AR15 Trends

[SUB-ZERO]

Depends on if you're buying complete or stripped parts.
I've had to spend a lot of time straightening handguards because of the type that you get. Some you have to align with a wrench and some you can adjust with a friction and set screws. If you get an adjustable gas block you will need to see if the hole lines up correctly. I was at the range once and he had a factory upper sent to him, but the gas block wasn't put on right so it was a single shot that day. Decide if you want dimpling drilled in the right place or you can get a clamp on style. There are also like 4 or 5 different gas tubes available.

Some people buy the cheapest parts, so sometimes the BCG is not the best, they have improper springs on the extractor and set unstaked screws on the gas key. Although some say that they don't need to be staked...

My billet side charger was hard to charge, friction on the inside, so I had to keep working it and smell the burning aluminum. Still do.

My friend built some from Delta Team Tactical and had to file down some of the lower or upper to get the Maglock to work correctly. I was lucky with my PSA M4A1 and is very tight but still allows the Gen 2 to work.

The top rail of some uppers might not be to spec also. I have 1 red dot that I change to my different rifles and 1 of them is too wide. It works with my Tavor, M&P15, PSA but doesn't fit the other stuff quite right. Might have to grind.

I wish I had done more research when building. Now with experience I know more, but the appeal of a low price almost always gets me.

Good insights. Thanks for the reply post, man.

[1911man]

Upper

Where does a stoner upper fit in?

[SUB-ZERO]

... Crickets.....

[The War Wagon]

I built a "Space Force" AR last year with the spacewalker PSA lower. It's chambered in 350 Legend. Easy to see bullet holes.

I like reactive targets. Hit a badguy with 5.56, and he'll fall over.

[Dirk Tungsten]

Where does a stoner upper fit in?

Assuming you're referring to Midway's line of AR Stoner products, and referring to a completed upper? I'm not sure if anyone has been able to confirm who actually makes their barrels. I do know for a fact that a user at another gun forum had serious issues (manufacturing defects) with one of the AR Stoner barrels, and Midway kept removing his negative reviews. The guy kept screencappping the reviews he was leaving, and it was removed TWICE. Doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence in the product.

At this point, it's probably best to stay away from unknown manufacturer/house brand/mystery meat products.

[ScottsBad]

I construct my ARs from quality parts, but one of the problems with building your own is that a buyer can never be quite sure of the quality. And that means that a home built or, if you prefer, "custom" complete upper or rifle has less resale value than a complete upper or rifle that came from, say, BCM.

So, if you build your own, expect to loose money (in most cases) if you sell it. Same if you modify it.

If you plan to keep an upper as a tinkering platform, don't try to sell it to get your money out of it, you'll be disappointed.

For instance, I would never buy a used BCG, I don't care who manufactured it or how often it was used (according to the owner). Especially if I couldn't inspect it.

Generally, ARs don't hold their value like some firearms, because there are so many, and there are parts of varying quality all over the market place.

Your best bet; Buy or build the best rifle you can afford and plan on keeping it.

If you want to tinker, don't tinker with the quality rifle you bought. Instead, tinker with a different upper. Keep the quality rifle pristine if possible.

You can buy a BCM upper and BCG. I like the Enhanced Light Weight BFH barrel. And their rail is very nice. I think you'll have about a grand into it, but it will kick *** if your lower has a good spring/buffer combo.

If you are playing the; I'm going to build a superior rifle with cheap parts game, expect to get what you pay for. Buy once cry once is the way to go.

[SUB-ZERO]

I construct my ARs from quality parts, but one of the problems with building your own is that a buyer can never be quite sure of the quality. And that means that a home built or, if you prefer, "custom" complete upper or rifle has less resale value than a complete upper or rifle that came from, say, BCM.

So, if you build your own, expect to loose money (in most cases) if you sell it. Same if you modify it.

If you plan to keep an upper as a tinkering platform, don't try to sell it to get your money out of it, you'll be disappointed.

For instance, I would never buy a used BCG, I don't care who manufactured it or how often it was used (according to the owner). Especially if I couldn't inspect it.

Generally, ARs don't hold their value like some firearms, because there are so many, and there are parts of varying quality all over the market place.

Your best bet; Buy or build the best rifle you can afford and plan on keeping it.

If you want to tinker, don't tinker with the quality rifle you bought. Instead, tinker with a different upper. Keep the quality rifle pristine if possible.

You can buy a BCM upper and BCG. I like the Enhanced Light Weight BFH barrel. And their rail is very nice. I think you'll have about a grand into it, but it will kick *** if your lower has a good spring/buffer combo.

If you are playing the; I'm going to build a superior rifle with cheap parts game, expect to get what you pay for. Buy once cry once is the way to go.

[JoyfulJoker]

Just to add one thing:

I met a guy at AAA's in Vallejo, my favorite gun store. He was literally picking up 1/2 a dozen stripped lowers he bought 10 days before. I told him I was interested in building an AR before they were banned. He told me to do two things for my first build: 1. Buy a complete upper, which I did. 2. Buy a drop in trigger, I got the Rise Armament on sale. From the comments above, it seems buying a complete upper from Aero Precision was a good move if I ever want to sell it. I don't see that happening.

Great comments. Thanks to all who contributed.

[Drew Eckhardt]

What is the demand for mid-tier (Aero, PSA, etc.) AR15 lowers these days? (Very Low, Low, Med, High, Very High)

Very low. Avid firearms owners already had lifetime supplies in 2016 due to Gunmagedon.

And what's the going price range for mid-tier uppers, lowers, and complete builds?

A generic assembled AR-15 is usually worth $350 which is a small discount from the $399-$499 sale price of a brand new Smith & Wesson M&P Sport II.

Otherwise people want what they want, and your tastes probably don't match theirs.

[SUB-ZERO]

Very low. Avid firearms owners already had lifetime supplies in 2016 due to Gunmagedon.



A generic assembled AR-15 is usually worth $350 which is a small discount from the $399-$499 sale price of a brand new Smith & Wesson M&P Sport II.

Otherwise people want what they want, and your tastes probably don't match theirs.

Thanks for the insights, everyone. Very helpful in developing my home arsenal (What to buy, what to sell, etc.)

[The War Wagon]

Very low. Avid firearms owners already had lifetime supplies in 2016 due to Gunmagedon.

"Gunmageddon" comes along EVERY election cycle, it seems - as do NEW gun owners, who DON'T remember the LAST one.


"Gunmageddon" to me, will ALWAYS be the election of '92. For others on here, the elections of '88, '80, '68, and perhaps some others, will be THAT election for them.

The important thing to remember is, another election - and another batch of Constitutionally-ignorant idiots - is NEVER more than 2 years away.


Prepare accordingly.