Cheapest 5.45 upper?

R

RedBowTies88

New member
So I'm wanting to build a 5.45x39 AR. I'm a bit shocked by the prices of the uppers I've seen compared to 5.56..

Anyone know of any reasonably priced complete uppers? The only things I require are a chrome lined barrel and a non-existant or non-permident flash suppressor.
 
last I checked, CDNN had a smith and wesson 5.45 upper for $500 and that's the cheapest I've ever seen one but S&W discontinued it and I'm not sure if they still have it. it's hard to find and isn't part of the AR15 parts list(you have to run a site search)...hope you find one... the second cheapest I found was on model1sales.com and once you add the BCG it comes in at $650
 
I agree, I keep coming back to this idea as well because 5.45 is so much cheaper to shoot than 5.56 but every time I end up realising that I can shoot 2000 ROUNDS OF 5.56 for the price of just a 5.45 upper that has no guaranty of reliable operation and then I would have to shoot about 10,000 rounds of 5.45 before I start to save money. I shoot probably 500 rounds a year so I really cant justify buying one for anything other than a playtime gun.
 
Sportsmansguide has the S&W 5.45 upper for $521, but they will price match CDNN's $499 price it you ask.

I would have to shoot about 10,000 rounds of 5.45 before I start to save money.
Click to expand...

The break even point is ~5500 rounds if you can save $0.09/round shooting 5.45 vs 5.56. Between me and my two teenage sons we easily go through 5K rounds in a less than a year.
 
I dunno, since I already have a saiga in .223 I really wanted to move into an ar and 5.45 seemed like the perfect caliber. (ass backwards I know)

But if thats what its going to cost I honestly might as well just buy another saiga or a wasr in 5.45 to take advantage of the cheap ammo...

its literally more then double the cost to go with an AR over an AK in that cartridge..
 
you may be right... I'm just kinda attached to this its my first self bought centerfire rifle and i like it a lot... I also like the idea of having a gun chambered in this round for a SHTF scenerio and HD... if i went to a 5.45 I would be very limited in ammo choice for HD.

maybe ill put a feeler up and see if anyone would be interested in my saiga and then buy a 5.45 model....
 
I have a S&W 5.45x39 AR carbine gas upper on a spike's lower.

The only thing that sucks is cleaning - not the actual cleaning but that it must be cleaned after shooting. Otherwise, there will be rust.

I am on my 3rd 1000 round can of corrosive ammo. I have found some pitting on the bolt but not much to worry about. It is accurate and reliable (with heavy hammer spring it came with or Giselle trigger that is has now + spikes ST-2 or ST-3 buffer). I like the feel of 5.45 more than the 5.56 AR when shooting. It feels milder than the 5.56.

If cleaning and cleaning right after shooting are not issues, cheap 5.45x39 corrosive is a good thing. If you shoot a lot per range session, then you will love the 5.45x39 for the money saved compared to 5.56.

Keep in mind that steel case non corrosive 5.45x39 cost the same as steel cased non-corrosive .223. So, saving will only come with shooting corrosive ammo.

I have a carbine gas because the mid lengths wre not available yet when i got mine.
 
I dont mind the cleaning, been doing it with my mosin some time now and not had any issues... My only issues are the cost of the upper itself :(
 
Don't worry about mags that much. I use usgi 30 round aluminium mags with the old style black follower. I load them with 25 rounds of 5.45x30 ammo and they are 100% reliable.
 
I'd like to get a 5.45 but I think I'm gonna save up for an arsenal AK74. More expensive for sure but hard to beat. A 5.45 saiga would be my second choice since I already converted a .308 saiga.

Heck for around $500 I can get a complete AR15 clone in .22lr, and I intend too!
 
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