first time ar build need help

[lance4682]

i thought i would enlist some advice from the pafoa crowd..anybody want to give me a rundown on what i would need to build a as cost effective ar as possible while still having some of the nicer features like skelotonized stock nice rail good irons..etc etc been doing some reading about barrels but hardly would consider myself well versed what would be better 16 or 14.5 with pinned muzzle stuff like that... any info would be put to use

[Truckman]

One of the best AR sites out there; http://www.ar15.com/ however, they will push you towards the more expensive, higher quality, parts.
Get into the "build it yourself" forum. There is a lot of info "stickied" including video's, of how to do it.
The best part of an AR is ALL the pieces are available separately, and as long as it's "milspec" they will all fit, and work together.
Now, you need to decide the intended purpose, before deciding on barrel length, but 16" minimum per law, (without the NFA stamp) which includes the flash hider. So 14.5"+1.5" flash hider, or 16", or more, is legal.
The barrel, upper receiver, and bolt carrier group, is the most important. Spend your money there. The rest, almost anything will do.
I have under $700 in mine, Spikes tactical upper http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.as...ver&groupid=55 Palmetto State Armory lower http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.htm...f=121&t=832542 plus one of their lower build kits http://www.palmettostatearmory.com/1633.php
Pics http://forum.pafoa.org/rifles-42/125...-new-ar15.html

[spacemanvic]

I am about 90% complete on my AR journey. Let me start by asking what your intended use for this AR is? That will dictate how much your willing to spend to shoot it, what kind of barrel to get etc. And welcome to the addiction

[lance4682]

its going to be a range toy /go to gun . i've been spending most of my free time on ar15 .com reading up on which way i would like to go.sounds juvenile but i like the tactical look more then the old school m16's where i'm stuck is between complete rifles to complete kits which way is more cost effective and still let me get everything i want ...also what is the difficulty level on building from scratch .i completely took apart my 1911 for the first time recently and it was less scarier then it look....any great deals out there would be quite useful out there group buys etc etc....thanks

[spacemanvic]

Well, ar15.com (arfcom) has two terrific how-to's on building an AR.

This one has a great call out on the parts for the trigger group and assembly of the lowers.

This one has terrific how to's as well as tips for easier assembly.

I myself assembled striped lowers in about 30min using silver duct tape, vise grips, a punch, an allen key type tool for the hinge pin detent assembly and an armorers wrench for the stock. I bought a flattop upper that had M4 grips and an attached barrel.

Assembling an AR is dirt simple.

Your choices in barrels start at 1x9 twist, 1x8 and 1x7. 1x7 is closest to military issue and shoots heavier bullets and allows you to shoot 400+ yards pretty well. That means it costs a bit more to feed. 1x9 is the commercial grade, and allows you to shoot the lightest (ie cheapest) 556/223 round. It's economical if you are building a fun plinker/varmint gun that can pull double duty for HD. 1x8 is the compromise between the two.

As I have access to a sub 300yd range and intend to shoot quite a bit, a 1x9 suits me fine for now. I went with a non-chromed barrel as I am interested in having an accurate gun, and chrome lining in a barrel does effect accuracy.

After the barrel, the most important part of the rifle is the bcg. I bought an F/A LMT bcg. I went with an FA bcg because I wanted the extra carrier weight, as well as the extra metal covering the firing pin. This company puts out great gear, and I bought mine from another vendor because of free shipping and availability of the LMT bcg.

My lowers came from a company called Xtreme Machining in Grassflats PA, the barrel came from bulldog barrels which is a Greensburg PA company. The upper receiver comes from Yankee Hill Machining

Magazines are from Brownells.

Oh yeah, building it was a lotta fun

[kunsunoke]

My recommendations -

1) Build up a mil-spec stripped lower. It's easy enough (can be done in about an hour with a punch set) and stripped lowers sometimes are available for fifty bucks or so on-line.

2) If you're doing 1), choose your lower parts kit carefully. Daniel Defense makes a very good one for only slightly more than the usual $60 cheapie parts kits out there.

3) Don't cheap out on the stockset. It's an important part of the gun, and you want to be sure it works consistently. Pay particularly close attention to the buffer you get with it, as heavier buffers tend to slow down the cycle rate (and ultimately that's going to be better for reliability). My own build uses an H3 buffer from Palmetto State Armory, which is a good supplier for buffers and other AR parts.

4) Buy the upper as a complete unit, and go for decent quality. Bravo Company, Spikes Tactical, LMT, Daniel Defense, Stag Arms make decent uppers at reasonable prices. If you have your heart set on Colt, fine - just don't let the Arfers tell you it's an absolute necessity. Because it isn't. Colt's quality is over-rated.

5) The bolt carrier group is another important item. Chrome lining is essential. Chrome or other fancy coatings are not (though they do make for easier cleaning). I'd go with a full-auto bolt carrier group, preferably from a top-tier supplier - Bravo's is quite good.

6) I recommend a chrome-lined 1 in 7 barrel, as this will give you maximum flexibility with ammunition (heavier bullets go further and hit harder) and a long, happy lifespan. That will be important in a go-to gun.

7) If you're going with a carbine length as you mentioned, try to get a mid-length gas system. They shoot softer, at slower cycle rates. Don't be afraid of a full-length 20" barrel, either - they aren't that much more difficult to maneuver around corners.

8) Rails are over-rated. Every piece of equipment you add weighs down the front of the gun, which eliminates a key advantage of the AR system over other carbine platforms (light weight and good balance).

9) Good quality magazines will be key. Lancer L5s are awesome, assuming you can find them. Magpul pmags are also good, as are mil-spec mags with Magpul followers.

10) Assuming you're going with a DI gun, make sure you have good synthetic lubricants on hand. Mobil 1 5W30 and Mobil 1 synthetic grease have been quite good in my gun. SliP 2000 EWR is also good. The important thing here is that the lubricant be heat and crap resistant, as DI defecates in its own bed. This is a bigger issue for anyone shooting cheapo ball ammunition than it is for me, as I handload with IMR (the powder the AR was designed for).

11) Lastly, get a decent sling. Viking Tactical makes some good ones.

[lance4682]

well ar 15 had a group buy on some stag arms m4 14.5 pinned uppers so i went with one of those...i also got a spikes lower minus stock...so here comes the next questions any recommends on a good stock and drop in rail for it

[Legion_Prime]

While you seem to have had luck with some group buys over on tard, I mean, arf.com I'd stay away from them for pretty much everything besides their build guides. Even those are leftover from the days before Quib ditched them. I'd go look around M4carbine.net if you want accurate information on the system rather than what the latest cool guy parts are to slap on.
As far as good cheap stocks, the Magpul MOE is pretty much a no-brainer there. You could also look into Ace as well. For a rail I'd look towards LaRue, Daniel Defense or VLTOR off the top of my head depending what style youre looking for.

[spacemanvic]

well ar 15 had a group buy on some stag arms m4 14.5 pinned uppers so i went with one of those...i also got a spikes lower minus stock...so here comes the next questions any recommends on a good stock and drop in rail for it

Im a lil old school. I went with the M4 double heat shield hand guard, then added a rail at 6' oclock for a verticle grip and sling (cause some days you wanna shoot with a vertical grip n some days ya dont) and maybe a light down the road. I did go with a 6 pos pardus stock instead of a 4 pos though

[Suburban]

Your choices in barrels start at 1x9 twist, 1x8 and 1x7. 1x7 is closest to military issue and shoots heavier bullets and allows you to shoot 400+ yards pretty well. That means it costs a bit more to feed. 1x9 is the commercial grade, and allows you to shoot the lightest (ie cheapest) 556/223 round. It's economical if you are building a fun plinker/varmint gun that can pull double duty for HD. 1x8 is the compromise between the two.

As I have access to a sub 300yd range and intend to shoot quite a bit, a 1x9 suits me fine for now. I went with a non-chromed barrel as I am interested in having an accurate gun, and chrome lining in a barrel does effect accuracy.

You can still shoot 55gr from a 1x7 twist barrel. In fact, my 1x7 chrome-lined LMT shoots 1" groups with inexpensive 55gr Midway Dogtown spitzer bullets, which is a little better than I've been able to do with heavier Sierra MatchKing, Hornady Match, and Nosler Custom Competition bullets. I also shoot lots of M193.

The effect of chrome lining on accuracy depends on who applied the chrome. The FN sniper rifles, built on Winchester 70 actions, had chrome-lined bores and were still just as accurate as much of the competition's stainless barrels.