Side charge uppers

[ThatRandomGuy]

By the time you purchase a charging handle to keep the gas hitting you in the face and if you can get a young side charging bolt carrier you will spend more that the Quality Arms upper. Also as a right hander its easier and better to charge the gun and clear the gun with the left hand and keep the right hand on the grip.

A charging handle can be found for less than 20. In my case I will be machining a plug since my college has a lab we all train in with mills, lathes, plasma cutters, and welding equipment with various aluminum bar types. So for me that's free. My roommate's family's gunsmith sells side charging bcg's for 120. He specializes in m1 style repair and modification, it's a fairly simple task to mod the bcg's and still end up with a good product. So my total is 260 (granted with black phosphate), with only paying 140 right now. Versus 350 at once. Which do you think makes more sense for college kids on the budget of whatever they can earn themselves while enrolled full-time?

As for a left charge being easier, that's just opinion. For me, having my left hand in its support position, gun tilted with the stock still at my shoulder, charge with right hand is easier. I rotate it back to upright and my hand is right next to the grip. Charging left handed you technically have a weaker support/hold on the gun and I have to bring my left hand from my chest to full extension before I can take a shot. Bench/bipod-while-prone, lefty would have the advantage. But that isn't my style, so for me the right hand charge works better.

Now I'm not trashing your (admittedly great looking) product. Hell, if I had 2k to blow on a build I would use yours. But you always act like it's the end all be all for all, which is kinda annoying.

Edit: should probably clarify m1 thompson, not m1/m1 garand