Deciding On the Best AR Upper Receiver

The AR15 platform is popular for a variety of reasons, one of which being its modular design which allows virtually limitless options for customization.  From buttstocks to triggers, barrels to handguards, sights to flashlights, bolt carrier groups (BCGs) to rail systems, there’s an abundance of options from a host of manufacturers that will all work together.  This allows for ultra-customization, by the shooter for the shooter.  In this article, we’ll discuss the finer points of the AR15 upper receiver, what its function is, and how to get the most out of it for your money.

The upper receiver portion of an AR15 rifle generally comprises the barrel, handguard, and BCG, sold together as a complete package.  It’s intended to be coupled with a lower receiver to complete the rifle, resulting in a fully functional weapon.  Each of the parts mentioned above will have features that will yield specific results.  For instance, the barrel itself.  Shorter barrels offer more mobility, but decreased accuracy at longer distances than a longer barrel.  The BCG is the group of parts that are responsible for chambering a round, setting off the primer via the firing pin (which fires the bullet), ejecting the spent round, and then re-chambering a new round.  BSGs made and coated with different materials may be easier or more difficult to keep clean, and durability between different BCGs can vary.  The handguard is also known as a heat shield and offers a protective barrier between the shooter and the heated barrel, as well a place to put rail systems to which vertical grips, optics, and flashlights can be mounted.

Choosing the Best AR 15 Upper Assembly  

For all intents and purposes, the term “best” can be considered highly subjective, but depending on what your goals are, you should be able to easily to decide on what the best AR upper for the money is for you in your situation.

You simply need to ask yourself a few questions to help identify what you want to be able to do and what you intend to do with the weapon, and doing so well help to whittle your choices down to a digestible number.  Some of these questions should be:

Do I want to be able to shoot targets at especially long ranges?  If so, you probably want to purchase an upper with a fairly long barrel.  M4 profile barrels are shorter and designed for short to medium-range engagements, whereas M16 profile barrels are built more to “reach out and touch someone”.

For a long range or hunting weapon, we recommend the Bushmaster Predator .223 Remington Barrel Flat Top.

Is this going to be a home defense weapon? If so, you probably want a shorter barrel as it will be more mobile and specifically built for close quarters combat.  At the types of ranges that are common in home defense, there is no good reason to have a long barrel.  Chances are, you’ll be moving through narrow hallways and corridors in a home defense scenario, so the shorter the barrel, the better off you’ll be.

For a short range or home defense option, the Chiappa M4 22LR 16” is the best option for your money.

Do I want to add various weapon attachments to my rifle? If you intend to add a vertical grip, flashlight, laser sight, or any other type of mounted optics like a reflex site or scope, you need rails on your weapon.  Typically, rails can be found on the portion of the upper receiver that contains the BCG, and then additional rails may be found on anywhere from 1 to 4 sides of the heat shield.  A quad rail is essentially a heat shield with rails on the top, bottom, and sides of the handguard – all places where you would attach vertical grips, flashlights, lasers, and any other attachment you can think of.  If you intent to add such attachments, go for an upper receiver that already has them built-in.  If you want a bare bones rifle, choose an upper receiver that doesn’t have the rails.  You’ll save money this way, and you can always buy a quad rail or individual rails to add to your upper receiver at a later date if you decide you want to.

What’s the best overall AR Upper for your money?

We recommend the DPMS Upper A3 Flat Top .223 Remington 16” Barrel.

All things considered, there a lot of options at your disposal when choosing the best AR15 upper receiver, and it can be easy to get overwhelmed.  Hopefully with a little thought about your end goal, you can choose something that is both functional and cosmetically desirable that you will be happy with for years to come.

How to Train for MMA at Home

While there’s no replacement for training with professionals and sparring partners in a studio, there are certainly steps you can take to start conditioning your body to train. Why can’t you train solo all the way to the octagon? Fighting is mostly technique and muscle memory. While you can try to learn from videos, you need feedback on proper form from professionals who can identify your weak points. There is no replacement for this professional feedback or for time in the ring against capable opponents.

However, you can definitely start conditioning yourself for training now. Maybe you can’t afford training at a professional MMA studio, or don’t have access to one. Don’t let that stop you from engaging your desire to start MMA training. We’ll teach you how to train for MMA with these MMA exercises and conditioning techniques that cover the spectrum of how people train outside the ring. These tips will get you far in prepping for fight time.

Things you can do at home

Work on physical training that conditions your body to battle through fatigue. This will improve the speed of your punches and footwork, and increases your stability and balance. MMA strength training is about volume and variety. When you train, you will get the most benefit out of your efforts to keep going when your body doesn’t want to.  Let’s take a look at some activities that will help you when it comes time to train and spar.

• Work on your sprawling and other groundwork. You can do so with various solo groundwork drills, such as those for Jiu-Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and wrestling. There are many variations, and instructions are easy to find.
• Do high-rep body weight exercises. All sorts of variations of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and squats are good examples. Do as many as you can until your body can’t take it (without hurting yourself). This will help with your conditioning. 
• Plyometric and isometric exercises and holds. Plyometrics will improve cardio, explosiveness, and speed. Isometric exercise will improve stability and muscle endurance, and can often help break strength plateaus. Ensure you do isometric exercises at beginning, mid, and end of a muscle’s range of motion.
• Do tons of stretching and yoga. That’s right. Yoga. There’s no better form of exercise for overall balance, flexibility, and joint health. The kind of stability you’ll get from a serious yoga practice can’t be beat, and the intense stretching actually invigorates joints with new fluid, improving elasticity and recovery time.
• Try working in some gymnastic body weight exercises. Many gymnastic moves mimic moves done in the ring, especially Jiu Jitsu. In addition to programming your body to move correctly, you’ll improve balance, coordination, strength, and flexibility. Examples of helpful exercises include planches and 90 degree pushups.
• Go on long distance runs and run intervals on stairs and hills. Remember, endurance is a big part of fight-readiness. You need to be able to exert continuously and still perform. Throw in the odd plyometric pushup set and other body weight exercises between intervals or right after long-distance runs. 
• Do some shadow boxing drills to increase punch speed. Various drills should be easy to find online. We recommend this Youtube video. Precise, perfect form is not important when shadow boxing, and you can work on basic footwork, coordination, and speed without injury/joint stress.
• Do lots of core strengthening exercises. Think you’ve done enough? Do more. This doesn’t just mean abs, gym rats. Your core includes lower back, abs, waist, and hips. Look up MMA core strength exercises, and do them religiously. This article will get you started with a solid routine.
• Finally, lift weights as you likely already do, but be sure to incorporate sets of explosive lifts.

All these activities will improve your physical condition for when it comes time to train. If you want to extend your efforts to include more but still can’t find or afford a gym, there are other options to consider. Try to find a boxing, wrestling, Jiu Jitsu or other martial arts club for free/cheap sparring and tips from people with more experience. Let them know that you’re looking for feedback and don’t mind their constructive criticism. If money is the issue, try reaching out to gyms that may be interested in trading for labor. You can likely find one that needs help cleaning up the studio and/or working the front desk and phones.