Gonna give it a go

A

abber

New member
This has probably been gone over before. Feel free to direct me to earlier threads. That said, here is my plan so far.... I would like to build an AR from the ground up. I will take care of determining CA approvals, wherever needed. It is going to be a .223 caliber, but beyond that, I really know almost nothing about the proverbial "black gun". I guess what I am looking for, mainly, is names of parts manufacturers, and what you all would recommend and not recommend from them. I know there are too many to do this in a highly comprehensive manner, so I really am just trying to get a good feel for what I am about to embark on, and get possible parts resources.

Once I have a pretty good breakdown of what I need, I'll be off and running. There seems to be ample instructional material on the web, and I have pretty strong mechanical abilities, as well as access to a machine shop.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.:D
 
Your first challenge is to find a stripped lower receiver. Fortunately, many California gun store owners have grown some balls and are no longer frightened of the DOJ. Stripped receivers are not as hard to find as they used to be.

All the components, tools and tutorials needed to build an AR can be found on the web. I recommend you use a bullet button and 10 round magazine. Doing so allows you to build your rifle with a wide range of features/options.

Be warned. Building ARs is like eating potato chips - you can't have just one.
 
Plan your build and try to stick to it. Sometimes the parts manufacturer you want might not be in stock so have back up choice. For example, I wanted a BCM 20" 1 in 7 twist barrel, BCM is out of stock until at least summer time so I had to look for another source.

I watch these series of videos by gavintoobe for my build.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS5-_fRdkeA

Also here's a lower parts list and assembly guide from AR15.com
http://www.ar15.com/content/guides/assembly/lower/#pistolGrip

As far as manufacturers, take a look at BCM, PSA, Daniel Defense, YHM, Spikes Tactical, DPMS, Stag Arms, RRA, Delton, or Armalite. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. You just need to pick out the parts that you want and look to see who has them.

Good luck with your build.
 
I've been going through the same thing. Good idea is figure out what you want it to do and plan your build from there; to your budget. Here is what I got so far (picked up at a gunshow):

Spikes tactical stripped lower (I wanted the skull and crossed sabers)
Rainier arms billet upper
Pws enhanced buffer tube
CTR stock
BAD lever
LMT BCG
Some generic charging handle

The stuff I'm planning on getting:

Superior barrels dexa 16" hard blue barrel
Kies 12" milled quad rail
Spikes enhanced LPK (going to give the FCG to my aunt for her bushy)
Giesselle 3 gun trigger
Falcon industries ergo grip
Diamondhead front & rear flip up combat sights
Kies adjustable gas block or a spikes low pro gas block. I just found out about the kies so I want to look more into it before I get it.
And either a battlecomp 2.0 or a PWS FSC
 
Thanks guys. Just the kind of info I want. I didn't know that stripped lowers were hard to find, because my local FFL has about 10 of them available (not sure what kind though). Are there any brands to stay away from? Should I look for all mil-spec components, or does it make any significant difference?

Again, thanks for all the info. You guys help me all the time.
 
I would stay away from Hesse, Vulcan, Blackthorne (same company under different names) and plastic lowers. If your dealer sells stripped uppers, consider buying the upper and lower as a set. You can make sure the upper and lower fit well together and are not sloppy loose.
 
What are you doing with the gun? Some parts may not matter ad much as orhers, or you may totally not want. There's no such thing as a milspec free floated handguard. Or a milspec match grade barrel. Also, giesselle and timbey triggers arn't milspec. A colt LPK (which is the only truly "milspec" lpk I'm aware of) cost $200. While a decent lpk will only cost you about $100. Is it worth $200? Well thats up to you. A milspec trigger wont be a match trigger.

I've read a lot of bad stuff about DPMS lpks either having wrong sized pins or missing springs. RRA is supposed to have decent triggers. I'm getting a spikes because I'm using a spikes lower and (hopefully) it'll all match up. I wanted to use a G&R tactical lpk, but he still hasn't replied back and I have no idea when he'll get more in stock.

You'll probably want a milspec buffer assembly, because you have more buttstock options. The non milspec are slightly larger.

I just want to add, I am not an expert. I'm still building my first AR. I've used colt in the army for 8 years and thought all AR's performed and were like that. I had no idea about the different coating, treatments, barrels...etc until a month or so when I started my build and waded off into the deepend. I'm trying to attack this thing one hill at a time.

I think my biggest mistake so far has been getting a milled upper with a forged lower. There's a lip where they join and I kinda wish I'd of gotten a matching set. But this might work out to my advantage, I might be able to convince the wife later that I "need" a new lower to match my upper and then, " oh well I have this extra lower laying around...might as well get an upper for it..."
 
I think my biggest mistake so far has been getting a milled upper with a forged lower. There's a lip where they join and I kinda wish I'd of gotten a matching set. But this might work out to my advantage, I might be able to convince the wife later that I "need" a new lower to match my upper and then, " oh well I have this extra lower laying around...might as well get an upper for it..."
Click to expand...

That's common with a billet upper on a forged lower. Now you need to buy a forged upper AND a billet lower.:D

For a first time builder you have done your homework and have the mil-spec non-sense down.

Check out the ArmaLite LPK's. The two stage trigger LPK is a bargain, the ArmaLite two stage is one of the best you can buy. Very robust and user adjustable.
 
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