Head spacing an upper?

zr600

New member
Do you have to head space an upper when you put it together? What do I need for this and what do you do to adjust the head space?
 
Originally Posted By: zr600Do you have to head space an upper when you put it together? What do I need for this and what do you do to adjust the head space?

You get what you get from the manufacturer. It is set when the chamber the barrel. There is no way to adjust the HS at a reasonable price. Buying from a reputable company is the only way to fly.

Over 40 AR15 barrels in my hands from various makers and chamberings and never had an issue. You could buy the gauges or pay a GS to check it and at the end of the day the chances are maybe 1/1000 you will be overly long.

Greg
 
This is a great question. I have been wanting to assemble my own upper, but I don't know where to start. I'm not adverse to paying for a good book or DVD.

My one concern is the tools required and whether or not the expense for tools justifies the benefits of building my own upper.
 
Originally Posted By: shankboneThis is a great question. I have been wanting to assemble my own upper, but I don't know where to start. I'm not adverse to paying for a good book or DVD.

My one concern is the tools required and whether or not the expense for tools justifies the benefits of building my own upper.

For doing one upper it is probably not cost effective. That being said many say there will only be one.... They lie.

Greg

 
Ok thanks it's a black hole barrel so then it should be good to go then just thread the barrel nut on and torque put the upper together it it would be good to go?
 
I read a lot about this when I built my upper... basically come down to what was already said, if you buy reputable parts, then there is no need to even bother checking headspace as it will be good to go.

Therefor the only tools you need, is a upper receiver vice and a barrel wrench. Both can be purchased for fairly cheap, or maybe you have a buddy you can borrow from then you really save.
 
Originally Posted By: zr600Ok thanks it's a black hole barrel so then it should be good to go then just thread the barrel nut on and torque put the upper together it it would be good to go?

Yes. I have over two dozen BHW AR's barreled up. No issues there. I even have three 6.5 variants that have the exact same head space. I would say they are pretty darn consistent.

Greg
 
Originally Posted By: GLShooterOriginally Posted By: zr600Do you have to head space an upper when you put it together? What do I need for this and what do you do to adjust the head space?

You get what you get from the manufacturer. It is set when the chamber the barrel. There is no way to adjust the HS at a reasonable price. Buying from a reputable company is the only way to fly.

Over 40 AR15 barrels in my hands from various makers and chamberings and never had an issue. You could buy the gauges or pay a GS to check it and at the end of the day the chances are maybe 1/1000 you will be overly long.

Greg

^^^ What he said. If you start with a brand new BCG & barrel (from a reputable sourec) I wouldn't bother checking the headspace. We have headspace gauges and I've never used them for personal rifles, for example. If you have headspace issues, you'll likely notice right away in the brass signs and potential cycling issues.
 
Ok what bolt carrier would you guys recommend for this build that's all I need to complete my upper have the bolt but no carrier what should I get?
 
Originally Posted By: zr600Ok what bolt carrier would you guys recommend for this build that's all I need to complete my upper have the bolt but no carrier what should I get?

I've used everything from DPMS to RGUNS. Me right now I'd be on the JoeBob site. Nothing but quality there. Lots of guys I talk with just by the whole bcg and swap out the 223. That way you get all those pesky little parts that add up quickly.

No need to buy coated but those NiB sure look pretty

Greg
 
Originally Posted By: shankboneThis is a great question. I have been wanting to assemble my own upper, but I don't know where to start. I'm not adverse to paying for a good book or DVD.

My one concern is the tools required and whether or not the expense for tools justifies the benefits of building my own upper.

dont discount youtube. middway offers a great series of gunsmithing vids including how to build uppers and lower assembly's.




you do NOT need the whole list of tools he has on the table, but some of the odd stuff is handy. i highly recommend a set of roll pin starter punches.

obviously depending on your parts selection and upper configuration you may not need all those steps, but as a whole the process will work.

it seems daunting until you do it the first time. its really not as bad as it looks.

good luck!
 
I measure all of mine because there are some circumstancesI load .010-.025 off lands. My 4 AR's measure from 2.355 to 2.395. Most AR mags measure to 2.260/2.250. So I don't think there is anything to worry about...
 
Originally Posted By: Zen ArcheryI measure all of mine because there are some circumstancesI load .010-.025 off lands. My 4 AR's measure from 2.355 to 2.395. Most AR mags measure to 2.260/2.250. So I don't think there is anything to worry about...

? That has nothing to do with headspace. That is distance to lands.

Greg
 
Originally Posted By: Zen ArcheryI measure all of mine because there are some circumstancesI load .010-.025 off lands. My 4 AR's measure from 2.355 to 2.395. Most AR mags measure to 2.260/2.250. So I don't think there is anything to worry about...

HS is measured from the shoulder to the boltface. Your referring your "jump" to the lands.

To add,you will see some BBL manufacturers sell barrel/bolt combos "matched" and checked. I never have checked any of my 5.56 setups,but I do have gauges for all of my Grendel's,as its quite a bit hotter.Buy quaility parts,and do some research on how to "read" your fired brass..it will tell you a story if something is wrong.
 
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