Out of stock
SKU: 78000723
UPC: 050806113664
The Brownells BRN-180 Gen 2 16" 7.62x39mm Upper Receiver Assembly is a complete piston-driven upper built to drop onto any mil-spec AR-15 lower. It's aimed at shooters who want the intermediate punch of 7.62x39mm without committing to a dedicated AK platform. The design traces back to the AR-18/AR-180 work Eugene Stoner did in the 1960s, updated here with a self-contained recoil system that lets the rifle run a true folding stock. If you already keep a stash of stripped lowers, this is a fast way to add a 7.62x39 build to the safe.
The 16-inch barrel is 4150 carbon steel, button rifled with a 1-8 inch twist and finished in nitride for corrosion resistance. Operation runs through a short-stroke gas piston with an adjustable two-position gas block, so you can tune for suppressed or unsuppressed shooting. The upper receiver is machined from 7075 T6 aluminum and hardcoat anodized, riding on dual guide rods that keep the recoil system contained entirely in the upper. A multi-lug rotating bolt with a black oxide finish handles lockup. Up front, the muzzle wears a 3-prong AR-180-style flash suppressor threaded 5/8-24, and a full-length Picatinny rail covers optics mounting. Magazine feeding uses AR-15 pattern 7.62x39mm magazines, with C-Products Duramag and Unimag the recommended options.
This upper suits a range build, a truck gun, or a hunting rig where 7.62x39 ballistics make sense inside intermediate distances. Mating it to a quality lower gives you a folding-stock carbine that stores compact and shoots like an AR. The adjustable gas setting makes it a practical host for a can. Pair it with one of our AR lowers to finish the build, or browse our other complete uppers if you're comparing calibers and barrel lengths before you commit.
Yes. The assembly is built to mate with mil-spec AR-15 lower receivers. It uses the standard takedown and pivot pins, so it drops onto a stripped or complete lower without modification.
It feeds from AR-15 pattern 7.62x39mm magazines. Brownells recommends C-Products Duramag and Unimag magazines for reliable feeding. It does not use AK-pattern magazines.
The two-position adjustable gas block lets you tune the rifle for suppressed or unsuppressed fire. Combined with the 5/8-24 threaded muzzle, it works as a suppressor host once you change out the included 3-prong flash suppressor.
The barrel measures 16 inches, made from 4150 carbon steel with a nitride finish and a 1-8 inch button-rifled twist. That twist stabilizes the heavier projectile weights common to 7.62x39mm loads.
No. The dual guide rod recoil system is completely self-contained in the upper receiver. That design is what allows a true folding stock and keeps the buffer assembly out of the lower.
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