A great value upper for those with m4 envy - Spikes Tactical 5.56 Cold Hammer Forged 14.5in Upper Receiver

My son has two Spike's, so I knew that while they're not Gucci, they run.
I have a bunch of rifles, Larue, Daniel Defense, JP, PWS. I'm not going to blow smoke up your ___ and say Spike's is on that level. What Spike's represents to me is something that is in the everyman price tier that has BCM-like reliability.

I mated this upper to a Spike's lower. It has a tiny bit of play between the receivers, only noted because none of my others have any play. I ordered an Ergo accuwedge thingie for it.

It's exceptionally light compared to all my mlok carbines. It doesn't strike you as that much shorter, until you pull one of your 16s out to compare. It's light and it's handy. Future on braces being uncertain, it's about the lightest, shortest AR you may be able to show in public before long.

Flash hider is properly pinned and welded. The flash hider tings nicely when you rack the charging handle or drop the bolt, so I'm expecting it to sound like a tuning fork when fired. Again, this isn't so much a detraction as something that will make me smile when I notice it.

I look forward to seeing how accurate the FN CHF chrome lined barrel is. I didn't buy this upper looking for an moa gun, but it'd sure make me happy if it shot 2 moa. We'll see.

Great value and while first impressions are not perfect, they are very positive considering all factors. Not the first rifle I'd hand to someone out of my safe looking to impress them, but I will not be embarrassed to be seen with it at the range. It's also probably something I'd recommend to my friends who aren't gun guys, because it won't make them go crosseyed when they see the price tag. I pretty much knew what to expect and found I liked it more than I expected I would.