Ok, after having to settle for less than I wanted, I got my gear from Armalite today. When I settled for the 20" upper over the 24" upper I remember saying 'well, at least the 20" is fitted with a flash hider, that will save me a few bucks not having to get it threaded' (the 24" model was just a straight unthreaded bull barrel). So, guess what I pull out of the box? A 20" upper thats not threaded and has no flash hider. At this point I dont even know what to do. I'd raise the issue with Armalite, but these people have just been a heaping bucket of failure. I'm figuring I will cut my losses at this point. I'm already having to track down a rail system for this gun, a buffer, and now I have to get the barrel threaded. So I figure the best I can do is just tell anyone that will listen to me about how fucking worthless Armalite is as a company and will actively discourage anyone I know from buying their products.