First AR

[farfromahero 1]

I want to get an ar sometime in the near future, and I was just wondering if it would be better to buy on new or try to assemble one as my first one.

I assume it would be better to buy a complete at first than worry about building one down the road? if so what is a good starter brand of AR's to go with, doesn't need to be anything fancy, just functional.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

What's your budget?

[Zerosignal 1]

BCM

Daniel Defense

 

my two choices.

[farfromahero 1]

Around 900 i suppose.

[TheLugNutZ 21]

good luck finding them in stock tho.

 

i have heard some good things about the newest generation M&P-15's as well..

[Krdshrk 3,877]

If that's your budget, I'd say build build build

 

You just missed out on the $49 stripped lowers from Palmetto State Armory. Plus they have their lower build kits on sale right now too (LPK, Stock, buffer tube and buffer tube spring assy)....

[Shocker 151]

Get a complete upper and build your lower. Lets you learn about it as you put it together too.

[Rob0115 1,105]

I just bought a bushmaster about a week ago for 999. I unfortunately had to fire it at the indoor range which kind of sucked because I couldn't wait for a month to join Cherry Ridge. It was the last one in stock at the bullet hole, my brother bought a modestly used on but they had a colt for 1099. They also had HBAR but it was close to 2000. I think I saw a few in stock at Silver Bullets in Rockaway.

[farfromahero 1]

If that's your budget, I'd say build build build

Yea, being a college student now that the semester is back and running. I had to cut my hours back.

[tuktuk 16]

I second build initiative.

It's fun, it's educational, it's nessasary.

u can do it over a period of few months. so it doesn't hit u with the whole amount at once. Decide on the barrel length, intended use, Create a list, do a lot of research, ask questions.

Don't be afraid to buy used parts. that will save u A LOT of cash. That's what I did and I'm happy with the end result.

[Old School 611]

As far as a lower goes you can buy an assembled lower for $250 or a little less.

[alowerlevel 77]

Get a complete upper and build your lower. Lets you learn about it as you put it together too.

x2, thats what I did with my first one. Plus building it lets you use exactly what parts you want, instead of buying one already built and then having to spend more money changing parts to make it the way you want.

 

Heres what I used to build mine

Stripped lower $60 http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F1SASL&name=Surplus+Arms+%26+Ammo+LOW15+Stripped+AR+Lower+Receiver&groupid=53

Lower build kit $125 http://palmettostatearmory.com/598.php

Complete Upper $550 http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=XSTU5050MLSDC&name=Spikes+Tactical+14.5%22+Lightweight+5.56%2f.223+DynaComp+Upper+Receiver&groupid=55

 

(I pinned the stock and ground the bayonet lug myself)

[Turbotezza 1]

I used these receivers on 2 of my builds. Beautifully machined.

 

http://jsgunparts.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_52&products_id=573

 

This looks nice too. You can ask them exchange the A2 flash suppressor for a brake.

 

http://jsgunparts.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=62_1&products_id=984

[Maksim 1,504]

I am by no means anywhere an expert on AR rifles, will let guys like BBK and Shane45 chime in with their years of experience with them, both in practical use and design/development. My personal take, it aint bad if you are handy, however if you were going to buy a mid spec rifle, building it yourself, you are not going to save anything.

 

For budget, the new M&P 15 Sport rifles are a great bang for the buck.

 

Personally, I had a very specific idea of what I wanted, and buying one either did not exist, or was too much. (wanted a sub 1 moa bull rifle, in a compact under 18 inch package).

 

I went ahead and built the lower to my specs, (Spikes lower, daniel defense lower parts kit, LMT buffer tube/kit, Ace Skeleton stock, Gieselli SSA triger), and then went ahead and ordered a complete upper from White Oak Armament. the lower is not bad, putting together the upper, I did not feel comfortable, and it is tough to beat the guys at WOA.

 

Hope that helps.

[HavocMan 13]

BCM

Daniel Defense

 

my two choices.

 

Yep.

 

The first AR I bought was a Bushmaster. I learned my lesson the hard way...

 

I bought this rifle during the Federal AWB - from Navy Arms - so that'll tell you how old the rifle is. I didn't fire it much at all for years. In February of 2006 I bought a new upper for the rifle & I began to put some rounds through the weapon. I bought a bunch of XM855 from AmmoMan.

 

On April 16, 2006 (after firing only 810 rounds since the day I bought it!!) the bolt cracked at the cam pin hole, but I did not discover it right away. The rifle began to eject erratically & unreliably. Lots of FTE's. Yes, I keep a very detailed log book for each of my long guns.

 

At the 1830 round mark (14 August 2006), the gas key shot loose! Between April & August, the rifle was completely unreliable - two, three, four rounds out of each mag would FTE. I just suffered through it. I changed buffers & springs, tried all kinds of things but nothing fixed the rifle. Then on the 14th the rifle locked up & I discovered that the gas key was loose. In fact, the key was not staked AT ALL. I then did a little research on Bushmaster gas keys ... LOL!! So, I staked it myself. The rifle ran a little better for a while...but still not perfect. I still had alot of FTE's.

 

I finally discovered the cracked bolt on November 27, 2006. By this time the rifle had 3560 rounds on it. I believe that this was the cause of the original FTE's back in April - I just never noticed the hairline crack. I usually cleaned the gun inside my apartment - not the best lighting. On November 27th I stripped the gun right there on the range and cleaned it right there - I saw the crack while cleaning the gun in the sunlight.

 

I bought a spare Bushmaster bolt & carrier (DUMB!). I switched the parts at my next range session on December 5, 2006 and the gun began to run 100% perfectly, but I only put 360 rounds on the new #2 bolt - I didn't trust the Bushy parts. I bought a LMT bolt and installed it on January 7, 2007.

 

The rifle now has 5650 rounds on it and it has run flawlessly since installing the LMT bolt.

 

I will not ever buy a Bushy again.

 

It's BCM, DD, Colt or S&W for me from now on.

 

.....and don't get me started on EoTech, LOL! I have one, but it's junk & I can't wait to replace it with an Aimpoint.

[bbk 188]

You give me far too much credit, Maks, ha, but thanks.

While I'm not a design/development guy, I have put iterations of the system through rigorous use. Understanding the culture of the rifle is as important as the technical aspects when considering an AR, IMO. You'll often hear things like, "what is your intended use?" or "I want a SHTF gun that can shoot sub-MOA while flexible enough to be use in competition, that can have an octo-rail so I can attach all of swag." Honestly, I don't hold prejudices, and however frankengun an AR ends up, if the user has a concept of what their expectations of their rifle are, and they prepare for it-- that's all they need. In short I'm saying that even though trial-and-error oft leads to the best results, you should have an idea of what type of rifle you are prepared for, or will be-- and you should expand on that.

 

With that said, the technical aspect is important, and while there is a wealth of information found on this forum through it's members, I would highly recommend scouring the internet. There are people with far more experience than me (both on this forum and elsewhere), and it would be a disservice to yourself if you didn't "look before you jumped." As much as you would learn assembling a lower, you can learn equally as much (if not more) by finding and researching a lot of the information for yourself. I'm not saying to not be lazy, haha, no. I'm simply saying that personal discovery often leads to the greatest understanding of knowledge.

[raz-0 1,259]

Well, you aren't going to learn much about building one form buying a complete rifle and plinking. Unless the thing is a POS and it needs lots of fixing. You might learn a little about what you like, and more about what you don't like depending on how much of an opinion you have and if the rifle you bought is a better or worse fit to that opinion.

 

Putting together a lower is easy and doesn't require too many tools. I put together my most recent one with maybe 6 tools total in about 40 minutes (at least 15 of that was fighting with the foam tube for the ARFX stock). My first one probably took about 90. Of the 6 tools, the only things specialized to the task were a bench block, and two roll pin punches.

[farfromahero 1]

Putting it together seems more appealing as everyone talks about it. One quick question, as I am looking at the guts of it, what is the difference between a stage 1 and 2 trigger? less of a pull I am assuming.

[YWHIC 18]

AIM has Spikes BLEM lowers for $69 and free shipping.. 3 different flavors..

 

grab the above PSA Lower Build Kit for $129

 

grab the Spikes 14.5" Middy Upper w/Comp on it.. for $499 and Spikes BCG for $109 and be GTG..

 

again .. just sayin..

[Zell959 40]

One of the aspects of an AR15 upper you won't be able to change easily [or cheaply] is the barrel, so that's one detail probably worth some in depth thought about what YOU would like this rifle to do when it's completed. Figure out what kind of shooting you want to do the most, and buy the right barrel.

 

Some generalities:

If you want to shoot small groups from Prone & Bench, a longer & heavier barrel makes a lot of sense.

 

If you want to shoot off hand/on the move/etc, a 14.5"(w/comp) or 16" barrel might be a better choice because it'll be easier to handle and likely won't have a noticable impact on accuracy with that kind of shooting. You can even double down with this option & get a lightweight barrel

 

If you want to use bullets designed for varmint hunting, look for a barrel with a 1:9+ twist. Barrels with faster twist rates can shoot such bullets, but not optimally in most cases

 

If you want to use heavier 75gr+ bullets to either A)help you shoot long distance or B)improve terminal ballistics in defensive use, opt for a twist ratio of 1:8 or 1:7.

 

 

Also, consider a stainless steel barrel instead of chrome lined if accuracy is a primary focus and you don't expect to be a really high volume shooter.

 

Once you make a decision on the above, a lot of other specifics kind of fall into place. If you take the time to seek out a stainless steel barrel, it's probably worth it to go with a free float rail. If you opted for a lightweight carbine length barrel, a heavy metal quad rail probably doesn't make a lot of sense. Etc.

[farfromahero 1]

This is going to be mmy shtf gun. I know I want a free float, I have my heart set on a LaRue rail, but I don't have the cash for it, so something similar to that would be perfect

[Zell959 40]

This is going to be mmy shtf gun. I know I want a free float, I have my heart set on a LaRue rail, but I don't have the cash for it, so something similar to that would be perfect

 

I can totally remember thinking the same thing, so I'm definetly not trying to insult you, but I would suggest you forget about the SHTF potential of the rifle and think more about what kind of shooting you want to do [or will be able to do] most often. You want to think in terms of things that actually help you drill down on specifics. Very fiew configurations of an AR15 wouldn't be effective self defense tools in the right hands, so all you really eliminate by setting that critera are highly specialized [& expensive] builds you probably weren't giving too much consideration anyway. Think about what type of shooting you'll do the most with it, and lean towards that. What's your home range? What distances can you shoot from there? Can you shoot while standing? Shoot while moving? Do double & triple tap drills w/o an RO objecting? Think you might want to hunt with the rifle?

[farfromahero 1]

It is not going to have all the bells annd whistles, I just would prefer a free float system.

[JackDaWack 2,895]

It is not going to have all the bells annd whistles, I just would prefer a free float system.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pwswheghNQsFnUZMkZNF2DQ&output=html

 

Everything you need to know.