Hey guys,I “like” the ideal of the One piece upper and have been looking at them lately and figured I would ask the experts what you think of them !!! Are they just another AR Fad,are they functional and worth the extra $$$$. I’m not worried about the weight,if they do weight a tad more,but I would think they would be in line with most Upper & Rail combos,but could be wrong, Anyways,just wondering if anyone has one,which one and or any recommendations between the 3 that I know of,Mega,Vltor & LMT !! For me right now,just looking at the 3,I really like the Mega & the Vltor,not keen on the proprietary BBL for the LMT,but hell,I’ll never wear it out anyways,so it could be a Non-factor I guess. I want to run a Mid-Length BBL also when the time comes ! Thanks for any info and ideals.
PS: I know Colt offers there version of the Mono rail & being a Colt,I’m sure its a Awesome rifle,and cost wise,probably the smart way to go,but I’m just really diggin the Mid-Length Gas BBLs lately,I have built 2 since the 1st of the year,:happy: Thanks again !!
Eh, like stated above, some will like em’, others will hate em’.
I’m kinda in between that. I have one, a Vltor, and honestly I really like it. The only thing I don’t like is the extra weight, if there is much extra weight. I haven’t held a 16" gun with a standard upper / 12" rail combo in awhile so the weight may be a figment of my imagination and me just wanting something new.
I really like the way mine is set up now, but for some reason I’m itching for something lighter.
I think if I had to do it again or change what I have right now. I would build a precision type rig around a mono upper instead of a general purpose rig.
Ive never really had any use for rails,so Im a bit out of the mainstream in that regard.
But recently I have been intrigued by the Aero Precision/Armalite COP upper recievers and just how modular it is.
Only concern I have is all the fasteners involved on the COP’s lower rail panels,and how well they will be retained in heavy use…but I guess Aero Precision tested for that with the given torque specs.Guess time will tell.
That said Im planning on getting one of the midlength COP receivers when they are available and doing a 16" middy SPR.
Should be interesting and breaking from my stigma anyway.
I wouldn’t say the monolithic style uppers are a fad but they are starting to catch on. I bought an LMT MRP years ago and love it. Sure they have proprietary barrels but they are good quality and there is a variety of styles, lengths and calibers. Not to mention that if you get the CQB model you can get a piston setup as well. People may argue that the price of the barrels seems high but really they are inline with the cost of most barrels. Besides you can usually find a low round count used one at a good price online.
Here is my CQB with a few different barrels. The first is a 10.5", second is a 16" which I sent to ADCO to have contoured under the handguard and dimpled up front (nice and light) and last is another 16" setup. Changing barrels couldn’t be any easier as well. I have a 6.8 barrel but I haven’t used it yet.
One cannot compare the “polylithic” Vltor Vis or even the Mega stuff with the MRP considering the MRP is a complete system that supports lightning fast barrel changes and morphs into one of five diff. calibers, with the option of both D.I. and Piston op systems , and both high volume CL as well as some of the most accurate SS barrels that exist…all the while capturing these diff. barrels in the most free floated and rigid platform out there for an AR. The mega and vis’s are essentially another gun part…MRP is a complete weapon system more or less. I will say that at the end of the day, one can come out spending a ton less when getting a vis or the mega stuff.
Its my first post and have been lurking around the site for some time now, and I would say that MRP’s are far better looking and far stiffer than most rail platforms, and to top it all, the overall monorail design keeps the handguard cooler than most railed ones like the DD and Larue, and the free float barrel makes it even better since it helps in improving accuracy over time… here’s mine with an MRP upper… looks bad ass than any other railed platform if you’d ask me…
WOW,& Thanks guys,Awesome replies & info !!! It all helps & it all makes it harder to decide,LOL !!! But when you mention the LMT with the ideal of a Piston and switching calibers and BBL lengths,that does sounds like some good ideals !!! I’m not much of a Piston AR kinda guy at the moment,but being able to switch to one down the road,sounds like a nice option !!! I like the ideal of the MRP being a “complete” system & that does make good sense !! Hey what the heck does money have to do with it,if its what ya want & its a better setup/system,buy it,LOL !! I don’t have a ton of $$$,but when it comes to guns,I normally find a way to get what I want or need !!! Only thing with the LMT is they don’t offer a Mid-length Gas BBL,which in my head seems like the way to go now aday,but I have shot my Carbine Gassed BBL for years and never knew the difference or even cared about it,so in the end,going back to a Carbine Gassed BBL is really no big deal !!! And getting the CQB style would be shorter,lighter,faster handling anyways & for the type of shooting I like,it really would be a great setup !!!
Well I will keep ya posted on what & when I get going on this project,it will be awhile,but I like to get all my Ducks in a row way ahead of time & this helps a ton !!! Thanks again guys,very helpful !!!
m1a_scoutguy, all LMT MRP 5.56 barrels 16" and 18" are midlength gas systems. Only the 10.5" and 14.5" have carbine length gas systems. Even the 12" piston setup posted by variablebinary is midlength gas system.
Of the 3 systems mentioned, each have their pros and cons. If price, weight and barrel compatibility are a prime consideration, then the Mega has the advantage. I have a Mega 9" monolithic build and love it. It’s beautifully machined, takes any standard AR barrel, is less expensive, and is significantly lighter in weight than the VLTOR or the LMT (the LMT is the heaviest of the three, but with good reason). Additionally, unlike the VLTOR and LMT, Mega provides a matching billet lower that is machined to precisely mate with their monolithic uppers. Makes for a beautiful and lightweight package.
M1A, I have had 2 mono rails here is my rundown on them
ARMS SIR #50 Mil
The weight of this mono rail vs a KAC RAS is very noticeable
The Free Float was a plus for me.
The cost @ 380.00 + extras was a bit steep
The main issue I had was the rear BUIS aligning with my fixed front sight. It seems that Bushmaster does not use a mil spec front sight post . I did not learn this until after weeks of trying to figure out why I could not zero the sights. I was using the ARMS #40L BUIS and ended up ordering a different front sight post from bushmaster to get a zero.
Another issue was the fact that the SIR mounted on top of a flat top receiver. This ment that everything mounted on it would be about 1/2" higher. I learned to get past that.
The plus to this setup was that I could use any standard barrel. cleaning and replacing any broken or bent parts was easy.
POF Predator X9 mono rail
This rail was very similar to the SIR, it mounted on top of a flat top receiver, free floated, let me use any standard barrel (as long as i use the POF gas block). One big improvement over the SIR was that the rail extended all the across the top of the upper receiver. this ment that any BUIS I used would align as long as both the front and rear sights were mounted on the rail. This rail cost about 300.00 at the time.
In comparison with many of the mono rails out now, these systems were bolt on additions, most of the new stuff are mono uppers where the rail is integral. of these systems I was considering the colt 6940 but the special barrel forced me to not go with it.
That’s good news,that they are Mid-length Gas BBLs,cool !!! Thanks again guys for all the info !!! The LMT is sounding better the more I hear about it,yea its more $$$$,but has more Options down the road that sound easier to use or install !!! I would like a 6.8 BBL to go along with the setup !!! As far as the Mega goes,I really like the one with just the rail on top and rounded sides,I have a Troy Extreme rail & really like it !!! It would be nice to have the Mega Lower that would match up nice also !!! I’ll keep ya posted for sure !!!
Why would a monolithic be heavier than a comparable rail and upper? It seems like the monolithic not having to be connected to the upper would make it lighter?? What is the comparable weight difference?
Here’s my take on the MRP madness… substitute to the ACR caliber change madness but with a cheaper price hehhehe… you’ll still get the same caliber change capability but without the 3k usd tag price hehehhe
Anyways,just wondering if anyone has one,which one and or any recommendations between the 3 that I know of,Mega,Vltor & LMT !! For me right now,just looking at the 3,I really like the Mega & the Vltor,not keen on the proprietary BBL for the LMT,but hell,I’ll never wear it out anyways,so it could be a Non-factor I guess. I want to run a Mid-Length BBL also when the time comes ! Thanks for any info and ideals.
Only thing with the LMT is they don’t offer a Mid-length Gas BBL,which in my head seems like the way to go now aday,but I have shot my Carbine Gassed BBL for years and never knew the difference or even cared about it,so in the end,going back to a Carbine Gassed BBL is really no big deal !!! And getting the CQB style would be shorter,lighter,faster handling anyways & for the type of shooting I like,it really would be a great setup !!!
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