Which upper? LaRue or Rainier?

[skywalkrNCSU]

I am looking at building/buying a precision upper (leaning 18") that will mainly be used for punching paper, maybe some varmint hunting. The max distance I will have available to me is 500m but most of my shooting will be inside 200m. I am looking mainly at the LaRue Stealth upper or the Ranier Ultramatch custom upper. Both are right at $1200 and I would rather not spend anymore. I could build one myself but it doesn't seem to be much of a price advantage and with wanting it to be a precision upper, I trust the fine folks who do this professionally over me.

Is there really going to be a benefit of one over the other? What about other options in that price point? It seems Noveske uppers are more around $1500 or I would be considering them as well.

[BobinNC]

Noveske 18" W/NSR Upper $1285.

http://noveskerifleworks.com/cgi-bin...status=&title=

Noveske 18" Rogue Hunter Upper $1070.

http://noveskerifleworks.com/cgi-bin...status=&title=

Not a damn thing wrong with Larue or Rainer Arms uppers your considering. But also I would put this upper in the running as well:

Centurion Arms 18" DMR $970. but it comes without BCG & Charge Handle, which are options:

http://www.centurionarms.net/index.p...art&Itemid=176

[CGFS]

One thing I will tell you is that the Rainier Arms Ultra Match upper at 16" with the Centurion rail is heavy so if weight is a consideration keep that in mind. I've gotten 5 shot moa and sub moa groups out of my upper in less than ideal setups when it comes to how my rifle was braced etc.

[skywalkrNCSU]

Thanks guys. Weight isn't really a concern, it will mainly be used for target shooting, I just want to get the most accuracy for the money. I am sure all those options will more than outshoot my ability but I can always get better

[TangoSauce]

My buddy had a 3 month wait to receive his Stealth upper. If you decide that route giving them a call/email to check availability would be wise. Should it be such a wait, Rainier would be the option out of the two in the op.

[TehLlama]

The Centurion DMR upper is a really stout option for the cost (I've swapped handguards to a 14" and mounted some OPS hardware, but otherwise bone stock) mine performs really well.

That said, if the Rainier is available, and that price works for you, go for it.

[CGFS]

Looks like a 10 week minimum wait on the Centurion as well.

[d90king]

I'm very pleased with my 18" Stealth and I think they represent one of the better values in the out of the box precision market. Dead nuts reliable and very accurate. I am also very happy with my Noveske and I'm not sure you can go wrong with either one.

[Army Chief]

I've a very favorable impression of Rainier's premium series uppers, and consider them to be unusually good values, when you look at the components used throughout. My personal RA UltraMatch Elite upper hasn't necessarily found a place on my first-up rifle, largely because I tend to favor stripped-down, lightweight configurations for that role, but I would definitely buy another without hesitation. I consider Rainier to be the thinking-man's alternative to the Noveske in cases were top quality is desired, but price remains an active consideration.

AC

[RyanB]

I would get the Rainier, using an upper without FA and an NSR.