Build own AR-15

[spad124]

Weideners has good prices on Anderson AR parts. Lowers are about $55, LPKs are around $50. Plus the have other parts. I have an Anderson lower I bought late last year from a LGS. It seems to be a quality piece

Complete gun prices are now petty low. I believe someone posted they bought a M&P Sport for about $550. Check Buds and Kentucky Gun Works for good M&P Sport prices.

 

[Irn-Bru]

I'm another that will never do business with cheaper than dirt. What they did after Sandy Hook was down right dirty, and low. If you were building an AR back then, you'd have been paying almost $100 for a $10 30 round P-Mag. *******s!

 

[AGoyette]

I got the M&P VTAC II. It had 99% of what I was looking for. I only had to add an ambi mag release and ambi safety. While not cheap, for me it was the way to go. So far I have shot it twice and am very pleased with it.

 

[TheMaineEvent]

CTD was among the worst of the price gougers after the Sandy Hook tragedy. I remember they were selling Pmags for 90 bucks PER mag. Don't support them or give them any money if you can avoid it.

 

[Ibmikey]

Back to the original thread, a Sport will provide greater value and quality parts over anything you can build for the same money. And don't forget the S&W warranty is there to help should something go wrong.

 

[JJEH]

Don't support them or give them any money if you can avoid it.

Oh you can, it's easy.

 

[stwings]

Skip CTD!! I wouldn't spit on them if they were on fire! Go here:
Ammunition, Magazines, Rifle Parts, Bulk Ammo and Rifle Accessories - Palmetto State Armory
dsgarms.com

 

[Bedouin2W]

I just completed my 2nd AR build. I was able to get everything for less than $725 shipped, excluding the charging handle which I had left over from upgrading to a BCM GunFighter Mod 4. My first build was more expensive, but it was a 5.45x39 build and I wanted to make sure I used the highest quality parts in the upper due to the corrosion that comes with shooting 7n6 Soviet milsurp.

And my 5.45 build

Neither build had a part from Cheaper Than Dirt. F*** them.

 

[Geno44]

If you are looking for excellent accuracy, like half minute of angle or less, two places to spend are the barrel and the trigger group. I've had great luck with Rock River stuff. If you just want "pray and spray" about any brand will do. I don't know your financial situation but with ARs we are only one news event away from sky high prices which can happen very quickly. Now is the time to buy everything and I would put it on plastic if I had to and pay 6 months interest rather than take a chance on a news driven price spike. As previously pointed out, you aren't going to save anything doing it yourself. Also buying a few tools to do one rifle may be money wasted. The receiver can be assembled in about an hour, less after you have done a couple. Also as someone else pointed out, a rifle you assemble probably has no guarantee. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Doug M.]

To go OTS, the "A" answer is Colt 6920.

 

[gm272gs]

I could add some more places to buy stuff, but it won't matter.
The one thing that will make your life easier is a Amazon.com : Grace USA Steel Roll Spring Punch Set : Gunsmithing Tools And Accessories : Sports & Outdoors@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41u%2BjMxCucL.@@AMEPARAM@@41u%2BjMxCucL. Buy that first.

I have fixed several botched-up lowers that people bring in, because they don't know how to install a simple roll pin.

 

[Doubless]

Although I have a buddy that is getting me into building them (I have four or five now, and only one is store bought...), as a starter, I think you would be hard pressed to beat a DPMS Panther Oracle. I bought one for my son and one for one of the daughters; both shoot moa easily with decent handloads, and the one the daughter got was $529 plus shipping. You just can't build one for that.

As I said, that would be a good starter rifle, and you could change out barrel, trigger, forend etc., until you had what you want.

Additionally, as has been stated already, the required tools to assemble an AR will add significantly to the cost. It is a one time expenditure, but it is still additional out of pocket costs.

 

[Geno44]

My friend's Colt 6920 shoots 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards. My Rock River shoots under 1/2" with the same ammunition. The Colt name is impressive and probably has good resale value. Depends on what you want. Maybe he got a bad 6920?

 

[WR Moore]

I saw a reference earlier to a "nickel" lined barrel. I dearly hope that's someone mistaking hard chrome for nickel.

Hard chrome generally runs around 72-74 Rockwell C, or about twice the hardness of the barrel steel. Hard chrome bonds to the base metal at the molecular level. Properly applied, it won't crack, chip or peel.

We won't talk about the hardness rating for nickel plate. I expect everyone has seen a bumper peel.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

WR,

Could you help explain what it is that's being done here with RC 25-32. Is it just advertising BS or is there anything meaningful compared to 4140 that wasn't heat treated as described below?

4140 Steel Barrel, Heat Treated to RC 25-32

 

[WR Moore]

Phil, if that's supposed to be a link, it isn't working. Or I'm doing something wrong.

Barrel hardness specs are going to differ slightly according to alloy and manufacturers engineering decisions. In general, you want the steel able to withstand the pressure peaks, the hot gasses and abrasion of the bullet traveling down the bore. So, a superhard material isn't going to work. However, a real thin hard coating (Most hard chrome plating is about 0.0001-0.0002 inches thick. That's one to two ten thousandths of an inch.) resists both hot combustion gases and abrasion better than regular barrel steel and extends the barrel life.

The one barrel manufacturer I visited, lo many moons ago, did bolt gun blanks at 24-28 RC (IIRC). I don't recall the steel spec, either 4130 or 4140. 25-32 is a wee bit harder but I think it's within the normal range, nothing really special. Auto loader barrels might be spec'd a tad harder to better resist chamber deformation from the feed cycle.

If the failed link is claiming the harder barrel allows an unplated barrel to enjoy equal life to a plated barrel "without the loss of accuracy caused by plating", I've gotta throw the BS flag.

Qualifier: I'm neither an engineer nor a metallurgist. Opinions stated above are based upon decades of experience. In particular, with statistically significant numbers of AR pattern weapons.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

WR,

Sorry about that. It wasn't a link. It was just a line I plucked out of a grocery list of descriptions for a YHM upper I own. I don't remember seeing such a claim by other manufacturers, so I was just curious what it was they were peddling. Nothing about why it was heat treated to RC 25-32 or performance claims, nothing.... just that it is.

* 16" 4140 Steel Barrel, Heat Treated to RC 25-32
* Chambered in 5.56 N.A.T.O., Chrome-Lined with a 1:7" Twist

(7810) https://www.primaryarms.com/Complete_Uppers_s/239.htm

 

[WR Moore]

Without access to the tech package, I'd kinda suspect that's about average for AR barrels. I couldn't find any specified RC range anywhere. Be nice to know the source of the barrel.

BTW, the tech package is not a deep, dark secret known only to the current military contract holder. Bid requests for parts/completed weapons have to allow qualified bidders access to the TDP so they can make a fully informed bid on the contract. I strongly suspect the inspection of the TDP must be at a (specified) DOD facility and that there is a non disclosure agreement in place prior to viewing said package.

 

[SIG229fan]

"BTW, the tech package is not a deep, dark secret known only to the current military contract holder."

Apology for a late reply, but wanted to thank you for dispelling a common myth. Good thread and good advice.

 

[WR Moore]

De nada. NO manufacturer makes all the parts. There are subcontractors scattered all over the US, all of whom have access to at least the part of the TDP they're using for that particular part. Upper & lower forgings, bolt group components and other parts are all subcontracted out. Why anyone thinks there's some poor shmuck somewhere in the bowels of (pick a manufacturer) punching out gas rings, making gas blocks etc. mystifies me.

Allegedly, one of the big causes of the AR shortage awhile back was the few companies making carriers were overwhelmed with orders and couldn't keep up.