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I want to build an AR 15/m4 need help

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How to build an AR-15 in three easy steps.

 

1 Decide what your rifles purpose in life will be

2) Select the best barrel you can afford (even if you have to save up) and buy it,

3) Build your rifle around the barrel.

 

You need to select a caliber, chamber, length, profile, twist rate, material and gas system.  Once you have that nailed down, the rest of the build will go easier because now you have a starting point.  I find it very useful to keep a notebook so I can track what barrel I saw on what site and the price.  Then I hit the search engines looking for reviews and forum write ups.

 

I recommend a medium or heavy profile barrel 18" or 20" with a Wylde chamber and a 1:8 twist.  Cold hammer forged barrels are great if they are properly stress relieved, beware of cheap CHF barrels though.  Stainless steel is very popular among precision rifle builders.  Long range shooters prefer a rifle length gas system because it apparently mitigates recoil a little bit.  If you go with an 18" bbl you can go with either mid length gas system or rifle length.  For a precision rifle you want a precision stock.  I'm a fan of fixed stocks for rifles and suggest looking at the ACE ARFX Skeleton stock.  The LOP on these stocks can be modified with permanently attached butt plates   Whether you go fixed or adjustable collapsible, you are looking at $100 to $300 for a really good stock.

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also realize that you just missed the black friday deals which were great and the prices are going up with the scare of obama executive orders and renewed call for an AWB.  no idea why, but the prices are going up.  the sooner you get stuff the better.  

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One of my locals have DPMS stripped lowers for almost 120$ I felt that was way too high. I guess I'll call around tomorrow and try to locate one. I also see a lot of guys milling out 80% lowers, looks like it's a lot of work and ya gotta buy the jigs. Combination of the two it's prob more than those DPMS lowers... Also found some on palmetto that have the stock and trigger assembly installed... About 175$.. It's hard to decide what route to go but you guys are helping me a lot!!

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If you have a complete lower sent to a NJ FL for you he will not be able to transfer it to you with a collapsing stock.  He will have to have it pinned first (extra charge). However, if you order a complete lower with out a stock and just the buffer tube installed, that's OK, no further work required.

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Damn it NJ! There is always a catch to everything!! Nothing is simple. So any stock I buy is gonna have to be pinned first? How do you know the length you want it? I assume the barrel works the same way then. So an upper needs to be compliment with nj too. The only difference between nj and cali compliment is the mag release right?

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Damn it NJ! There is always a catch to everything!! Nothing is simple. So any stock I buy is gonna have to be pinned first? How do you know the length you want it? I assume the barrel works the same way then. So an upper needs to be compliment with nj too. The only difference between nj and cali compliment is the mag release right?

No! You build the rifle to your liking and add the stock last! Don't purchase a complete lower with a stock!!! You buy a stripped lower, insalll the LPK "Lower parts kit" at the end you put the stock on and pin it yourself

where it feels most comfortable!!!

 

One last point! Do you know how many lives were saved in NJ thanks to the pinned stocks..............ZERO!!!!!!!!!

The absolute dumbest of all the dumb laws in this state!!!!!!!!!

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I completely agree with ya on the pinned stock comment, along with all of these pointless nj compliment laws. Ok so say I pick up a lower this week. Do you have a suggestion of what brand or how much I should plan on spending on the lower? Also, aluminum or composite? I'm leaning twords aluminum. I'm just a metal kind of guy and really don't trust composite to hold up. Also what makes the better triggers so expensive? Can you not adjust a stock trigger to have a better pull? I mean 250$ for a trigger setup is a lot. So. Here's what I've gathered so far. Pick up a lower and parts kit. Find a good barrel/upper and basically build around the barrel but lowers are basically interchangeable with w.e upper as long as it's made for the caliber ya Wana shoot.

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I completely agree with ya on the pinned stock comment, along with all of these pointless nj compliment laws. Ok so say I pick up a lower this week. Do you have a suggestion of what brand or how much I should plan on spending on the lower? Also, aluminum or composite? I'm leaning twords aluminum. I'm just a metal kind of guy and really don't trust composite to hold up. Also what makes the better triggers so expensive? Can you not adjust a stock trigger to have a better pull? I mean 250$ for a trigger setup is a lot. So. Here's what I've gathered so far. Pick up a lower and parts kit. Find a good barrel/upper and basically build around the barrel but lowers are basically interchangeable with w.e upper as long as it's made for the caliber ya Wana shoot.

As long as it's in spec, a lower is a lower. Pick whatever roll mark you like and go with it. I prefer forged aluminum lowers.

 

Regarding triggers, I rather like the ALG ACT triggers. Essentially a very smooth, mil spec trigger. They are about $65. ALG Defense also makes a complete LPK that includes the ACT trigger.

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I completely agree with ya on the pinned stock comment, along with all of these pointless nj compliment laws. Ok so say I pick up a lower this week. Do you have a suggestion of what brand or how much I should plan on spending on the lower? Also, aluminum or composite? I'm leaning twords aluminum. I'm just a metal kind of guy and really don't trust composite to hold up. Also what makes the better triggers so expensive? Can you not adjust a stock trigger to have a better pull? I mean 250$ for a trigger setup is a lot. So. Here's what I've gathered so far. Pick up a lower and parts kit. Find a good barrel/upper and basically build around the barrel but lowers are basically interchangeable with w.e upper as long as it's made for the caliber ya Wana shoot.

I would not know where you could purchase a composite lower. They are almost all forged aluminum! Get an Anderson Lower! They are cheap and really good quality! They are forged aluminum and I think they are just great! 

 

Go with a mil-spec trigger on your first build as it is included in the lower parts kit! You can always upgrade it later! Better triggers are more smooth and have less pull weight!  You can polish a mil-spec trigger a bit to make it somewhat smoother but you need to be careful here!!! The LPK that Displaced Texan recommended would be a good start!!! LINK.............http://algdefense.com/complete-lower-parts-kit-with-act-trigger.html

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YEP!!!

 

That kit has a better trigger plus every part you need to fully complete your stripped lower!!!! minus the stock which we will worry about later!

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What lb pull does it bring the trigger to?

"The ALG Defense Advanced Combat Trigger (ACT) is designed for those shooters where tradition, value and regulatory concerns are of primary importance. The pull of the ACT is very similar to a standard mil-spec trigger, however it is sharper and the grittiness of the stock trigger pull has been removed while the traditional reliability of a stock trigger remains. The pull weight is not lower than the M4/M16 minimum weight specification of 5.5lbs."

 

From ALG's website.

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Yes, that is the poor mans Geissele trigger. It might be the best custom trigger in that price range and very comparable to triggers costing 3x as much. Its about a 5.5 lb pull which is a lil heavy for serious precision work, but much better than the 8-9lb pull of a mil spec trigger that you get in mass LPK packages.

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Yes, that is the poor mans Geissele trigger. It might be the best custom trigger in that price range and very comparable to triggers costing 3x as much. Its about a 5.5 lb pull which is a lil heavy for serious precision work, but much better than the 8-9lb pull of a mil spec trigger that you get in mass LPK packages.

Add some JP springs and you have a decent  trigger. 

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I'm not saying it isn't great stock. I'm just saying it's not geissele like

 

 

Also to the OP. Check out rainier arms for the bcm lower with a2 stock if you like that style. It's a great price. And if you aren't going with the cheapest of the cheap it'll be a hard price to beat. Or get the one with no stock and pick up a fixed magpul stock and you don't need any compliance work done

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Thanks for the advice! I'm picking up an Anderson stripped lower this weekend and gonna order that trigger and lower parts kit! I figure after I get that built up I'll be asking for suggestions on the most cost effective vs quality upper. Or the components to build the upper. A buddy on the forum said they would lend me the tools to put it together

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So not to be a dick, but how are we building an accurate gun for 600 yards on $600? A good SS barrel and good trigger alone will be more than that...

 

I mean, if you just want to hit a man size target at 600 yards I guess I can see maybe getting it done for $600 but if you want to be under say 3 or 2 MOA at that distance, I just don't see it happening.

 

Good SS barrel will be $400 or so (Noveske, BCM, Wilson LaRue etc.) A good trigger, say G SSA-E is $240ish. Free float rail will be at least $200. Not to mention lower, upper, BCG, lower parts kit, stock, bipod...

 

Maybe I'm just a dick. I don't know.

 

Good luck, I'd like to hear a range report when you're done.

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If you read my initial comments I said I am new to AR 15s and maybe I'm lookin for too much for what my build/price intention was. I now know I can build a lower and have different uppers. If I want a 600 yard ss barrel I can buy one and set it aside for those times I want to shoot that distance. More than likely I will end up building a decent firearm that I can put a nice upper on it when I have more cash. At the same time I'm not in a race to finish this because I have plenty of firearms including one that will out shoot the range I belong to currently. I've never built a rifle before and am looking to you guys to give me the most genuine input to steer me in the right direction and to clarify if my intentions are pipe dreams or reality. Constructive input is appreciated because I'd rather learn here first than after I buy the parts... Where I am currently at in this project is building the lower. I am picking up an Anderson stripped lower tomorrow and using the trigger kit listed in the thread. Do you have any suggestions on what may help me in the current stage of my build? Also, if it costs me more than 600$ I'm ok with it it just will take me longer to fund the build. The reason I said 600$ was there are plenty of rifles out there to buy for around that price range and I figured I could stretch my $ if I built it myself and I will prevent having a box of useless parts if I bought a new one and upgraded it.

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When I set out to build and SPR (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Purpose_Rifle) it took me over a year to get all the parts. So I totally get it.

 

Yes, you can swap uppers in seconds so if your goal is to have an AR and then build an accurate upper for it, that is different.

 

Forged lowers are essentially all the same, as long as they are in spec, you will be fine. If you prefer one roll mark over another, that is up to you. You can get an Anderson lower for as low as $30 sometimes. Site sponsors have them for $50 which will save you on the transfer fee a bit.

 

A good lower parts kit is important in my opinion. Yes PSA has decent ones, but I would spend a few bucks more and get a Daniel Defence one from AIM Surplus. Very good kit and its only $79.99. Currently out of stock but sign up for notification and pick one up when it's back. It comes with a standard GI trigger which you will toss anyway. I recommend the SSA-E. I have one in my SPR and my OBR and they are awesome! Best AR trigger I have ever used and you will need it if you want an accurate gun at 600y.

 

After that, stocks are a personal preference. Obviosly it will have to be pinned or fixed but something which will allow for proper eye relief and good cheek weld behind a scope is a good idea. The king here is the PRS but they are expencive. Currently I am using a simple A2 with a cheek pad behind my OBR and it's working well. I will swap to a PRS soon however.

 

Slap whatever upper on it you want and have fun. But once you start building a long range precision rig, the costs won't be as low.

 

I think that's on the high side for a barrel but I still agree in sentiment.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I don't think its high, a Noveske 18" barrel with gas block and tube is $465ish if I recall. The BCM stripped SS 18" barrel is $389, add a gas block and tube, same price as Noveske. La Rue stealth barrel with block and tube is $495. Douglas barrels are in the $350 range, over $400 when add the other parts. Lilja barrels are in the mid $400s on their own as well.

 

A good tube is expencive.

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