So at the end of last year I traded some .22 ammo for a PSA lower on a whim.  Prior to that I didn't really have any plans for another AR, but since the opportunity came up I decided I would assemble a little brother (carbine length) to complement my 20"bbl Armalite M15A4.  I also didn't have a lot of money to put into another AR, so I needed to do this on the cheap.  Lastly, I'm bored with the tacticool-of-the-month trends, so I wanted to keep it simple.  I have more guns with optics than without, so I knew I wanted to go with carry handle irons and no optics.

For short, cheap and simple, I give you my FrankenKISS:



Everything came in around $550, valuing the lower at $80, which is the value of the .22lr I traded for it.
I probably could have come in cheaper, but I had way more separate shipments than I could have because I sometimes didn't have my mind made up on which parts would be next.

My parts list
Lower receiver (traded locally for 2k rounds of .22 Thunderbolt)

ARFcom EE
upper rec'r, new - $50
handguards, used - $20
buttstock, tube, buffer, spring, and some random lower parts, including FCG, trigger guard, various pins and springs - $40
A1 grip - $10(?)

PSA
PTAC BCG - ~$80

Take Down Pin Detent Springs (2)
Take Down Pin Detents (2)
Rear Take Down Pin
Front Pivot Pin
Buffer Tube Detent
Buffer Tube Detent Spring
Selector Detent Spring
Safety Selector - Semi
Bolt Catch Assembly
          all for ~$40

Sportsmansguide
d-ring assembly - $5
ESS Solutions barrel with front sight, handguard ring, bbl nut - $150

Gun show
charging handle - $15
gas tube - $15
front sight post - $5

I got the 5 1/2" slip over flash hider and crush washer from PK Firearms, $30 w/ shipping.  I'd never heard of them, but not many places had the slip-over in stock and it was something I wanted for this.

I also purchased an upper receiver vise block and a barrel wrench which I did not include in the above dollar total.  I figured these were a good investment now that I have more than one AR.

Overall it was a very fun project and I feel like I know the AR platform much much better than I did before.  I made MANY trips to the forum to look up various things here as I went along, so thanks to everyone who posts here.  It might be ugly, but only because I made it that way!  

I took it to the range for the first time today and it ran great.  I put 50rds through it with no hiccups.  The rear sight required more adjustment than I expected to get things centered, so I'll look into that.  I may re-install the barrel if needed.

Love it!  I did a similar thing...the thread I called TARWNN........love those kinds of builds.  Choot it till your finger falls off.

Nice love it!

Good job.

Very cool.

Fun!  We did and family frankenbuild 7.62x39 (me, my two brothers in law).  That was a blast and a great learning experience.  Nice shooter too.

How's good ole TARWNN doing these days? Did it shoot as good as I expected?



OP: Your AR isn't really a Frankengun, looks like a nice KISS Carbine if you ask me. I like the white furnature and A1 pistol grip, sets it apart from run of the mill M4gery's. Good job with the build, and buying the tools and vise block will save money/make you money in the long run. All my AR tools have paid for themselves several times over by this point. Keep on rocking... Now all you need to do is name it.....

The flat gray was too flat, it was almost rough to the touch and picked up every molecule of carbon that was on my hands whenever I trouched it.
It now has several coats of white "hammered" rattle can on it.
I'm not sure when or how it will get another change, but it's fun to experiment.