Scorpio64

Mother Earth is a giant battery, every grounding pole is a battery terminal. Two ground points will create a difference in potential, even on a circuit with no electrons being pumped into it from the utility pole or a generator. Although slight, the difference in potential (current) can be enough to cause a fire, a risk of electrocution and will also corrode wires over time.

If you really want to get a lane without waiting a long time get there early, at least 30 minutes early to get in line. there will be a line. If that's not an option, call ahead and ask what the average wait time is. We look forward to reading your range report.

The description seems to suggest it will work on either. Your safest bet is to contact the supplier and confirm, if they say no, then cancel the order then and there.

PSA lower build kit

After doing some more research it turns out that there are 18" barrels with carbine length gas ports set up with adjustable gas blocks. A few companies tried them out but discontinued them but they can be ( and on occasion still are) made to order. It also turns out they are squirrely as hell, nobody has posted anything anywhere about one that operates well. The reason I ask the stupid questions is because there are too many times I have read about others saying something seemed like a good idea at the time. I still think I would like to look better, but it's not all about looks is it? I am into a more traditional look with firearms and I think the problem is I'm trying to make a black gun that looks proportionally more like a traditional rifle. It just ain't gunna happen. I am now leaning towards an 18" Wilson Combat 416 stainless recon contour (Wilson's fancy name for medium profile) possibly fluted, with a mid length gas port.

Here's one more stupid question. I'm going with an 18" medium profile barrel and a free float tube forestock that I want to cover the gas block. Initially I was looking at mid length gas ported barrels, and they should work very well. However, I think I like the look of a carbine length tube better than the mid length tube. So, if what I read about gas port length in relation to barrel length is correct, a carbine length gas port on an 18" barrel will be pretty harsh on the bolt. If I go with a carbine length port will an adjustable low profile gas block solve any and all pressure issues? Are adjustable blocks more trouble than they are worth?

I've spent hours researching barrels and I agree that there are some crappy CHF barrels out there, but no more crappy than a poorly made button rifled barrel. Overall, a well made button rifled barrel is more accurate than a well made CHF barrel, no argument there, but a CHF barrel will outlast a button rifled barrel by a wide margin. Since I'm not a competition shooter the difference in accuracy is not as important to me as is barrel life. I do not think button rifling is bad at all, especially for long range bolt action guns. But for a semi-auto, all the science points to CHF as the best choice as long as the barrel is well made and the rifle it goes on is not intended for long range shooting. An AR with an Unertl? That must be a sight to behold. <grin>

As far as I can figure, one can build an AR without any specialty tools but who want's to deal with that aggravation. Since I bought two lowers, I'm committed to building at least two ARs so buying a few tools should be a good investment. Here is my short list of "essential" specialty tools for a complete build. Armorers multi tool. Upper vice block go nogo guages What, if any, other specialty tools would you consider to be essential?

These are the features I've decided are important to me. YMMV. Free floated handguard Iron sights, flip up. Simple low power optic, probably a red dot. Better than average barrel. Better than average BCG. Basically going for a practical solution for cost vs accuracy and reliability without breaking the bank.

As covert as covert can be. plenty of room for two rifles and a pile of accessories. Some modding will likely be required. http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11372011&cp=11923746.11958565.2782299&parentPage=family

Oh man that is soooo close. If it was mid ported it would be perfect. The reasoning behind my specs, hmm. I guess it's mostly that I want a slightly longer barrel because I'm not going to use a muzzle device and I don't need (or want) a big honking tactical rail. Also, mid ported barrels tend to be less thumpiy on the BCG compared to carbine port. I'm free floating the barrel with a specter length vented handguard and using a YHM gas block with a flip sight and picatiny bottom. A rifle length handguard on an 18" barrel would look odd, out of proportion. Basically I have it all worked out on paper for functionality and proportionality. As for the barrel, I want accuracy but don't want the additional weight of a bull barrel. If I have to, I will get a bull barrel, if it meets all the other specs, and have a smith skinny it down to a medium profile. If that barrel you found was mid ported, I'd probably have settled for the govt. profile.

Phrasing ! lmao. I am determined to build this thing from scratch.I have every upper component picked out and sourced except for that damned barrel. btw, I tried AR parts finder, no luck. Guess I'll just have to make sure I always have a few hundred $$ in the bank so when the barrel I'm looking for pops up I can grab it. They are out there, it's just practically impossible to find them in stock, being a special purpose barrel and all. I think the 18" barrel is more popular than the manufacturers can keep up with.

I just bought two Anderson lowers last week. One to build up now and the other just to have so I don't have to go through the rigormorall again when I do the next build. That was about the only smart thing I've done so far. . The barrel is the big pain in the A right now. 5.56, 18" chrome lined, medium profile, no FSB, mid port, hammer forged, target crown or OAL longer than 18" so I can have a crown turned. Basically I'm building the rifle around the barrel. And PSA has a nice LBK at a great price that is never in stock. They have all the parts separately but seemingly never together in that discounted kit.

You can add Palmetto State Armory to the friendly list. I purchased some ammo from them a while back and it went very smoothly, no hassles.

Hi..... My name is Scorpio and I've lost my mind trying to spec out my build and find the parts. It's been two weeks since I purchased my last part. But seriously folks, building an AR can be easy peasy if you just want a working firearm. Finding all the parts for a very specific set of specs has proven to be a hair pulling experience for me. The madness has even invaded my sleep. I've had a couple of dreams about this build. What I want is either eternally out of stock or part of a kit that I do not need (or want) half the parts of. Arrrrrrgh !!!! Okay, I feel a little better now. So are there any other AR noobs on the verge of meltdown here?

Anderson lower is fine in NJ. Tomorrow I'll be picking up two that I ordered last week at Bullseye ($80 ea.). PSA'a sale price is pretty good but by the time you pay shipping and ffl, it's probably cheaper just to get it from Bullseye. I dunno how ffl fees work with lowers. They usually charge a per gun fee. If you have to pay 30 or 40 bucks for each lower, it kinda ruins the deal. There is one possible exception, I called Gene Solomon to inquire about his FFL fee. He told me it would be $20 flat rate for any quantity of lower receivers.

Trying to decide which material will work best for me. I've read a bit about the chrome lined and it seems the best argument for it is ease of cleaning, but it also appears that chrome lined is slightly less accurate than some of the alternative materials. Stainless on the other hand seems to last longer and, well, it's stainless and has it's own merits with regard to maintenance. If I go with stainless, I don't want it to be shiny and bright. I'll probably cerakoat the barrel. Anyway, This is what I know I do want. Hammer forged, target crown, 18", Heavier than the standard barrel but lighter than a bull. Probably a govt. profile. Okay, maybe not sure exactly what profile to get but I know I want a profile that will improve accuracy. I'm not looking to build a sub MOA rifle, but I do want consistency. So what are your thoughts on stainless vs chrome lined?

The way I figured it, an AR can be assembled using an average tool kit. Wrenches, hammers etc. But there are two things that will make the job a whole lot easier, an armorers wrench and an upper receiver vice block. Both tools can be had for under $75, a good investment if you plan on working on your own rifle(s). In one sense, the tools required for building an AR are similar to what you would need to get into reloading. You can get a Lee reloading kit for $30, very basic, all manual assembly, or you can spend $1,500 for a setup with all the bells lights and whistles. TBH, it sounds like you are trying to talk yourself out of building an AR, which is fine if you don't like doing that sort of thing. If cost is your primary motivation, you will probably be better off buying a M&P or saving a couple hundred more and getting something like a Windham. Building your own AR is not terribly difficult, but it is serious business.

The answer really depends on how mechanically inclined you are. If you can put a bicycle together, you can probably build an AR. I decided to build for two reasons. 1) I'm getting exactly what I want 2) It seems like fun. The M&P is a good inexpensive alternative to building but you may run into some issues if you try to customize it later on, it depends on the mod. Windham is a better choice if you want the ability to perform any mod you want and they don't cost much more. Mil Spec and commercial are both fine, but you have to pick one or the other, the parts are not interchangeable. Personally, I'd go with mil spec. Not because the parts are better, but because there are more parts available. If you decide to build a plinker, start with a stripped lower blem, and the least expensive complete lower parts kit you can get then do the same for the upper. Blems are 100% reliable and even if you can find the cosmetic flaw it won't made a scrap of difference anyway. It don't have to be pretty or have an awesome trigger, it just has to work. Once you have shot, tweaked and cleaned your plinker for a bit and have the whole AR thing down pat, then go for the upgrades.

Thanks, I thought as much but was not 100% sure. The full auto profile looks a little heavier, is there any benefit to going with a full profile over the lighter looking AR type? EDIT: If I used a full profile, dose that change compatibility with the receiver or barrel? The general guideline I'm using for my build is MilSpec and M4 feed ramps. I do not want to accidentally buy incompatible parts or parts that will not operate optimally.

As I'm shopping around for a BCG I'm seeing that many of them are described as "auto profile" or "full auto". Do these types of bolt make the gun into a full auto gun or is this some sort of marketing hype? I do not want to build a fully automatic rifle, even if I legally could do so I still prefer semi-auto. It just seems that there are a lot of BCGs out there with that description, too many to suggest they are actually intended to build a fully automatic rifle. I don't want to pass up a good deal on a well made BCG because it only appears to be a restricted item.

Hops, on 12 Nov 2013 - 7:01 PM, said: I bought two AR lowers there last week for about $20 less than it would have cost from most other internet stores. For a NJ store, their prices are very reasonable, Ammo is priced a bit on the high end but not exorbitant.

Although I'm partial to the 870, I say go with what feels best in your hands. They are both great guns.

Did you break into my house and read my AR research and build notebook?!? Holy cow, except for a higher power scope, you have pretty much spec'd out the exact same rifle I'm building. Well, maybe not the 5.56 part, I'll get to that in a minute. Like you, I'm not in love with the AR platform, (I love guns with wood, lots of wood) but the gadgety aspect of it does appeal to my inner nerd. I'm seriously considering going with 6.8SPC. Like 80% sure I'll go with 6.8SPC for my first build. I bought two Anderson lowers last week (picking them up on Tues) and may build a 5.56 now and build a 6.8SPC upper after I got the standard rifle worked out. Basically, I'm going to build something now, do some more stuff to it then use the other lower to build something else and end up with two rifles. As far as barrels go, it seems the thicker an longer the better ( no comments from the peanut gallery please) . For the 5.56 I'll probably go with a standard length 16" medium profile with no notch, no muzzle device either, just a nice target crown. If I can find a NJ legal hybrid device that doesn't bark too loud, I would be elated to find it. The Govt profile barrel seems to be a good option too.One thing that is definite is free floating the barrel. Not that much more expensive and a good return on the investment. The skeleton stock looks very nice, Okay, nice is an understatement. It's kinda sexy. I'm having a tough time deciding between the skeleton and the MagPul something or other that has a similar profile to the skeleton. Yanno, I'm rambling here. Basically I'm in the same boat as you. So many options it boggles the mind. One last thing though. 1911 grips. I saw an AR with just one wood accent, apparently there is a pistol grip with 1911 grips for the AR that looks pretty sweet. Too many freaking options.

I had a propane stove/oven at a place I rented a long time ago. It's good stuff. It burns a bit hotter than NG so be careful with that. I burned more than one dinner until I got used to it. 20# tanks do not last very long, see if you can buy a couple of 100# tanks off of Craig's list or wherever. The tanks are not terribly heavy and easy enough to move around with a hand truck. If you bring the tanks to a filling station it will be substantially cheaper than having the fuel delivered. .