Like the rest of the masses I too am trying to join the AR revolution. I am still in the planning stages and would like to hear some advice on two uppers. I am looking at the Daniels Defense LW M4 URG V5 and also the Spike's Tactical 16" M4 LE Upper w/9" BAR Rail. Been trying to find reviews on both but I haven't found that many. Would love to hear the $.02 of someone who has had some hands on with either upper or someone who could point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance.

I have a Spike's Tactical 16" M4 LE Upper w/9" BAR Rail:

 

It functions well, looks cool and have had no problem with it through the intial 1200 rounds, my friend who bought a more expensive upper cannot say the same.

 

The only downside to it is the rails ae very clsoe together, i had a problem with the magpul afg gen 1 as it wouldnt fit, a gen2 did but i am unsure what other rail mounted accesoris will or wont be a problem in the future. Again not a huge problem but one that wasted a bit of my time.

 

 

also i hated the look of their muzzle break so i got it with the flash hider and shipped to A&A to have a diffrerent break pinned and welded.

 

 

FYI it took less than 2 weeks to my door, spikes emailed me tracking when it shipped, stuffed the box with stickers and other schwag.

Thanks Destinydog. I actually made a friend who can get Spikes products for me with a really good discount and ship them out immediately. The spikes is definitely the cheaper route but I have been seeing more QC complaints towards spikes products lately. A lot of them sound fishy and I sense some could have been planted from other manufactures now that they are establishing a good foothold in the marketplace. I have seen great reviews for the DD upper so it is nice to hear you have had a positive experience with your spikes but now this is just making my decision harder.

Is it me, or is every maker out of stock of everything?

 

BCM barely has any 14.5" middies out right now...

Is it me, or is every maker out of stock of everything?

 

BCM barely has any 14.5" middies out right now...

 

I ran into the same problem. I just ended up buying all the parts and assembling it myself. My BCM is 14.5 middy with pinned battle comp 1.5. The only piece that held me up was a barrel so I just went with a DD 14.5 middy barrel, but everything else is BCM.

Is it me, or is every maker out of stock of everything?

 

BCM barely has any 14.5" middies out right now...

 

If you find an out of stock item from spikes you want just let me know and it shouldn't be a problem.

DD= High quality, proven weapon systems, used by professionals, LAV approved.

 

Spikes= Loved by ARFCOM Mall Ninjas, no track record in war zones.

 

I have nothing against Spikes, but when it comes to weapons systems like an AR I'd prefer to go with a known quantity especially when so many companies are jumping on the "Barbie for Men" bandwagon.

So the question becomes, is it worth it for a casual shooter to spend the extra money on the "professional grade" stuff, or would that extra $150-$200 saved by going the "commercial" route be better served buying ammo and/or training classes? Not everyone needs a Ford F-250 when a Ranger would suffice.

So the question becomes, is it worth it for a casual shooter to spend the extra money on the "professional grade" stuff, or would that extra $150-$200 saved by going the "commercial" route be better served buying ammo and/or training classes? Not everyone needs a Ford F-250 when a Ranger would suffice.

 

Save the money. AR's are pretty much all the same, and most parts come from only a handful of suppliers.

 

The best gun in the world is nothing without the training to use it.

So the question becomes, is it worth it for a casual shooter to spend the extra money on the "professional grade" stuff, or would that extra $150-$200 saved by going the "commercial" route be better served buying ammo and/or training classes? Not everyone needs a Ford F-250 when a Ranger would suffice.

 

All depends on your priorities I guess. I subscribe to "buy once, cry once" with my guns. After all, you're basically creating conrtolled explosions every time you pull the trigger.

So it's basically a budget and type of use question.

I am a firm believer of buying something "right" the 1st time.

I have been in the market for an AR for some time now.

I looked at all the options and decided to go a certain route.

Yeah it is pricier than most, but since I intend on only buying 1 AR why not spend for quality.

anyone who has doubts is welcome to meet me at the range and test drive my spikes!

let's break it down this way. I'm trying to be as objective as possible; i'm not a fanboy of any one company, and my personal opinion is that fanboys poison the internet with their rabid enthusiasm. I don't care who endorses what product or how awesome their beard is. I weigh the pros and cons of each aspect and decide on what works for me. The only reason i didn't choose anything Spike's is because i despise the spider logo. This is what i've been able to culminate by wading through the BS on M4 and ARF.

 

Choose 1:

 

A. If you are MIL/LE or otherwise a professional gunfighter (ie you make your living via your weapon) and your life depends on the rifle going BANG everytime you pull the trigger: BCM, Colt, DD, LMT, KAC

 

B. If you must have the highest quality, and will not accept anything short of 99.9999% reliability: BCM, Colt, DD, LMT, KAC

 

C. If you are a casual shooter, new to the platform, or can accept 99.998% reliability: Anything that is Mil-Spec (Spikes, Bushmaster, Armalite, anything within Mil-Spec, etc. Basically most of the AR-pattern rifles/kits on the market).

 

D. If you are buying as an investment: Colt

 

E. Preparing for SHTF, TEOTWAWKI, 2A being repealed, Mayan calendar ending the planet, Zombie invasion: Anything that will fit a 5.56 round, but buy many of them.

 

EDIT TO ADD: In the interest of full disclosure, my personal AR is in category C.

You hit the nail on the head as far as my observations have gone.

A lot more responses than I thought and I appreciate all of the facts and opinions. Any thoughts on the new Mega Monolithic uppers since we are on the subject?

I actually made a friend who can get Spikes products for me with a really good discount and ship them out immediately..

Any chance you could share that discount?

Any chance you could share that discount?

 

pm inbound

I have a Spike's Tactical 16" M4 LE Upper w/9" BAR Rail:

...

The only downside to it is the rails ae very clsoe together, i had a problem with the magpul afg gen 1 as it wouldnt fit, a gen2 did but i am unsure what other rail mounted accesoris will or wont be a problem in the future. Again not a huge problem but one that wasted a bit of my time....

 

Whoa whoa whoa, stop the presses. I'm sitting here waiting on delivery of a BAR rail and you're telling me the rail spacing on them isn't standard!? Please elaborate!