Aa upper quality question

[LHClarke]

Hello all! I'm about to build another rifle and am considering an AA upper for this build. I have a Grendel lower from Bill & Co. and it'll do. It's an early one, or rather, I've had it for a while now but it looks good and measures out right. I know that Bill A. has done a fantastic job with quality control and product upgrades & improvements over the years.

However.......I am just wondering about the quality and "mil-specciness" of the AA upper. I'd love to build one that matches and says "6.5 Grendel" on it. Has anybody used one lately? How did the finish look? How did the threads look? (deep?) Most importantly, if anyone has used one, how did the thing function?

I'm loving the forum, am very pleased that it has been brought back to life. This is obviously the forum that is the authority on the 6.5 Grendel as the very creator of such an incredible round of ammunition is a member and posts. How often do you see that? It is such a thrill to read his posts. What would you ask Samuel Colt if you could just type him an e-mail? Exciting stuff! We should be honored and proud. I know these are just men, but few men have insight or inspiration to influence and change a world that they are a part of. The shooting world has been significantly changed due to the 6.5 Grendel round.

I am ranting again?:eek: What can I say? I really like this round......

[noone]

I had problems with broken bolts until I learned that the face of the upper receiver has to be square with the bolt to insure even pressure on the barrel nut. Since I got the Alexander Arms upper, and had the upper receiver lapped to square on my other rifle, I haven't had any issues. My guess is that the Alexander Arms uppers are either lapped to square, or the tolerances are just more demanding than "mil-spec". Only Mr. Alexander could say for sure.

All I know is that with the Alexander Arms upper, I haven't had any problems or broken bolts...

[LHClarke]

noone, thank you for the reply. That is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. That makes the decision much easier. Midway has YHM complete upper receivers for 99.00 right now so that was tempting. They are listed as A3 but product description says they have the M4 cuts.

I think I will go with AA. I want it to match my lower. Spoke with AA today and was told that they had the 20" B&B combo in but the 18" was getting quality control inspected or something and they would be a few days to a few weeks. I hate to wait any longer! (money burning a hole in my pocket dangit!!) Before I know it I'll have bought a FAL or some such thing and that will be that!

Patience, Patience.............

LHClarke

[Appalachian]

what are these "M4 cuts" i keep hearing about?

[Hoot]

what are these "M4 cuts" i keep hearing about?

First Google hit. Courtesy M4carbine.net:




The receiver cuts are pictured in the 2nd image.

Hoot

[Appalachian]

so, is that good for 6.5 or no?

[bwaites]

Definitely good! All the uppers from AA have had M4 cuts forever.

Allows easier feeding, because the feed ramp extends down into the receiver, not just the barrel extension.

Here is the best picture I've seen of the differences, courtesy of AR15 barrels:

[Hoot]

The point being, when the bolt strips a round and it moves forward and upward. If it doesn't go upward enough, it can run into the flat area of the receiver just below where the barrel extension ramps begin. By extending those ramps lower, into the receiver, it reduces the chance of that collision causing the round to jam. As to whether it is a bigger factor in the Grendel, I can not say. It's one of those options that has all the positives and little if any negatives. So if it is available, get it.

Hoot