Help me pick a heavy Ar15 upper

[Capri_Man]

Ok guys I've been googling till my eyes have crossed from all the generalizations. I'm planning a 224 Valkyrie build using a 24" heavy barrel so I'd like to use a heavy walled upper as the core. My requirements are that it be capable of accepting normal hand guards, and preferably without a foward assist. I'm not sure if a case deflector is desirable or not when dealing with brass I hope to reload?

So far I've come up with:
*Jse surplus ar15 sbu billet W/O side charging handle- mega arms m0301. (Would this be the same as the old school MEGA upper so many people seam to love?)

*Odin Works UPPER-BILLET-ODIN-1

*Vltor MUR without foward assist MUR-1S (I've heard this isn't great as under the case deflector is a giant hole as the BD is just pinned on over the top?)

*JP enterprises cnc billet upper receiver CTR-02

*DPMS lo Pro F409946

Are there any other's I should look at or stat away from?

 

[TXBO]

Seekins Precision.

 

[MTRecon]

White Oak Armament maybe...or maybe White Oak Precision to have a custom order...

 

[502Chevelle]

Gibbz makes a nice one with a side charger.

 

[rpoL98]

Noveske Gen 3 Chainsaw. should go on sale for BF @ Rainier. hopefully for $220 for stripped upper. I'm hoping...

https://www.rainierarms.com/noveske-stripped-gen-3-upper-receiver-chainsaw/

 

[Constructor]

Mega is now ZEV and still good.
Vltor MUR

 

[Forgetful Coyote]

@redneckbmxer24 says the Vltor is g2g.. curious if @padom has tried any thick wall uppers..?

 

[padom]

@redneckbmxer24 says the Vltor is g2g.. curious if @padom has tried any thick wall uppers..?

I have 3 JSE MEGA SBU thick walled uppers right now. 2 on guns and a spare in the safe. They are beefy and super tight fitting. They are the best value for your money of all the thick walled uppers out there imho.

 

[Forgetful Coyote]

I have 3 JSE MEGA SBU thick walled uppers right now. 2 on guns and a spare in the safe. They are beefy and super tight fitting. They are the best value for your money of all the thick walled uppers out there imho.

Nice. When you say tight.. do they require thermo fitting the barrel extension like BCM’s do..?

 

[padom]

Nice. When you say tight.. do they require thermo fitting the barrel extension like BCM’s do..?

No I mean upper to lower fitment in the MEGA billet lower...so tight, I thought they didnt fit and was about to call MEGA. You had to get them perfectly aligned at 12 o'clock above the lower and press fit it down. Tightest upper/lower combo I've ever had through here.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

VLTOR is the shit. No good reason not to get a forward assist IMO.

 

[MontanaMan]

I have 3 JSE MEGA SBU thick walled uppers right now. 2 on guns and a spare in the safe. They are beefy and super tight fitting. They are the best value for your money of all the thick walled uppers out there imho.

Yeah, those are probably the heaviest & thickest & JSE has some left as they are discontinued as I understand it, & they are slickside with no shell deflector or forward assist. Great for a pure bench gun though.

I'll stick to Vltor MUR & Cross Machine Tool UPR's as I prefer the shell deflector & the forward assist. The finishing on the CMT's is outstanding, their fit to their lowers, as well as most others, is excellent. Both are thicker walled than standard forger mil=spec uppers.

MM

 

[LeadZeke]

Seekins for the handguard interface.

 

[Capri_Man]

I have 3 JSE MEGA SBU thick walled uppers right now. 2 on guns and a spare in the safe. They are beefy and super tight fitting. They are the best value for your money of all the thick walled uppers out there imho.

I am starting to lean towards the Mega upper as I want it be as beefy as possible. I plan to hang either the 24"-26" Rainier 224 Valkyrie barrel on it thank's to your build thread and a few others.

Yeah, those are probably the heaviest & thickest & JSE has some left as they are discontinued as I understand it, & they are slickside with no shell deflector or forward assist. Great for a pure bench gun though.
MM

So what exactly is the advantage of the shell deflector? Is it to keep the brass from bouncing off our face or what? I can see a possible advantage in that the deflector won't dent the brass as it comes out....

 

[TimK]

I’m doing exactly the same thing as the OP and have the same questions.

looking on the Zev site, I see two uppers, forged and billet. Both good, or is the billet the better choice?