Tweet
Often times it is asked by first-time AR-15 hopefuls, "should I build an AR, or just buy a complete rifle?" Well not so long ago I was asking the same question. I decided at the time, about 2 years ago, that building my own would be a better choice. Not necessarily because it would be cheaper, but because I could afford to piece it together over time and not have to shell out such a chunk of change all at once. It probably would have been slightly less expensive to simply purchase a complete rifle, even though I set out to build a very budget weapon. I think I did just that, and my budget rifle ended up only negligibly more expensive than a comparable ready-built; and I would have added a few things to the ready-built, so the costs would have been very near the same once I rigged it with the few added accessories.
I started with a stripped lower, which I let sit in the gun safe for over a year. This past December my folks bought me a lower parts kit for my birthday, which reignited the fire. In January I bought a stock/buffer kit. In early February I ordered my upper, and in the past month I bought a red-dot, a nicer pistol grip, and a bullet button. Heres a cost analysis, I think you'll find that I was reasonably conservative in my choices, a pretty basic no-frills rifle:
(prices incuding sales tax average of 8%, rounded to nearest 5 dollars)
-Aero Precision stripped lower, from TDS w/ DROS: $125
-DPMS lower parts kit, from SOS: $65
-LMT-clone stock and buffer tube/spring kit, from TDS: $95
-DelTon M4 chrome-lined upper, direct from DTI w/shipping: $460
-Primary Arms M3-clone multi-reticle red-dot, direct from PA w/ mount and shipping: $120
-Strike Industries "Patriot Pro" pistol grip, from Rifle Gear w/ shipping: $25
-Raddlock GenX bullet button, from Rifle Gear w/ shipping: $40
-Rear BUIS (not yet added): approx $75-$100
-Brownell's 10/30 GI mag: $20
Total: $1,025 to $1,050 depending on the BUIS I choose. But for the sake of comparison to a basic complete rifle, I use only the cost of the lower, the parts kit, stock/buffer/spring, and upper assembly. My cost for these items was $745, very near the cost of a comparable complete rifle. Add in the extra goodies and you'll end up in the same ballpark once tricked out with the items of your choice. So really, if you're asking the "should I build or should I buy" question based on price, then it really doesn't matter enough to bother wasting much time on the decision. If your needs/wants are like many people (including mine), a simple yet effective AR-15 without a bunch of spendy bells and whistles, then either way will cost you approximately the same. The only real question you should be asking is, "can I afford it all now, or do I need to break it up over time?"
I started with a stripped lower, which I let sit in the gun safe for over a year. This past December my folks bought me a lower parts kit for my birthday, which reignited the fire. In January I bought a stock/buffer kit. In early February I ordered my upper, and in the past month I bought a red-dot, a nicer pistol grip, and a bullet button. Heres a cost analysis, I think you'll find that I was reasonably conservative in my choices, a pretty basic no-frills rifle:
(prices incuding sales tax average of 8%, rounded to nearest 5 dollars)
-Aero Precision stripped lower, from TDS w/ DROS: $125
-DPMS lower parts kit, from SOS: $65
-LMT-clone stock and buffer tube/spring kit, from TDS: $95
-DelTon M4 chrome-lined upper, direct from DTI w/shipping: $460
-Primary Arms M3-clone multi-reticle red-dot, direct from PA w/ mount and shipping: $120
-Strike Industries "Patriot Pro" pistol grip, from Rifle Gear w/ shipping: $25
-Raddlock GenX bullet button, from Rifle Gear w/ shipping: $40
-Rear BUIS (not yet added): approx $75-$100
-Brownell's 10/30 GI mag: $20
Total: $1,025 to $1,050 depending on the BUIS I choose. But for the sake of comparison to a basic complete rifle, I use only the cost of the lower, the parts kit, stock/buffer/spring, and upper assembly. My cost for these items was $745, very near the cost of a comparable complete rifle. Add in the extra goodies and you'll end up in the same ballpark once tricked out with the items of your choice. So really, if you're asking the "should I build or should I buy" question based on price, then it really doesn't matter enough to bother wasting much time on the decision. If your needs/wants are like many people (including mine), a simple yet effective AR-15 without a bunch of spendy bells and whistles, then either way will cost you approximately the same. The only real question you should be asking is, "can I afford it all now, or do I need to break it up over time?"
Comment