AR upper trap door? Man that's ATAS!
For me, the benefits of having a forward assist and a trap door out weigh the benefits of not having one. Benefits of closing the trap door to keep debris out on these windy Oklahoma summer days, or rain, or potato chips. Forward assist for piece of mind or if you neglect to clean it for awhile and have trouble seating that first round. Price is about the only thing you save. Weight is negligible and I doubt you'll really realize the ounce saved. More weight can be save elsewhere.
Kirk, putting together an upper really isn't hard at all. I think it's easier than the lower because you're not dealing with springs and detents that go flying into the upper stratosphere. When I build something, I go for quality. And I look for where I can find the most parts from the same store to cut down on shipping. As always, look at bravocompanyusa.com, rainierarns.com, gandrtactical.com, LOKI, and google. There's nothing wrong with the milspec charging handle, but there are better options out there. My personal favorite is the BCM gunfighter. Upgraded latch, upgraded latch pivot point, beefier construction, better construction to cut down on gas blowback. That last one might not be an issue for nonsuppressed however.
Message me if you want help putting one together.
