Finished building my AR-15 [off-season]

[Bridgeburner]

I've always though about building an AR. Not sure I know enough about them and/or am handy enough to do that though.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

I've always though about building an AR. Not sure I know enough about them and/or am handy enough to do that though.

You should go for it, it's quite easy. Just buy a stripped lower and figure it out from there. That's what I did and I had no knowledge of ARs but I wanted to get one while they were still relatively cheap -- but I didn't have $1200 to drop on a gun at the time. It's great to build it yourself because you can buy $50-$200 parts one at a time and build it slowly. In addition, you get to know the inner workings of your firearm so you can upgrade or fix it when it breaks.

I just (last year) built the lower and then you can order any upper you want online. The upper is the harder part to build.

Once you do that, then you just plop on an upper on with a bolt carrier group:

And you've got yourself a fully functional firearm:

Here's the video I suggest looking at:

 

[Caynine29]

That is the pic, brosef.

For some reason, it's not showing up on your original post. Admittedly, I thought it was just me. Lol.

 

[Caynine29]

I've got a Smith & Wesson M&P Sport 15 that I've added a few bits to.

Magpul MOE grip
AIM Sports carbine length rail system
Vertical foregrip
Lucid HD7 Red Dot
Nitecore P20 flashlight

I am thinking about getting a new upper for it, (admittedly for aesthetic reasons) as the Sport model doesn't come with a fwd assist, or dust cover... but, I gotta get my new pistol first. "Taxmas" can't come soon enough.

 

[Erie Warrior]

You can get a stripped upper for around $40, another $15-20 for the Forward assist and dust cover. Just swap it out.

A4 Stripped Upper Receiver with T-Marks

 

[Erie Warrior]

Adams Arms Base piston upper.
Yankee Hill Machine lower.
Magpul mid-length handguard, MOE stock, and MOE grip: all in flat dark earth.
Single-point sling adapter.
Magpul 45-degree offset pop-up sights.
Primary Arms fixed 2.5x illuminated reticle scope.

What's your favorite firearm?

Sounds nice. I can't see it.

I finished a lower tonight.

 

[JuiceTheGator]

Here's my Sbr and a few others I have ET.

That looks comfortable. The 7.5" or so barrel looks right.

I want - but have money and no time to put together something I'll shoot twice per year. What am I looking at there??

I see lots of others out there but don't know what's quality and what's commodity?

Black Rain Ordnance 7.5" AR15 Factory SBR 5.56

 

[Bridgeburner]

MAIZE... you may have just found me a new hobby...

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

MAIZE... you may have just found me a new hobby...

It's super easy. The worst that can happen is you might scratch your lower. I just used some electrical tape to make sure I didn't.

 

[Erie Warrior]

MAIZE... you may have just found me a new hobby...

Just be careful, its addicting.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

Just be careful, its addicting.

Yup. And they're constantly coming out with new things to throw on it or swap out....it can get really expensive if you let it.

 

[ElTexan]

You owe us a pic!

 

[Tomhusker]

I need to decide between a polymer or steel lower. Opinions anyone?

 

[bamabear82]

I need to decide between a polymer or steel lower. Opinions anyone?

There was a time where I would tend to shy away from them. Having said that, they've come a long way in the polymer/carbon fiber industry over the last few years. The Bushmaster I recently bought has a carbon fiber upper & lower on it, I just had to see what the damn thing could do so I bought one. I've only shot 500-600 rounds out of it but so far I like the fuck out of it. I reckon they had some problems with the very first edition they came out with before introducing the fiber into the mix. It's lighter and, so far, seems pretty damn durable. Really, the biggest draw back that I've heard lately is that they get more brittle in extreme cold situations, which is something this Bama boy doesn't have to worry too much about. After all that, I'm still going all aluminum upper and lower with the Spikes Tactical I'm building, just feel better deep down about it.

 

[Tomhusker]

Thanks. The cold is something I have to consider.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

I need to decide between a polymer or steel lower. Opinions anyone?

Don't get polymer. Just not worth it. Any minor weight loss you get out of the polymer is not worth the loss in rigidity and strength from a metal lower; and I think most lowers are aluminum -- not steel. Last thing you want to worry about is your lower cracking.

Something you have to consider is that the lower IS the gun. That's the piece you want to last forever. You can always replace the other stuff...you may not always be able to replace that.

 

[Caynine29]

Finally finished work on mine, for the most part. Might switch to an angled foregrip/handstop and add a pressure switch for the light. But my bills are telling me to give it a rest, for now. Lol.

Smith and Wesson M&P 15 Lower.
Aero Precision Upper.
10" Midwest Industries T Series (Gen 2) One-Piece Free Float Quad Rail.
Lucid HD7 Gen III Red Dot
Magpul MOE Grip
GG&G Vertical Foregrip
Magpul MOE Carbine Stock
Magpul MBUS Front & Rear Sights
Nitecore P20 Flashlight (w/strobe)

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

Finally finished work on mine, for the most part. Might switch to an angled foregrip/handstop and add a pressure switch for the light. But my bills are telling me to give it a rest, for now. Lol.

Smith and Wesson M&P 15 Lower.
Aero Precision Upper.
10" Midwest Industries T Series (Gen 2) One-Piece Free Float Quad Rail.
Lucid HD7 Gen III Red Dot
Magpul MOE Grip
GG&G Vertical Foregrip
Magpul MOE Carbine Stock
Magpul MBUS Front & Rear Sights
Nitecore P20 Flashlight (w/strobe)

I really like the look of the quad rails, I usually just find them to be way too heavy.

 

[Caynine29]

Compared to those Magpul handguards, absolutely. The MI rail is actually about 3 to 4 oz. heavier.

I kinda cheaped out on my last rail system, though. It felt like it was molded from a block of lead. Lol. So this one is actually a bit lighter than what I'm used to. Plus, it's slimmer than a standard quad rail. So it's also a lot more comfortable in my hand.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

Compared to those Magpul handguards, absolutely. The MI rail is actually about 3 to 4 oz. heavier.

I kinda cheaped out on my last rail system, though. It felt like it was molded from a block of lead. Lol. So this one is actually a bit lighter than what I'm used to. Plus, it's slimmer than a standard quad rail. So it's also a lot more comfortable in my hand.

I've been looking at some of those real thin free-float hand guards that are circular but have the little key-holes in them to mount rails where you want them. I'm just not sure how much trouble it would be to put them on given I have a mock-dissipator upper. I'd have to take the front sight off, which sounds like a lot of work.