Suggestions for a 10.5" Upper

[ICBM556]

Think I'm going with an Andro Corp 10.5" Upper with quad rail. Comes complete with BCG and charging handle and is right in my wheel house price-wise. I've read great things about them and the owner was quick to respond to all my emails earlier today. I'll see how it goes.

I just purchased from Jason at AndroCorp. Got a 10.5 upper but I didn't want the BCG or CH. Really nice upper for the money, I would highly recommend Andro. They take customer service very seriously.

[ScaryWoody]

I think Andro is a quality house. Great guys. I built a 10.5" and chose a stainless steel 223 Wylde barrel. You might want to consider. The good deals in ammo these seem to be the .223 remington. The Wylde barrel shoots NATO and that equally good. Plus different enough to catch the admiration of those in the know at the range.

[kirkland]

If it's just a range toy go PSA to save $$$. If you're serious about using it as a home defense weapon go BCM.

[firefighter37]

If it's just a range toy go PSA to save $$$. If you're serious about using it as a home defense weapon go BCM.

Except they don't make a 10.5" barrel...

[kirkland]

They do make an 11.5 though

[firefighter37]

They do make an 11.5 though

Thats not what the OP was asking for.

[kirkland]

Thats not what the OP was asking for.

True, but there's not much difference in handling between a 10.5 and an 11.5. The OP said he might want to use it for home defense, and an 11.5 BCM is a damn good reliable short option for home defense, so I don't think it's out of line to recommend that he look into an 11.5 BCM. It's good to have options. Let's let the OP decide if he really needs a 10.5 or not, he's certainly free to take my advice with however many grains of salt he wants.

[johnking]

I would recommend DD MK18, but for a budget, get the BCM , very lighweight and nice quality.

[Schmalkald]

BCM, in my opinion, makes a good case for 11.5" over 10.5"

Here is a Q/A with Paul B. of BCM

Q: Why BCM chose the 11.5" SBR over the 10.5"

I get this question a lot. It is a good one. When we spec our program we can build anything we would like, so we sat down and looked at the pros and cons.

First Statement: I know a good 10.5" SBR can run very well. I personally own a semi MK18 type and it runs great. No problems.

A: Dwell time.
Dwell time is the time that your gas operated weapon maintains pressure to continue the cycling of the weapon. It primarily exsists from the time the bullet passes the gas port in the barrel to the time the bullet exits the muzzle. When you pull the trigger and fire the weapon the movement of the bolt carrier group unlocks the bolt, extracts, and ejects the spent casing. Then it cocks the weapon, feeds, chambers the next round, and then locks again. One of the thing that can make SBRs finicky is the dwell time (or lack of).

The 11.5" carbine is approximately 4% longer weapon than its' 10.5" counterpart, but this extra inch gives the barrel a 40% increase in length for dwell time. IMHO, this is an excellent trade off. This additional dwell time (all other things being equal) will allow the carbine to be more forgiving to different ammo types, extremes in air temperature, weak or worn extractor springs, worn extractors, buffer weights, etc.

Last Statement: For those folks who have a 10.5" that works very well, I would reply; me too. (see first statement)

If I had to "go to war" with a AR15 Carbine, I would grab the BCM 11.5".
The BCM 11.5" Runs Like a Dream.

Hope this info helps,
Paul

[johnking]

exactly , that a good trade off, less recoil and less punishing on the parts.