AR building - first steps?

[Slugz]

With much regret, i had to give up on a nice lower i was going to buy from a member here because the local gun shops have given up on private transfers of plain lowers for some reason, and was forced to buy one stripped for over $100 more from the shop itself (no doubt what they had in mind all along)

So now i have the lower and plan to build this rifle from scratch and need to know how to purchase the individual pieces. I realize the LPK is really just a matter of preference, completeness, and quality in the brand (i plan to try to get either an RRA or equivalent lpk) so the upper is what's really concerning me. The questions I have are as follows:

1) what parts are hardest to find?

2) are any parts best bought as a matched pair? (things like the BCG/CH/housing or the barrel/gas system, etc...)

3) which parts (if any) will need to be assembled or fitted by an actual gunsmith?

4) are there any solid videos/articles written by trusted sources on the process that outline detailed information about it? I realize there is a lot of info out there but you never know which info is "correct" or just more reputable/reliable information.

5) what are some items i should watch out for on pricing? In these times its easy to fall into the pit of outlandish markup, and I've heard some horror stories from some people thinking ether got a good deal only to find out they paid hundreds more than they should have.

I appreciate any help anyone can afford =) thanks in advance guys!

[troysland]

BCG's are hardest to come by but supply is starting to get better. You can pick up a complete upper minus bcg and charging handle easily. Or buy complete. If you can't find what you want in the marketplace, try gunbroker.com. If it's your first, I would hold off on assembling a bare upper, attaching barrel, gas tube, gas block. Although youtube has great info and tutorials.

[newglockster]

Get this upper (with BCG for the extra $$) or a similar one: http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-B...artsfinder.com

This lower parts kit and stock kit: http://palmettostatearmory.com/index...kit-10536.html

Building the lower is pretty easy. Attach the complete upper, get a rear sight, and you are ready to shoot!

[Slugz]

Definitely a solid choice. Heard lots of good stuff about bravo company. But, alas, money is the issue for me. I can't drop 900, 800, 700 or even $600 at once on one of these. I can save up, sure, but I'm sure somewhere along the line that money would get dipped into for something else. So i have chosen the only real option i can choose to guarantee it actually gets built, and that is to commit to a number of small purchases over time and assemble them slowly. If i had extra cash floating around like that i could go down to my local armory and pick up a bushmaster compete upper right now lol I wish it were that simple

[Slugz]

nice rig =) i actually want to use that same style of stock. Not big on collapsible stocks, myself, though my decision may change as i build it. Though i do want a slightly shorter barrel/Handguard. If i went that long I'd leave the plain Jane 2 piece hand guard on so that it retained a more "m16" type style to it, but i do want some rails and i want the gun to be kind if multi purpose "tactical/hunting" with an emphasis more on tactical urban applications. Home defender and all that.

I see a lot of rifles with irons AND holo's/scopes. Never understood why someone would need to use both at the same time. I realize its good to have the irons as a backup in case the electronics fail, but i often see the irons deployed and used in conjunction with the scopes. I do want flip up iron backups, but don't plan to use them often.

What kind of tools are you speaking of? I'm actually in Concord. East bay area =) but didn't know i needed special tools to build it.

[nastyhabts26]

If you want an A-2 style stock then be sure to get a rifle buffer tube, spring and buffer. A Carbine or collapsing style buffer tube will not work with that type of stock.

[Tonymin]

With much regret, i had to give up on a nice lower i was going to buy from a member here because the local gun shops have given up on private transfers of plain lowers for some reason, and was forced to buy one stripped for over $100 more from the shop itself (no doubt what they had in mind all along)

So now i have the lower and plan to build this rifle from scratch and need to know how to purchase the individual pieces. I realize the LPK is really just a matter of preference, completeness, and quality in the brand (i plan to try to get either an RRA or equivalent lpk) so the upper is what's really concerning me. The questions I have are as follows:

1) what parts are hardest to find?

2) are any parts best bought as a matched pair? (things like the BCG/CH/housing or the barrel/gas system, etc...)

3) which parts (if any) will need to be assembled or fitted by an actual gunsmith?

4) are there any solid videos/articles written by trusted sources on the process that outline detailed information about it? I realize there is a lot of info out there but you never know which info is "correct" or just more reputable/reliable information.

5) what are some items i should watch out for on pricing? In these times its easy to fall into the pit of outlandish markup, and I've heard some horror stories from some people thinking ether got a good deal only to find out they paid hundreds more than they should have.

I appreciate any help anyone can afford =) thanks in advance guys!

If you are in Concord you should have tried The Gun Works in Pleasant Hill. My complete lower is arriving there tomorrow. But you might have done ok anyway. They charge $75 for the transfer. I already had a 22lr coming in and you can do two rifles for one fee. So it worked out for me.

I bought my complete unfired upper from a Calguns member including BCG and charging handle. So the entire gun will cost me $1,050

The next one I might do more of the building. But this one will look exactly like I want this way. And I think the quality of the parts is a bit above entry level.

[navin r]

I recommend following the deals section of this web site; you have to look very often and act fast to get something. The only parts that I think really should be bought attached to each other is a "complete upper", or a "barreled receiver" all in one piece. (unless you're a gunsmith or you have a very good one close by)
I started after Sandy Hook (yes; stupid, I know) and now have one 16" barrel AR all together for about $1100, I'll have another 14.7" barrel upper together in a week; so it can be done even in this current climate; plus things are slowly getting better.
Then your next challenge will be finding reasonably priced ammo. I just ordered a couple books on reloading; that's probably going to be my next hobby.

[MrPlink]

Given up on transfers? Was it a PPT?

[glock7]

Red dot faster acquisition of target. Im all for knowing how to use irons, but in the real world red dots w

[glock7]

Work very well... Stupid phone. Lol

[Slugz]

@ Glock, yea im all about holographics and red dots, but in the event they fail you really do need to know how to work with iron sights lol never know, might get EMP blasted (O_o) lol

@MrPlink, yes it was a private party. I called the local shops and they just said they didnt want to do private transfers on stripped lowers anymore. Like I said, i think they just dont want to spend all that time on an unprofitable venture.

@Navin, yea thats not a bad idea buying the barreled receiver. dont think it would cost too much more than buying them both separately and having them already assembled would make sense if the gas system was already properly tuned.

@Tony, $75 is a bit much...... these guys i normally go to only charge $35 for the transfer. at $75 im basically almost back to square 1 with why buying private party is better. thats steep... lol

@Nasty, good info. I still hadnt researched that end of things yet, but i had planned to hopefully buy the stock and spring tube setup as a set if i could have found it.

[Mini14]

I'd recommend looking at PSA as well. They are doing better with their ship times. I just got my barrelled upper this afternoon (after 2 months of waiting). You just need a BCG and charging handle.

They've got their standard M4 in stock, $399 aint too bad

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/m4-premium-16-cmv-chrome-lined-stripped-upper-without-bcg-or-charging-handle.html

Oh and they have USGI 30rd rebuilds if you're looking for those. The one in my pic is riveted and Sharpied, so it hides nicely

[Slugz]

not a bad deal on that M4 upper. though, arent those flash hiders permanently installed? pinned in and all that. was going to go for something kind of in between that and a full length m16 style barrel length, to get the customizability and accuracy of a longer barrel with a bit more maneuverability for traversing a house. and how is PSA in terms of reliability? I dont know that much about uppers, or AR15s in general, but I do know Bushmaster, RRA, KA, Spikes, etc.. all make quality components (from what i have read, anyways) though I havent read too much on PSA.

[MrPlink]

By law a ffl can't deny a PPT. What shop was this? They got some splainin to do.