[junho806]

cactustactical.com has pretty good prices

i'm planning on buying:
DPMS AR-15 Stripped Lower Receiver $109.99
AR-15 Lower Receiver Parts Kit $60.99
M4 Style Complete Butt Stock Kit $69.99
for a total of $240.97

JD asked me to post this on this thread
i'll post some pics when its finished

-Josh

[Dgunsmith]

lowers are lowers to a certain extent....most are reverse engineered and NOT Mil-spec as the manufacturers do not have the Army Tech Date Pack or original prints....BUT as Dillinger points out, they are functional and hi reliability parts IF properly assembled.

IF you want a precision AR upper and lower made exactly to the Mil Spec, Les Baer is the only making them to spec..no plus or minus tolerences...and you must expect to pay more for such precision work.

Is it needed..NO.

The most important factor in AR builds is free floating the barrel AND the Barrel. For precision, it IS NOT chrome lined..only needed for machinegun barrels.

Choose the rate of twist to be mission specific for the bullets you intend to use. My best all around experience is with a 1 in 8 rate of twist.

Varminters...look at Pacnor or Kreiger for performance barrels.

Get/use/borrow the proper tools to do the assembly and you will have years of fun !

[junho806]

Originally Posted by Dgunsmith

lowers are lowers to a certain extent....most are reverse engineered and NOT Mil-spec as the manufacturers do not have the Army Tech Date Pack or original prints....BUT as Dillinger points out, they are functional and hi reliability parts IF properly assembled.

IF you want a precision AR upper and lower made exactly to the Mil Spec, Les Baer is the only making them to spec..no plus or minus tolerences...and you must expect to pay more for such precision work.

Is it needed..NO.

The most important factor in AR builds is free floating the barrel AND the Barrel. For precision, it IS NOT chrome lined..only needed for machinegun barrels.

Choose the rate of twist to be mission specific for the bullets you intend to use. My best all around experience is with a 1 in 8 rate of twist.

Varminters...look at Pacnor or Kreiger for performance barrels.

Get/use/borrow the proper tools to do the assembly and you will have years of fun !

concerning the upper and the barrel would it be better to buy both pre-assembled and together?

[Dillinger]

Originally Posted by junho806

concerning the upper and the barrel would it be better to buy both pre-assembled and together?

How much do you want to spend? You can do it either way. A complete upper is going to cost more, pre-assembled, but it certainly will be less than a complete pre-assembled gun.

JD

[junho806]

Originally Posted by Dillinger

How much do you want to spend? You can do it either way. A complete upper is going to cost more, pre-assembled, but it certainly will be less than a complete pre-assembled gun.

JD

I think i might just build it myself
so i would need to get:
stripped uppper w/parts kit
bolt assembly
barrel
free floating guard
correct?

and the gun show is in town at the end of august
would it be wise to wait until then and check it out and get some parts there?
-Josh

[junho806]

Originally Posted by slowryde45

By 'stripped upper' are you referring to an upper receiver that does not have the forward assist or the ejection port cover installed? If so, you can probably find them that way, but not sure if I would bother for the difference in price. Unless of course you want to build everything for the experience. You can find "complete" uppers (less the bolt carrier assy and charging handle) for under $100.

By the way, add that to your shopping list, too. Charging handle assy, front and rear sights (if you are going with a Flat Top receiver), if you are going for the A2 style with built in handle you will need to look at A1 or A2 sight assemblies if you are buying it "stripped".

A good bet is to pick up a book that shows an AR in exploded view to see all the parts that are required to put one together. You can buy one of the many that are out there, or go to a gun shop and pick up a Bushmaster/RRA/Stag catalog and look in them. They normally have a page that shows a complete exploded schematic with part names and where they go.

Good luck,
Slo

thanks for the tips
i might just go complete upper
i was gonna go flat top and add a detachable handle
i wanted to get a complete upper with barrel because i didn't have the vice and the block you needed to install the barrel

[Dillinger]

Try Google Images, they have a couple, but they shrink down after you open them, or try to link them. You might be able to print it directly though. That might help with the shopping.

The tools are pretty cheap, and worth having in my opinion, but if you only ever plan on doing it once, then you probably don't need them for a one time shot.

I think slow was refering to an upper with the basic parts installed, I don't think that he meant you could get a full upper for around a $100.

The upper is a little trickier than the lower, because of the barrel, the headspace and the gas tube. If you don't have access to the tools, and/or a smith to assist should you get yourself into a bind, or have a serious question, it might be better off to go with a complete upper.

The gun show is a good place to shop for bargains, especially if you have cash in hand. It's always a good place to find a deal if you have a some green you can show them.

Good luck!

JD

[junho806]

thanks all for the info
ok last question
what exactly do i need tool wise?

[Dillinger]

This is a great and useful tool to have in the drawer. It's not super necessary on the lower, but it's useful.

You'll need this if you want to attach a collapsible stock correctly.

This is nice to have, holds the lower end while you install parts, but is not necessary.

This is nice to have as well, for the upper end, but isn't necessary if you plan on buying a put together upper.

The rest is a screw driver, flathead, or a hex if you change the handle bolt out. A punch set is nice, for the pins, along with a synthetic hammer of light weight.

Everything I have done so far has been done with just those three basic tools, though I did buy both vise blocks as part of a kit that doesn't seem to be offered anymore. The lower receiver vise block came in really handy the first time I built one, because was solid and stable and wasn't going anywhere on me. I can do it now all with my hands for the lower, so it's not necessary. Tightening the stock to the receiver is a bit difficult without it though. Just a thought.

JD

[junho806]

isnt the wrench for the collapsible stock included in the multi tool?