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The Range
Rifle & Shotgun Discussion
Soooo I want to build an AR - Where to start
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<blockquote data-quote="ez bake" data-source="post: 1699045" data-attributes="member: 229"><p>Here's my opinion...</p><p></p><p>You should figure out a few things first (sounds like you've got a pretty good idea so far):</p><p></p><p>1. What is your budget (this <u>will change</u> - you will change your mind about things halfway through also - be prepared)</p><p>2. What style of gun do you want to go for - this sounds stupid, but if you want a varminter, then stay away from the tactical advice, if you want a close-quarters home-defense carbine, then a 3-gun setup might not be best choice (optics, barrel length, etc.), and if you want to seriously 3-gun, the tacti-cool advice is not always good. A lightweight setup is going to cost you more in some areas, but you'll thank yourself later if you ever have to haul the thing around for hunting or at a match.</p><p>3. What can you live with/without for now? Reason I ask is that you might want to go shoot some other folks' ARs and see what you like. There are plenty of guys on the board that will go shooting with you and a lot of them have ARs (myself included). You can get a basic setup going for not too much and upgrade later.</p><p></p><p>I'd stick with 5.56/.223 for your first build. If you want to do a lot of cheap plinking, there are .22lr kits available for the .223/5.56 versions that are reliable enough to have some fun with for cheaper than 9mm (not that I have anything against a 9mm build, but it's almost always better if you SBR it, and that's sort of a semi-permanent/expensive-to-change-your-mind decision). .308 is a different animal (AR-10), but you could use one of the 6mm cartridges or even the new .300AAC Blackout (my next build). </p><p></p><p>At the end of the day, there are more goodies and options out there for .223/5.56 and you will be able to sell it (or parts) easily if you aren't happy with anything - just make sure you get a good deal on the parts you select (and I try and buy decent-quality parts so that my re-sale value isn't shot should I not be happy with it and want to sell).</p><p></p><p>There are several local spots to get parts (and several good online places). I'd shop around for what you want - a lot of "who has the best price" depends on what you're looking for. If you want a basic carbine, then you've got the most options (std handguard, fixed Irons, flat-top, M4 Stock) for vendors as almost everyone and their dog makes parts (and most are decent quality or better).</p><p></p><p>The most important parts on an AR are:</p><p></p><p>1. Barrel (and properly spec'd aligned gas-block/tube)</p><p>2. Bolt / Carrier Group</p><p>3. Trigger - this one is debated, but there are actually horrible triggers out there that are even less fun than the Mil-spec M4 trigger.</p><p></p><p>If you want to build something fancy, then my best advice is to spend more money on quality parts where you absolutely need them (the above stuff is important, but if you've got a great AR, but go with a crappy optic/railed-handguard/iron sights/sling/sling-mount, you'll regret it. I'm not saying that you have to spend the most money out there, or that anyone's brand is better than another, but there are problem vendors out there that I usually like to avoid.</p><p></p><p>If you're on a budget, then I'd get whatever stripped upper/lower you want (avoid a few names out there, but I'd say that 90% of the vendors are making acceptable parts), get a good Lower Parts Kit (LPK) which is where your trigger assembly will be, a good barrel (you can get a good one on sale for around $200 if you shop around, otherwise, it will run you up to about $300 - I prefer mid-length gas system, but it's up to the individual), and get a good bolt-carrier-group ($120-$150).</p><p></p><p>Then - the sky's the limit. I've got some extra plain-jane parts laying around if you need them (I know I've got a pistol grip and some standard mid-length Shielded handguards - I think I got rid of my old factory M4 stock). </p><p></p><p>For optics, if you're on a budget - then Primary Arms or Vortex Optics are the way to go.</p><p></p><p>Good luck with your build and most importantly - ask a lot of questions before buying/taking a wrench to it!!!!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ez bake, post: 1699045, member: 229"] Here's my opinion... You should figure out a few things first (sounds like you've got a pretty good idea so far): 1. What is your budget (this [U]will change[/U] - you will change your mind about things halfway through also - be prepared) 2. What style of gun do you want to go for - this sounds stupid, but if you want a varminter, then stay away from the tactical advice, if you want a close-quarters home-defense carbine, then a 3-gun setup might not be best choice (optics, barrel length, etc.), and if you want to seriously 3-gun, the tacti-cool advice is not always good. A lightweight setup is going to cost you more in some areas, but you'll thank yourself later if you ever have to haul the thing around for hunting or at a match. 3. What can you live with/without for now? Reason I ask is that you might want to go shoot some other folks' ARs and see what you like. There are plenty of guys on the board that will go shooting with you and a lot of them have ARs (myself included). You can get a basic setup going for not too much and upgrade later. I'd stick with 5.56/.223 for your first build. If you want to do a lot of cheap plinking, there are .22lr kits available for the .223/5.56 versions that are reliable enough to have some fun with for cheaper than 9mm (not that I have anything against a 9mm build, but it's almost always better if you SBR it, and that's sort of a semi-permanent/expensive-to-change-your-mind decision). .308 is a different animal (AR-10), but you could use one of the 6mm cartridges or even the new .300AAC Blackout (my next build). At the end of the day, there are more goodies and options out there for .223/5.56 and you will be able to sell it (or parts) easily if you aren't happy with anything - just make sure you get a good deal on the parts you select (and I try and buy decent-quality parts so that my re-sale value isn't shot should I not be happy with it and want to sell). There are several local spots to get parts (and several good online places). I'd shop around for what you want - a lot of "who has the best price" depends on what you're looking for. If you want a basic carbine, then you've got the most options (std handguard, fixed Irons, flat-top, M4 Stock) for vendors as almost everyone and their dog makes parts (and most are decent quality or better). The most important parts on an AR are: 1. Barrel (and properly spec'd aligned gas-block/tube) 2. Bolt / Carrier Group 3. Trigger - this one is debated, but there are actually horrible triggers out there that are even less fun than the Mil-spec M4 trigger. If you want to build something fancy, then my best advice is to spend more money on quality parts where you absolutely need them (the above stuff is important, but if you've got a great AR, but go with a crappy optic/railed-handguard/iron sights/sling/sling-mount, you'll regret it. I'm not saying that you have to spend the most money out there, or that anyone's brand is better than another, but there are problem vendors out there that I usually like to avoid. If you're on a budget, then I'd get whatever stripped upper/lower you want (avoid a few names out there, but I'd say that 90% of the vendors are making acceptable parts), get a good Lower Parts Kit (LPK) which is where your trigger assembly will be, a good barrel (you can get a good one on sale for around $200 if you shop around, otherwise, it will run you up to about $300 - I prefer mid-length gas system, but it's up to the individual), and get a good bolt-carrier-group ($120-$150). Then - the sky's the limit. I've got some extra plain-jane parts laying around if you need them (I know I've got a pistol grip and some standard mid-length Shielded handguards - I think I got rid of my old factory M4 stock). For optics, if you're on a budget - then Primary Arms or Vortex Optics are the way to go. Good luck with your build and most importantly - ask a lot of questions before buying/taking a wrench to it!!!! [/QUOTE]
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