JP Enterprises vs Radian Weapons .223 Upper

[CMP70306]

So as the title suggests I am currently in the market for a new upper for my AR-15. I currently have a RRA Varmint A4 and am looking to get something a bit lighter now that they legalized semi-autos for hunting coyotes and other varmints in PA. I was looking for a 16" to 18" Barrel with my main goal of suppressing the rifle for hunting so that I don't need to wear headphones in the woods.

I have mainly been looking at stock uppers as the 6 to 8 week lead time for a custom JP upper gives me very little hunting time and I don't have much of an interest in building one at this time. I know that JP has a great track record as a reliable, well made product and was on track to buy one until I tripped over Radian Weapons. Now after doing some research and not being able to decisively pick I figured I would come here to see if anybody has a side by side comparison between these two uppers.

One of my main concerns is that the JP has an adjustable gas block while the Radian does not. As I understand it an adjustable gas block is essential to tuning the rifle to work well with a suppressor. However based on the couple reviews I found for the Radian (formerly AXTS MI-T556) there seemed to be very little change when the suppressor was used so I might be concerned about nothing. I have limited knowledge of running a suppressor on a semi auto so any info is appreciated.

Additionally if any one has suggestions for a different upper feel free to share it, you might know of one I have never heard of that might be just what I'm looking for.

Thank you in advance for any information you can provide.

 

[USMC 308]

My .223 JP upper with a 20" barrel is the most accurate gas gun I've even shot. It's a .5 moa gun. I don't reload, so I tested around 20 different types of match ammunition out of it. There are some that shoot great and some that shoot surprisingly bad.

My search for a precision .223 gas gun is over.

Great:
Copper Creek 73gr Berger
Defender 69gr SMK
Prime 77gr SMK

 

[TimK]

I've never shot an AR that didn't benefit from an adjustable gas block when switching to a can. Adding a suppressor increases the amount of gas going to cycle the action, so without an adjustable gas block, you're certain to be overgassed. Most guns with fixed blocks are overgassed a bit to start with. Adding a can will just make it worse.

I have two JPs, and they are superb. Far and away the best ARs I've shot. They do have some items ready for immediate delivery. Maybe you can find one of them that will suit you.

 

[CMP70306]

Thank you for the info, I had been leaning more towards an adjustable gas block so I could tune for the suppressor. I know with my dads 16" carbine it seems to be pretty well over gassed.

One other option I had considered was going for a cheaper upper such as the ODIN Works 3-Gun upper to fit on my lower current lower since its nothing special. Then at a later date after I figure what works and doesn't I could spring for a higher quality complete rifle with all the bells and whistles such as the JP or the Radian.

 

[bigjake83]

It's not even a valid question, JP hands down.

 

[bigjake83]

Or you can contact Compass Lake Engineering, and have a complete upper built in 3 weeks MAX!! And made of the finest components such as Bartlein and Krieger barrels for less then $1000

 

[B4forever]

I haven't owned a JP but I can speak to the Radian. It is an EXTREMELY high quality rifle but it isn't light by any means and it lacks adjustability. If I were you I'd go with the Odin Works upper. They come with a nice adjustable gas block and an accurate barrel. I just built a Grendel with an odin barrel and it's a consistent .5-.75moa gun with factory hornady match.

 

[accurate_okie]

I built an upper using a 18" JP light weight barrel with 223 wylde chamber and all I can say is WOW, I couldn't be happier.

I used the following

18" light contour 223 wylde, thermal dissipator,light weight bolt carrier and rifle buffer, rifle buffer spring
V7 Weapon Systems light weight upper receiver
SLR adjustable gas block and gas tube
Silencerco trifecta brake
AXTS(Radian) raptor charging handle

I would suggest the new Radian SD charging handles for using a silencer, they help a lot.

I have a excellent Hornady 68 gr load for this that is only slightly tighter than the factory Hornady 75gr factory ammo that I have. Easy half MOA even on my bad days.

My friend has a Radian rifle and it is very accurate but not as accurate.

 

[CMP70306]

Thanks for the info guys, I ended up going with the ODIN Works upper as I found a deal for $600 which was hard to pass up. I will be running handloads to try and squeeze the most out of it, worst case it will at least get me through this season.

However if it doesn't shoot as well as I'm hoping for I will most likely have JP build me an upper and relegate this one to short range carbine work.

Once I get it put together and rigged up I'll let you all know how it shoots.