AR-15... I THINK IT'S TIME

[ElTexan]

Adams Arms piston upper all the way. Cheap, reliable. Done.

 

[Bridgeburner]

I would think it would need serialized but from what I can tell it doesn't. Just found that surprising.

From what I can tell you need a drill press/jig set or a router/jig set and you are good to go. Seems to take about an hour to do if you can believe the YouTube videos.

 

[BigRedMoe]

Training is imperative en sech.... but look at this beautiful short barrel M4!

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

What the difference between carbine and midlength and something else... can't remember what I read.

Most shooters tend to agree that the medium gas system is the "sweet spot" so to say, especially for 16'' barrels. Some people will tell you the carbine length runs hard and dirtier in comparison. You won't really get into rifle length until you hit 18'' and 20''+ barrels. That would be like what the original M16's had.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

And now I've discovered 80% lowers!

Can you really build and entire AR-15 without an FFL transfer?

Problem with them is that they're sketchy if you ever want to sell the gun. Some states also don't allow them legally. But at a federal level it's perfectly legal to create your own firearm from scratch and the government considers any gun receiver 81%+ to be a usable firearm. But an 80% is just a hunk of metal to them. There's just a bunch of weird rules surrounding it. I find it just easier and less of a hassle to buy one. You know it's within spec, there's no problem selling it down the line and if you do get questioned about it there's really nothing to answer.

Plus, if you buy a fully completed receiver and AR15's or "assault weapons" are banned down the line, you've just landed into a money pot. Your receiver will jump from a $60 item to a $10,000+ item.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

Training is imperative en sech.... but look at this beautiful short barrel M4!

View attachment 82297

I really dig that handguard. I wonder if they offer that for sale or if it was a custom thing? That would look slick full length.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Problem with them is that they're sketchy if you ever want to sell the gun. Some states also don't allow them legally. But at a federal level it's perfectly legal to create your own firearm from scratch and the government considers any gun receiver 81%+ to be a usable firearm. But an 80% is just a hunk of metal to them. There's just a bunch of weird rules surrounding it. I find it just easier and less of a hassle to buy one. You know it's within spec, there's no problem selling it down the line and if you do get questioned about it there's really nothing to answer.

Plus, if you buy a fully completed receiver and AR15's or "assault weapons" are banned down the line, you've just landed into a money pot. Your receiver will jump from a $60 item to a $10,000+ item.

it just doesn't make sense to me other than "avoiding any recording of you having it". These unfinished lowers cost more than the finished ones lol. Shouldn't they be 80% of the cost of a finished one? Haha.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

it just doesn't make sense to me other than "avoiding any recording of you having it". These unfinished lowers cost more than the finished ones lol. Shouldn't they be 80% of the cost of a finished one? Haha.

I think a lot of people do it because they can -- it's a "stick it to the government" mentality. I would guess a lot of people who might not be able to get a gun through an FFL would use this method as well. IMO, just not worth the hassle. I'd much rather get something official, have it be to spec and be able to easily sell it down the road. Like I said, if some form of an assault weapons ban ever gets passed, the lower will jump massively in price. That's what happened last time. I've actually been looking at buying another lower as just an investment. It's $60 and can be used in the mean time and has the potential to shoot up in price.

 

[Bridgeburner]

In the event of an assault weapon ban would you still be able to buy uppers to go with the lower you already had?

 

[BigRedMoe]

I really dig that handguard. I wonder if they offer that for sale or if it was a custom thing? That would look slick full length.

I'm thinking that's gotta be custom furniture. But if my interwebz browsing for such a line of products is fruitful, I'll let you know.

 

[ElTexan]

piston. upper. cheap. no need to buy a dirty gun to save $$.

https://www.westernsport.com/product/adams-arms-16-carbine-5-56-piston-upperw-magpul-moe-gaurd/

 

[bamabear82]

piston. upper. cheap. no need to buy a dirty gun to save $$.

Adams Arms Carbine Upper AA-UA-16-C-556-MAG440

My biggest problem with piston AR's is they're not typically mil spec so anything you do to it parts wise usually has to come from the same company that manufactured it vs. having almost unlimited possibilities for direct impingement AR's. Although probably not enough to make that much of a difference, the recoil is a little worse on piston AR's too. I do like the fact they run a lot cooler and cleaner though (I still clean everything I shoot when I'm done whether it's that dirty or not anyway).

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

piston. upper. cheap. no need to buy a dirty gun to save $$.

Adams Arms Carbine Upper AA-UA-16-C-556-MAG440

Not worth the hassle of custom parts. They're neat, but from what I've seen and read from torture tests and such -- it's just not worth it. At best, you're just making your gun a little easier to clean. There are just so many parts and uppers for DGI systems that if something does break it's just far easier to fix. That alone is worth not spending the extra money on something like that.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Had a friend build me one for around $600. One of the most reliable guns that I own. Sum bech cycles .223 & 5.56 without skipping a beat. I can load mixed magazines without any issues. About to slap a reflex sight on it. Have my eyes on one for around $150.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Optics are beyond me. Never interfaced with one save for a Red Dot on a cross bow once. But that's a ways down the road. I'll need some quality time with my iron sights before I delve into any of that.

 

[bamabear82]

Optics are beyond me. Never interfaced with one save for a Red Dot on a cross bow once. But that's a ways down the road. I'll need some quality time with my iron sights before I delve into any of that.

If you decide to go with a scope, I highly recommend checking out Nikon's stuff. Not gonna beat the quality for the price. Got one on my AR and 770 and literally wouldn't trade either one for a Leupold (which is double the price).

 

[Bridgeburner]

I'll keep that in mind man. Thanks.

 

[Groo]

Start with a basic platform. Then decide what to modify