MA Compliant Complete Upper Replacement

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So I am being a bit proactive here, but I am realizing I may need to eventually replace the upper on my “pre healy” 5.56 rifle and am coming up short on how to do so. I can’t find any complete uppers for sale anywhere that have unthreaded barrels. I know I could potentially get one and either have a smith remove the threads or have a muzzle device (not a FH) pinned and welded but was hoping I could avoid those extra steps and just find a complete upper that I could find a complete upper eventually that I could just swap out with the old one. Am I SOL? Would I have to build one myself or go through the afformentioned smithing work to accomplish this? Thanks for any advice or guidance from any of you who have been in a similar situation.
 
I have an RGuns bull barrel upper with a target crown. Short of something like that, getting a gunsmith to pin a brake is the way.
 
Pin/weld is not that big of a deal. Yes, it's an extra step, but any competent gunsmith who doesn't have a backlog can do it in short order. Just good luck finding one without a backlog now. The only real downsides are if your hand guard doesn't fit over it, you have to unpin it if you ever want to change it out. Also, you should probably be confident in your muzzle device selection.
 
Just look for an upper with a target crown barrel. Stag used to offer these (I don't believe they ship to MA) and probably some others.

White Oak makes non-threaded complete uppers as well (currently backordered).

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you so overcomplicate all this. drill or get a pre-drilled muzzle break.
get a solder.
View: https://www.amazon.com/Harris-Troy-Ounce-75310-5631/dp/B0713Y6V2F
get a proper soldering iron or a micro-torch and get it done.

if you are afraid of torches - this one should melt at 450deg a usual 60w electrical soldering iron can reach.
View: https://www.amazon.com/STA-BRITE-Silver-Solder-STAR2000-Stay-Brite/dp/B0015H6JYS

PS. and no one ever nowhere will be poking into your solder to establish what is its content. just get it visible and stop worrying.
 
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Order from LaRue and they'll take care of the p/w.
that is not true. they do not do that on 16,18,20" barrels on the ultimate kit. on sniper kit they offer to p/w an A2 - and it is not an MA compliant device as it is a flash hider, but a brake.
the tranquilo break that comes with ultimate kit is very good, but is a bitch to drill through, i just messed with it 2 weeks ago and broke a drill bit. it has a 1/2 of a hole pre-drilled.
 
you so overcomplicate all this. drill or get a pre-drilled muzzle break.
get a solder.
View: https://www.amazon.com/Harris-Troy-Ounce-75310-5631/dp/B0713Y6V2F
get a proper soldering iron or a micro-torch and get it done.

if you are afraid of torches - this one should melt at 450deg a usual 60w electrical soldering iron can reach.
View: https://www.amazon.com/STA-BRITE-Silver-Solder-STAR2000-Stay-Brite/dp/B0015H6JYS

PS. and no one ever nowhere will be poking into your solder to establish what is its content. just get it visible and stop worrying.
If you're going to skinflint on it you might as well not f****** bother doing it at all and just use red Loctite or something. [rofl]

DIY on a pin and weld is f***ing stupid- when there are experts around that will do it RIGHT for cheap money.

"Do it right or don't do it at all" .
 
Won't they p/w the tranquilo? Maybe they'll charge for it, but they'll still do it, no?
i asked them when i ordered - they do not do it. btw, they altered the web site and got the price up, and reduced options on the ultimate kit selector.
1621959337119.png
 
If you're going to skinflint on it you might as well not f****** bother doing it at all and just use red Loctite or something. [rofl]
DIY on a pin and weld is f***ing stupid- when there are experts around that will do it RIGHT for cheap money.
"Do it right or don't do it at all" .
what 'right'? i know how to drill through steel, drop a pin in and pour a solder over. what is difficult about it?
it is not about the price, it is about time, driving and waiting. what for?
 
what 'right'? i know how to drill through steel, drop a pin in and pour a solder over. what is difficult about it?
it is not about the price, it is about time, driving and waiting. what for?
Right is making it to legal spec. Otherwise why even bother just ignore the law instead. Your way is effectively the same thing.

You're buying your uppers from the wrong places then, if it's that big of a deal.... because basically if i cared, I just make a phone call and I can get whatever I want done and get it as a unit. Or worse case you drop ship it to someone that can do it right. It's not rocket science to get a p&w done.
 
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So I am being a bit proactive here, but I am realizing I may need to eventually replace the upper on my “pre healy” 5.56 rifle and am coming up short on how to do so. I can’t find any complete uppers for sale anywhere that have unthreaded barrels. I know I could potentially get one and either have a smith remove the threads or have a muzzle device (not a FH) pinned and welded but was hoping I could avoid those extra steps and just find a complete upper that I could find a complete upper eventually that I could just swap out with the old one. Am I SOL? Would I have to build one myself or go through the afformentioned smithing work to accomplish this? Thanks for any advice or guidance from any of you who have been in a similar situation.
Seriously if you like the upper just buy a new barrel and bolt and replace it.
There has to be. a few target crown barrel floating around out there , they are just not cool
You need to look harder also
 
So I am being a bit proactive here, but I am realizing I may need to eventually replace the upper on my “pre healy” 5.56 rifle and am coming up short on how to do so. I can’t find any complete uppers for sale anywhere that have unthreaded barrels. I know I could potentially get one and either have a smith remove the threads or have a muzzle device (not a FH) pinned and welded but was hoping I could avoid those extra steps and just find a complete upper that I could find a complete upper eventually that I could just swap out with the old one. Am I SOL? Would I have to build one myself or go through the afformentioned smithing work to accomplish this? Thanks for any advice or guidance from any of you who have been in a similar situation.
I dont know where you are but if your interested in a 18" HEAVY bull barrel upper.
Give me a PM
 
Plenty of places offer pin and weld from the factory since MA isn't the only state with that type of restriction. Stag Arms looks like their website is entirely Out Of Stock but if you can wait they offer what you're looking for.
 
Get one with a target crown. Unless you're fragile as a Fabergé egg, you don't need a brake on a 223. And they're obnoxious to your shooting neighbors.
Depends upon a use case. Good brake significantly improves rapid fire accuracy, to discount it blindly is unwise, especially with 5.56 ammo.
 
Depends upon a use case. Good brake significantly improves rapid fire accuracy, to discount it blindly is unwise, especially with 5.56 ammo.
Get one with a target crown. Unless you're fragile as a Fabergé egg, you don't need a brake on a 223. And they're obnoxious to your shooting neighbors.
But dude , my split times brah.
I think we should take a moment and clarify if we’re all talking about brakes or comps.

Brakes reduce rearward recoil.

Comps reduce muzzle rise.

Brakes are extremely stupid on 5.56 with cons far outweighing the marginal pro. The AR feeling like an MP5 in terms of recoil doesn’t actually help you shoot better.

Comps are actually useful at helping to keep the muzzle on target while shooting rapid fire and aren’t necessarily obnoxious, depending on the design. Yes, the AR doesn’t have much muzzle rise, but an advantage is an advantage.
 
Brakes reduce rearward recoil.
Comps reduce muzzle rise.
i would think an absolute majority of brakes now combine both upward and side ports.
an importance of the good brake is quite obvious when you do full auto fire - then you will feel it very well how the rifle gets pulled off the line of fire.
with those TranQuilo brakes i left on the larues - it is helping to reduce upward and side jumps quite a bit, it is better with it.

on a bergara i have a proper 3 ported brake/comp - that one helped a ton.
1624454901204.png

 
I think we should take a moment and clarify if we’re all talking about brakes or comps.

Brakes reduce rearward recoil.

Comps reduce muzzle rise.

Brakes are extremely stupid on 5.56 with cons far outweighing the marginal pro. The AR feeling like an MP5 in terms of recoil doesn’t actually help you shoot better.

Comps are actually useful at helping to keep the muzzle on target while shooting rapid fire and aren’t necessarily obnoxious, depending on the design. Yes, the AR doesn’t have much muzzle rise, but an advantage is an advantage.
You wont blink as much with lower recoil
 
Right is making it to legal spec. Otherwise why even bother just ignore the law instead. Your way is effectively the same thing.

You're buying your uppers from the wrong places then, if it's that big of a deal.... because basically if i cared, I just make a phone call and I can get whatever I want done and get it as a unit. Or worse case you drop ship it to someone that can do it right. It's not rocket science to get a p&w done.
My first upper build was a 14.5 with a break that made it 16, The gunsmith who P&W'd for me was very cautious so he added a couple of washers to be on the safe side.
 
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