Right now I'm primarily looking at BCM and Spikes for the upper because of all of the good info I've been able to read on the two outfits. PSA just caught my eye due to the specs, so I've been trying to do some due diligence on them before I ultimately make a decision.

I've also been going back and forth between M4-style or mid-length uppers. There is a lot of debate out there on which is better, and based on what I've read I've concluded I will be well-served with either... it would just be a matter of personal preference for my particular application.

Carbine vs mid-length gas systems is an interesting thing. Most of the rifles I've owned, all of my SBR's, are carbine-length. With a good compensator and the heaviest buffer they'll tolerate, recoil isn't a big deal in a .223/5.56, especially with some training and practice. Having said that, I've had a Noveske Light Recce with a mid-length system for about a year. It has functioned perfectly, and with the compensator the ability to stay on target in controlled pairs has been a revelation to me. At the last Tac Team excercise, I let a buddy shoot it and he made me prove to him that it was a 5.56 and not a .22 conversion. I have ordered a VLTOR A5 buffer system for it (in fact - delivered tomorrow). If that component's reputation is accurate, it should be yet another revelation. I have a TriCon course coming up Oct 4-5-6 with Jeff Gonzales. That's a high-rep 2000 round course where 3-inch groups at 50 yards from standing/kneeling/prone in rapid fire are the norm...I'll be interested to see how this mid-length gas/VLTOR A5/BattleComp compensator system works to keep me from taking too much criticism from a Navy SEAL.

I got my bipod today and installed it, I looooove it, its badass.:happydance:

Im waiting on my Vertical Forend now, and should be ordering my night light soon.

Any recommendations for an Optical Sight thats not $500?

:worthless:

As for "optics", thats a pretty loose term LOL. are you talking about a scope, or holographic/red-dot/EoTech etc etc

Open sights ftw

HaHa, high power scope FTW... (one shot, one kill.. saves ammo)

Trooper, you hit me with "this thread is worthless without pics" ouch man, thats wrong.:bowrofl::roflpuke2:

I guess I was a little bland on the "optical" term, hehe, but I do like the Red Dot sights. What do yall recommend?

I just laugh when I see this, damn...:tup:

If you are any kind of marksman you should be able to do with iron sights what you can with a scope:stirthepot:

If you're talking about red dot sights, for low round-count, range use where maximum reliability isn't a factor, look at Primary Arms. I can't vouch for their quality but the store itself has good customer service and the owner is reputed to be a stand-up guy. He makes no bones about these being budget optics. I don't know how long they'll stand up to 5.56 recoil or how accurate they are...reviews are mixed as they often are on these Chines imports, but they might meet your needs. The Vortex sights have a little better reputation and would be worth considering.

If you're talking about 1-4x scopes, Vortex, Bushnell and Nikon are supposed to be pretty good for the money. Vortex Optics

As far as optics gor for an AR platform. Leupold just came out with there MARKAR Series that are specifically designed around the AR. I have used them and the quality is awesome espically if you mount them up with a Lareau Tactical Mount. I have the 6x18 mildot.

For red dot EOTECH is the way to go. It's pricy but well worth it. RRA offers a mount for them that lets them cowitness with your ironsights.

Provided you have the vision of an eagle.

lol vision of an eagle probably still wouldnt help

I can fix that for you. I take my 1911s down to no two parts touching once a year or so... Not counting the barrel link or anything else staked in place...

Eotech vs Aimpoint is an ongoing raging debate in the top-quality RDS category. I have both. I prefer the Eotech reticle, but generally speaking, the Aimpoints are considered to be more rugged, and their 3-5 year battery life vs Eotech's 600 hour battery life might be a significant convenience for some people.

The Eotech inline battery series tends to be problematic with failure of battery contacts a known issue. Better IMHO is the XPS/EXPS series where a CR123 lithium is mounted transversely. I think the Eotech OPMOD sold by Optics Planet is an outstanding bargain at $495 if you don't need compatibility with night vision equipment. I've had one on my SBR for thousands of rounds without a hiccup. I just recently put an Aimpoint PRO on my Light Recce. I haven't shot it much, but it's a nice optic and at $400 it's an excellent bargain. Problem with that optic is that it's only available to law enforcement or military.

Virtually all of the RDS co-witness with the iron sights. The preference comes into play as to where you want them to co-witness -- either in the center of the optic, or in the lower 1/3. Personally, I prefer co-witnessing in the lower 1/3 and use a 7mm riser on all my Eotechs. The PRO with stock mount co-witnesses somewhere between the middle and the lower 1/3 and I haven't had an issue with that, what little I've used it. The Eotech EXPS series (including the OPMOD) includes the 7mm riser, so all of them co-witness in the lower 1/3 out of the box. The riser is removable for those who prefer co-witnessing in the center.