Looking to piece together an AR-15!

[Torque]

Hey everyone, I am looking to be piecing together an AR15 in the near future. I have some experience with rifles and guns. I have searched around but there is just so much information its hard to know whats legit and whats bullshit.

I want this to be budget. Maybe around $700-$900. Doable?
How about caliber?
Length?

Recommend some good manufactures of uppers and lowers maybe, or single parts. Damn, give me an intro into the whole AR15 scene while you are at it.

[reggie_love]

Dianne "I hate the little people" Feinstein won't let me have an AR-15, so I can't offer all that much, but I'm kind of halfheartedly in the process of building a California-legal AR... yeah, totally California legal .

Check out
www.model1sales.com for starters. They're pretty legitimate although shipping can take a long time sometimes because of all the customization they offer.

What do you want out of your AR? Long range varmint rifle? SHTF carbine? Knowing that would help you determine the barrel length and caliber you'd want.

Since you're putting it together yourself, you might be able to make that price range.

That's all I got.

[ilovechronic]

Here: reposted from another thread.
i just orderd 7 C-products steel magazines. 3, 20 rounders and 4,30 rounders. The 20 rounders are straight style and they have a more glossy black finish. They come magpul self level enhanced followers that are orange. They work pretty well. 2 did not drop free but that was fixed by grinding down the mag catch a little on the mag. And it seems that on a couple the follower pops the last round out and the bolt catch engages. But I think i can fix that. Over all they are great mags and like perfect mill spec besides the finish being different. And they are 13.99 for a mag and they are STEEL. Just as light weight as the aluminum mags. That is my little review on cproducts mags.
I bought them here.
http://palmettostatearmory.com/c-product-223.php
Also they have 5.7x28 uppers in stock and they function with p90 magazines i believe. Or atleast they are similar. They look really cool, I may get on just for kicks.
http://palmettostatearmory.com/57x28-upper.php

Oh and they have 5.45x39 uppers in stock if anyone is looking for a 5.45. I just emailed them about their uppers but they dont have any 5.56 uppers or .223.
This is just a source for you guys who are scurrying to get mags and uppers before any laws are passed.


i have one US GI mag with green follower and it did not drop free so I grinded the mag catch on the mag.

Another mag producer that have functioned flawlesly for me has been tapco magazines. I have both kinds of their mags(both finishes) and they work flawlessly. They drop freely and feed without any modification. They are my first choisce in mags and they are also in the 13 dollar range for aluminum mags. Their steels are a little more. however tapco has haulted retail sales on their website and have decided to become a wholesaler/manufacture and has expanded. I have not been able to find any tapco magazines for the ar15 on their magazine upgrade kits. Tapco was my first choice but i could not find them.

I have heard good things about magpul but never tried them.

So that is a little review on some of the magazines I have used. You cant really go wrong with the name brand colt bushmaster, dpms, mags but they are more expensive.

As for the upper, assuming you want to build one which i would suggest because it will be way cheaper. You are going to have to call around for a upper receiver where everyou can. Make sure you call and check that it is in stock so you dont end up waiting for weeks or months.
www.model1sales.com makes upper receiver kits which come with everything you need minus a stripped lower receiver. A stripped lower receiver even know it is not built up yet it is considered the firearm so you have to either order one and get it transfered through a ffl(local gun dealer)(which will probably have a wait unless you shop around) or find a local gun dealer that has one in stock. It may be hard to find one because of this current gun crisis. People are nuying stripped lowers by the dozen.

Good internals are important, I just bought a ar15 kit from M-aparts.com(they auit selling uppers) and it came with decent internals. But my second kit the trigger was out of spec. The upper and lower are basically parts holders, as long as they are in proper spec it really doesnt matter but things like the finish may vary which may be a big deal to some one wanting it to look cool. So it may be good idea to invest in name brand internals like the trigger and mayber even the bolt carrier.
My second kit was bult from a http://www.jtdistributing.net/index.html kit. i have never had a problem with the bolt carrier that came with it.

So when i day build a rifle what exactly do i mean?
I mean you order a completely assembled upper receiver and then you buy a stripped lower receiver from your local gun dealer(fll holder) or order one to be transfered by your local gundealer(ffl holder). Assuming it is legal to own in your state(check your local laws)
So the upper is complete so what do you build?
Well you actually do some assembling more than building, you assemble the stripped lower reciever with either your lower parts kit if you orderd a ar15 rifle kit like this: http://www.jtdistributing.net/store/kits_all.html or you buy a complete upper of your choice/bolt carrier group/and lower parts kit.
Now you assemble the lower parts kit into the stripped lower recever. You dont need many tools you just need a few hand tools and a good guide.
Here is a guide:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=4&t=226782
http://www.ar15.com/content/guides/assembly/lower/
If you have problems with your build you can post here:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=3&f=4

Here is a index of guides for your ar15 rife:
http://www.ar15.com/content/index.html#guides
If you are getting into ar15 it may be a good idea to become a memeber here and these guys may be able to help your bcause there is alot more owners here:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/board.html?b=3
This is a list of dealers and vendors who sell parts,uppers,complete uppers, and ar15 kits. There are many more dealers you just have to searc around the web:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/board.html?b=2

It may be hard to find a upper and lower right now but you have to just shop around because someone will have them in stock. Research research research.
CMMG has decent stuff I have heard, you may find a upper there.
http://cmmginc.secure-mall.com/shop/...549165&cat=35&
Delton also has decent stuff you could try there
http://www.del-ton.com/
Your best bet is to call all of the internet dealers and find a upper.
Good luck, I hope this helps. If you do not live in he US then you may not be able to get these ar15 kits.

My carbine which was built from a CAR15 kit has performed just as well as my friends factory bushmaster m4. I have had no issues with it. http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...7/IMG_0089.jpg
It has:
-costed about 650 with out the red dot and can cost alot more, all depends on the parts you get. You could still probably build a budget rifle.

-burris extreme tactcal reddot
-ergo grip
-originally camewith a CAR15 5position stock but i sitched it for my tapco 6 position stock but it is on the 5 position tube
this is the old stock:http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...7/IMG_0014.jpg
-dpms lower
-http://www.m-aparts.com/productsDetail.asp?id=109 upper receiver kit(no longer available)
-burris extreme tactical 30mm scope ring
-yhm riser to cowitness red dot with the stights
-promag flip up rear sight
-16inch heavy barrel, chambered in 5.56x45, 1/9 twist rate

My second ar15 build is a target/coyote rifle, it has:
costed about 1250 probably costs more now.
-24inch bull barrel(stainless steel, chambered n 5.56x45, 1-8 twist rate)
-aluminum freefloat handguard
-weaver classic v24 6-24x42 mil-dot recticle with objective.
-burris extreme tactical 1 inch scope rings
-CAA grip
-a2 stock
-harris bi pod
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...IMG_0022-1.jpg

[ilovechronic]

oh and model1sales is backed up for months. Most dealers are.

[reggie_love]

Originally Posted by ilovechronic

oh and model1sales is backed up for months. Most dealers are.

Must be the Obama effect...

[illuminatikiller]

subscribes to thread

[Random_Looney]

You really missed out. You won't be able to do $700. Maybe 900 is you're lucky. You will probably looking at almost $800 if you're lucky... without a lower, which who knows when or for how much you'll find.

At least, that's my experience. And I remember when you could pick up a great one for about $600.

[Torque]

Awesome reply ilovechronic. I'm pretty tired right now so I will fully sift through your post tomorrow!

I basically just want this rifle for target practice/in-case zombies attack/need to revolt against our gov't. Maybe a mid-sized/slightly short barrel length?

I also want a caliber size with relatively cheap ammo. I'm, not in the gun scene at all at the moment so I guess I should get up to speed with all of this...

Thanks for all of the help so far. Keep this thread alive!

[Random_Looney]

Ideally, you'd want a mid-length gas system with a 16-18 inch barrel, in my opinion.

[AnalHerpes]

I have a carbine and I kind of wish I went with a mid-length. With a 16 inch barrel I haven't heard of any benefits of a carbine length gas system. Mid-lengths have less wear from hard use, a longer sight radius, and more space if you get railed handgaurds. It's kind of theoretical though and I don't think there's ever been a study to show that mid-lengths clearly out-perform carbines so if you find a carbine at a good price, by all means buy it.

[Vargus]

Originally Posted by Torque

I want this to be budget. Maybe around $700-$900. Doable?
How about caliber?
Length?

Doable. I specced out an AR-15 build a couple months back and it came out to be equivalent to a C-15 a local pawn shop had in stock, so I bought it instead. This was using off-the-shelf parts, though; no deals off gunbroker.

16" carbine barrels would help out in an urban environment (shorter is better, but you have to register that shit ) whereas 20" rifle length barrels give you a bit more lethal range. I don't think that a short barrel is that much of a help in close quarters unless you get ~14.5" lengths. My long barrel doesn't seem to be that much of an issue, but it might for you. If you get a heavy barrel like in an M16, that will most definitely factor in on how well you can handle it, as it is quite thick.

As far as caliber is concerned I would recommend NATO simply because of availability. 5.56/.223 is a very common cartridge here, as is .308 (For AR-10s) and 9mm. For target practice Wolf makes very cheap ammo. 5.56 also makes a great man killer, assuming you are in the proper range. (Generally 150-200 yards with a 20" barrel and M855 ammo, and 100 with 14.5" barrel and M193. Keep in mind M193 more reliably fragments.)

[Groundhog whacka]

They are still trickling in to the gun shops so keep an eye out. My BIL just picked up a new DPMS sportical for $830 or something like that. That should be about all you would need.

[blue_monday]

This is where i bought my kit that's still on the way. It won't get in until mid april, i ordered in late December. The kit and lower and some extras from cheaper than dirt ran me about $800ish. I'll have detachable irons but i still need a scope and when i get money i'll get a nice trigger. My rifle's gonna be close to an A4 style.
http://www.model1sales.com/
When i was looking, these guys had the best stuff for the price, and you can add all your options all at once. There's a good reason why this link has been posted 3 times. Brownells also has a neat online builder.

[Torque]

Damn, you guys are helpful!

I did look into DPMS stuff a while back. Has anyone heard any negatives about them? I'm thinking of just picking up a DPMS Panther 5.56 NATO Sportical.

http://www.dpmsinc.com/store/products/?prod=5295

16" barrel length seems decent to me. And Vargus recommended 5.56 NATO.

I'm about to check out model1sales and see what they have to offer.

[AnalHerpes]

Originally Posted by Torque

Damn, you guys are helpful!

I did look into DPMS stuff a while back. Has anyone heard any negatives about them? I'm thinking of just picking up a DPMS Panther 5.56 NATO Sportical.

http://www.dpmsinc.com/store/products/?prod=5295

16" barrel length seems decent to me. And Vargus recommended 5.56 NATO.

I'm about to check out model1sales and see what they have to offer.

DPMS used to have a bad rep and it's still stuck to them by they also have the most sales and a lot of people say their quality has increased a lot in recent years.

Brands only indicate the likelyhood of you getting a lemon. There are Colts out there that don't work for shit and there are DPMS guns that have gone thousands of rounds without a hiccup. Once you buy a rifle and determine that it's good don't let anyone convince you it isn't.

If you do go with DPMS, try to get one that has a chrome lined barrel & bore (chrome moly is not the same thing) since they are an upgrade rather than standard. People will claim that CL isn't neccessary but there are a lot of people who have non-CL and wish they had it whereas very few people have CL and wish they didn't unless it was a competition gun.

[Struwwelpeter]

Originally Posted by reggie_love

Dianne "I am Jewish" Feinstein

Corrected.

[blue_monday]

Originally Posted by Torque

Damn, you guys are helpful!

I did look into DPMS stuff a while back. Has anyone heard any negatives about them? I'm thinking of just picking up a DPMS Panther 5.56 NATO Sportical.

http://www.dpmsinc.com/store/products/?prod=5295

16" barrel length seems decent to me. And Vargus recommended 5.56 NATO.

I'm about to check out model1sales and see what they have to offer.

Yea, based on what i've read of what you'll use it for get a 5.56. Nothing wrong with the DPMS sportical in my mind.

[AnalHerpes]

The only problem I see with that is that you'll need to buy a rear AND front BUIS which can easily cost another $150-200 if you want to buy a good one.

[Torque]

Originally Posted by AnalHerpes

The only problem I see with that is that you'll need to buy a rear AND front BUIS which can easily cost another $150-200 if you want to buy a good one.

Why would I need to do that? Explain BUIS. I'm gonna take a guess, you're talking about I'll need to buy front and rear sights, right?

What are the advantages of chrome lining the barrel/bore?

[Groundhog whacka]

Personally I don't see where a chrome lined bore is necessary but I don't shoot an assload of rounds through mine and am pretty particular on accuracy.

I you just want a plinker and not longer range gun I would look into a cheap red dot scope. I think My Tasco red dot ran about $30 and has seen plenty of time on a 12ga slug gun without any issues. The only problem with cheap ones is that the dot is usually 5moa which means at 100yds it covers a 5 inch target.

[AnalHerpes]

Yep, BUIS = Back Up Iron Sights.

Also, I didn't think cheap red dots could hold their zero very well but some people degress.

The benefits of chrome lined barrel & bore are ease of cleaning, longer barrel life, slicker extraction, and if you live somewhere humid the bore is less likely to rust.

[NamelessNom4d]

Need a good zombie killing weapon? Sorry... couldn't resist

[Torque]

Originally Posted by Slice_760

Need a good zombie killing weapon? Sorry... couldn't resist

Originally Posted by Torqueman

I basically just want this rifle for target practice/in-case zombies attack/need to revolt against our gov't.

Haha.

I guess I will definitely get a CLed barrel/bore because it is very humid where I live. And I want this rifle to last.

I would probably go with a cheapo scope. Maybe a medium-grade one. I could definitely spend extra for the accuracy! Any personal experiences with scopes/sights?

[ilovechronic]

Originally Posted by Torque

Haha.

I guess I will definitely get a CLed barrel/bore because it is very humid where I live. And I want this rifle to last.

I would probably go with a cheapo scope. Maybe a medium-grade one. I could definitely spend extra for the accuracy! Any personal experiences with scopes/sights?

Well what are you looking for a redot,holographic/reflex sight, a scope with magnification?

My CAR15 has a burris extreme tactical reddot, basically a korean version of a aimpoint. It is a tube style reddot. It is water proof, gas filled, and 3 moa accuracy. It has had no problems and costed me 200$. Probably cheaper now.
Aimpoint makes similar ones but they are in the $300-600 range.

For a holographic reflex sight eotech makes the best which are about 300-600.

My longrange ar15 has a Weaver classic scope that is 60-24x 42 mm I believe and was about 300$.

there is many options, there are also cheaper versions of these style red dots that fucntion decently. But if you buy a cheapo you will probably just wish you saved your money for a nicer one.

[Vargus]

My CAR15 has a burris extreme tactical reddot, basically a korean version of a aimpoint. It is a tube style reddot. It is water proof, gas filled, and 3 moa accuracy. It has had no problems and costed me 200$. Probably cheaper now.

Is that an occluded sight?

Man, I was trying to get the fuck to sleep last night and I had a fuckawesome idea for an occluded sight. If I wasn't strapped for cash and needing ammo, I'd send my tax refund towards a milling machine/ lathe.

[5.56 SS109]

You could make something much better for cheaper.

Buy a Saiga .223 for around $400-$500 and convert it to a normal pistol grip stock set by yourself for around $100, then buy a Magnolia State Armory adapter to allow your Saiga to take AR-15 magazines for $150 (or $250 for the semi-permanent one).

You will now have a rifle that is more reliable than nearly all AR15s as it was designed with a gas piston, will eat pretty much any 5.56mm or .223 Remington ammo you can find (some AR15s don't work with cheap Wolf ammo, Saigas are built to shoot cheap Wolf ammo) and takes easily found STANAG (AR15) magazines.

After I get my shit together with my current guns, I'm probably going to build something like I just described.

Like this:

[blue_monday]

Originally Posted by 5.56 SS109

*drool*
god damn i gotta figure out how much i'll get back on taxes