Just how hard...

Would it be for me to uninstall and reinstall my barrel, delta ring and gas tube onto a new upper? Daniel Defense uppers are only $150 at SOG (http://www.sogarmory.com/ProductCust...59&ParentId=59) and I figured this would be the most cost effective way for me to get a flattop upper instead of buying a whole new assembly for $600+, since I already have the handguards, barrel, etc.

I've never actually removed and disassemble more than my BCG, handguards, buffer since thats all they taught me in boot :). So I'm just curious if this would be a big undertaking or a simple swap.

Depends on your definition of "big" and "simple". It's definitely something you can do yourself, but it requires a bit of care. The only tools you'll need are a hammer and punch, an AR armorer's/barrel wrench, vice grips, maybe some snap-ring pliers for the snap ring that holds in the delta ring spring, and maybe a 1/2" socket wrench to help you get leverage on the barrel wrench (that little chunk of metal doesn't provide much of a lever when you're trying to get the barrel nut moving). Just disconnect the gas tube, undo the barrel nut, pull the barrel, put it onto the new receiver and tighten the barrel nut, reinstall the gas tube, and put the handguards back on. You may have to do a bit of fiddling to get the barrel nut, delta ring, etc. all lined up (obviously before you start you should look up an actual guide to those procedure, not just follow my halfassed outline).

Hmm, I see. Sounds easy enough, although I have no idea where I'd get a barrel wrench. A guy I work with builds his AR's from the ground up, so I'll have to see if he can give me a hand, or I'll see how much the store down the road would charge for the procedure.

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Originally Posted by srsinternets

Hmm, I see. Sounds easy enough, although I have no idea where I'd get a barrel wrench. A guy I work with builds his AR's from the ground up, so I'll have to see if he can give me a hand, or I'll see how much the store down the road would charge for the procedure.

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If this guy builds ARs, he has a barrel wrench; you might ask him to borrow it. Otherwise, you can buy one online for like $30. Any website like Brownells, MidwayUSA, etc., will sell them.

Just kinda thinking out loud here, but will I even need a set of snap ring pliers? Reading up on the steps, it seems you'd only need them if you were replacing the barrel as well, but I'm just putting the barrel on a new reciever. And I'd rather not spend extra money on tools I don't need.

I'm not sure whether you'd need them or not, which is why I said you'd "maybe" need them in my earlier post. It's been a while since I did any work like this, so I'm not sure whether or not you'll need to mess with the snap ring on the back of the barrel nut/delta ring assembly. Specifically, I don't remember whether or not you need to fiddle with that ring in order to make sure everything (gas tube, etc.) lines up during installation. If the guide you're using doesn't mention anything like that, then yeah, definitely no point spending money on unnecessary tools. Anyway, you can always run out to Home Depot and buy a pair later if they do turn out to be needed.

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Originally Posted by Syme

I'm not sure whether you'd need them or not, which is why I said you'd "maybe" need them in my earlier post. It's been a while since I did any work like this, so I'm not sure whether or not you'll need to mess with the snap ring on the back of the barrel nut/delta ring assembly. Specifically, I don't remember whether or not you need to fiddle with that ring in order to make sure everything (gas tube, etc.) lines up during installation. If the guide you're using doesn't mention anything like that, then yeah, definitely no point spending money on unnecessary tools. Anyway, you can always run out to Home Depot and buy a pair later if they do turn out to be needed.

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Ah yeah I notice now you said maybe. The guide I'm reading is actually for a barrel replacement, so of course its saying I'd need to remove and replace the delta ring, but I figure if I'm just putting the same barrel on a new upper, I wouldn't need to remove it and instead just torque it back onto the new threads.

Just make sure you torque it right.

I was gonna order a rail that would have required me to remove the barrel, but I decided against it and went with the same brand, but a different model, and it was still a free float.

And you better e-mail to make sure they are instock. Cause Id bet they are not.

EDIT: Check this out too.

I dont think you will need to take the front sight off though, unless you decide ti get a rail like that too.

Daniel Defense Lite Rail install guide and pictorial review - Weapon Evolution

Oh I'm pretty confident they're out of stock; The though of buying a stripped upper had just never crossed my mind until I saw that, so I was just wondering what work actually goes into assembling an upper. After reviewing the how-tos, it seems pretty easy so I'm pretty sure thats the route I'm going. I'll just have to wait till my next paycheck to order one.

Youd be better off going to gunbroker.com and finding one. You might pay more, but you wont have to wait so long.

AR manufacturers are WAYYY behind. DPMS has reported over a years worth of backorders. www.sportsmanguide.com has reported over 1 million ammo backorders too. Now is a horrible time to get into AR-15s. lol

Which pisses me off cause I got mine in July.

Thanks for the link. The stripped uppers are actually going for around the same price as most online retailers, so I might be getting one sooner than I thought.

Hahahah.... it's funny not only that people think Obama and the Democrats are going to reinstate the AWB, but that the proper response to that possibility is to buy a DPMS.

People are trying to get them "before they are banned"
lol

Though the President's website does say that he wants a new and much more serious AWB, I find it unlikely that it'll actually happen. I'm not suggesting that people in favor of gun rights should rest on their laurels, but we have made a lot of progress--CCW in national parks (and overall, for that matter) as well as Heller. I'm not too too worried about our gun rights.

Im always watching stuff they are trying to pass. But if another AWB goes in, you will hear about it. It will be a huge issue.

What are the chances of my barrel not fitting in an upper? I'm looking at buying this today, http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=125245545 , but the guy says he thinks all barrels should fit it. Which of course concerns me, because I don't want to have to buy a new barrel as well (but I guess if I realllllyy have to, I could register it as an SBR. :D)

EDIT: Whoops... Turns out I bought it already anyways. I guess when you click "BuyNow", theres no warning confirmation. Hm.

Hmmm.... I wouldn't buy from that guy, since he apparently doesn't know the brand of the upper he's selling. You should know exactly what you're getting before you buy it. That way you can be sure that your barrel will fit whatever upper you buy. It would probably fit that guy's upper, since it looks standard and AR parts are generally interchangeable between brands, but you can't be sure since he doesn't know what brand it is.

EDIT: Well, too late I guess. Good luck, lol. Like I said, your barrel will probably fit. If not, you can always flip the upper right back onto gunbroker and make back most or all of your money.

And yeah, we aren't going to see any major gun control legislation--be it a new AWB or anything else--come out of Congress anytime soon. The Democrats realize it's political suicide for them, as it was in 1994 and 2000. Their current dominance depends on too many voters who would turn against them if they tried something like that.

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Originally Posted by Syme

Hmmm.... I wouldn't buy from that guy, since he apparently doesn't know the brand of the upper he's selling. You should know exactly what you're getting before you buy it. That way you can be sure that your barrel will fit whatever upper you buy. It would probably fit that guy's upper, since it looks standard and AR parts are generally interchangeable between brands, but you can't be sure since he doesn't know what brand it is.

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Most of the people selling stripped uppers there don't know what brand they are, it seems. And the rest of the uppers there are all built, and way out of my price range. And I guess I bought it anyways, because buy now literally means buy it the second you click it.

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Originally Posted by srsinternets

Most of the people selling stripped uppers there don't know what brand they are, it seems.

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Gahh. In that case, I wouldn't buy a stripped upper on gunbroker. Normally I love gunbroker and I'm all about using it to find good prices, but not if it means buying a mystery-brand upper.

The reason they dont know what brand they are is because there are a handful of companies that make uppers and lowers. Then all the companies like DPMS, Stag, Bushmaster, etc, buy them and use them with their name on them.

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Originally Posted by Syme

EDIT: Well, too late I guess. Good luck, lol. Like I said, your barrel will probably fit. If not, you can always flip the upper right back onto gunbroker and make back most or all of your money.

And yeah, we aren't going to see any major gun control legislation--be it a new AWB or anything else--come out of Congress anytime soon. The Democrats realize it's political suicide for them, as it was in 1994 and 2000. Their current dominance depends on too many voters who would turn against them if they tried something like that.

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Yeah, not worried about an AWB, I just want to finish my AR :). And I was thinking the same thing, if it doesn't work, I'll just resell it. And if it does fit, I'll just sell my old upper. Win/win.

Anony: Thats a little more reassuring. It makes the chances of me buying crap seem a little more slim.

Hmmm...

So I threw the upper on last night just to see how it looked, and I noticed a gap. Its at the rear, near the stock. Its about 2-3mm, and you can see the buffer right through. Is this going to be okay? It kinda pisses me off, but I hope that all will come of it is more cleaning/maintenance.

It shoudnt cause any problems. Does it have alot of play between the upper and lower?

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Originally Posted by Anonymous D

It shoudnt cause any problems. Does it have alot of play between the upper and lower?

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Nah, other than that it fits nice and snug. I'm going to see if I can screw my buffer tube in any further just to fill the void.