First AR ever:
Bought a Sig M400 complete. Still rockin' it today. Love it.
Second AR ever:
Bought a stripped lower, bought an LPK, completed lower. Slapped a PSA 18" 223 Wylde complete upper on it. It's aiiight. This ended up being a donor rifle for...
Third AR ever:
Built it my damn self.
While I didn't build from 80%, this third rifle was an absolute blast to put together. Had to add a barrel spline and castle nut tool w/ 4points of contact (yes, I'm that picky) to my collection of tools but those were on my list anyways.
Like any other build from scratch, I first asked myself "What are my priorities"? And just like the hundreds that have traveled this path, I came up with:
- Budget
- Lightweight
- Minimal
- Range Toy
- Featureless
- Reliable
- Fun
After countless hours of scouring the internet for Free Shipping, No Tax, Coupon Codes, and Best prices... I struck hard on President's Day weekend, eager to get it all ordered and assembled. Also decided to take some parts from my 18" PSA "build". Needless to say - there's no way I was going to compete with some of the other lightweight builds out there. I'm not sure carbon fiber, titanium, and budget can be used in the same sentence.
See what I did there? =)
So I'm left with a Minimal, featureless range toy that's reliable and fun to shoot. I know this may not be everyone's cup of tea, in the end I really wanted to be happy with how everything was put together.
She's going to BLM this Sunday. Fully gassed for now. Adjustable gas block inevitable. Potentially a lightweight BCG and JP/Armaspec captured buffer setup in the future.
BTW, I'm a lefty.
Upper & Lower: Anderson, slick side
Trigger: AimSports 3.5lb Single Stage flat (Rise Armament SST 140 rebrand), KNS JJ pins
Trigger guard: BCM
Safety: Sparrow Dynamics Ambi
Grip: Sparrow Dynamics
End plate, take down pins: standard milspec
Castlenut: HK416/MR556 A5 Style Extended
Buffer, spring, weight: Carbine Milspec
Stock: Battlelink MFT Minimal, fixed.
Charging Handle: Strike latchless
BCG: Fail Zero NIB EXO M16 profile
Barrel: 16" Faxon 5.56 Pencil Midlength
Handguard: Dirtybird Manufacturing, 15" slim mlok
Rail covers: BCM snap in
Sling: Magpul MS4
Freedom Week Accoutrements: Magpul, ODG Cerakote by Sagisi Customs
Handstop: Railscales Polymer
Gasblock: SADLAK .625 clamp, non adj
Muzzle: Fully Loaded Linear comp
Scope Mount: Aero Ultralight
Scope: Vortex Viper PST 1-4/24
Throw lever: Vendetta Precision ModelA
45 deg offset mount: Truglo
RMR: UTG RDM20G 4MOA Greendot (something tells me this will change soon)



Bought a Sig M400 complete. Still rockin' it today. Love it.
Second AR ever:
Bought a stripped lower, bought an LPK, completed lower. Slapped a PSA 18" 223 Wylde complete upper on it. It's aiiight. This ended up being a donor rifle for...
Third AR ever:
Built it my damn self.
While I didn't build from 80%, this third rifle was an absolute blast to put together. Had to add a barrel spline and castle nut tool w/ 4points of contact (yes, I'm that picky) to my collection of tools but those were on my list anyways.
Like any other build from scratch, I first asked myself "What are my priorities"? And just like the hundreds that have traveled this path, I came up with:
- Budget
- Lightweight
- Minimal
- Range Toy
- Featureless
- Reliable
- Fun
After countless hours of scouring the internet for Free Shipping, No Tax, Coupon Codes, and Best prices... I struck hard on President's Day weekend, eager to get it all ordered and assembled. Also decided to take some parts from my 18" PSA "build". Needless to say - there's no way I was going to compete with some of the other lightweight builds out there. I'm not sure carbon fiber, titanium, and budget can be used in the same sentence.
See what I did there? =)
So I'm left with a Minimal, featureless range toy that's reliable and fun to shoot. I know this may not be everyone's cup of tea, in the end I really wanted to be happy with how everything was put together.
She's going to BLM this Sunday. Fully gassed for now. Adjustable gas block inevitable. Potentially a lightweight BCG and JP/Armaspec captured buffer setup in the future.
BTW, I'm a lefty.
Upper & Lower: Anderson, slick side
Trigger: AimSports 3.5lb Single Stage flat (Rise Armament SST 140 rebrand), KNS JJ pins
Trigger guard: BCM
Safety: Sparrow Dynamics Ambi
Grip: Sparrow Dynamics
End plate, take down pins: standard milspec
Castlenut: HK416/MR556 A5 Style Extended
Buffer, spring, weight: Carbine Milspec
Stock: Battlelink MFT Minimal, fixed.
Charging Handle: Strike latchless
BCG: Fail Zero NIB EXO M16 profile
Barrel: 16" Faxon 5.56 Pencil Midlength
Handguard: Dirtybird Manufacturing, 15" slim mlok
Rail covers: BCM snap in
Sling: Magpul MS4
Freedom Week Accoutrements: Magpul, ODG Cerakote by Sagisi Customs
Handstop: Railscales Polymer
Gasblock: SADLAK .625 clamp, non adj
Muzzle: Fully Loaded Linear comp
Scope Mount: Aero Ultralight
Scope: Vortex Viper PST 1-4/24
Throw lever: Vendetta Precision ModelA
45 deg offset mount: Truglo
RMR: UTG RDM20G 4MOA Greendot (something tells me this will change soon)




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