Hey all. I'm in the process of designing and acquiring the parts to build at least one AR-15, maybe two depending on what's left at the gun show tomorrow and I wanted to start a project thread to keep track of the decisions / process and get some feedback on the directions I'm considering. I've never owned an AR before so I hope I can help other novice builders by posting the resources and so on I find.
Disclaimer: I'm depending on the advice of a few well respected people, the books and videos I've purchased and my own "collector" mentality which may lean more in the direction of style and design than pure functionality. I have a wicked addiction to artistic style in everything from cars, architecture, computers to weapons. That's probably important to get out there for anyone using my project log as reference.
Planning Phase:
I wanted to build a long range / high accuracy AR and planned to use a Beretta CX-4 as my CQ Carbine with my Beretta PX-4 9mm serving as my " use while I maneuver to the Carbine" weapon. I really like the Beretta carbine in terms of design and function but the more I research the AR-15 platform and history the more I find myself leaning towards building a second Carbine configured AR-15.
I have more research to do on that, especially legal barrel length and so on in TX. I decided to take the time to do some research, learn the history of the weapon and as much technical detail as possible on the seemingly endless options available in a custom built AR.
Step one was to get a lower right now in case of quick legislation following an unfortunate Obama election. I found a decent comparison article on another site which detailed the source manufacturers for lowers and the vendors they distribute to. Rather than post to another forum I'm going to recreate that comparison in this thread and update it. I'll do this in another post in the thread dedicated to lowers.
I came down to a DPMS or a Rock River Arms lower. I went with the RRA one despite being more expensive based on slightly better reviews across several AR sites and the RRA lower seeming to offer a more "detailed" fit and finish according to my admitted novice vision.
The next design steps are more of the "big picture" choices which determine my next set of purchases. I've been checking out various custom rifle builders to try and gain inspiration and ideas. I hope to build a solid rifle which will be configured in such as way as to be easy to upgrade with the high end custom parts and configuration choices, some now and some later. I also plan to design and machine some parts in order to get the level of style and performance I want, hopefully with some cost savings. The possibility of getting a manufacturer's FFL is a subject of current research as well.
Right now I'm quite taken with Noveske custom rifles. http://www.noveskerifleworks.com/ The finished rifles and even the parts are very expensive but I like the overall look of the weapons and will be researching the performance impact and ways to achieve a similar styling at a lower cost, (if possible).
Next post will be on lowers....
Disclaimer: I'm depending on the advice of a few well respected people, the books and videos I've purchased and my own "collector" mentality which may lean more in the direction of style and design than pure functionality. I have a wicked addiction to artistic style in everything from cars, architecture, computers to weapons. That's probably important to get out there for anyone using my project log as reference.
Planning Phase:
I wanted to build a long range / high accuracy AR and planned to use a Beretta CX-4 as my CQ Carbine with my Beretta PX-4 9mm serving as my " use while I maneuver to the Carbine" weapon. I really like the Beretta carbine in terms of design and function but the more I research the AR-15 platform and history the more I find myself leaning towards building a second Carbine configured AR-15.
I have more research to do on that, especially legal barrel length and so on in TX. I decided to take the time to do some research, learn the history of the weapon and as much technical detail as possible on the seemingly endless options available in a custom built AR.
Step one was to get a lower right now in case of quick legislation following an unfortunate Obama election. I found a decent comparison article on another site which detailed the source manufacturers for lowers and the vendors they distribute to. Rather than post to another forum I'm going to recreate that comparison in this thread and update it. I'll do this in another post in the thread dedicated to lowers.
I came down to a DPMS or a Rock River Arms lower. I went with the RRA one despite being more expensive based on slightly better reviews across several AR sites and the RRA lower seeming to offer a more "detailed" fit and finish according to my admitted novice vision.
The next design steps are more of the "big picture" choices which determine my next set of purchases. I've been checking out various custom rifle builders to try and gain inspiration and ideas. I hope to build a solid rifle which will be configured in such as way as to be easy to upgrade with the high end custom parts and configuration choices, some now and some later. I also plan to design and machine some parts in order to get the level of style and performance I want, hopefully with some cost savings. The possibility of getting a manufacturer's FFL is a subject of current research as well.
Right now I'm quite taken with Noveske custom rifles. http://www.noveskerifleworks.com/ The finished rifles and even the parts are very expensive but I like the overall look of the weapons and will be researching the performance impact and ways to achieve a similar styling at a lower cost, (if possible).
Next post will be on lowers....