Cost effectiveness: Building vs. buying an AR15

[dan0583]

Alright, I know there are a ton of knowledgeable people on here, so I'm hoping to get some help. I'm in the market for my first Ar15. Particular brands are not as important as a quality reliable rifle to me. For the most part, I have considered just outright buying an AR, which after research, I think $1000 is right around what I'm going to spend. Now, I keep hearing how much cheaper it is to build an AR. Here is the issue, all the places I have looked, it basically seems like when I total everything up, I'm really going to be spending about the same amount of money. Is there some "secret" supply shop that I am unaware of that is selling lowers, uppers, barrels, and part kits super cheap or something? I hear people talking about spending as little as $600 for a complete rifle. I don't understand how this is possible. I know there are a few things I'm looking for, for sure, on my rifle: H stamped heavy buffer, F marked front sight, I would like the bolt to be mp tested, 5.56 caliber(not just .223)chrome lined (4150 steel) barrel, mil spec, flip up battle sights, adjustable stock. The rifle I'm considering buying, if I buy vs. build, is the Colt Le6920. Can I really save money building a rifle in this configuration, or should I just buy the Colt? Any help, info, or places that I can get good deals on buying separate parts would really help. Again, I'm new to AR's, so if there is any advise, as far as what I should or shouldn't use, or anything of that nature, I welcome it. Thank you.

 

[max]

I went to a gunshow last weekend and a guy was selling uppers for 850 and the complete gun (Rock River) for 1000. Kind of seemed like a no-brainer to me.

 

[ditrina]

My vote... buy the Colt..

 

[diamonback68]

Buy the AR15. People claim they have a better rifle if they make it from the ground up, really? I would would stick with the Colt.

 

[627 city hunter]

i would suggest the Armalite AR-15T. 1" M.O.A. guaranteed from the factory! Colt won't claim that.

 

[Teagmar]

This is just my opinion. The problem is when you buy, you always end up spending more money changing things out, Handguard, trigger, pistol grip, stock.. the list goes on. If you build you can get a 1/2 MOA barrel, get something with mid or rifle gas instead of carbine and come out about the same price. You can get good upper lower combo's for as low as $269, or you can get a nice billet combo for $438. Rainier Arms is a good place to start if you want to price out building a reliable, VERY accurate AR. Their ultra match barrels are suppose to shoot dime sized groups with match ammo the match series Nickle, and the Select series Quarter.

 

[jaykellogg]

Colt will keep more of its value. Wal Mart is selling them now. If you want to take one more shot at building, look at Palmetto State Armory. There are guns considered as good as Colt, but none are cheaper. I believe if you want a lot of special things (as I did), it may be cheaper to build than to buy a stock gun and remove half the stuff and replace it.

I believe you will get an F sight on any flat top gun. I always like to get a full auto bolt carrier. Not sure why you want the heavy buffer. Plan on buying lots of mags. I have 10 - 30 rounders and 10 - 20 rounders.

If you do build, you may have some trouble getting some parts. BCGs are in short supply and you may end up paying a premium. I just took a quick look at Gunbroker and you will pay $160 up for a BCG that shouldn't cost over $130. I am sorry to tell you that IMO the election has caused vendors to jack up prices.

 

[JayCeeNC]

Buy one of the following and you'll be well armed with a reliable rifle:

Colt
BCM (Bravo Company)
Smith & Wesson

You can get the S&W models for under $700. Colt will run about $1000 or more depending on model.

 

[usm1rifle]

Our local Wallymart is advertising a Sig Sauer AR with MagPul furniture for $867 beginning at 0500 on Black Friday.

 

[Damn Yankee]

For the 17% of us shooters that are left handed is their any other way to go besides Stag?

 

[dan0583]

I don't know what state you guys are in but, here in MI. Walmart does NOT sell guns whatsoever. Thanks for the advice guys, I guess ill just end up buying, seems like the easier way to go.

 

[wundudnee]

I could have written your post. I know diddly squat about ARs, but I wanted one because I can. I asked a lot of questions and finally decided on the Colt LE6920. I wanted an M4 style with adjustable stock and enough rail to install a scope in time. I got this one in Tulsa and it has the Magpul accessories on it. I gave a little more for it, but I'm hoping it will hold it's value.

 

[jimNeb]

Most people that build their own know exactly what equipment they want. Hand guards, sights, stock and anything else you can think of.

You would need some tools that I assume that you don't currently own and as already mentioned prices and availability of certain parts at the present time make buying a complete rifle a better choice.

 

[Farmer17]

I have owned a Colt, Olympic Arms, and Del-ton, and I really couldn't tell any quality difference between them and the Colt was probably the least accurate however it was an old one with the triangular handguards. Currently I wanted an optics ready gun with no sights to get in the way, so I ordered the upper Del-ton off of their website exactly the way I wanted it for not much money. The lower I just wanted to be like an M-16/M-4 so it was easy to find and I had about $600 total invested in the whole gun and am quite happy with it.

 

[Prof_Fate]

I'm probably getting one next year and have many of the same thoughts as the OP.

When it comes to building a computer it used to be cheaper..now it's often cheaper just to buy one premade and modify/add to it. And you get a warranty and you know what it is and how it works.

With a factory AR you also have something you can one day sell - a colt or SW or bravo, etc.

A harley is a harley no matter how much you change it. A frame, an engine, the other parts you find from 10 different companies is a a collection of parts assembled to look like a harley. When you go to sell it it's not a harley.

 

[johngalt]

If you really want an AR15, then get one. My little story...

I bought mine in 1993 right before the gun ban. Thought I should get one before they all went away. I even shot it some.

But these days, I just don't like it much. I would much rather shoot my Winchester M70. It's more accurate, better trigger, doesn't have that stupid mag that is always in the way, handles better, easier to clean afterwards, much prettier, and is much more fun to shoot. A new one is also much less expensive than an AR-15.

 

[gdnagle]

I don't know what state you guys are in but, here in MI. Walmart does NOT sell guns whatsoever. Thanks for the advice guys, I guess ill just end up buying, seems like the easier way to go.

Not all Wal-Marts sell gun and not all the ones that do have the same guns. But they have them in their Black Friday Ads.

Now for th OP if you build you can have what you want cheaper probaly not because you will add your extras. Build your own no warrenty factory built most have lifetime. Just be sure if you build your own you get a 5.56 barrel so no ammo issues.

 

[msinc]

This is just my opinion. The problem is when you buy, you always end up spending more money changing things out, Handguard, trigger, pistol grip, stock.. the list goes on. If you build you can get a 1/2 MOA barrel, get something with mid or rifle gas instead of carbine and come out about the same price. You can get good upper lower combo's for as low as $269, or you can get a nice billet combo for $438. Rainier Arms is a good place to start if you want to price out building a reliable, VERY accurate AR. Their ultra match barrels are suppose to shoot dime sized groups with match ammo the match series Nickle, and the Select series Quarter.

Pretty much fact, not opinion based on what I see. I build 6 to 7 AR's a year for guys. They get exactly what they want the first time. It is cost effect for these guys because they want certain special things not easily available on factory rifles. If all you want is a good reliable AR and you can find the configuration you want in a factory gun then it is cost effective to buy that.

 

[DWalt]

You see guys at gun shows that sell all the components needed to put one together yourself, without the Pittman-Robertson federal tax, as parts are not subject to that. Ones I see are about $700, but I can't tell you who makes the parts, but I am pretty sure they are not Colts. Some guys have a hobby of seeing how little they can spend to build up an AR-15 from components. Am sure the auction sites and Shotgun News are full of components. Frankly, for most shooters, I doubt it makes too much difference whose parts are used, as at this stage of the manufacturing game, I imagine there is not a great deal of difference among them. From what I understand, Armalite and Colt are the best bets in factory guns for more serious users. But the cost is somewhat higher than DitY.

 

[WR Moore]

The problem with building a Frankengun is that you have no QC verifying that the parts you're buying meet specifications. Nor will you be using gauges to verify the headspace and other close tolerance fits. The guys who sell the guns built to a price point have the same issue. While it may not matter to the hobbiyist, it may come back to bite you in the end.

And, as noted, the resale value .........

 

[Kanewpadle]

Do the math. Decide what you want on yours and price it out. If you want the satisfaction of building you own then go for it.

If not then buy the configuration that resembles what you want and go from there.

I wouldn't worry about resale value too much because most well made AR's hold their value. If you build your own but decide to sell it later, that may be a problem for some people because they may decide to stay away from a "do it yourself" gun and buy a new one with factory warranty.

 

[jaykellogg]

I have not heard anything good about Armalite. It is not the same company that originally made the M16. The top tier suppliers are Colt, BCM, Danial Defense (DD), Lewis Machine Tool (LMT), and Spikes. S&W is almost as good.The truth is most of the parts are the same unless you get the one with the plastic lower. Colt is the best known and the Original.

Do not get one with the piston, those are heavier and parts do not interchange.

Spikes raised prices the first time the President was elected and it left a bad taste in many people's mouths.

I paid $1100 for my mid length BCM from The Gun Gallery in Jacksonville, FL.

For Colt you might try GT Distributors, they have locations in GA and TX

 

[jkc]

I recently pondered the very question, when it came to advising a family member, who has no expertise in "gunsmithing", no tools, no proper workspace, etc., and ultimately advised ordering a complete rifle from Wilson Combat. The rifle will be pricey, but as near perfect as can be had, of which I was recently reminded, after sending my Wilson upper back to their shop for a reconfiguration of the handguard to add more rail space, etc. It took a little range time and a few rounds of ammo to re-zero the Leupold 1-4x optic (which did not, as hoped, return to zero, after having been removed, then reinstalled on the rail, but the muzzle brake had been replaced in the course of the work, which may have altered the POA/POI relationship...) So, I was concerned that after making the appropriate scope adjustments, and firing three rounds at 100 yards, at a Shoot & C target, I could only find two bullet holes, about a centimeter apart, through the admittedly cheap range rental spotting scope. It was distressing to think that there was a flyer so far out of the group that I could not find it! Eventually a cease fire was called, and I trudged downrange to inspect the target at close range, whereupon I discovered that what had appeared to be only two bullet holes were actually three, one so nearly next the other as to have been indiscernible through the scope. This is the result of the sort of precision combination of barrel, chamber, crown, trigger group, tight tolerances, etc., that you can buy, "over the counter/out of the box", if you're willing to spend the money, and not willing to go through tedious trial-&-error experimentation with a bunch of ultimately mongrel components, with probably inferior results. I don't doubt that one can find rifles of equal ability from other manufacturers, or achieve their equivalent with a DIY build, but considering that "time is money", and that these custom shops have already worked out the trial-&-error issues, they seem like good bets to me.

 

[LouisianaJoe]

I bought one of these at a gun show for $1100 out the door a little over a year ago. Mine came with the RRA Dominator 2 Mount. I took it to the local sherrif's range and put 20 shots into a little over a 1" group at 50 yds from a rest. The range officer, who is on their swat team put 10 shots in about 1/2" with it. At least I know what the gun can do. I would buy this again.

Rock River Arms: NEW! RRA LAR-15 Elite Operator2

 

[WisconsinKen]

IMHO, if you are just looking for a standard "shooter" AR and can find a good name brand model that has what you want, get it. You will be within $100-$200 of doing it yourself. Also, you will always be tweaking it with a different handguard, etc, over the years. If you are looking for something "special" then you may want to put it together yourself. For example, I am in the process of putting my order list in for my 6.5 Grendel with a 24" SST bull barrel. By putting this one together myself, I'll save ~$500.

 

[Black_Sheep]

You can build a cheap AR but in the end, that's what you have. Building a rifle with quality parts can cost as much as a factory rifle, maybe more considering the good deals out there on complete ARs. The cost of building this rifle was within a few bucks of a new S&W M&P15X rifle at the LGS. The parts are of comparable quality.

 

[Kilibreaux]

I've never "bought" an AR-15. I've personally built at least 50 over the years for myself and others. Most were built on FFL transferred lowers, but in recent years all have been built on 80% lowers that I milled myself. I've also milled the lower for a personal LR-308.
Building your own you can save a few bucks if you're scrupulus about finding best prices, but on the other hand if you don't understand HOW the AR-15 works down to the GROUND, don't build your own.
The AR series rifle is about as modular as any firearm can be, which makes it easy to mix and match and swap parts, but such activities are better served by those who have the experience to understand what they're doing.
With that said, if you BUY a factory FFL lower, and pin it to a store-bought factory upper, chances are you'll end up with a reliable, sweet-shooting gun.
The reason for building from 80% lowers is obvious.

 

[JJEH]

With building your own you won't save money, but you have the parts you want and therefore your carbine

 

[msinc]

Whatever you decide to do I would suggest you dont get caught up in paying for a name. There are really no "bad" or "non mil-spec" AR's being sold today that I know of. I have used several name brand parts, DPMS, Bushmaster, etc. and it all works just fine. Where you dont want to skimp is that barrel. I own a borescope and have looked at and shot them all. I will take a Wilson barrel over any of the rest for value,accuracy and consistency any day. Many manufacturers use Wilson barrels.
This will make alot of guys mad but it is stone cold truth...it generally takes buying a Python, getting it home and studying it, then taking it to the range to realize that you just got bit by the "name" snake. Because the price is so high, very few will ever admit, once they spent that money, that at the end of their Python buying episode they sat down with it in their hands, shook their head and said to themselves "wheres the beef??? What's all the hype about???" Sorry to say, it's the same with AR's. Dont waste your time {and money} blindly believing that a Colt manufactured AR is any better than a Rock River or any of the others. I do agree that a Colt might hold a little more value for resale, but that's because everyone hasn't had their own personal private "Python episode" yet...folks that have already been bit wont give you any more for the Colt made AR than they will for a Bushmaster. With a rifle that human hands almost never touch, do you really think that the CNC machines at Colt are any better than the same machines at another manufacturer???? If you flat slap want the best look at Larue Tactical.

 

[mkk41]

If ya like to hit gunshops and shows on weekends , and know what yer looking to build , and with some patience & luck , ya can come across deals on just what ya want.