ar-15 build

[jagen heie]

okay so ive decided on an ar 15 as the next addition to my arsenal. also i think i want to build rather than just buy one and work on it for several reasons. primarily im a do it yourselfer and ive heard its relatively simple.

ive decided on a stripped lower and a parts kit rather than a comlete lower so i hae a bit more freedom on cerain things like trigger springs and such.

my question is should i go with a completed upper or get the parts and work from ground up? im thinking about a 16 inch barrel and flash suppressor if i can find one for cheap i want a rifle rather than carbine. id also like to have a quad rail system on it if possible. also what do you think about a collapsable butt stock versus a static one? any advice would be greatly appreciated. also if someone could make a list of tools i should pick up would be awesome. thanks and to those who help ill bear your children

 

[yaktamer]

I'm pretty sure that a 16" barrel generally limits you to a carbine length gas system. I did a lot of research before I bought my AR-15, and I found a great primer at a law enforcement forum website. Google "So you want to buy an AR-15, huh?" The focus is on buying or building a "patrol rifle," for LE use, but it's got lots of great info on what to look for/avoid with photos. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Farmer17]

You can get an upper from Del-ton and order it pretty much exactly the way you want and they have pretty decent prices. I have been quite happy with mine.

 

[MKT]

You can assemble a stripped lower with minimal tools, the buy a complete upper from any number of suppliers. To assemble and barrel a stripped upper you will need a few specialized tools, but nothing outrageous (reciever block, barrel nut wrench, torque wrench to name a few). For the first time out I would assemble a lower and buy a built upper.

Calguns.net and ar15.com both have excellent "how-to" sections with detailed photos. Make sure you don't accidentally swap the disconnector spring for the bolt catch spring - they are basically the same size, but the disconnector spring is tapered.

 

[Combat]

I've built a few

A tip or two.Buy a quality stripped lower. Stay away from the cheap no-name brands.Stag,Rock River and DSA are good ones.Buy your barreled upper already put together and headspaced.Decide what are you going to be mostly doing with this rifle.Is it going to be for home defense or target practice or...On your choice of furniture the same thing applies,what are you wanting the rifle to do for you?In my experience railed handguards make AR's front heavy.How much crap are you planning on hanging off the gun?On folding stocks,they were primarily made for ease of getting in and out of vehicles and such.Are you going to be doing a lot of this type stuff?AR's are the Barbie-dolls of the gun world.You can dress them up any way you like.BUT, you are the one who has to decide how you want your rifle to perform.Brownells.com has a great do it yourself AR section,check them out.I can give you some more two cent advice,but I'll need a better idea of what you want this gun to be.

 

[jagen heie]

well im hoping for a semi long range target shooter/ feasable home defense. as i feel all my guns should be. i read some stuff and thought the 14.5 was the carbine barrel. i found they make a 20 and also a 24?
unfortunately i dont have a high speed/new enough internet connection to go to brownell. tried already. i would like at least a bipod for prone shooting. folding/collapsable stocks arent a huge issue but with my 15-22 i like being closer to the sights in prone/knealing firing positions

 

[amd6547]

It is a simple matter to build an AR when using an assembled upper.
I saw a Colt M16A1 GI surplus upper cheap ($175, excellent, like new), and, since I wanted a retro clone rifle similar to the M16A1 I fired at Camp Perry circa 1980 at the Small Arms Firing School, I bought it. The days of cheap surplus A1 uppers is largely over, though.
Putting together the lower was easy...I used a Double Star lower, and my rifle has functioned perfectly.
Since then, I found a used "post ban" A1 (actually "C7") shorty upper, 16" Hbar without flash hider cheap on the equipment exchange at AR15.com. I paid $150 shipped, and it is in excellent condition.
I bought a collapable CAR-type stock for it, but my favorite set-up is to have the A1 buttstock and the shorty upper...makes for a short handy carbine with a solid stock.
I like to keep my AR simple...no rails, A1 sights...just an accurate, reliable rifle. When I am at my rifle club, there are often several AR's being shot...tricked out rail equipped, lights, holo-sights. I have often out-shot them with my old-fashioned M16A1 clone, either with iron sights or a Hakko 4X AR scope on the carry handle...that, and it is 100% reliable, unlike some of the other AR's I have seen.
I am still using just the one lower, switching uppers and stocks as I see fit...since both uppers have their own bolt carrier and bolt, I have two thirds of a second AR...I will probably pick up a second lower and make a complete second rifle one of these days.
BTW, DSA has a very good deal on flat-top M4-style uppers going on...there is a wait to get one, but they get very good reviews.
My main advice is to get the best upper and bolt carrier group you can afford.

 

[jagen heie]

thanks for the info. i have decided on a 20 inch barrel since i want a rifle over a carbine. may make carbine my next project. though if i do will try for a 14.5 inch barrel if i can get one for a good price. anyone know if they still make/sell 14.5? im looking on del-ton at uppers and some of the options i need help on Del-Ton, Inc. AR-15 20" Custom Upper

on the barrel it has heavy, chrome lined heavy, government profile and light barrels all are1x9. i think thats the rifleing groove. and other places said for some high capacity firing its better to go with a 1x8. but what are the different options and advantages/disadvantages? sorry but im an utter nub at this and trying to not make a mistake on such a lare purchase.


also on hand guards i know i want a free float tube. but im not sure about the different options know what 4 rail free float tube is. but what about vented vs non vented carbon fiber vs. regular or diamond


and the charging handle options are any of them worth it?

 

[Combat]

OK, first off it is illegal to have a 14.5" barrel on a rifle without having it registered as an SBR.You have to have at least an 16" barrel.1/9 twist will give you a wide range of choices in ammo weights to choose from.A 20'' barrel in standard or lightweight profile will do about anything a 5.56 can do.Heavy barrel,1/8 twist and free floated handguards are real good for target shooting if that is what your wanting to do.I like a-1 stocks on my personal guns but that is just because that's what my m-16 had on it when I first joined the Army.There are dozens if not hundreds of aftermarket doodads for sale for AR's now.I suggest going to a gunshow or a gunshop and actually handling some different ones and see what feels best for you.Stuff like super-duper charging handles are mostly just hype.Stick with name brand mil-spec parts and you will be OK.One more thing,are you going to be using any optics on your gun? If so you should be looking for a flat top upper.

 

[akviper]

Check out the "middie" uppers at Bravo Company Manufacturing. BCM is one of the premier AR builders in the US and are equal to or better than anybody else out there. The prices are very reasonable for the quality you get. They also offer hammer forged barrels and you can find just about any configuration of upper you want. If you are set on the 14.5 inch barrel BCM offers this barrel with permanently pinned flash suppressors that will make the barrel a legal sixteen inches. BCM also makes a Gunfighter charging handle that is much stronger than the basic style and you have a choice of oversize or not so oversize. They are spendy but charging handles can break and the BCM was designed to take the stress off the roll pin that keeps the handle together.

Check out the M4 Carbine forum for what the serious shooters use. You can get by with just about any supplier if you don't shoot the gun much. For a few bucks more you can build a top notch gun that your grand kids will still shoot decades from now.

 

[biglew0923]

Good luck with the build man. I want to build one someday, that and a 1911. Off topic a little, have any of you watched that video floating around the web of the kid that build a AR for under $700? I did, no sights on it (he said "I don't like sights") and he also stated he found a set of heat guards under his bed so they were freebies... Did he ever not pay for them??

 

[jagen heie]

thanks for the barrel length info. and ytes im gonna put optics on it at some point as im wanting this as a long range firearm and possibly my hunting rifle if i decide to go hunting. and yea you can easily make an ar for under 700 if you go relatively cheap it will be closer to 500

 

[Mr. Squinty]

The good folks at Brownell's are one of our sponsors. I would recommend them most highly. They are the best vendors in the gun business today. You will never find any better customer service.

Anyway, here is a link to a Brownell's video showing you how to build your own AR-15. Brownell's has all the parts you need. ( Now if you bear my child, let's call him Gene after Mr. Stoner)

YouTube - How to Build an AR-15 - Visit howtobuildanar15.com for more


Mr. Squinty

 

[jagen heie]

complete lower and buttstock Del-Ton, Inc. AR-15 Complete Lower Receiver with Buttstock
240 plus shipping and any fee your local ffl tacks on

complete upper assembly
Del-Ton, Inc. AR-15 20" Pre-Ban Flat Top Barrel Assembly
395 plus shipping

total investment
635 plus shipping and small amount of fees but under the 700 dollar mark

this is going lazy and getting completed upper and lower. if you go with a stripped lower you can get one for 100-150 and a parts kit for about 50 and cut the price down or get a cheap lower for under 100


im looking at del-ton for my parts someone else said they were reliable and good on pricing. and yes gene it is lol your the first
one to take me up on my offer.



well on del ton for the 20' barrel with a vented free float tube im looking at 444 plus shipping

 

[zercool]

Spend the money to get a proper set of AR-15 armorer's punches, and a castle-nut wrench. A good gunsmithing hammer is worth it's weight in gold. (I used my Shooboy deluxe!)

Assembling a lower from parts took me about an hour the first time I did it, using the guides on ar15.com. Just go slow, lay out your parts ahead of time, and be patient.

Once that was done, I put a completed upper on mine. The upper assembly is more complex, but not overly so. However, it does require some more specialized tools.

Since the upper isn't classified as a "firearm", there's no excise tax on it; same thing with a stripped lower vs. completed lower. 16" is "carbine", 20" is "rifle", and usually people consider 24" to be "varmint". You CAN have a 14.5" barrel, but it must have a *permanently attached* muzzle device to take it past 16". Any 16" upper you purchase will be correct.

Good luck, and make sure we get pics!

 

[jagen heie]

well i went to my local gun shop local being a relative term for a shop a county over and about a 30 minute drive. found a good stripped lower for 130. its a rock river. so after figuring in tax and what not itll be cheaper then the 120 i was looking at. also have about everythign i want other than the barrel. so im going to pick up the lower and the parts kit and possibly the stock next weekend. pics to come

 

[jagen heie]

bump and request for aid in scopes and other optics. what should i look for? what should i avoid?

 

[akviper]

Check out M4Carbine.net for everything you ever wanted to know about ARs. The folks on that sight are mostly military and LE people that have a great deal of field experience using and fixing the rifle. They favor Aimpoint T1 or H1 for a red dot (four year battery life and mil-spec quality, minimal failure rate). Trijicon TR 24 for glass 1-4 power or if you are rich one of the Schmidt & bender short dots. Stick with American Defense or Larue Tactical mounts for either. Troy back up sights are pretty much bombproof.

I had an Aimpoint M2 sight on my department issue M4 for nine years of fairly heavy use in Alaskan weather and loved it. It took a beating and kept on glowing. The long battery life is great and the newer models of Aimpoint have new technology dots that run many thousands of hours before battery replacement. I currently use Aimpoint T1s on my social carbines.

Check out G&R Tactical for combo mount/sight package prices. Brownells is a good source too.

 

[GatorFarmer]

You probably ought check out CDNN's low low prices on S&W ARs, which you then get a rebate on top of. Or try CMMG's bargain bin.

A2 or A4 type rifles are a bit problematic if you ever plan to use it indoors, and a fixed buttstock is a problem if you're going to use it with tac armor, but the gas system does tend to be more reliable.

A 14.5" bbl is perfectly legal if the flash hider or other muzzle device is permanently attached and brings the overall bbl length up over 16". Both of my M4 clones have 14.5" bbls but perm. attached flash hiders. For that matter you could have an 11" bbl and stick a 5.5" flash suppressor on it and be fine.

In the case of the S&W ARs, you can just buy a complete gun for less than it will cost you to build an inferior grade gun. Same with shopping around used. I only paid 750 for my Colt Model 6500 (a transitional model SP2 with features midway between an A1 and A2 sort of). My used CMMG was less than 600.

You want a 1/7 barrel, not a 1/9. That way you can stabilize tracers and use heavier bullets. The shorter your barrel, the heavier the rounds you may want to use.

Look for older Comp M Aimpoints, aka M68 sights. The ones that take 1/3N or 357 button cells. I paid 80 bucks and change for mine, with mount. These sights went to war, and some look like it, but they're about as durable as the current models. Battery life just isn't as great, but still lasts 1000 hours.

If you use a rifle that you assemble yourself for defensive use, and aren't really a trained armorer or some such, than make sure to avail yourself of one of the sub 20 dollar M7 bayonets from CDNN. That way if you made a boo boo or got bad parts, at least you have a plan B....