some more ar questions

K

kealil

New member
hello again all!!

i am back with some progress on my ar adventure as well as more questions. I have decided to eat some extra cost and build my own ar from the ground up. i have decided on a spikes tactical stripped lower because i have heard good things about spikes. i am almost positive about getting a dpms lpk and a magpul buttstock.

so onto my questions.
first of all, what parts in the ar are caliber specific? i know the magazine is and the barrel of course but what else is specific?
next up, can i use a barrel for 223/556 with a 22lr conversion kit with success? would it be better if i got an entire new upper for 22lr?

i know these are probably stupid questions but im slowly learning.

also, i have yet decided on an upper. this is mostly due to my previous questions but any suggestions would be appreciated!

thank you
 
Well then. Since you are up for extra cash...Don't skimp on the upper if you can.

Here are a couple options...
Quality, and economy: Smith and Wesson M&P15 Upper of your choice. (Mine is excellent, but far from the best out there.)

Excellent choices: (No particular order)
Primary Weapon Systems (These are great. Piston driven, no direct gas impingement)
Noveske (One of the best)
Brave Company USA
Knights Armament

To answer the rest, I have owned a Magpul MOE Stock. I recently switched to the Magpul ACS Stock. Highly recommended. Better cheek weld, and a little toy storage!!

Parts: most of the parts kits out there are .223/5.56 mm. The DPMS parts kit is good, but I would get a different trigger. (Budget dependent) Timney, Geisellle are great choices. Depending on what upper you get, you may need flip up sights. Magpul and troy shine here.

I would recommend you think about a dedicated .22LR upper. .22 ammunition is dirty, and can foul your AR gas system very easily. Sure it costs more, but my 2 cents.

If you can afford it, pay for better gear up front. Not cheap gear now, good gear again later.

Check out the Brownell's AR15 builder here: http://www.ar15builder.com/

Some of the parts can be found cheaper elsewhere, but a great build toy.

Enjoy...
 
Thats a cool site to build your AR. I've been looking to get one, probably this summer, and there are just so many options. How do you build a product you know will absolutely perform? I've always been skeptical on ar's due to jamming issues. I don't know if they can ever live up to the AK's reliability. My WASR 10 ak, over 2000 rounds, 0 jams or misfires.
 
I've always been skeptical on ar's due to jamming issues.
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Get a quality AR and this is not an issue. Do they jam, sure. All guns malfunction at some point.

My Smith and Wesson M&P15 is stock as far as reliability goes. Original barrel, bolt, and all Pmags. It has never malfunctioned. I have never run steel cased ammo through it, but it has fed everything from Hornady Tap, to PMC, XM193 Ball, handloads of various versions, and a few i've probably forgotten about.

I probably have (guessing) 7,000 rounds through it.
 
Which parts are caliber specific?

The bolt. The lower reciever. Not so much caliber specific, a .223 lower can be used for many different caliber rounds. As far as I know they make a .223 or AR15 lower and a .308 or AR10 lower. I'm sure there are more "caliber specific" parts, those two are the first to come to mind.
Pardon my ignorance but, who is Robert Buckley?
 
Have any of you actually built your own AR? did you do it through that web site? I noticed many different brands of parts, but they are all compatible? The idea of building your own gun is intriguing. Its new to me and I am interested. Since its custom, You would have no review for that specific piece to make a decision on... I feel like it would almost be a gamble if it were going to be quality or not. But I dont know.. Thats why i ask all these questions :D
 
By building your own AR, you are just doing what most of the smaller armories do, (such as BCM, Daniel Defense, Spikes, Palmetto State, almost any of them besides the major gun manufactures like Colt, FN, etc.) they buy the parts from different manufacturers and put them together. The difference is that they get the parts stamped with their names on it. The higher quality small armories, Like Noveske, Daniel Defense and others just buy higher quality parts than some of the lower priced models.Sometimes that is not even true. Sometimes you are just paying for a name when it may have the exact same parts as the lower priced models. In other words, buy quality parts, put them together correctly and you should have no problems. An AR is pretty much a modular design. Nearly any different makers parts will fit together and work properly.
 
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"building" an AR is a very general term. Assembling the parts kit into a lower is a fairly simple endeavor if you have some mechanical knowledge and a few tools. I've turned them out in 15-20 minutes once I had everything laid out. If you can't look at a diagram and sort out the parts and don't have a table, hammer, and a couple of correct size punches, you're more likely to end up with a buggered or damaged receiver.
A small bench vise, a plastic magwell support, and proper sized punches will ensure a nicer looking product and a better experience. A polymer or lead block that supports the ears holding the trigger guard is cheap insurance against potential breakage.
 
Dimensions are different on 7.62 lowers the 5.56 as are BCGs. Although Colt released a 7.62 lower that is compatible with 5.56 by just putting a shim in it so the magwell will grip the 5.56 magazine.

List of top companies well there are many.

Here's a decent list of many top DI guns you'll see that many use, excluding KAC because the cost.

Noveske
KAC
Lewis & Machine Tool (LMT)
Bravo Company USA (BCM)
Daniel Defense
Colt
Spikes tactical


I've seen quite a bit of a S&Ws that have had great success on this forum so i have to throw them in here. As well as just hearing about PSA which i've never heard of until now.

Piston Systems

LWRC
PWS
Barret
Adams Arms
POF
FERFRANs

Many companies offer both DI and Piston.

I'm a mil spec guy always will be regardless of other people's feelings toward the matter it's just my preference and likely wont change.

Slappy, DD makes all of their parts in house, and BCM makes most IIRC. I want to say LMT does also.
 
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Although Colt released a 7.62 lower that is compatible with 5.56 by just putting a shim in it so the magwell will grip the 5.56 magazine.
Click to expand...

I've been waiting for that to hit the market. Where did you see one for sale?


Have any of you actually built your own AR? did you do it through that web site? I noticed many different brands of parts, but they are all compatible?
Click to expand...

Assembling a AR style rifle is easy for anyone with basic mechanical skills. When first starting out you well be overwhelmed by all the different brand names. Do your research and don't get to involved with "brand loyalty". "Most" AR parts are basically the same, most of the "brand names" get parts from vendors. You can get the same part with different engraved names, the engraved name well effect the price you pay.

Caliber specific parts are barrels, bolts and mags (followers)

The AR is a Barbie doll for men with a incredibly large wardrobe.
 
I wouldn't wait around for it. The option of swapping into a longer cartridge upper means the lower weighs more and requires work arounds - the mag adapter.

The military isn't going into that at all, there's really no specific request asking for it. Just somebody churning the market in response to FN doing it to the SCAR. Like Ford forcing Shelby to fit the 427 into the Cobra as a marketing response to the Corvette. The FIA championship was still won with the 289, better balance and handling.

Thats what you want, not an overweight combo gun compromised to do two different things.

Lots of us HAVE put together AR's, the only parts in mine shipped preassembled were the barrel extension on the barrel, and the disconnector spring in the disconnector. I mated everything else up. It's not rocket science, as said, if you can change a water pump or install a doorknob, you can put together an AR. It does NOT require fancy tools, most of those in the armorer tool kit are for tearing down large frame machine guns. I bought one AR specific tool, the upper nose squaring lapper, and frankly, didn't need it at all. Waste of money.

AR's aren't buggy jammomatics, those of us who served know they will go their entire service career and never see it happen, I did. 20 million prior service over 45 years know that - it's just a few underinformed and inexperienced civilians who keep repeating old issues as if they were still a problem.

We don't keep bringing up the Corvettes major issues with being a flaming loser in the 60's road racing circuits, do we? It's still an issue, the Corvette clubs host autocrosses, and the repliCobras take home the trophies. Most are small blocks.

A .308 AR weighs another two pounds, and you can't carry as much ammo, precisely why it was downscaled for military use. Intermediate's are more effective and have greater combat power - which is something quite a bit different than simply delivering a few foot pounds more force a few yards farther. If .308 actually worked, we'd still be using it as the standard issue. We're not - it's a specialist's weapon.

Check the assembly sticky in the AR15.com Build It Yourself forum and think about it. You can't learn too much about guns.
 
I have no use for a one lower two upper AR to go back and forth between the two. I like the idea. But for me if i'm assembling a new upper or buying one it will soon have a lower to go with it. I have my own plans for a 7.62 AR. Honestly i'm hoping Bravo Company enters the market with a BCM-10. Other than that, it'll be a M110 or a George Garnder built clone of a M110.

That being said i do like to see more high quality companies entering the AR-10/7.62 market. With LMT's MWS and Colts CM901 entering it gives more variety.
 
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