Class/training to build an AR-15

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  • outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,815
    Another thing I do is slide a stock onto the buffer tube. I hold it with my left hand as I tighten with my right. Three gains to this. You get a much better visual queue as to its vertical positioning, it helps fight any rotation buy allowing you better purchase on the tube itself, and you can feel any rotation in the tube as you tighten down on the nut.
     

    SkiPatrolDude

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 24, 2017
    3,331
    Timonium-Lutherville
    Another thing I do is slide a stock onto the buffer tube. I hold it with my left hand as I tighten with my right. Three gains to this. You get a much better visual queue as to its vertical positioning, it helps fight any rotation buy allowing you better purchase on the tube itself, and you can feel any rotation in the tube as you tighten down on the nut.

    This is exactly how I do it. Works every time.
     

    Sarguy7777

    Kwitcherbitchin
    Feb 26, 2012
    29
    Odenton
    I will never say that taking a class is not the best route for learning to build a firearm.

    However, there is great information from reputable sources on youtube/the Internet for just about anything that you need, but I will agree that there is a ton of garbage to sift through on a lot of topics. One has to be very particular about who they take advice from on the Internet, but again, there is fantastic and reputable information to be found.

    It's not fair or objective by any means to call all "youtube" gunsmiths scary or dangerous. You just have to consider your source before you take advice.
     

    JohnnyE

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 18, 2013
    9,462
    MoCo
    I will never say that taking a class is not the best route for learning to build a firearm.

    However, there is great information from reputable sources on youtube/the Internet for just about anything that you need, but I will agree that there is a ton of garbage to sift through on a lot of topics. One has to be very particular about who they take advice from on the Internet, but again, there is fantastic and reputable information to be found.

    It's not fair or objective by any means to call all "youtube" gunsmiths scary or dangerous. You just have to consider your source before you take advice.

    Good thing there is no such ambiguity or outright confusion/conflict regarding how to deal with COVID. :innocent0

    Take Chad's build class. I did, and I'd do it all over again...and I think I probably will.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,815
    I will never say that taking a class is not the best route for learning to build a firearm.

    However, there is great information from reputable sources on youtube/the Internet for just about anything that you need, but I will agree that there is a ton of garbage to sift through on a lot of topics. One has to be very particular about who they take advice from on the Internet, but again, there is fantastic and reputable information to be found.

    It's not fair or objective by any means to call all "youtube" gunsmiths scary or dangerous. You just have to consider your source before you take advice.

    What you say may be true. The problem lies in how a first time, never built an AR before, new guy is capable of separating the wheat from the chaff? He can't. That's why you take a class if there is one at hand.
     

    Sarguy7777

    Kwitcherbitchin
    Feb 26, 2012
    29
    Odenton
    What you say may be true. The problem lies in how a first time, never built an AR before, new guy is capable of separating the wheat from the chaff? He can't. That's why you take a class if there is one at hand.

    Agreed. :thumbsup:

    To be clear, I'm not trying to start a big thing about whether a class is good or not, I completely agree that there is no better way to learn than to have an expert to bounce questions off of and get first hand experience from.

    My post was very specifically regarding the above opinions that generalize Internet gunsmiths as all being "scary." That's just not true.
     

    KIBarrister

    Opinionated Libertarian
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 10, 2013
    3,923
    Kent Island/Centreville
    opinions that generalize Internet gunsmiths as all being "scary." That's just not true.

    As a whole they are terribly frightening. Knowing who to listen to is difficult. Heck, things like castle nut staking and galvanic corrosion is this community’s version of the old amorphous solid debate from the early days of the internet (or mixing synthetic and conventional oil if you want a car analogy).

    It’s not the total morons that scare - their stupidity should be enough for the masses to weed them out - it is the ones that know just enough that they can be lost with reputable sources.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,597
    Glen Burnie
    Something to consider here. For a person who is mechanically inclined and adept, putting together an AR out of parts is not rocket science - it's very straightforward and everything makes sense when you break it down to what goes where and why.

    If someone does not have the basic mechanical sense to understand those concepts, then maybe they shouldn't try to build an AR. Diagnosing issues once the AR is together is a whole other thing, but there are plenty of resources to help a person to learn how to do a basic build.
     

    DaemonAssassin

    Why should we Free BSD?
    Jun 14, 2012
    23,970
    Political refugee in WV
    I will never say that taking a class is not the best route for learning to build a firearm.

    However, there is great information from reputable sources on youtube/the Internet for just about anything that you need, but I will agree that there is a ton of garbage to sift through on a lot of topics. One has to be very particular about who they take advice from on the Internet, but again, there is fantastic and reputable information to be found.

    It's not fair or objective by any means to call all "youtube" gunsmiths scary or dangerous. You just have to consider your source before you take advice.
    Agreed.

    To be clear, I'm not trying to start a big thing about whether a class is good or not, I completely agree that there is no better way to learn than to have an expert to bounce questions off of and get first hand experience from.

    My post was very specifically regarding the above opinions that generalize Internet gunsmiths as all being "scary." That's just not true.
    And yet you ignored the second part of my statement about people building guns after watching YouTube videos are even scarier.

    Have you ever had to fix a rifle for a friend that watched one of those hacks on YouTube? I have, numerous times, because they didn't listen to me on taking a class or letting me put it together.
     

    Sarguy7777

    Kwitcherbitchin
    Feb 26, 2012
    29
    Odenton
    Something to consider here. For a person who is mechanically inclined and adept, putting together an AR out of parts is not rocket science - it's very straightforward and everything makes sense when you break it down to what goes where and why.

    If someone does not have the basic mechanical sense to understand those concepts, then maybe they shouldn't try to build an AR. Diagnosing issues once the AR is together is a whole other thing, but there are plenty of resources to help a person to learn how to do a basic build.

    100%.

    Like you said, assembling an AR from parts is like a jigsaw puzzle; they only go one way. If you get a prebuilt upper with a properly headspaced BCG and barrel , the rest of the job is just bolt on parts.

    There are some great tips in this thread already for aligning the buffer tube properly and getting the castle nut tight which can be a B, but I didn't see anything about installing the bolt catch roll pin.

    PRO TIP: Do yourself a favor and USE MASKING TAPE all around the area, AND spend the money for some decent roll pin punches. :)
     

    Mr.Culper

    Active Member
    Jan 16, 2021
    858
    The training is only as good as the instructor,, weather it is in person, on video, or book form.

    There are plenty of guys that charge $1500-2500 for in person "Day trader" training,,,



    What you say may be true. The problem lies in how a first time, never built an AR before, new guy is capable of separating the wheat from the chaff? He can't. That's why you take a class if there is one at hand.
     

    Mr.Culper

    Active Member
    Jan 16, 2021
    858
    A great graphic artist with a box of crayons will work circles around a crappy artist with the latest $10,000 software package.

    Some people are NOT mechanically inclined,, some are. It is NOT something you can "learn"


    Something to consider here. For a person who is mechanically inclined and adept, putting together an AR out of parts is not rocket science - it's very straightforward and everything makes sense when you break it down to what goes where and why.

    If someone does not have the basic mechanical sense to understand those concepts, then maybe they shouldn't try to build an AR. Diagnosing issues once the AR is together is a whole other thing, but there are plenty of resources to help a person to learn how to do a basic build.
     

    Sarguy7777

    Kwitcherbitchin
    Feb 26, 2012
    29
    Odenton
    And yet you ignored the second part of my statement about people building guns after watching YouTube videos are even scarier.

    Have you ever had to fix a rifle for a friend that watched one of those hacks on YouTube? I have, numerous times, because they didn't listen to me on taking a class or letting me put it together.

    I'm not trying to start a squab, but I just prefer to read posts that sound like "Make sure that you get your information from Brownells, or a real gunsmith if you get it from the Internet," as opposed to "all Internet smiths are dumb and scary."

    I've learned a ton from some great online resources and refresh my memory using youtube all of the time.

    Again, classes are the standard, and people should seek out experts. Agreed. I just don't agree with discouraging everyone from using online resources is completely fair, that's all.

    To your second question, yes, I've had to fix some boo-boos. IMHO though, someone screwing up an AR build is not really that scary. Playing with files on a home trigger jobs is scary without real training.

    More scary scenarios than AR builds that I've recently dealt with:

    - The two dudes next to me at the indoor range last week trying to force another round into a 9mm handgun that had a squib that made it barely into the rifling. Whew...
    - Locked BCG/CH on an AR at the range. As you can guess, they shot a 5.56x45 round in a .223 chamber. I mortared it, and trained them.
    - Dude next to me asks for help (probably assumed that I know things because I have lots of stuff with me) because his rented 870 was jammed. He had loaded it backwards; brass first into the tube.
     

    DaemonAssassin

    Why should we Free BSD?
    Jun 14, 2012
    23,970
    Political refugee in WV
    I'm not trying to start a squab, but I just prefer to read posts that sound like "Make sure that you get your information from Brownells, or a real gunsmith if you get it from the Internet," as opposed to "all Internet smiths are dumb and scary."



    I've learned a ton from some great online resources and refresh my memory using youtube all of the time.



    Again, classes are the standard, and people should seek out experts. Agreed. I just don't agree with discouraging everyone from using online resources is completely fair, that's all.



    To your second question, yes, I've had to fix some boo-boos. IMHO though, someone screwing up an AR build is not really that scary. Playing with files on a home trigger jobs is scary without real training.



    More scary scenarios than AR builds that I've recently dealt with:



    - The two dudes next to me at the indoor range last week trying to force another round into a 9mm handgun that had a squib that made it barely into the rifling. Whew...

    - Locked BCG/CH on an AR at the range. As you can guess, they shot a 5.56x45 round in a .223 chamber. I mortared it, and trained them.

    - Dude next to me asks for help (probably assumed that I know things because I have lots of stuff with me) because his rented 870 was jammed. He had loaded it backwards; brass first into the tube.

    The 556 round in a AR is not a issue because the chamber on the AR is designed to handle the pressures of 223 and 556. If they were using steel case ammo, that is a different story. But if it was normal brass case factory ammo, they needed to check the OAL of the round, along with the headspace.

    People being stupid at the range with the other things is nothing new and it has been happening for years.
     

    Sarguy7777

    Kwitcherbitchin
    Feb 26, 2012
    29
    Odenton
    The 556 round in a AR is not a issue because the chamber on the AR is designed to handle the pressures of 223 and 556. If they were using steel case ammo, that is a different story. But if it was normal brass case factory ammo, they needed to check the OAL of the round, along with the headspace.

    People being stupid at the range with the other things is nothing new and it has been happening for years.

    Yup, people get real butthurt with the "pressure" debate between the two chamberings. To my knowledge there has never been a documented incident of a gun blowing up because of this. These dudes didn't realize that 5.56x45 nato and .223 rem. are even different cartridges. It just highlights people running out to do potentially dangerous activities without learning about what they are getting into.
     

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