Alberta tactical. ar newbie questions, how to etc. sorry.

Dietz said:
You seem to forget this isn't your thread nor is it about you (narcissistic much?). It's about OP wanting to know how much he has to spend to get in the game.
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Sorry but regardless of your intent your post I was replying to came off as being a bit condescending. Hence my d!@k reply.

Anyways, yes you are correct that the OP doesn't need to spend big money to build a decent rifle for himself.
 
Dietz said:
If you're limiting yourself to 18.5(6) you're missing a lot of excellent 20" barrels in that price range.
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It limiting, but it’s whats most available right now.
Cheapest I see are the BCL barrels.

I’m not opposed to 20, as that’s what I have for my ATRS set, it is American and a bit spendy:)
But I chose it for a couple of reasons.
 
jiffx2781 said:
Maybe your definition of cheap and his definition of cheap are different?

Who gives AF how much someone spends on their build. I'm not even bothering to tabulate my costs. All that matters is that I end up with what I want when I'm done.

If I'm happy with mine, he's happy with his and you're happy with yours, once again, who gives AF?

:jerkit:
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I started out with the midset of spending a bit on the barrel, BCG, handguard and basically going milspec on the rest...but that kinda went out the window at some point and I ended up with a few pricier parts than originally intended like a V7 3-gun short throw safety. Overall though, bought what I could when I could and ideally on sale so the end result is pretty much my dream rifle. The only part that is kind of "vanilla" is the ACT trigger and might swap that out at some point.
 
thanks to all for the tips and posts.

looks like it can be done for about 2000$ (if you are willing to wait for sales and maybe some used parts).

the best I could do is 2232$ Buying stuff off of true north arms ( they had the simplest layout for a newbie). looks like i'm a bit in over my head as i'm not sure what is decent and what the most important parts/ features are. here is the list of crud i priced out if anyone has any critiques or suggestions i would love to hear them. stuff i should spend more on... etc.

Reciever

ALberta tactical modern sporter MS LOWER and Forward assist upper
https://albertatacticalrifle.com/hi...ting/product/8608-modern-sporter-receiver-set
1135$
barrel

CNA Canadian National Arms Barrels, 5.56x45 NATO 1:7" (Nitride finish)-20"
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_defa...rrels-5-56x45-nato-1-7-nitride-finish-20.html
200$

Lower parts kit

Lower Parts Kit (LPK) for AR-15
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_default_store_view/lower-parts-kit-for-ar-15.html
89$

TNA Buffer Tube Kit (Standard Mil-Spec)
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_default_store_view/tna-buffer-tube-kit-mil-spec-carbine.html
50$

Buttstock for M4/AR-15 Carbine (True North Arms)
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_defa...ock-for-m4-ar-15-carbine-true-north-arms.html
30$

UPPER PARTS

Anderson Manufacturing 5.56/.223 Bolt Carrier Group for AR-15/M16
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_defa...-56-223-bolt-carrier-group-for-ar-15-m16.html
210$

Engraved Ejection Port Dust Cover - Turkish Prison
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_defa...-ejection-port-dust-cover-turkish-prison.html
18$
other dust cover parts
12$

Forward Assist (Complete Assembly)
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_default_store_view/forward-assist-complete-assembly.html
20$

AR-15 Charging Handle, Complete (6061-T6 aluminum) with Tactical Latch
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_defa...ete-6061-t6-aluminum-with-tactical-latch.html
31$

Gas Block/tube

Canadian National Arms CNA Black Gas Tubes for AR-15-15 1/8" (Rifle)
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_defa...a-black-gas-tubes-for-ar-15-15-1-8-rifle.html
20$

CNA Adjustable Gas Block, Steel, Low-Profile (0.75")
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_defa...ustable-gas-block-steel-low-profile-0-75.html
70$
Hand guard
Free-Float Picatinny Quad-Rail Handguard w/Slots
https://truenortharms.com/ar15_defa...at-picatinny-quad-rail-handguard-w-slots.html
90$
 
I'm not an expert on TNA parts so I won't speak to that.

Here's another suggestion, depending on what look you want. Not trying to tell you what to build, just pointing out something that's available you may not be aware of:

https://www.armseast.ca/stag_arms_factory_direct_sales/stag_15_retro_kit/

I got this kit for one of my MS builds.

This comes with everything you need to build a complete rifle. All you need to do is disassemble the upper receiver and then install everything on the MS receivers.

They come on sale every once in a while. IIRC I got mine for $845

Total build cost for the Stag kit and the MS with forward assist upper came in at under 2k. Even if you drop the MS receiver and the Stag parts kit off at a gunsmith and pay them to do the work you should still be around $2200. And since you are paying the smith to do the job you don't need to spend a couple hundred bucks on tools.

Just a suggestion and trying to point out that there are simple ways to do things and it won't cost you a fortune.


If you're serious about going ahead with a build I suggest you get your receiver set ordered ASAP because the wait is only going to get longer the longer you wait to order.

.
 
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jiffx2781 said:
If you're serious about going ahead with a build I suggest you get your receiver set ordered ASAP because the wait is only going to get longer the longer you wait to order.

.
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i guess with a 6 month wait list that would give me plenty of time to shop around!
 
I used some TNA parts on my cheap AR15 build - handguard, buffer tube, and CTR stock. They work but you can definitely tell they're not brand name. Anderson barrel, Aero Precision receiver set, and Brownells LPK and BCG to round it out. Came to about $1000 with $260 in the receiver set. So if I swapped out the receivers for a NR type I'd be at that $1700 mark. And still have a low-rent gun. I fully understand why most builds end up north of $2000 - at that price level you may as well have something nice haha. If all you want is the lowest possible price on a NR 223 black rifle, buy a WK180C. I have one on order.
 
For you guys that are quite AR knowledgeable, where do you recommend prioritizing any extra money you want to spend on an MS build? I'd definitely spend extra on a decent barrel and trigger, but what would you prioritize after that, and why?
 
rifleman762 said:
if all you want is the lowest possible price on a NR 223 black rifle, buy a WK180C. I have one on order.
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i sincerely thought about it, but honstly, this woupd be my first "expensive gun" either way, and even with my cheap ones i have put a lot of time into research and comparison shopping to get exactly what i wanted at the best possible price.

a custom built ar seems like my greatest challenge yet but i spent an unfourtunatly long time looking at buffer tube weights and reviews on adjustable gas blocks so i'm in too deep now. it wouldn't feel right if i just said " well that's cool and it's close enough". though i appreciate the link. i never thought to look for complete build kits for aome reason.
 
Brianma65 said:
$1000 for the set.
$600 should get you a decent barrel,Handguard,G/B and brake.
$80 for a LPK including trigger.
$80 for a but stock,buffer tube,buffer and spring.
$100 for a BCG

So you can do it for under $2000.
Most of these expensive builds are for weight savings
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EDIT: I see you are talking about wish.com/TNA build... aka cheap no-name garbage. Please dont build a gun with airsoft level quality parts.

Here is my build https://imgur.com/a/N0bjlH8 $2900 without optics, including a 10 round mag

Not one single lightweight or fancy part, no noveski BS, no titanium anything, pretty much plain as it comes...... but name brand parts, not airsoft quality hand guards and sketchy china LPKs
 
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b_w. said:
I think tna would be on the low end of the quality spectrum.
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Most everything they sell is made in China.

cheeba said:
For you guys that are quite AR knowledgeable, where do you recommend prioritizing any extra money you want to spend on an MS build? I'd definitely spend extra on a decent barrel and trigger, but what would you prioritize after that, and why?
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Trigger is non-essential. 99% of this forum can't shoot well enough to have significant accuracy differences between a mil-spec trigger and a match one. Same thing for the barrel.

Many guys here shoot basic 700$ AR's more accurately than those with 4000$ AR's.

Money doesn't = skill. And shooting is all about skill.
 
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Ya, just buy one of those pencil barrels with the burrs in it and a 7 lb Mil-spec 5 stage trigger,

That’s what all the good shooters use:)
 
instead of buying individual parts, TNA also has their mystery box complete NR upper for $700.

Another vender has a complete SLR build kit for $1130. I assume it would also work for the ATRS but I haven’t researched it... I’m looking at a beginner build too, so i’m hoping that vendors (hint hint) come up with some similar budget minded package options for the ATRS.
 
Caogelsbu said:
i sincerely thought about it, but honstly, this woupd be my first "expensive gun" either way, and even with my cheap ones i have put a lot of time into research and comparison shopping to get exactly what i wanted at the best possible price.

a custom built ar seems like my greatest challenge yet but i spent an unfourtunatly long time looking at buffer tube weights and reviews on adjustable gas blocks so i'm in too deep now. it wouldn't feel right if i just said " well that's cool and it's close enough". though i appreciate the link. i never thought to look for complete build kits for aome reason.
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For your first build and with little to no AR experience I would suggest you don't get caught up in buying any go-fast parts. Nothing light weight, nothing adjustable. You'll just end up struggling to get it tuned right and it makes the rifle less versatile unless you're willing to adjust things whenever you try different ammo or unless you're willing to run it overgassed all the time which defeats the point of an adjustable gas system.

You don't need any of that stuff and it just means more problems getting it cycling smoothly. I've owned more AR's than I can remember and built a few from scratch and none of them have had light weight anything or adjustable gas blocks and other than having to change the buffer on a 6.5 inch barreled rifle I've never had any problems with reliability. The only ARish rifle I own that has anything other than standard parts is my Modern Hunter, it got an adjustable gas block and silent captured JP buffer spring kit. The only reason that rifle got those is because it's chambered in 6.5CM and I wanted to tune it for my handloads.

I also recommend an ALG ACT trigger, they're about $100 and even though there are better triggers available, to get a better trigger will cost you $300+.

If you like accuracy then spend more money on your barrel and remember that if you want to see what the barrel is capable of you can't grab the cheapest crap ammo you can find. Match level accuracy requires match level ammo. American Eagle or other cheap crap is typically going to give you 2-3 moa at best in any barrel.

If you're pricing out parts and it's getting close to $3000 I would suggest just buying a Modern Varmint. Then you get professional assembly with great parts and a full warranty. If you piece it together yourself and have problems it's all on you to figure out what's wrong and fix it yourself. This isn't the end of the world but buying the wrong parts and then having to buy things again costs more money and you never recover 100% selling things even if it's new.

You also need to consider that you will need a couple specialty tools to assemble an AR. It's not expensive but it does add to the cost. Where do you live? Maybe there is someone close by with experience and tools who can give you a hand when it's time to assemble the rifle.
 
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Brianma65 said:
Ya, just buy one of those pencil barrels with the burrs in it and a 7 lb Mil-spec 5 stage trigger,

That’s what all the good shooters use:)
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Spending a ton of money on parts and gear won't make someone a better shooter. It will hide a person's technique deficiencies by being easier to shoot accurately, for the same reason a lot of race/match gun shooters can't shoot stock Glocks for ####, the extreme easiness to shoot match guns accurately means that bad technique and skill do not factor in as much as it will with a gun that tends to highlight a person's lack of technique, like Glocks and basic military rifles. Someone with proper technique and skill will shoot a Glock just as well as a race gun because the shooting fundamentals are the same. Rifles go the same way. That is a fact.
AK's have a reputation for being inaccurate, but they are far from inaccurate guns. The triggers and sights are bad, but there are excellent shooters who will shoot them WAY more accurately than average joes. I've seen instructors shoot one ragged hole with stock Glocks at triple the distance most shooters can accomplish this. Same goes for basic AR's.

Shooting (and training) will make someone a better shooter. At the end of the day, someone who spends 700$ on a gun and 3300$ on ammo will come out a better shooter than someone who spends 4000$ on a gun but nothing on ammo and training.
 
Dietz said:
Spending a ton of money on parts and gear won't make someone a better shooter. It will hide a person's technique deficiencies by being easier to shoot accurately, for the same reason a lot of race/match gun shooters can't shoot stock Glocks for ####, the extreme easiness to shoot match guns accurately means that bad technique and skill do not factor in as much as it will with a gun that tends to highlight a person's lack of technique, like Glocks and basic military rifles. Someone with proper technique and skill will shoot a Glock just as well as a race gun because the shooting fundamentals are the same. Rifles go the same way. That is a fact.
AK's have a reputation for being inaccurate, but they are far from inaccurate guns. The triggers and sights are bad, but there are excellent shooters who will shoot them WAY more accurately than average joes. I've seen instructors shoot one ragged hole with stock Glocks at triple the distance most shooters can accomplish this. Same goes for basic AR's.

Shooting (and training) will make someone a better shooter. At the end of the day, someone who spends 700$ on a gun and 3300$ on ammo will come out a better shooter than someone who spends 4000$ on a gun but nothing on ammo and training.
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Agreed, a $400 trigger does not make a rifle more accurate like a lot of guys on here tend to believe. It makes it easier for someone with low skill to shoot smaller groups but without training and a lot of practice that person will never become a great shooter.
I've shot some sub moa groups off a bench with a rifle with a crappy milspec trigger, if you take your time and use proper shooting techniques all that matters when it comes to accuracy is the barrel and ammo.

But, if you take all those fancy parts, find a load the barrel likes and tune the rifle to run as smoothly as possible then put someone who knows what they're doing behind it you see what can be done with a rifle and why parts like those were built. The average shooter is not going to see any benefit from those parts unless bragging or rattling off a big parts list is a benefit.
Some guys claim they buy them to build the lightest rifle possible, I ask if an ounce or two really make a difference in how the rifle feels. It's like the guys who buy titanium bolts for their snowmobile, they spend $1000 to drop 10 pounds and then they're 50 pounds overweight. People would be better off getting themselves in better shape instead of trying to buy parts to compensate for them being weak.

Most of us would be way better off spending the extra money on ammo and professional training and in some cases a gym membership.
 
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rimlick said:
EDIT: I see you are talking about wish.com/TNA build... aka cheap no-name garbage. Please dont build a gun with airsoft level quality parts.

Here is my build https://imgur.com/a/N0bjlH8 $2900 without optics, including a 10 round mag

Not one single lightweight or fancy part, no noveski BS, no titanium anything, pretty much plain as it comes...... but name brand parts, not airsoft quality hand guards and sketchy china LPKs
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Lol, everything listed is from Brownells.
 
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