AR - to build or not to build

OP...take a look at IRunGuns latest deal on the Bushmaster AR...$625US is pretty decent pricing on that rifle (I remember back in '08 them costing $1500 or so here...not sure what they go for now).
 
I just seen that... it seems like a pretty fantastic deal...

I know who Bushmaster is... but what is DPMS? Are they reputable?
 
Another vote for build your own here.

It's a great way to learn and understand the mechanics of the AR platform & half the maddening fun is sourcing and waiting for parts. It's almost like being a kid at Christmas buying/waiting for parts and watching the build slowly manifest into shape.

Remember the AR is basically a giant LEGO build, so don't be intimidated by building it yourself.

I had about three visions of what I wanted the outcome to be before finally settling on my current configuration. Definitely went over my initial budget and said no more, but with an Upper & Lower sitting around there's probably a good chance of a secondary Complete Upper & a full build on the Lower in my future.

The $65 NEA Lowers are a decent start for a first build at a hard to ignore price.

Let us know how you manage, don't forget to use the search function in here or ask questions & post pics when your done.
 
Hello fellow CGNRS

I've finally decided to start putting together an AR...

I don't have a lot of money... so basically it would come down to buying the Chinese AR from marstar at sub 6bills or slowly building an AR over the next year or so...

So here are my questions:

A) Would you build your own AR or buy the Chinese AR from marstar?

B) What's the best bang for buck lower that you know of for sale in Canada?

I would save up for gucci AR... but... I'm actually super terrible with money and tend to spend what I got on the spot...

A: Depends on your reasons. For me the right answer here was to to build/assemble. Why? cuz I know what I wanted and no one offered it. If upfront investment is your driving factor - buy complete rifle.

B: Again depends on your use case - for me it was ATRS Gen4. Why? cuz of the ambi functionality with the best quality I could lay my hands on (KAC isn't in the running cuz I didn't want proprietary parts and didn't like their ambi). Again if upfront cost is the driving factor, go for a complete rifle - even the most cost conscience build will run you upwards of 600 and that will be with compromises on parts (what you wanted vs what will fit the budget). Lastly waiting for parts up here can be just ridiculous.
 
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I say buy the Bushy...there's no way you could build it for that cheap...spend the rest on ammo and shoot it like you stole it. :)
 
lol no kidding

mind you I've heard their QC has come along nicely

Yeah, don't listen to the misinformed moron who said Norcs aren't durable. They're just fine, but the cost of US ARs are at an all-time low right now so it's a buyer's market for them right now. Get the bushy.
 
IRUN obviously has some great deals. Don't forget SFRC and One Shot Tactical have a great deal on a DPMS right now as well.
 
I'd buy an AR. It is hard to find inexpensive parts and shipping will kill any savings that you find. A complete upper will start getting you into complete Norc AR territory. You will still need a lower, a parts kit, grip, trigger (if it isn't in your lower parts kit) and butt stock, buffer tube kit.

Even if you are willing to spend a little more, a complete Daniel Defence is hard to beat in terms of value. I built my own but would not do that again if AR prices stay where they are right now.

This guy knows what he is talking about. I second that.
 
Why buy Norc? Smoking deals right now to be had on North American AR's.

DPMS $625 (after MIR) with sling at One Shot Tactical http://oneshottactical.com/products/fm-rfa3-oc
Bushmaster for $625 USD at IRG http://www.irunguns.com/product.bus...arbine-sa-223-rem-16-301-syn-stk-black-35-317 and only 5% GST

I picked up a Palmetto State Armoury AR15 from IRG and am very happy with it. Picked up the NEA $65 lower to start a build as a hobby, not for value.

As others have said, you probably wont be able to build for that price. Id build it more of a hobby thing than getting one for a good price.
 
Shop around for the best deal you can find on a complete rifle. I like my DA556, but if you can get an American-made rifle for similar money, hey, why not?

You are very unlikely to save any money building from parts...in fact, you'll probably spend more.
 
In the present AR market, I think you'd be crazy to build one - unless of course you want something no one is offering and you don't care what the cost is.
 
In the present AR market, I think you'd be crazy to build one - unless of course you want something no one is offering and you don't care what the cost is.

I could not agree more! In terms of value.

The only other advantage to building is the experience and knowledge obtained while doing a build.

If you are just looking for an toy to have some giggles at the range, buying is definitely cheaper.

B
 
Building your own AR is fun as hell and you get exactly what you want out of it. That being said, you won't save any money if you go down that path, although you can spread the cost out over a longer period of time.

If you're just looking to get into the AR game cheap as you can and still get something decent, I'd go with something from IRG.
 
We will have a pile or Aero stuff and a sale on DPMS oracle 15 kits combined with a mag tactical lower for those that want to play with lego :)

Steve
 
If you want to learn about the gun theres no need to build one. Just buy one and take it apart. Im not saying you wont learn a thing or two building, but anything you can learn while building that you can't learn from a complete disassemble of a factory rifle would be limited to fitting of parts and dealing with incompatibility issues. Which waste money.
 
We will have a pile or Aero stuff and a sale on DPMS oracle 15 kits combined with a mag tactical lower for those that want to play with lego :)

Steve

that's exactly what I did, mag tactical lower and the dpms kit from irg. I wanted the experience of the build and it didn't cost me that much more than buying a complete one.
 
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