I have spent some time looking at past discussions on this topic and haven’t really found the answer I am looking for.
Assuming a QUALITY complete lower and upper from the SAME manufacturer are paired up (i.e. BCM/BCM, Colt/Colt, etc.), is there an increased potential for reliability issues? I really haven’t seen any evidence of this and I am just curious. Further, I realize SAME shouldn’t really matter if they are both from a top tier manufacturer but I want to take that out of the equation…
If the answer is no, besides some cost savings, then what are the real advantages of buying a complete rifle over a separate lower and upper? Test fire? Convenience?
Also, it is true manufacturers get dinged with a tax when they do sell complete rifles?
What are some of your opinions and preferences?
By the way, I bought a complete BCM lower and upper this summer and have had zero issues after about 800 rounds… (I know, not a lot of rounds down the pipe - just saying).
There is a tax for complete rifles. I can’t recall the exact name of the act, but it is some sort of “sporting” act. I believe the tax is 11%, but I could be off- I’m posting this while on vacation in Mexico. Really, I shouldn’t even be reading this forum, I should be drinking michelada or tequila…
Buying a complete BCM lower and pairing it with a complete BCM upper is just fine. There’s also nothing wrong with putting a BCM upper on a Colt lower, an LMT upper on a BCM lower, etc. Again, quality is quality.
Where most reliability issues start is when people try to pair a good quality upper half with a cheap lower they built up themselves (which may be out of spec) using parts of a questionable nature. That is when you may see things such as broken bolt release paddles, out of spec pins “walking” out of out of spec receiver holes and so forth. Or even worse, you have an entire rifle assembled piece by piece from a whole conglomeration of questionable parts. Then add in the experience factor of the builder. Even a quality set of parts may not work properly if incorrectly installed, i.e. hammer springs installed backwards.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying two complete halves (be they from the same manufacturer or otherwise) and snapping them together, so long as both halves are made to spec with quality components. I have a 1990s era Colt rifle that will end up wearing a new BCM complete upper half without any reservation when I finally manage to wear the current Colt upper out.
One beautiful thing about the AR15 is that the parts do not require hand-fitting. Assuming you are getting parts that are dimensioned properly (which is pretty much all parts, even from less reputable companies such as DPMS, RRA, etc.) it shouldn’t matter if you buy a complete rifle, or an upper and lower half separately, or even just all the parts for a rifle loose (assuming you have the tools and knowledge to assemble it properly). The AR15 is born and bred in the age of mass-produced, interchangeable parts.
It’s pretty cool when you can take a rifle made in 1994 by Colt, install a bolt carrier group sold in 2011 by PSA, and an Adventure Line magazine made who knows when (early 1970s?) and it all fits together without a hitch. You’ve got a window of 40 years and three different companies spanning half the US, and it’s all interchangeable.
Isn’t technology cool?
As long as the parts are made to specification, in addition to having proper dimensions, there’s nothing to worry about. As always, trust but verify, test fire new or unproven rifles.
See, that I did not know. My BCM upper did not appear to have been fired and the BCG came in separate package. I assume(d) some sort of good QA/QC from BCM but did not realize it was test fired. Interesting.
