MAHA They won't neuter the bayonet lug. |
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Send BCM a message with what you are looking for, they will help you out. That way you get the upper to your door ready to go, with out having to send it out for the pinning of the muzzle attachment or find a good smith in your area to do it. MAHA They won't neuter the bayonet lug. They will not ship with anything but an adjustable stock also, or pin/weld the compensator / muzzle break. I tried contacting them directly and they basically said they can't do anything as they do not take any custom orders. Then I found on their site a distributor that they suggest to go through for CA compliant lowers, which I confirmed will also ship to a MA FFL. Thanks for all the information guys, I do appreciate it a lot. Also sorry for breaking the rules (was not aware of the rule), I will be more careful in the future. |
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(LINKS TO THIS VENDOR ARE NOT ALLOWED)
This is a little off topic, but... why? I don't recall "thou shalt not link to noveske" in the rules...  If it's the vendor I am thinking of, there is some serious bad blood between him and this site. I don't know the original source of animosity, so I can't comment on the validity of it, but I can tell you that it goes both ways, so much so that the vendor started his own forum elsewhere. I've ordered from him before, and I can say that while I got what I paid for, customer service wasn't necessarily his strong suit. 
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(LINKS TO THIS VENDOR ARE NOT ALLOWED)
This is a little off topic, but... why? I don't recall "thou shalt not link to noveske" in the rules... If it's the vendor I am thinking of, there is some serious bad blood between him and this site. I don't know the original source of animosity, so I can't comment on the validity of it, but I can tell you that it goes both ways, so much so that the vendor started his own forum elsewhere. I've ordered from him before, and I can say that while I got what I paid for, customer service wasn't necessarily his strong suit. Oh ok, I thought it was noveske.com or something. 
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| Buy from BCM with confidence. Take a look at the 14.5 mid length with the DD 12" lite. You won't have to worry about a bayonet lug then. Since it has to be pinned, take a look at the PWS FSC556 comp. I have this upper, albeit with the Troy rail, and it is the softest shooting AR I've owned. Makes for very fast follow up shots. |
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