Best factory built 11.5” AR upper under $1500?

July 30, 2026, 05:00 PM

quote:
Originally posted by RogueJSK:
BCM has these Blemished 11.5s on sale for $700, with a free BCG.

https://bravocompanyusa.com/co...aider-m10-handguard/

I have no use for another 11.5 upper, but that's awful tempting.

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July 30, 2026, 09:36 PM

Black92LX

^^^^^^^^^^^
Is the MK2 gas mitigation worth the $20 extra bucks?
Though I am not a huge fan of the 9” handguard would prefer the 10” but those are out of stock.

However this vacation is currently sucking away all my fun money.
It’ll be a bit before I’ll be ready to buy at this point.
Also want a dedicated 5.56 can which I kind of feel like buying first and use my 16” Aero until I SBR the lower and get the 11.5”.
Then of course I kind of feel like waiting to see if the engraving rule for making SBRs goes away.

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July 30, 2026, 09:43 PM

MikeGLI

I have a BCM Mk2 upper and I'm not sure I can tell a difference. But I run a Surefire non-flow through can, it's possible the Mk2 mitigates more gas with a flow through.

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July 30, 2026, 11:11 PM

jljones

quote:
Originally posted by MikeGLI:
I have a BCM Mk2 upper and I'm not sure I can tell a difference. But I run a Surefire non-flow through can, it's possible the Mk2 mitigates more gas with a flow through.

I’ve shot a couple of our MK2s. They have the Radian SD Raptor charging handle. We have Surefire RC2s and Dead Air Lazarus. The set up on both are less gas than a standard upper.

I have the standard 11.5 upper with a Lazarus. Shooting hard I occasionally get a whiff of gas. The MK2/SD combo seems better.

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August 14, 2026, 05:54 PM

Jupiter

quote:
Originally posted by MikeGLI:
I have a BCM Mk2 upper and I'm not sure I can tell a difference. But I run a Surefire non-flow through can, it's possible the Mk2 mitigates more gas with a flow through.

I really like the BCM MK2 uppers. This would be my pick if looking at quality and price.