Monolithic mid-length upper build...

[Shao]

So.. As of last night, I've got three lower builds under belt (bougth my first AR Black Friday). They were amazingly simple and I feel as though I can do it blindfolded now.

SO... I want to try my hand at an upper build... I REALLY like the look
of monolithic uppers (looking at the AP mid length) and have a couple of questions for the experts:

A. I wondering what everyone's opinion is on them, are they worth the money? A good rail and stripped upper come out to be about the same cost and I'm all about K.I.S.S. - it seems like a monolithic upper would have tighter tolerances and (correct me if I'm mistaken) less parts.

B. My only fear of building an upper is the gas system - from what I gather, it can be a bitch to get right. Just how much harder is it to build an upper assembly group than it is to build a lower?

C. Is it worth it? I like being able to choose each and every component in my firearm myself, but the cost of complete UAGs aren't much more thant hey parts they're comprised of (unless I'm missing something).

I'll end up doing it eventually, I was going to wait for either a DD or Noveske upper, but instead of waiting, it may just be quicker to buy a DD or Noveske barrel and piece it altogether myself - which brings me to another question - since I'm intimidated by the gas block, is it worth it to get a barrel with block/tube preinstalled so that I don't jack anything up?

Thanks!!! I'm still an AR newb but I'm working on changing that as quickly as possible...

[Quentin]

There are so many rail options out there I'd go that route (with the stripped upper) over the monolithic upper unless you find exactly what you want in the latter.

If you doubt your ability I'd have it done by a pro.

[Shao]

There are so many rail options out there I'd go that route (with the stripped upper) over the monolithic upper unless you find exactly what you want in the latter.

If you doubt your ability I'd have it done by a pro.

I was thinking the same thing - I like having options - but damned if those AP monolithic uppers don't look awesome...

...and in almost 30 years of shooting and 20 years of working on my own guns, I've NEVER had to take a weapon to a gunsmith for anything - it's not that I doubt my ability so much - I just wanted to know how much more difficult it really is and how easy it would be to render your components worthless on a botched install. I've had amazingly good luck all of these years I suppose, because I haven't f*cked anything up yet...

[Magsz]

No one can tell you if it is worth it.

There are pros to monolithic uppers and very few cons, basically the major con being proprietary and an end to modularity (at least in changing your actual rail.)

You seem like you're building rifles as a bit of a Lego style hobby, cool, but perhaps take a step back and look at what the purpose of each of these Lego rifles will be? Once you have a defined role for each of your tools you can build accordingly.

If you want unique and cool looking then sure, go for a monolithic upper.

Until YOU can tell yourself what YOU stand to gain by going with a monolithic upper, all of the mental masturbation on the internet is utterly worthless.

[The_Hammer_Man]

A) Monolithic uppers feel more rigid but, usually, at the cost of weight savings.

B)Modularity, as has been mentioned, is problematical. Can't access the top of the barrel with most mono's which making gas tube changes a bitch.

C) I'll start using mono uppers when they fix A and B to my satisfaction.

(not holding my breath)

There are pro's and con's to the mono setup but, I have issue with the fact that doing maintenance on them is more difficult than on a "normal" setup.

To each their own.

[Shao]

No one can tell you if it is worth it.

There are pros to monolithic uppers and very few cons, basically the major con being proprietary and an end to modularity (at least in changing your actual rail.)

You seem like you're building rifles as a bit of a Lego style hobby, cool, but perhaps take a step back and look at what the purpose of each of these Lego rifles will be? Once you have a defined role for each of your tools you can build accordingly.

Oh, I have purposes for my builds... I don't build them to look cool... That's just an added bonus in my book. Functionality and practicality always comes first

A) Monolithic uppers feel more rigid but, usually, at the cost of weight savings.

B)Modularity, as has been mentioned, is problematical. Can't access the top of the barrel with most mono's which making gas tube changes a bitch.

C) I'll start using mono uppers when they fix A and B to my satisfaction.

(not holding my breath)

There are pro's and con's to the mono setup but, I have issue with the fact that doing maintenance on them is more difficult than on a "normal" setup.

To each their own.

Hmmmm... Thanks for that... Having never built my own upper, that answers a lot.