AR Service Rifle NM Build Questions

[1903nm]

I am planning to do my first ever build on a good AR upper to shoot in local matches. My first question has to do with float tubes. I have looked at several on-line and liked the steel one Fulton Armory sells as well as the aluminum one Krieger has. Does anyone know if there any pitfalls with these two choices or should I look at someone elses float tubes?
My second question relates to rear sights. I am wanting 1/4 x 1/4. Who makes the best one that requires little adjustments for a novice like me?
Thanks for reading this and possibly helping me make this right.

[bd1]

For a match-accuracy upper that'll get you to Master in a year or two I'd order it complete. A Rock River A2 Service Rifle competition assembly with house-brand barrel 1:7.75 twist would work for me.

[gwp]

White Oak Armament has excellent service rifle uppers available for $670 to $740. I would add Optional double-pinning of the rear sight, additional $55 (Two hardened steel tracking pins are fitted down through the sight base and into the receiver, preventing rotational play of the rear sight and greatly improving repeatability.)

https://www.whiteoakarmament.com/xcart/home.php?cat=259

[da gimp]

ditto on the WhiteOak recommendation. John built ours on new Rock River lower & upper...... we got the 1/4 click rear sight mentioned above. we chose the Kreiger 1-7 stainless........with a float tube....... he is known as the best AR smith in the USA.....as far as I know, his only equals are the military team armorers........... As far as off the rack........ Les Baer builds very dammed nice rifles..... that are probably more accurate than most guys can shoot......... Armalite does too, our late Major Culver & Master Guns Gus Fisher both endorsed their rifles..........& their judgement carries a lot of weight here....... I don't know if the average guy could come to any where near their equal in quality.

[Ltdave]

ditto on the WhiteOak recommendation. John built ours on new Rock River lower & upper...... we got the 1/4 click rear sight mentioned above. we chose the Kreiger 1-7 stainless........with a float tube....... he is known as the best AR smith in the USA.....as far as I know, his only equals are the military team armorers........... As far as off the rack........ Les Baer builds very dammed nice rifles..... that are probably more accurate than most guys can shoot......... Armalite does too, our late Major Culver & Master Guns Gus Fisher both endorsed their rifles..........& their judgement carries a lot of weight here....... I don't know if the average guy could come to any where near their equal in quality.

John is VERY good at building NM uppers (and lowers too) but id say its a toss up between John and Frank White of Compass Lake Engineering for "best AR smith in the USA"...

Frank makes a superior float tube that allows the use of set screw adjustable or clamp on front sight bases. John uses RRA or one very similar that either blocks the locking set screw or interferes with the FSB that is clamp on...

Les Baer's rifle looks similar to everyone elses but im willing to bet the price is a good 50-75% more than a comparable rifle from RRA, WOA or CLE...

the only experience i have with the Armalites is one that had an extremely tight chamber and it caused excess pressures that were blowing primers...

in all actuality building an AR, most any average guy CAN build one as good as a name builder. use GOOD parts from reputable suppliers and theres not much that can go wrong. the advantage in getting one from a builder is its already done for what you'd probably spend on parts. a couple of years ago barrels seemed to be either VERY EXPENSIVE (kriegers run about $500) or they had a VERY LONG lead time. WOA's wilson were 16 weeks and even the kriegers were several months delayed. i like CLE's barrels because Frank holds some of the tightest tolerances on his chambers...

[Andouille]

Compass Lake people told me at Perry this year that they don't belive that pinning the rear sight gets you anything, but they'll do it for those who think it does. I think it does. I've seen some rear sights that move around quite a bit. That can't be good, so I want mine pinned so I know for sure. Seems to me, knowing for sure has benefits.

White Oak has furnished the majority of my barrels. A couple were Wilson, but I think the Kreiger barrels are the best shooting ones. Having said all that, I plan to buy the next one from Compass Lake. I don't think you could go very far wrong with either of them.

The previous advice to buy a Rock River NM rifle for your first one was good, too. By the time you shoot the barrel out on one of those guns, you'll know whether or not you like the sport and you can put a really good barrel and trigger on it when the time comes.

[da gimp]

When the original guy built the Compass Lake rifles........ he might have been close to being equal to john............. for more than several years, he's had some kids working in his shop building them... most shooters agree that there is a difference.

For a get it now rifle, off the rack..........with no waiting....... Armalite & Les Baer have extremely good reputations........... LtDave you are the ONLY person who ever dogged Armalite.....I know of no other problems with their rifles......... did you call them about having the throat lengthened? & what weight bullet were you using, over 69 grain?

Did you seat the bullets so far out that it was in the rifling with zero free bore? What type of brass where you using military or commercial? What powder at what charge weight? I'd sure want to know with certainty the answers to all these questions before I'd accept your blaming Armalite.

I have one service rifle AR ..... that I can load 69 gr & 77 gr bullets & in that rifle they are fine with zero indicators of high chamber pressure.. but in one Colt Car-15 circa early 1980's...... both of those loads will actually engage the rifling to the point that the bullets are sticking when you try to cycle the action by hand......... I have never fired any of the loads I worked up for the one rifle in the second.......................I suggest you might have the same situation.

Added:
One thing I will say for the CLE rifles is that one of our long time posters here, PhillipM from down south a piece, sure thinks the world of his......& I do set good store by that fella's opinions.

I sure hope that the CLE shop has returned to their glory days.

[1903nm]

Thanks for all your thoughts and recommendations. However, I still plan to build my own upper using a non stainless barrel. The build cannont be that hard but using the right components is the key. Again, thanks!

[Ltdave]

When the original guy built the Compass Lake rifles........ he might have been close to being equal to john............. for more than several years, he's had some kids working in his shop building them... most shooters agree that there is a difference.

LtDave you are the ONLY person who ever dogged Armalite.....I know of no other problems with their rifles......... did you call them about having the throat lengthened? & what weight bullet were you using, over 69 grain?

Did you seat the bullets so far out that it was in the rifling with zero free bore? What type of brass where you using military or commercial? What powder at what charge weight? I'd sure want to know with certainty the answers to all these questions before I'd accept your blaming Armalite.

take a chill-pill dude. i said the only experience i had with Armalite was ONE that pierced primers. i didnt say they all do, i didnt say they had any other issues. it wasnt my rifle it was a friends who holds a Master's card in High Power and Mid-Range, has been loading for many many years and decided to buy another rifle because he wanted his nephew to shoot with him and it was expedient to purchase vs. build. he took it with him to Perry the year he got it because it was piercing primers with factory ammo and his reloads. they put another barrel on it for him...

Frank is very much involved in building his CLE rifles. he and his employees assemble them. im willing to bet they are all as good as they "used to be"...

[lyman]

I cannot remember where I bought my float tube years ago, maybe brownells, maybe,
it was around $100, and this was 20 yrs ago,,,

used a SGW heavy barrel, shot very well with it,

also have a CLE Kreiger that shoots way better than I do,