12.5" 5.56 NATO Midlength A2 Carry Handle Upper Receiver Group - QVO Tactical Collab

I had wanted a 12.5 midlength for some time. I also liked the idea of running a FSB. I randomly came across the QVO YT channel and saw the collab with the A2 carry handle. I was really intrigued but hesitant because I had not heard of the company before. There's not much info out there about Aegis and the only YT videos were those done by QVO Tactical. In the end I decided to reach out to Aegis with some questions. I'm a CL line, so seeing that the barrel was only offered in a QPQ finish I was a little hesitant. I did more research on the nitriding processes and even reached out about why they chose this process for their barrels. When I heard back, I was pleasantly responded to by Jae, the head Honcho. He was very informative and willing to answer all my questions. In the end I ordered the upper. I was kept in the loop during the build process and any questions that arose during the build were answered as well. I was also informed by Jae that he was building my upper. Needless to say I was pretty stoked. I haven't experienced such a thing in the gun industry before Once I received it, I could see the quality and care was there. It was also pretty cool to receive an armorers note with the build specs! Looking cool is only half the battle and the upper needed to be tested by me. Finally took it out and ran a mag through it just fine. Then I started to get hiccups where the BCG wouldn't seat all the way forward after some rapid fires. This repeatedly happened after 5 or 6 rounds. I run quality ammo too. My heart sank. Jae was kind enough to send me a Sprinco carbine spring and a buffer, which I used. He said it's the same one he tunes his uppers with. Needless to say that range trip was a little rough. I contacted Jae once I got home and explained the situation. He was very responsive and empathetic to the situation. We even had a video call to talk about it and what could be causing it since the uppers are test fired to spec before leaving. During my next range trip I tried swapping the buffer and spring out with a H2 and standard carbine buffer I had. I had never tried sprinco springs before and was thinking maybe it was a bad spring. She ran just fine after the swap, normal and fast rates of fire. I tried the setup Jae initially sent again and it seemed to run fine but opted to throw the H2 buffer back in. So far the issue seems to have resolved itself. Jae has been awesome with customer support and keeping in touch. It's great to be able to support a Mom and Pop Shop like his. Jae is striving to bring back that Old School quality and care we want to expect from all American businesses. Thus far, I am pleased with my purchase. I will update if anythings changed. All the best!

This is an update to my initial impressions review. I have now taken this upper to the range on my SBR. My initial impressions, while enormously favorable, were--if anything--conservative. This configuration is a *shooter*. Small things stand out to me after many years of teaching marksmanship and handling a wide diversity of student rifles. The zeroing process for this upper was made painless by virtue of the build quality of the front sight post. Many A-frame FSP configurations feature subtly (or substantially) out-of-spec front sight posts/detents/sight bases. Even factory rifles from major manufacturers have been so dimensionally troubled that I have bent or broken more than one front sight adjustment tool. The Aegis x QVO A2 was flawless in execution and entirely easy to zero. Ejection was precisely as advertised on the build sheet, with all casings exhibiting extremely consistent 4:00 ejection with four brands of ammunition. I used PMC Bronze 55-grain, Federal XM193, PPU 62-grain, and PMX X-Tac 55-grain. All exhibited remarkably consistent ejection and I experienced no stoppages of any sort during my use with both Gen 3 PMags and surplus USGI 20-round aluminum magazines. I will test STANAG 30-round, Okay Industries G2, Daniel Defense 32-round, Lancer, and PMag Gen 2 magazines in the future, but nothing in the feed and function of this product gives me any reason to expect anything other than boring reliability. I was able to establish a BZO with the iron sights that was well within my capabilities as a shooter; with five shot groups consistently producing results with three of the hits overlapping into one large, ragged hole. Of particular note is the exceptionally soft recoil impulse. Compared to 11.5" carbine, 16" mid, and 20" rifle gas guns, this 12.5" exhibits recoil characteristics that are more akin to the 20" rifle. The only aspects of the recoil on this 12.5" mid that make it somewhat less soft-shooting compared to a full-sized 20" AR are the increased noise and flash (with 5.56mm NATO spec ammunition). The amount of sight movement is only modestly different from a 20" rifle gas gun. With lower-pressured .223 Rem ammunition, this is especially true. Bill Drill times were well within my normal performance envelope par times with my usual training rifle (an LPVO-equipped 16" mid length Colt 6960), though precision was somewhat less due to the use of A2 iron sights as opposed to a Trijicon AccuPoint. I really can't emphasize enough how soft the recoil impulse is on this Aegis x QVO 12.5" mid length setup. The manufacturer's attention to detail and care are evident. The gas is expertly regulated for unsuppressed use. Unfortunately, I don't have any spare Trifecta silencer mounts (and they're apparently discontinued) so I have yet to see how suppressing this upper changes things, but at some point, I will. Bottom line: This is a stellar product. Expertly built, as precise as any premium shorty AR, and beautifully gassed, the Aegis x QVO A2 upper is a remarkably soft-shooting product. Highly recommended.

This is my first review I’ve have ever given on a product . I just received the upper today! I Slapped it on my lower and dumped a couple of mags (a quick 50), and holy shit this thing F**KS HARD! The quality control that was put into this build is superb. I recently had finished building a 12.5 carry handle of my own (Noveske 12.5 Leonidas Barrel with FSB, Mayhem Machine Tool C7 Upper, Midwest Industries quad rail, Radian BCG and Charging Handle) and it doesn't compare to Aegis upper. The properly gassed mid length system is a pleasure to shoot. Looking forward to shooting it supressed. Thank you Aegis and QVO for this collaboration, the retro/modern upper the people didn’t know they needed.

Years ago, I bought a former police department issued Colt Commando that had been converted to a civilian-legal SBR. I built it into a 'new-meets-old' design and have thoroughly enjoyed it. However, for the last few years, it has been clear to that the service life of the upper was fairly harsh and the gas port was eroded to the point that it would no longer cycle with a suppressor. I made vague plans to have it re-barreled in the vague future, but late in 2023, I stumbled upon a video review of the Aegis Weapons x QVO A2 upper collaboration. In January of 2024, I ordered one to replace my shot-out A1 Commando. Upon receipt, several things jumped out at me as worthy of specific accolade: 1. The upper included a formal armorer's build sheet. I have never received a rifle (or upper) that included anything like this. The closest comparison that comes to mind are the test fire proofs that are included with 2011s or the QC inspection tags sewn into American-made high-end Mystery Ranch backpacks. Torque specs, QC inspection checklists, parts sources, and final inspection are all explicitly annotated. It's like a Monroney Sticker (car window sticker) and it's very welcome. Aegis stands in good company with brands like Staccato and Mystery Ranch for including this detail. In addition, the ejection pattern was annotated and all five spent casings used in the test firing process were included, along with recommendations for action spring and buffer weight. Very comprehensive. 2. The manufacturer included a complimentary SpringCo action spring and buffer along with a hand-written note that explained that these were his favored combination for function on this configuration of barrel length and gas system. 3. The hand-polished feed ramps were beautifully executed, topping off a first-rate build quality that is typically found in much larger manufacturers. The premium price for this product was well-justified, given the care that went into technically perfect execution of its assembly and exhaustive documentation thereof. Fit on my registered SBR lower receiver was snug, with the rear takedown pin requiring substantial encouragement to fully seat. Removal requires the use of a tool to punch out the rear takedown pin; the front is very tight but can be removed without the use of a punch. All screws and related hardware were inspected upon delivery and appear to have been installed correctly and to the torque specs outlined on the armorer's build sheet. These are my initial impressions from inspection, installation, and handling. I will vet the upper for accuracy, reliability, and precision over the coming year. Thus far, I am impressed and optimistic. Recommended.

Amazing blend of modern and retro. Properly gassed, attention to detail, impressive build quality. These guys know what they are doing