Build vs Buy AR15 - different in Canada?

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JordanYOW

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I am in the market potentially for a first AR. I really like the idea of building my own as I love mechanical type projects.

I see online all of the time people in the USA saying, build your own, it will cost less. Is this really the case in Canada given we have less selection as far as sourcing? I did a very quick estimate for something high endish and it seemed that I could buy a Daniel Defence for a decent chunk less than I could build one.

If it can be worth it, where do you source your parts? Also is there a single vendor you recommend as a one stop AR part source? Many seem to have a little of this and that but not a great selection.
 
JordanYOW said:
I am in the market potentially for a first AR. I really like the idea of building my own as I love mechanical type projects.

I see online all of the time people in the USA saying, build your own, it will cost less. Is this really the case in Canada given we have less selection as far as sourcing? I did a very quick estimate for something high endish and it seemed that I could buy a Daniel Defence for a decent chunk less than I could build one.

If it can be worth it, where do you source your parts? Also is there a single vendor you recommend as a one stop AR part source? Many seem to have a little of this and that but not a great selection.
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I have never been able to build one for cheaper then my first complete AR 15 purchase which was a Daniel Defense on sale for $1500. I am sure you could build one for less but with lesser brand parts, I tend to like the more expensive brand parts so when I build one it seems to come out at least double the price of what I bought the Daniel Defense for. CTCS is a nice store that has a big selection of AR parts, but again more on the higher end of brands/pricing. I buy a lot from them and another Canadian online store but they are not a site supporter so I do not think I can post about them here...truenortharms.com also has a lot of stuff that seems to be on the cheaper side of the market
 
Technically, you can build a rifle for cheaper than you can outright buy. BUT, what you're going to end up building is something either really poor in quality, or something entirely of well used parts.

Here's what I tell most guys in your boat.

If you have a specific list of parts, and you intend to build a rifle that is spec'd to your absolute wants and needs, AND your budget isn't tight, then building a rifle is for you. The "Skills" required to assemble an AR are akin to being able to build IKEA furniture so it's absolutely not a difficult task by any sorts.

If you just want a cool rifle and don't really know what it is your want out of it, maybe some light modifications down the line, and you're on a somewhat stricter budget, buying is a rifle is the choice for you. You can buy a perfectly good S&W M&P 2 rifles for 700 bucks, and is the perfect platform to slowly build up as you learn what you want.


If you do choose to build, the best places in my opinion to buy parts from is going to be first and foremost Red deer shooting center(for online shopping) as they have a near unlimited amount of high end components and a very user friendly site. As mentioned above, CTCS is a decent place but I find they tend to be priced higher than most of their competitors. YMMV

A note for the above post, you can post all you like about non sponsors you just can't hotline to their websites.


Every rifle below was built not bought(aside from the Evo).
On average, not including optics I'd say each rifle ran around 2500-3500 to build. I could've gone simple and just bought a complete DD rifle which is more than adequate, but as I mentioned above all of these rifles are built to my exact specifications.

SayVa64.jpg
 
For your first AR get a reliable pre-built platform like the M&P sport 2 and use the savings on making that gun more suited to your needs. Spend your money on an optic and ammo. An off the shelf Sport2 will shoot better than you are capable of at first. Once you shoot that for a while it will give you a taste as to what you would want to change in your next gun and will give you a better base line for when you eventually do build one to compare against.
 
I am currently planning out my first build. I have a S&W M&P 15 sport 2 and love it and am ready to build. My first build will be a short lower end price point lead chucker and I am thinking with taxes and shipping I will be in the $700-$850 range. But that is mil spec trigger, cheaper barrel and nothing to fancy what so ever. I picked up my sport 2 for $650 so cost comparison even on the low end of the price spectrum it is cheaper to buy then build. Now my numbers are using all new parts, if you keep an eye out for used or take off parts you could do it much cheaper but it could take months to piece it all together.
 
It used to be comparable back when the dollar was at par.
Nowadays you will spend a lot more assembling (building sounds like you actually made something).
It's more fun though.
 
First AR was bought, didn't much like it. Then I built one - it's a keeper. Wasn't for pricing but to get what I wanted and enjoy another hobby-within-a-hobby as researching, tracking down parts, and putting it all together was a great learning experience and past-time on it's own.
 
Step 1. Buy a basic AR just so you have something. It doesn't even have to be a cheap Norinco for $500 anymore, there are decent brands that sell them for $700.

Step 2. Slowly over time replace all the components you want with higher end components when they go on sale.

Step 3. Re-assemble all of the parts that you replaced back into another AR.

Step 4. Enjoy your two ARs, or now that you have slowly built your perfect AR, sell the other (first) one if you want to recover some of your costs.
 
JohnnyP636 said:
I have never been able to build one for cheaper then my first complete AR 15 purchase which was a Daniel Defense on sale for $1500. I am sure you could build one for less but with lesser brand parts, I tend to like the more expensive brand parts so when I build one it seems to come out at least double the price of what I bought the Daniel Defense for. CTCS is a nice store that has a big selection of AR parts, but again more on the higher end of brands/pricing. I buy a lot from them and another Canadian online store but they are not a site supporter so I do not think I can post about them here...truenortharms.com also has a lot of stuff that seems to be on the cheaper side of the market
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I think you can name them here. This is not a dealer forum.
 
Petamocto said:
Step 1. Buy a basic AR just so you have something. It doesn't even have to be a cheap Norinco for $500 anymore, there are decent brands that sell them for $700.

Step 2. Slowly over time replace all the components you want with higher end components when they go on sale.

Step 3. Re-assemble all of the parts that you replaced back into another AR.

Step 4. Enjoy your two ARs, or now that you have slowly built your perfect AR, sell the other (first) one if you want to recover some of your costs.
Click to expand...


Some great advice here. As mentioned, you can get a quality AR at ~$800 and you will get a reliable platform. From here, shoot the piss out of it, become comfortable AND proficient with it, and then add/adjust parts as necessary.

The best part is, once you have parts lying around, you will inevitably build another AR - it just happens that way. This is where you can tinker and start to really focus on what you want having gained the experience of the trigger time on your first AR.

Which reminds me... I just found a buffer spring in the gun room; time to build another AR! And that my friend, is how it works...
 
A 10.5” AR with decent parts cost me $1430.

Has Dlask barrel, chrome lined. Rock river arms NM trigger, Stag arms BCG, Colt lower, TNA LPK, TNA free float HG, gas tube and block, mapgul stock snd grip, NEA stripped upper, spikes tactica buffer tube and springs.
 
Good advice on this thread - digest carefully as they are expensive lessons.

For me, having built and few and bought a few which I eventually ended up modifying the snot out of; I would suggest that you detail out (most of) your requirements and your budget BEFORE you embark on this adventure. If your budget supports it, buy a good quality AR from a reputable manufacturer that has most of the goodies you already want (high dollar stuff like barrel, trigger, rail etc). It'll save you a lot of heartache and additional costs later. Surprising how quickly taxes & shipping add up not to mention the down time waiting for goodies to trickle in. The little #### like latches, levers, mounts etc. are easy to source and install so I don't really fuss over them much. After a lot of trialing - I've ended up with LMT as my supplier of choice - they have almost everything I want in my rifle and none of the "fluff" that I will pay for but not derive any value from.

With vendors - most are pretty decent. I usually bulk buy from a single one so I make my list and CALL them up. More often than not, they end up giving a discount for a substantial buy and will consolidate shipping to save costs further. The downside of this method is that they may not have all the items in stock, so you may have to wait a little bit longer. That's fine with me since my paper targets are not going anywhere in a hurry.
 
The USA has a federal tax on the sale of a complete rifle, I think it's 10%. Part of the Pittman-Robertson Act for wildlife conservation funds. Obviously it is not applicable here.
 
Have a look at Wolverine's DIY C8 Build thread.
$900 for all brand name components.
Might want a different stripped upper for easier mounting of optics.
 
Define "Cheap", how much are you willing to spend and what do you envision your rifle going to look?

Before you start assembly your AR, you will need to spend a couple of hundred dollars on tools, next there isn't one stop retailer in Canada that will have everything you wish,especially if you have a list of parts you wish to have on your gun therefore you will end up paying a premium on shipping from multiple places, unless you buy used parts from EE and after all that you will end up with a Franken' AR that isn't going perform any better than a quality factory AR.

Spend a couple of hours and go through each sponsors' website and build a list of parts you would like and you will see how quickly the price will add up, the words Build and Cheap really doesn't belong in the same sentence.
 
If your budget is such that you're looking at DD prices, I'd say you could build one to your liking for less. There seems to be a Gucci tax for the higher end rifles. I took the M&P route, and upgraded it from there.

That said, I have everything bought and paid for for an SLR build, and I'm doing it up exactly how I want it (low mass BCG, adjustable gas block, stainless match barrel, the specific furniture I wanted, specific handguard, brake etc). I couldn't have bought it that way, and it definitely would have cost me more to buy a quality AR and then put my parts on it.

The cash you have to spend on tools to properly build an AR shouldn't be discounted either, like others have said.
 
chicu1981 said:
I think you can name them here. This is not a dealer forum.
Click to expand...

Once upon a time I tried to post another stores name, and this site edits it out of my post every time like its a swear word lol, Maybe they had problems with that company ....Different company so probably not the same anyways I buy a lot from Red Deer Shooting Center, mostly higher end/priced stuff but they get me everything I need all from one place even if its a special order they have to bring in just for me
 
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