Noveske or LaRue Stealth Upper

[nosnammt]

So I think I have things settled between an 18 or 20" LaRue Stealth and the Noveske 18" SPR. The rifle will be used primarily for long range targeting and possibly some varminting. Rainier was in the running but they already were a bit above price wise even with a LEO/MIL discount and then there is the sales tax issue that further compounded the penalty against them.

What is the consensus on the two uppers? What would you pick and why?

[Rated21R]

both are very nice. both will do the intended job. i don't think you can go wrong with either. i think if i was pulling the trigger on a LaRue upper, then I would be all in and go with a full LaRue build (since that's the only way you can get a lower). I'd also do the same with the Noveske (although you can get the uppers and lowers from them). I don't know which way I would lean. Good luck and post pics :)

[John Hwang]

The main components on an upper are: Barrel, Upper, BCG, Handguard, Charging Handle, Comp/FH. It really depends on what you are trying to build. They are both going to be very accurate guns. The reason the Rainier UM builds are a little higher is because of the Young NM BCG and the PRI gas buster charging handle.

[Stickman]

So I think I have things settled between an 18 or 20" LaRue Stealth and the Noveske 18" SPR. The rifle will be used primarily for long range targeting and possibly some varminting. Rainier was in the running but they already were a bit above price wise even with a LEO/MIL discount and then there is the sales tax issue that further compounded the penalty against them.

What is the consensus on the two uppers? What would you pick and why?

I would go with the Noveske based on the milspec BCG, barrel material, and intermediate length gas system. John pointed out that any of the choices would obviously work, and they should as you are paying a premium.

Another option would be going with a custom build to get exactly the configuration you want. The WOA barrels are very worth looking at if you go that route.

[nosnammt]

Thanks for all the responses.

@ John

It's really the sales tax that is the deal breaker for me as the difference isnt much more than a $100-200. I've made purchases from you guys in the past and you really do rock but the extra 9.5% the state takes is not so fun. It really pained me when I crunching the numbers.

Do the YM BCG and the Gasbuster really make that much difference or they just really another gimmick?

@Stick

I was looking at doing the self assembly but I always found myself gravitating to the same or similar parts used by LaRue, Noveske and RA. So really the cost wasn't to much different. When going with one of the 3 after having talked with a Noveske rep and reading what LaRue offers (waiting on a call back) their guarantee is significantly longer, i.e. life long. RA states one year.

Is WOA = or better than the above listed? I've been having trouble finding information comparing them. I've got 3 fantastic lowers to build up and really this current build is purposed to be a long range tack driver.

My concern with LaRue is that I have read in several postings that his barrels have had problems with heavier grain rounds. On the plus side I understand that he also has true polygonal rifling.

[John Hwang]

nosnammt,

This is a very good question that there really isn't a definitive answer to but I can give you some of my personal opinions. If you look at the YM BCG, you can clearly see that the machining is much better than standard BCGs. Is the better machined BCG that's supposedly more consistent and hold better & tighter tolerances going to shoot any better? It should in theory. It's like anything else in the AR15 platform, a standard part (ie barrel, upper, bcg) will work fine for 95% of the shooters but some choose to have the absolute best in every component they purchase. Many will pay double to achieve that 5% additional gain that they may or may not ever achieve. Where you are going to see the most amount of accuracy gain (components speaking not the shooter obviously) is from the trigger, then the barrel and ammo. All the other parts will aid in accuracy but will not be nearly as important as the above 3 components IMO. The other huge part of being accurate is proper assembly. There have been many rifles and uppers we've worked on that had the finest parts available but were assembled incorrectly (parts not fitting properly, improper torque on barrel nut, incorrect head space, over gas, under gas) and it was absolutely horrible. Two recent situations come to mind right away, 1) a customer came in with a Geissele High speed trigger that was improperly set. The customer thought it was decent because he was only used to the factory stock trigger. Once we made the proper adjustments, he was floored at how clean and crisp it felt. He had no idea it was supposed to feel that way and would have been perfectly happy shooting his rifle with an improperly set trigger. 2) Another customer had a really high brand named barrel & YM NM carrier and couldn't hold a MOA. After inspection, we noticed the head space was to loose and fitted him with a proper fitting bolt which brought his groups down by 1/2.

Personally speaking, there are so many thing effecting accuracy that comes before a YHM NM carrier but if you are one of those who are trying for every ounce of accuracy, it's an option. There are so many who spend hours upon hours hand loading to specific formulas seeking the tightest groups, others will spend every dollar earned buying the best equipment. In my sensere opinion, time spent behind the trigger will give you the best increase in accuracy. Everything else is secondary.

[sonrider657]

It's really the sales tax that is the deal breaker for me as the difference isnt much more than a $100-200. I've made purchases from you guys in the past and you really do rock but the extra 9.5% the state takes is not so fun. It really pained me when I crunching the numbers.

Not to hijack this thread but this is just evidence of how big government is killing small business. Rainier is losing a sale solely because the government is making their price uncompetitive. Washington State Government is lowering the sales of Washington State business and forcing its citizens to spend their money out of state. Remember this in the polling booth!

Sorry, end of rant.

[Stickman]

nosnammt,

WOA makes a very good barrel, and while the Noveske may be better, I don't think most people would see a difference in their shooting. LW also makes a nice barrel.

[Army Chief]

I'm a longtime NRW customer, and normally the Noveske would be a no-brainer; that said, I wouldn't be quite so quick to dismiss the new Rainier UM (http://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/browse&category=rainiercustomshop_rainierarmsultramatchse ries) and UME (http://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/browse&category=rainiercustomshop_rainierarmsultramatchel iteseries) series uppers. No one else is really offering a comparable feature set, and when you do the math associated with the mid-gas Shilen barrel configuration, proprietary RA billet upper, RA XTC comp/FH, PRI gas block and CH, Young NM BCG and DD Lite rail, you begin to realize that the RA is actually something of a bargain. Not saying the state sales tax issue isn't unfortunate, but neither is it a show-stopper; especially when you consider what you're getting for the money.

AC

[nosnammt]

Thank you to everyone for their imput. You have all given me a bit to think on and I will take it under advisement. Don't get me wrong RA is the bomb and I am still mulling it over because I would prefer to purchase local when ever possible but here are the numbers that are making it a tough choice.

LT vs RA = 320.61
NRW vs RA = 332.11

With that spread I could buy the best trigger on the market which may very well help me more than anything else or I could even buy the YNM BCG and charging handle for another upper or any other number of sweet upgrades.