want to build an AR

I

ian745

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
22   0   0
Location
Courtenay BC
ok, so still new to restricted fun, have 3 pistols in the stable, and now i think its time to move into an AR platform, i wanna build my own over time, buy the lower buy the upper then everything else one at a time so to speak, christmas with 2 teenage daughters is too pricey for me these days and refuse to go into debt to buy a complete system,

so that being said, where do i start?. id like to stick to site sponsors , what should i look for, not looking for a million dollar rig, but higher end of the entry level i guess if that makes sense?

anyways, any help is appreciated, i`m off to drool over a new wheel gun while i wait..lol
 
HOW much do you want to spend? Buying piece meal and put it together yourself will lot more in the long run, buying a whole rifle and putting on credit might be cheaper.
 
ideally id like to build it as much as possible, got skunked this year hunting so its going to be a winter project, and i have a friend that has all the proper tools and such for the build as he`s built a bunch now,
just wanting different opinions on what to look for, what to avoid, that kind of thing, as much fun as it would be to rip open one box and run to the range kind of thing, i`d really like to piece one together , something new as a challenge i guess
 
I'd definitely start with a Colt Canada IUR for the upper - quality can't be beat for the price. After that, there are MANY decent bolt carrier groups, lowers, and lower parts kits. The only one I'd personally absolutely avoid would be Olympic Arms/SGW, which suck. NEA and Norinco also wouldn't be on my list - not necessarily bad, but you can buy better. I'm sure there are others to avoid, as well, but these are from my experience. Stag, Core, Bushmaster, Armalite, Daniel Defence, Colt and many others all range from perfectly good to excellent. Good luck!
 
CobraGT said:
I'd definitely start with a Colt Canada IUR for the upper - quality can't be beat for the price. After that, there are MANY decent bolt carrier groups, lowers, and lower parts kits. The only one I'd personally absolutely avoid would be Olympic Arms/SGW, which suck. NEA and Norinco also wouldn't be on my list - not necessarily bad, but you can buy better. I'm sure there are others to avoid, as well, but these are from my experience. Stag, Core, Bushmaster, Armalite, Daniel Defence, Colt and many others all range from perfectly good to excellent. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Good advice however I do not agree on a couple of items. The IUR is an outstanding piece if a builder wants a complete upper but, I think he wants to build by spending money a little at a time. The IUR is a considerable amount at one time for a beginning builder. The second is I do not agree with staying away from NEA stripped uppers or lowers. My recent billet build has the identical quality of my Armalite. Norinco is also fine for a first time AR shooter.

Just finished another build last night with a 20" SS Jury Barrel in 30 HRT. NEA grey coloured billet set coupled by Yankee Hill push/pull pins and a CMMG bolt carrier paired with a DD bolt. This is charged with a BCM large handle and held onto with MFT furniture. The upper is completed off with a 15" MI slim rail over a JP adjustable clamp on gas block. The lower is outfitted with an SP billet mag release, Magpul B.A.D. Lever and CMMG LPK.


e155c987f465c3486a20d1c5227614de_zpssjorkokn.jpg
 
if you are going to be building just one AR15 little by little I would be building it from the best parts. Youre doing this as a hobby, something to be proud of. Whats the point of building a 1987 ford escort from scratch? You want to build a ford mustang mach 1 from scratch!

so with that said I'd stick with the top parts:
bcm
colt
dd
noveske
vltor
 
ian745 said:
ideally id like to build it as much as possible, got skunked this year hunting so its going to be a winter project, and i have a friend that has all the proper tools and such for the build as he`s built a bunch now,
just wanting different opinions on what to look for, what to avoid, that kind of thing, as much fun as it would be to rip open one box and run to the range kind of thing, i`d really like to piece one together , something new as a challenge i guess
Click to expand...

I would say building a lower is a lot easier. upper is definitely a more complex job. I would say for your first one, get complete upper.
 
Still alive said:
You missed the deal of the century on Colt Canada IURs and Enhanced lowers!
Click to expand...

Select shooting supplies has the

Enhanced lower by CC for 899 and
Blemished IUR upper for 559.

Or you can get the complete enhanced carbine with colt Canada BCG and charging handle for 1599. This is as good as it gets.
 
Building is the way to go. I just finished my first SBR build, and though it cost me more over buying a Daniel Defence MK18, I have exactly what I wanted out of it.
Things to consider, spend your money on your barrel, bolt, trigger, and if you can, your optic. The rest of it is just minor upgrades but the main 3 are your barrel bolt and trigger. Don't cheap out on those.
For barrel is recommend Daniel defence, or a rainier arms from CTCS.
Bolt, It is hard to find a bad BCG, just be sure to go with a full auto bolt carrier. Any well reviewed BCG will do you fine.
As for trigger, I'm strongly recommending the ALG ACT trigger, very smooth 2 stage trigger made under geissle triggers. Best part is they're roughly 80 bucks.

As for building it itself, start with the lower. This way you've gotten the registration out of the way, and it is relatively the lesser expensive half of the rifle. If you're just after a simple lower, I've got great news. A lower is a lower is a lower. That being said, I recommend spike tactical, I picked up my lower pictured below for 109.99 from questar so keep an eye out for sales.
Everything else is relatively cosmetic, so build to your hearts content, and most importantly don't conpromise.

Other than that, avoid NEA brand like the plague. It's a crap shoot if it's to specification or not.


25jjei8.jpg


2lky2bo.jpg
 
Greenhorse six said:
Saskatoon Gunworks , for Aero Precision upper and lower , if they're in stock , and they have most of the basic stuff you need for a build .
And the EE is a good place to find parts , just have to keep checking it all the time
Click to expand...

chicu1981 said:
Rifled Uppers are way overpriced at Saskatoon gun works. They quoted me $800+ for assembling an upper which was selling in US for USD 350

decided to get the colt Canada upper.
Click to expand...

I should of said stripped upper and lowers when I posted that .
 
when it comes to the lower, are the all the same with respect to be able to attach a different upper?.. do some brands only work with the same brand or a select few?, and ya, i wanna just grab a lower and have it tucked away at first, been doing alot of digging on some of the suggestions here and i greatly appreciate it!
 
FoxAlpha said:
Yes they're all mostly interchangeable with the exception of colt large pins, NEA and norinco.
Click to expand...

perfect, thanks , showed my daughters a few pics from on here and they are stoked to see what i end up building, , mainly cause they think it`ll be theirs. lol, much like the 17hmr and my collection of 22`s.lol, i tried buying them a 22 pistol to keep there hands off my stuff, but no such luck, ive created monsters..lmao
 
FoxAlpha said:
Yes they're all mostly interchangeable with the exception of colt large pins, NEA and norinco.
Click to expand...

The two NEA's (one billet/one forged) I own are totally interchangeable with my Armalite (forged), Midwest Industries (billet), OMNI (polymer), Aero Precision (forged) and Spikes (forged).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom