Ok, so it's probably sacrilege to admit it, but I've never built an AR before (I just bought my first one not long ago, had to sell it now I've replaced it). I have a couple of questions...
1. Is there an advantage to building versus buying?
1a. Is it cheaper to build?
2. Do I need any special tools?
I want another one and I can't decide which way to go.
What's the advantage to building vs buying?
yes you will need barrel tools to completely assemble one from the ground up, cheaper to buy a palmetto kit, with the assembled upper and then watch a youtube video, and with minor garage tools put the lower together, a hammer and a few punches is all you need
if you piece meal it out you will spend twice what an entry level AR sells for, its like Legos for adults
if you piece meal it out you will spend twice what an entry level AR sells for, its like Legos for adults
IMO if you just want a range fuck around toy, lowest acceptable quality imo is just buying a sub $300 PSA AR.
If you want something for like home defense or if you actually use it for work, you'll probably want to buy a proven rifle or just build one from parts from reputable vendors.
If you want something for like home defense or if you actually use it for work, you'll probably want to buy a proven rifle or just build one from parts from reputable vendors.
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted."
-
SilentRecon
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Fri May 31, 2019 11:05 pm
Nothing wrong with building one but requires special tools if done right.
Plan on keeping it because they are hard to sell to anyone competent in the firearms industry. People are not looking for home built ARs unless they dont know better. Home builds have a reputation for a hodgepodge of cheap/mismatched parts put together by a "built not bought" master armor who previously installed a grip...once. the propensity for failure is a lot higher for home brews.
That is why legit manufactured rifles sell easy and home brews cross your fingers and say a prayer to sell anywhere near what you put into it.
IMO, get a quality full rifle or very least, upper and change rails or furniture to your liking.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Plan on keeping it because they are hard to sell to anyone competent in the firearms industry. People are not looking for home built ARs unless they dont know better. Home builds have a reputation for a hodgepodge of cheap/mismatched parts put together by a "built not bought" master armor who previously installed a grip...once. the propensity for failure is a lot higher for home brews.
That is why legit manufactured rifles sell easy and home brews cross your fingers and say a prayer to sell anywhere near what you put into it.
IMO, get a quality full rifle or very least, upper and change rails or furniture to your liking.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
IMHO, it's not that hard to learn to build one from scratch and the tools are not all that expensive. Once you build one you'll build more - very few people I have ever heard of who bought a barrel nut wrench only used it once and never again, and most mechanically inclined folks have a torque wrench and breaker bar already in their toolbox.
With the plethora of high-quality parts out there just a click or two away, you can build one from scratch exactly the way you want it. If you're into that kind of thing. Kind of like the difference between people who buy a plastic rotomolded kayak versus the people who build one out of cedar strips and epoxy. They both get the job done but the one you build is YOURS. But if you're not all that interested in building something from scratch investing time and money into researching the tools and techniques and suppliers of quality parts then you're probably better off buying one off the shelf.
I decided to build my first AR back when factory models were over $1,000. I was not comfortable building the upper so I bought a pre-built upper from Doublestar then put together the lower myself. As mentioned earlier, a quality set of roll pin punches and roll pin starters is key. The secret roll pin punch is the one for the bolt catch release pin - it has a flat side to it so you don't mess up your lower.
Since then I have assembled several uppers and lowers in different configurations to my liking. Some I have painted, some I left black. Some are long, some are short; some are 5.56, some are 300 BLK. Some are old-school, some are Han Solo blasters. The only people that are going to have their hands on them after me are my grandsons so I'm not really concerned about selling them. And with all the extra parts I've gathered over the years when those boys are old enough I will help them build their own first AR-15s - just the way THEY want them.
The internet and YouTube are full of everyone and their brother who'd like to tell you the best way to assemble an AR-15. My recommendation to anyone who is interested in building their own is to buy Scott Duff's book from Fulton Armory first and go from there. Reading that book several times before going on ARF.com will help you sort out the BS from the valid advice.
Bottom line if you're interested in building one go for it. If you think you're going to save money by building one yourself you're mistaken. But it is relatively easy to build yourself a high-quality rifle to your own specifications if you spend your time doing your research and are willing to invest in the proper tools. YMMV.
With the plethora of high-quality parts out there just a click or two away, you can build one from scratch exactly the way you want it. If you're into that kind of thing. Kind of like the difference between people who buy a plastic rotomolded kayak versus the people who build one out of cedar strips and epoxy. They both get the job done but the one you build is YOURS. But if you're not all that interested in building something from scratch investing time and money into researching the tools and techniques and suppliers of quality parts then you're probably better off buying one off the shelf.
I decided to build my first AR back when factory models were over $1,000. I was not comfortable building the upper so I bought a pre-built upper from Doublestar then put together the lower myself. As mentioned earlier, a quality set of roll pin punches and roll pin starters is key. The secret roll pin punch is the one for the bolt catch release pin - it has a flat side to it so you don't mess up your lower.
Since then I have assembled several uppers and lowers in different configurations to my liking. Some I have painted, some I left black. Some are long, some are short; some are 5.56, some are 300 BLK. Some are old-school, some are Han Solo blasters. The only people that are going to have their hands on them after me are my grandsons so I'm not really concerned about selling them. And with all the extra parts I've gathered over the years when those boys are old enough I will help them build their own first AR-15s - just the way THEY want them.
The internet and YouTube are full of everyone and their brother who'd like to tell you the best way to assemble an AR-15. My recommendation to anyone who is interested in building their own is to buy Scott Duff's book from Fulton Armory first and go from there. Reading that book several times before going on ARF.com will help you sort out the BS from the valid advice.
Bottom line if you're interested in building one go for it. If you think you're going to save money by building one yourself you're mistaken. But it is relatively easy to build yourself a high-quality rifle to your own specifications if you spend your time doing your research and are willing to invest in the proper tools. YMMV.
....and some rin up hill and down dale, knapping the chucky stanes to pieces wi' hammers, like sae mony road-makers run daft - they say it is to see how the warld was made!
Saint Ronan's Well - Sir Walter Scott, Bart. (1824)
Saint Ronan's Well - Sir Walter Scott, Bart. (1824)
The Lego comment is spot on. For a basic AR build, it's just plain assembly. I kinda laugh when people do the "Built not bought" thing, because building an AR takes very little skill. Building an AK however, is much much harder.
It's fun to build an AR, and I highly recommend it. You only need a couple special tools to do it right, many of which are likely borrowable from a buddy, and it's neat to be able to say that you've done it. My two year old has so far built three ARs, and PSA has offered him a job on the factory floor.
It's fun to build an AR, and I highly recommend it. You only need a couple special tools to do it right, many of which are likely borrowable from a buddy, and it's neat to be able to say that you've done it. My two year old has so far built three ARs, and PSA has offered him a job on the factory floor.
Legit fucking laughed out loud.
"The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted."
You dont "build" ARs.
You merely assemble a bunch of pre built parts that pretty much come from 3 or 4 places that provide AR parts.
At the lower end of things, there's not much difference between some hourly wage schmoe sitting at a work bench in a partitioned warehouse shop and a Shoney's employee sitting at home in his garage doing the same job.
You merely assemble a bunch of pre built parts that pretty much come from 3 or 4 places that provide AR parts.
At the lower end of things, there's not much difference between some hourly wage schmoe sitting at a work bench in a partitioned warehouse shop and a Shoney's employee sitting at home in his garage doing the same job.
Personally I like to build em up as a hobby. I love building em up w all the new technology that comes out. I’m always updating mine
1st Battalion/5th Marines
NRA Benefactor Lifetime Member
FSN Member Since 2009
NRA Benefactor Lifetime Member
FSN Member Since 2009
AR is like Legos
AK is like Blacksmithing
AK is like Blacksmithing