Building new AR-15, Parts recommendations?

[zoglog]

Hey all, i'm picking up a stripped upper and lower soon enough (horrible idea for someone who's never owned an AR?)...

Anyway I was wondering what you guys recommended for all the other parts. I think I'm set on getting the Magpul UBR stock, however the rest is all up in the air. I'm looking for good value internals that won't break the bank or my AR . Also I think i'm sticking with a 16" Barrel in terms of length.

[freonr22]

Full-auto carriers in semi-auto rifles

Barrels 101

Forge Marks

Carbine Stock Staking {Comparison}

Bolt Carrier Staking {Comparison}

Unclassified SOPMOD .pdf

HD extractor springs & Crane O-rings

Buffers & Springs

Staking Bolt Carrier Key Screws

Bolt Failures

Buffer Tube Basics

After you pull the trigger...

Upper Receiver Flex Testing - Part One

Rear Detent Fix

M4 Feedramps

Short Stroking

Gas Port Sizes

LTC Santose Improved Battlesight Zero

Why 4150 CVM barrel steel?

Fighting ARs and front sights....

Comparison Chart of Major AR Brands
"Oh No! I bought a BM/RRA/Stag before I knew better!"

http://m4carbine.net/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=71687

should keep you reading for a while


and this one here

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pwswheghNQsEuEhjFwPrgTA&single=true&gid=5&output=html

[zoglog]

well... also looking for some brand recommendations for components. Thanks for the links though, reading

[tomd1584]

well... also looking for some brand recommendations for components. Thanks for the links though, reading

knowledge base threads

[zoglog]

knowledge base threads

ah didnt see that. Thanks

[jak77]

yea do a lot more research before you buy so you know what to get that fits your needs. I would recommend against getting a stripped upper if its your first one. It takes a little more to put together than the lower. I would get a stripped lower and a complete upper. Thats what I did for my first. For the upper, Im a fan of BCM, products are great, service is great, lifetime warranty, and fair prices. For your lower parts kit, RRA or stag are good choices. But again, I read up on everything for a WHILE before I finally got down to putting it together. Im happy with my decision, and in the long run, I think you will be too. Good luck! Just be careful though, you cant take back what you start. This is a very very bad disease. You will see your black rifles multiply on their own and you bank account dwindle. But its fun

[zoglog]

lol.... thanks for the tips on the upper. The stripped upper i'm getting is matched with the under so even though I wish I could go with a complete upper, looks like i'm gonna have to do this the hard way. For some reason I assumed the upper wouldnt be too difficult since it's just the bolt carrier

[b.faust]

(horrible idea for someone who's never owned an AR?)...

Personally I think it's a great idea. You'll know the system inside and out, you'll know how to troubleshoot it, you won't be afraid to upgrade parts, or modify things when and if needed.

Calguns has great resources in visual guides (the how to assemble your lower OLL, for example) and is also a wealth of knowledge in the people who've been through all the same stuff before.

Without Calguns, I probably would have never considered attempting much in the way of building my own.

Go for it! It's a good feeling to look at a rifle and think, "I built this!"

B.

[zoglog]

Man, I talked to some people and it sounds like building the upper will require new tools which might jack the cost up... Maybe it's best I go with a pre-built upper and just put in the lower parts....

been reading alot but there's just too much variety and I don't want to screw it up

[Mrskylinetou]

Anything prebuilt is gonna be cheaper but yr just not gonna quality. I built mine from stripped lower and upper. Granted I had the armorer help me in it. I built and a2 to exact match as my wife m16 with an a2 bull barrel and upgrade trigger for 700. In sure u can built an m4 for 500 if u do everything yrself, shop right and take yr time. The trade off is, there are a huge ammont of used stuff that will ve much better quality for the same price. There is something to be said about the satifaction of going through the process of building yr own. Belive me, yr gonna learn so much ull know yr weapond inside and out.

Oh... For instance I know u can build a very very nice m4 for 1000 bucks that works great in 3gun.

Good luck

[Mrskylinetou]

Let me know if u need help and I'll give u my number and offer anything I have learned. Always like to help a fellow shooter

[wash]

Ask yourself what you want the rifle to do first.

If you want a compact and light weight home defense type weapon, that UBR would be a little out of place.

To be honest, I'm not sure what type of AR a UBR would be good on, a big and heavy AR usually doesn't need a stock that collapses. It seems like most of the UBR's I see are on AR's that have the whole parts catalog thrown at them and those don't really float my boat.

An AR can be just about anything but it can't be everything at once.

Chosing the right parts is a matter of compromise.

[zoglog]

naw my gun won't be a HD weapon, I got my shotty for that. I've kind of narrowed it down the a flat top w/ flipdown sights and an eotech sight. Then an Extended rail.

So many models seem to have fixed front sights which I'd assume would interfere with the eotech a bit? Though I suppose having an extended rail for no use other than the flip front sight is also a bit useless?

[rubber duckie]

if your in the OC, huntington beach area or surrounding cities i can help you build. i can give you a word of advice.. do not stray from what you want. i built mine and i knew what i wanted, but for some reason i got tired of waiting for exactly the right parts, be it i went cheap or just couldnt wait for stock and settled. now im selling my lower, barrel, and stock to get to my final look.

do yourself a favor and decide what you want and what you plan on doing with it. things you have to keep in mind is

weight
length
caliber of ammo
DI or gas pistin
forged or billet upper and lowers
carbine or mid length

[zoglog]

For the sake of simplicity I think I'm going w/ a complete upper. If I ever want to replace the upper w/ my stripped one I'm assuming I'll just need to move all the parts over and I can sell the BCM upper?

Mega stripped lower
BCM Standard 14.5" Mid Length (LIGHT WEIGHT) Upper Receiver Group
MagPul MOE Handguard
Magpul UBR Stock
Magpul Front and rear flip sights
RRA 2 stage lower parts kit
EOTech XPS 2-0

Now I gotta decide what color I want my magpul parts in