I’ve been doing a ton of reading on the website, looked at the Chart several times and am now almost ready to put together my first AR.
I have decided on my Lower, a Spikes Tactical Complete Lower on their website Magpul MOE Stock and Grip. I can get all of this for $330. From what I have seen it is the best deal including all of the Magpul furniture I want.
Where I am torn is on my upper. I have narrowed it down to basically 2 options.
BCM Standard 14.5" Mid Length Upper Receiver Group w/ Daniel Defense OmegaX 9 Handguard, Permanent Flashider to make it non NFA. BCM BCG and charging handle. This comes to $889.
Spike’s Tactical 16" Midlength LE Upper w/9" BAR Rail (5.56). Comes with the Spikes BCG and charging handle for $660.
So that is where I am stuck. I am not looking for a BCM vs Spikes debate as I have seen from other threads how quickly those get out of hand. I am comfortable with both and think they make good enough products for my first AR. I like the look of the 14.5" better with the DD OmegaX 9, however I am not sure if i like it more than $229 over the 16". I am just wondering if I will regret going with the 16" wishing I had a lighter and shorter barrel. If the Spikes was a 14.5" i would take it in a heart beat, so my main issue is whether that extra 1.5" is going to bug me. I could use the $229 on a quality light and mount. I’ll invest in good optics later.
For those of you with both 14.5" and 16" AR’s is there really that big of a difference? I intend to use the weapon as my main Home Defense weapon and for the range and training classes. I like in an urban jungle so I don’t think the extra range of the 16" is an issue.
Thank you for your help! This forum is a wealth of information…sometimes it can be tough to finally make the choice :).
I would not recommend a pinned FH on a first AR.
They severly limit your ability to change hardware should you decide to do so as you gain experience and proficiency.
I highly recommend BCM 16" middies. I have one and have seen numerous others through classes, they make up a strong percentage of guns that survive training classes and high-density practice.
I’d recommend that you get a 16" barrel. 14.5" offers no practical advantage over 16". It does offer a lot of hassles; R&R’ing a permanent flash suppressor is a hassle, failing to permanently reattach makes you subject to BATFE headaches, etc., all for what, 1.5 inches? I’ve bought from both Spike’s and BCM, both are fine companies and you’ll do well with either.
Allow me to further reiterate: BCM midlength is the way to go for sure, but 16" is a far, far better choice for 1st AR. No matter how much you’ve studied and read and planned, there’ll be things later that you want to change or improve and sure enough that darned pinned FS will be in the way.
i went ahead with a 14.5" bcm middy with perm’d fsc556 (NY awb :rolleyes:). Have not had a chance to shoot it yet as its not complete, but will report by end of the week hopefully.
yeah i dont think you’ll be able to notice much difference between them. Theres plenty of factors that go into where that bullet lands or hits, 2 inches isnt going to be one of them i think.
Although i have notice in shooting “longer” distance between a 16" m4 barrel and a 16"bullbarrel. but that wasnt part of your question.
Great choice on the 14.5 for home defense. Have fun and post some pics when you can
First off, you have two great options and you really can’t go wrong with either configuration. Myself, I would buy the best quality carbine that you feel comfortable purchasing and not spend the money on accessories which you can pick up later. For example you can buy either a BCM or DD upper with a standard handguard for equal or less money than the spikes with a rail. I would go this route and later customize it to you liking after putting some rounds downrange.
In terms of configuration, I would go with either a BCM/DD 16" middy or one of the 16" BCM LW midlength uppers.
That said, I also think the Spikes upper is a very good product and should work just fine for you as well.
I was also interested in the Pencil DD barrels I saw on your website. My thoughts were that if I was going for a 16" the Spikes was the best value. The prospect of a 14.5" seemed like the only way it would make it worth it to invest another $250+. I didn’t think how much of a hassle it would be with the pinned FS. If I had the rail I was happy with, and I really like the look of the DD Omegax 9, would i ever need to remove it if I wasn’t going to change the rail?
I’ve thought about just getting the upper and barrel without a rail already installed but I don’t know much about matching the rail to the gas block and installation. I would rather not have to deal with removing the front sight and messing with it. I like the Magpul MOE handguards but right now they only have them for the carbine and I want a middy.
Thanks for all of your replies…got me contemplated more options now :).
If you really like the set-up of the 14.5" upper and plan not to replace the parts… then buy it. But keep in mind if you do want to change anything from the receiver to the flash hider/break, you will have more hassles. Like paying a gunsmith to replace the rail, front sight (if it has a regular post) and flash hider. This is because of the permanently pinned/welded flash hider/break.
With the 16" upper, you will have better options replacing anything if you decide to do that in the future. Nothing is permanently welded or pinned. You can do the work yourself with proper tools.
The first AR I ever bought was an 11.5’'. (KAC. I’d been saving up for firearms and equipment since I was 18.)
Now, that’s because I’m in love with SBRs. Now if I had to debate on 16’‘, or 14.5’’ I’d run a 16’’ (for a FIRST AR). Even if I feel their a little obnoxious, having a permanent FH is a pain in the ass.
(Second AR I bought was a DDM4 with 14.5’’ and perm’ FH, I sold it to my sister because it was inconveniencing as shit. Then bought an LWRCi)
First off on the lower there are a couple of better choices than spikes in my opinion. You can order complete BCM lowers from Grant for $350, or build a complete DD lower on Grants site configured your way for about $370 depending on components chosen. You can also order complete lowers from Daniel Defense eithe DDXV type $339 or DDM4 type for $439. All of these are infinately better in my opinion than Spikes and for about the same price. On the upper I think the BCM 14.5" middy is a good choice. Or as others have stated the BCM 16" LW upper, or Grant could build you a custom upper to your specs for a good price. Daniel Defense will also build a custom upper (with their parts) for you I ordered a “clone” of the BCM 14.5" Middy but with a DD CHF barrel and DD Upper. I am having a AAC FH permed on this.
I was just looking at Grant’s site and the DD Lower. With everything I wanted added to it I was coming in at $371. I really like the look of the DD lower and the flared mag well. Now I got another option for the lower. I am almost leaning towards the 14.5" or 16" LW barrel by either BCM or DD. I need to sell my truck first for the funds but i think i will be giving Grants shop a call in the not too distant future.
This rifle will likely be my only rifle for a long time, that’s why I want to make sure I get what I want now and not regret it later. I’ve done some searches on 14.5" vs 16" barrels to read all the pro’s and con’s.
IMHO the CM Standard 16" Mid Length (LIGHT WEIGHT) Upper Receiver Group is the “A answer” for anyone looking to get into ARs and willing to assemble from scratch. Installing a set of Cavarms or RRA plastic handguards (at least until the MOE are available), a Magpul MBUS rear sight, and an Aimpoint C3 in ADM mount is the best thing going. Add a sling (I’m partial to the BFG Victory, magazines, and ammo, and get to an entry-level training class like Randy Cain’s Carbine 1.
Ditto with Rob on the BCM LW middy. Just got one last month, and balances nicely. Feels great to have the extra real estate of the mid length. DSG Arms has Cav Arms mid length handguards for $20. The fit and finish of them is really nice, I was leery of the RRA ones on BCM’s site. You can’t go wrong with a Vickers sling either.