Building AR15

[Bountied]

I think the OP will fit in nicely here. His lack of spelling/grammar and angry replies are on par with the MDS community. I like him already.

 

[trickg]

Reasonably decent Md Legal AR are available complete under $1k . If not from one particular shop in Rockville , check the MDS Industry Partners , plus shops recommend to you here .

My original AR is a Del Ton HBAR mid length that I got as a rifle kit on sale because it was a blem - paid $269. It's the typical AR - rail top, A-frame front sight, etc. It was a rifle kit that came with a lower parts kit that I put into a lower I'd purchased previously, pre-FSA2013. The first optic I put on it was a Vortex Strikefire II that I got on sale at PSA for something like $129, so at that point I had about $460 into total.

I've since upgraded some things, but in it's original configuration, it was still a solid shooter - the worst thing was the heavy, gritty milspec trigger.

Do I trust it? Yep - I sure do. It falls right into that category you described above - reasonably decent MD Legal AR.

I've thrown some upgrades into it:

CMC 3.5 lb single stage trigger - on sale for $120
Midwest Industries quad rail - $125
Primary Arms 3x prims optic - offset cost (sold the Strikefire II) $160
P&S quad rail covers - $35

At this point I have $900 into it in total, which I'm ok with - I've done a lot of stuff to it to make sure it's what I want it to be, and doing those upgrades here and there was part of the fun for me.

 

[Biggfoot44]

My original AR is a Del Ton HBAR mid length that I got as a rifle kit on sale because it was a blem - paid $269. It's the typical AR - rail top, A-frame front sight, etc. It was a rifle kit that came with a lower parts kit that I put into a lower I'd purchased previously, pre-FSA2013. The first optic I put on it was a Vortex Strikefire II that I got on sale at PSA for something like $129, so at that point I had about $460 into total.

I've since upgraded some things, but in it's original configuration, it was still a solid shooter - the worst thing was the heavy, gritty milspec trigger.

Do I trust it? Yep - I sure do. It falls right into that category you described above - reasonably decent MD Legal AR.

I've thrown some upgrades into it:

CMC 3.5 lb single stage trigger - on sale for $120
Midwest Industries quad rail - $125
Primary Arms 3x prims optic - offset cost (sold the Strikefire II) $160
P&S quad rail covers - $35

At this point I have $900 into it in total, which I'm ok with - I've done a lot of stuff to it to make sure it's what I want it to be, and doing those upgrades here and there was part of the fun for me.

No doubt about that !

Building an AR is interesting , and at various points of recent history , had been able to do very inexpensive .

I was reacting to one of posts on first page , that in OP's visit to one LGS , he didn't see a Md Legal Complete AR-15 for under $2400 .

 

[paperwork351]

Gone are the days of a bag o' parts from Shotgun News.

 

[jrumann59]

If 90% of the gun is GTG you would only need to do minor upgrades to get what you want, like maybe the trigger or stock. YMMV

Yes but ultimately you paid twice for said part. Ultimately the main reason I build is to tailor it to be 100% of what parts and pieces I like. The good thing unless you need larger diameter handguard most have become rather cookie cutter and most do very little to distinguish them from other makers but....

 

[treasurehunter]

My original AR is a Del Ton HBAR mid length that I got as a rifle kit on sale because it was a blem - paid $269. It's the typical AR - rail top, A-frame front sight, etc. It was a rifle kit that came with a lower parts kit that I put into a lower I'd purchased previously, pre-FSA2013. The first optic I put on it was a Vortex Strikefire II that I got on sale at PSA for something like $129, so at that point I had about $460 into total.

I've since upgraded some things, but in it's original configuration, it was still a solid shooter - the worst thing was the heavy, gritty milspec trigger.

Do I trust it? Yep - I sure do. It falls right into that category you described above - reasonably decent MD Legal AR.

I've thrown some upgrades into it:

CMC 3.5 lb single stage trigger - on sale for $120
Midwest Industries quad rail - $125
Primary Arms 3x prims optic - offset cost (sold the Strikefire II) $160
P&S quad rail covers - $35

At this point I have $900 into it in total, which I'm ok with - I've done a lot of stuff to it to make sure it's what I want it to be, and doing those upgrades here and there was part of the fun for me.

Nice builds, Which barrels did you use?

 

[a117240]

Disclaimers - I haven't read complete thread ( but cought themes on first page ) . And I could have quoted snippets from multiple of your posts , but I'm lazy at the moment . So hear goes :

Are you making a project out of building the * Ultimate AR-15 , or do you just want a " nice , reliable , durable AR , capable of most things reasonably expected from an AR-15 ?
.
Reasonably decent Md Legal AR are available complete under $1k . If not from one particular shop in Rockville , check the MDS Industry Partners , plus shops recommend to you here .

There is a Yardstick of Maryland Legal AR-15 quality & value , the Windom HBC .

[ Yardstick Refresher - If X gun costs y% more than an HBC , there needs to be objective reasons why it's y% better . Or if it's 90% as good as HBC for 80% price , it's probably a good value , etc .]

Thank you for replying,
I liked the yardstick equation.

 

[trickg]

Nice builds, Which barrels did you use?

On the twins, both are HBAR - one is a Faxon, the other is a Ballistic Advantage - I think they are both 1:7 twist.

 

[a117240]

On the twins, both are HBAR - one is a Faxon, the other is a Ballistic Advantage - I think they are both 1:7 twist.

Seems like they're 1:8 twist but not much difference

 

[trickg]

Seems like they're 1:8 twist but not much different.

No - both are 1:7 twist. If I tell you what twist rate they are, I'm usually pretty certain considering that I'm the one who actually parted them out and built them.

 

[Bountied]

Yes but ultimately you paid twice for said part. Ultimately the main reason I build is to tailor it to be 100% of what parts and pieces I like. The good thing unless you need larger diameter handguard most have become rather cookie cutter and most do very little to distinguish them from other makers but....

Depends on what you are replacing. If all you need is a better trigger, a mil spec trigger group is about $30 and you could donate or sell for $10. That will be the first upgrade. All the other stuff you should be able to get right on your first go round. If you plan to replace a bunch of stuff you probably shouldn't buy that complete rifle. It's hard to sell take offs after market so you usually end up with a parts box full of stuff you don't want. If all you do is replace the trigger and maybe the stock it would be a lot easier to buy a complete rifle. Considering the OP has no tools or experience building an AR it is my opinion to buy a complete rifle figure out what you like and then do a build after you have the knowledge of what goes into building a ground up AR. I bought my first rifle complete, a DPMS MK12 and it's not even close to what it started out as. I converted it into a piston rifle with Samson conversion but in doing so I acquired the tools and the skills to start building my own to suit my needs. My first complete build was a 20" target rifle DMR setup around a White Oak barrel.

Also I think building the lower to suit and getting a complete upper that is head spaced is a good idea as well. You don't need near as many tools to do the lower, then you get the trigger you want, stock etc. The uppers are pretty easy to find exactly what you want already built and just slap it on the lower. If you do the lower make sure to buy three times the amount of springs and detents you need. The first time you install the take down pins is an adventure.

 

[trickg]

Also I think building the lower to suit and getting a complete upper that is head spaced is a good idea as well. You don't need near as many tools to do the lower, then you get the trigger you want, stock etc. The uppers are pretty easy to find exactly what you want already built and just slap it on the lower. If you do the lower make sure to buy three times the amount of springs and detents you need. The first time you install the take down pins is an adventure.

I wonder sometimes if headspace is even checked on some of the completed uppers a person can buy. Because of the way the AR goes together, it either has proper headspace or it doesn't - it's not something that can be adjusted like it can be on a bolt gun, so if headspace is an issue, about the only thing a person can do is try a different bolt/bolt carrier group, or replace the barrel. At least that's my understanding of it.

 

[Bountied]

I wonder sometimes if headspace is even checked on some of the completed uppers a person can buy. Because of the way the AR goes together, it either has proper headspace or it doesn't - it's not something that can be adjusted like it can be on a bolt gun, so if headspace is an issue, about the only thing a person can do is try a different bolt/bolt carrier group, or replace the barrel. At least that's my understanding of it.

I agree I think a new bolt would be the easiest option to replace. It's good to check just in case and the gauges aren't super expensive. I'd hope it was checked before leaving the factory though.

 

[trickg]

I agree I think a new bolt would be the easiest option to replace. It's good to check just in case and the gauges aren't super expensive. I'd hope it was checked before leaving the factory though.

Not only are gauges not super expensive, they're super smart to have IMO. I have two sets - one each specifically marked as 5.56 and 223. In practice they both seem to be function the same but ultimately I want to use the gauges that are specific to the chamber I'm checking.

The one gauge I have not yet picked up is a field gauge - not sure how important that one would be given the GO/NO-GO seems to do what I need them to do.

 

[Bountied]

Not only are gauges not super expensive, they're super smart to have IMO. I have two sets - one each specifically marked as 5.56 and 223. In practice they both seem to be function the same but ultimately I want to use the gauges that are specific to the chamber I'm checking.

The one gauge I have not yet picked up is a field gauge - not sure how important that one would be given the GO/NO-GO seems to do what I need them to do.

Yeah, I only have Go/NO-Gauges unless it was a set that came with the field gauge. When I do a complete upper build I get the gauges for that caliber so I know I got it right.

 

[jrumann59]

I wonder sometimes if headspace is even checked on some of the completed uppers a person can buy. Because of the way the AR goes together, it either has proper headspace or it doesn't - it's not something that can be adjusted like it can be on a bolt gun, so if headspace is an issue, about the only thing a person can do is try a different bolt/bolt carrier group, or replace the barrel. At least that's my understanding of it.

Headspace at the factory may be good with the bolt(s) they are using but may be out spec with another bolt that person bought separately or the bolt the manufacturer threw in there after complete assembly.