Thoughts on SOCOM upper?

[22lr]

I am looking for an upper and have gravitated to the SOCOM upper with a pinned 14.5” barrel. My hesitation is the weight of the thick barrel profile. Looking at either BCM or Colt.

I have very little experience with AR’s so any input would be appreciated. It will basically be a fun range gun, not a precision shooter, and I’ll probably put an optic and a light on it at some point.

The Monolithic free float upper (6944) also has my attention..

 

[Toe Knee]

I have a 14.5" colt m4 upper with a pinned BCM comp. if you're interested in that style, let me know. bought in the box and has extremely low round count.

 

[Shark_Cage]

I have a Tromix in 12”, SS with a comp. I was going to go with 9” but Tony mentioned it wouldn’t run with a suppressor. It is LOUD but I love it.

 

[amm5061]

I have a Tromix in 12”, SS with a comp. I was going to go with 9” but Tony mentioned it wouldn’t run with a suppressor. It is LOUD but I love it.

Think he's referring to a SOCOM profile barrel, but I'm with you on the .458 Tromix barrel. My 16" is fun as shit, and Tony produces a great quality product.

OP: either is excellent quality. Pick the one you like better. I suspect the BCM would be cheaper than the Colt, though. Don't quote me on that, I haven't looked at it.

 

[Mountain]

Even with a thicker barrel, the weight won't be bad at all and might actually help steady your aim a bit. I would not go fancy on the free float- just go with standard mount type which will give you options down the road if you want to change something. Dive in and have fun.

 

[Varmint]

If you're a M-hole and want a BCM upper there are several places that sell them (BCM won't ship to Mass). Rainier, G&R etc.

 

[amm5061]

If you're a M-hole and want a BCM upper there are several places that sell them (BCM won't ship to Mass). Rainier, G&R etc.

Brownells has a lot of BCM stuff. Not sure if they stock barrels, though. There are also some FFLs on here which will be happy to help you inbound BCM stuff.

 

[E.Stoner]

Such heavy profile AR barrels are pretty much useless unless you are dumping mags under full auto.
I have become a big fan of the BCM ELW barrel, I have two BCM uppers in 14.5" and 16"
I put together a SOMOD block 2 clone for funies with a colt M4 14.5 barrel which is a fun gun and handles very nicely.
on the opposite end of the spectrum I have a Faxon pencil 14.5" which is crazy light and runs like a champ.

 

[T-Unit]

I'm not sure what to make of .458 SOCOM when .450 Bushmaster exists and does everything the .458 can, but with cheaper bullets. Where .458 does shine it's with subsonic ammo and the 500+ grain bullets, but that's only if you have a suppressor. If you don't have a suppressor, .450 Bushmaster is the better big bore AR cartridge, IMO.

.50 Beowulf suffers from being a FIFTY and costing twice as much to shoot as a .45. That's why I'm never buying a .50 cal anything other than a muzzleloader or an antique.

 

[Cap'n Mike]

You cant go wrong with Colt or BCM.
14.5 pinned to 16 is the way to go outside of an NFA Short Barreled Rifle, especially for a fun gun with a bayonet lug.
You probably wont see much benefit in the SOCOM profile barrel unless shooting full auto, but the extra weight isn't much of a bother either.
If you plan on shooting off a bipod or using a sling as a shooting aid, the free float fore-end is the way to go.

 

[Varmint]

$900 shipped for a complete 14.5" BCM ELW upper (w/ BCG and charging handle, and pinned muzzle brake) from GandR this weekend (10% coupon).

Think I paid $800 from BCM for mine back when they shipped to Mass and they had the free BCG deals.