Hello all,


Looking into building an AR15 but dont know where to start. Ive visited a few websites found parts like the bottom and top receivers.
Looks like there is more to it than that. Ive looked for guides but nothing in depth enough for what you need exactly like hardware etc.

Buy you're first one..

This.



 

Looks like a few hundred dollars cheaper to just do DIY Custom
Considering im only willing to pay about 650 usd. Which would mean either a smith and wesson m&p or a ruger 556.

Theyre both decent ars.  Buy one and learn by taking it apart and reassembling it. the easiest way to learn the ar, before you attempt a full build.

When/if you go to a range and see other with ars talk to them most are willing to help and show you what items they like and what ones to stay away from.

My full builds usually cost me a few hundred more then what I can buy a pre built for.

Exactly.  I bought two and learned them inside and out before I built my first one.  Since then I have built 6 more and like stated above the builds I have done end up costing more than a factory built rifle, but they are exactly how I want them.



 

First off building is not hard. YouTube and AR15 is your freind. Learn your terms too. It helps when asking questions so we are all on the same page. Like its an Upper and lower reciever not top and bottom! Top and bottom is a whole other story!

I have build all my AR'S don't be in a hurry or impatient. Parts are plentiful and alot of good values. That does not mean cheap Chinese crap.

Buy quality mil-spec parts and take it slow

PasoGunner

If you want to do it yourself, you'll need this stuff:

The lower receiver stuff:
Individually
1. A lower receiver which is the serial numbered part.
2. A lower parts kit (the hardware)
3. Your choice of stocks.
Complete:
1. A complete lower receiver, the frame, the parts kit and the stock already put together for you.

The upper receiver stuff:
Individually:
1.an upper receiver stripped or with fwd assist and dust cover, Rifle ramps or M4 ramps. With or without T-marks.  
2.A barrel. Rifle or M4 extension, twist rate, length, gas system type: carbine, midlength or rifle. gas tube, gas block. muzzle device.
3. A bolt carrier group.
4. A charging handle.
5. hand guards or a rail or free float tube.
Complete:
1. Pre assembled all of the above. with or without bolt carrier group.

That's about it. If you want to know where to start, get your lower receiver, get the paperwork out of the way and build upon that. Good luck, you can do it!. -W

ETA: building it yourself is going to take a few tools too. Rome wasn't built in a day. -W

Brownells has a video series on building an AR15

Brownells AR15 build videos

At the bottom of the Web page there is a checklist for parts in PDF you can download and print. It breaks down each piece you need to build. It's the checklist I used loosely for my 1st rifle. I DO NOT use Brownells cause I find them way too expensive. I use them mostly for info only.

Once you decide what the rifle will be used for. What is your budget and what "look" you like, you can start shopping. Don't just but something that's the most expensive cause its the most money. If you watch sales you can get some awesome parts for great prices. Don't go with the cheapest crap just to get a part either. Patience is huge if you are on a budget. Take your time. You can not read too much or watch too many videos. There are great build guides here at ar15.com too. Don't get hung up on "tacticool" crap either. Just because you can add everything to an AR15 doesn't mean you have to!
PasoGunner

We have an entire section for BIY. Tons of great info and help. Check out "Important Threads" sticky at top.

Link

You can do a newb build. That's what I'm doing. Basically buy a lower, find a "complete rifle kit" AIM has one, CTD has some, and there are others out there. You will spend about 600.00 for a decent gun. If you buy right it could be as low as 500.00 neighborhood.

You can buy an Anderson lower or a blem from another manufacturer. Anderson from AIM is $40.00 plus FFL fee. I bought the integral trigger guard one for $43.00. Then I bought a CTD rifle kit, Delton A4 kit with Magpul furniture for $509.00  You can get a lesser kit for $464.00. All I need is a rear sight which I am working on from the EE section here. So I will be in this gun around $600 when done. I have done one before this with a 20 in A2 build for about the same price by using the EE here.
Once you have done one that way, then you can be more confident in building a piece by piece custom of your own. That is what I want to do the next time. Thinking about the 300 black out.

I have been looking on Palmetto state armory and DSARMS for parts looks like i can get a full bottom and full top and the BCG and Charging handle for $506.00 still debating on sights so im sure that will cost me another 70-80 dollars which would put it about $80-90 under a smith and wesson M&P 15.

They are called "uppers" and "lowers" try to use correct terms. People will take you more seriously and you will get more help.

PSA is great for parts. They are slow to ship but the parts are worth it. Make sure you love the upper and lower. Does not make sense to buy them and then upgrade them for more money later. Connecting an upper and lower is not building. If you build one you can build it the way you really want to the 1st time

First one I built was a kit, came with everything but lower receiver and sight.  PSA and AIM both have these.

Del-ton.com has great kits as well

You need these parts in no particular order

Bolt with a BCG  pick a Auto or Semi complete with firing pin, carrier key should be staked correctly
 add a charging handle
 add a sight tower/gas block you can get these drilled and mounted which you should as these take some skill to install on a virgin barrel.
 add hand guards or rail kit

Barrel pick one most sizes are in the 16in and greater or 14.7in pinned to be legal without a tax stamp.
 Molly chrome is the usual standard with a flash suppressor/hider pick one don't forget the crush washer
 or you can get the barrel mounted to to upper receiver with much of this installed  

Upper receiver group A3 flat for optics A2 for traditional most pick A3 style you can by them stripped or with all the parts
 add a rear iron sight of some type

Lower Receiver comes in all flavors stripped and complete, pick one from a good MFG
 add some type of fire control trigger
 add buffer tube best is Mill Spec or commercial with a stock fixed or adjustable, Castle Nut should be staked
 add a H2 Buffer if you are building a carbine plus a spring
 add a pistol grip
 or buy a lower parts kit like DPMS

add a barrel wrench /action block and have a Vice if you want to install your own barrel same with buffer tube and castle nut

or you can just buy one complete like a SW M&P or Wally World Colt if you can find them, building is not necessarily cheaper

I started out the same way - stripped lower and a "kit" with all the other parts.  Easy way to learn about the insides of an AR.

http://www.itstactical.com/warcom/firearms/diy-ar-15-build-introduction-parts-and-tools-required/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1omm6jY7Gg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFYdtvyvlNI

http://www.midwayusa.com/general.mvc/index/how-to-build-ar-15-rifle

This is what I used to build my first AR.... and the many threads on this forum. Google a question and add "ar15.com" to your search and you should get an answer.

That's a great way to go for a first AR, pick up a 16" lightweight, midlength, chrome lined kit. Put together your lower and slap on the prebuilt upper. Option 2 is a stripped lower, a good LPK, and a BCM 16" lightweight middy upper. Add in a BCM stock kit and MOE handguards when you're ordering. I'm a big BCM advocate but Del-Ton makes good stuff for the money.

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If you truly want to build one, you'll need tools. Outside of a hammer and maybe some punches, you probably don't have them.

Armorer's wrench
Roll pin punches
Small hammer
Vise
Upper receiver vise blocks
Torque wrench
Screw driver
Probably some Allen wrenches

There's several hundred dollars in tools.

Could do what I did, its a 16" PSA carbine kit( everything but the lower) and I'm slowly replacing everything as money comes in and time allows. Also make sure to check in on the Missouri tab of Hometown. We don't bite and if you're in the STL area you can probably have the furniture in not using. Adding everything up I'm at 880 but I've bought some different furniture and sights, handguard etc. For a base ar you can get away with about 600 at PSA my kit was 500 even and lower was/is 60+ a $20 FFL fee. Welcome and good luck with the build.

I have MOE hand guards in carbine (FDE ) and mid-length  (OD) if u need any

Lots of good suggestions, some, not so much.

First, you do not need hundreds of dollars in tools, far from it. A taped up pair of vice grips installs the roll pins, the stickies explain exactly how to use them A block of wood deck screwed to a firm object will accept the magazine, the upper can pin on, and you can tighten the barrel nut doing it that way. A vice is nice, not mandatory. The armorer's wrench - which isn't GI - is a good one - but I built my first AR without one.

What you need to know is how to use tools, not how to spend money on them.

As for the AR itself, there is more to know about what parts than meets the eye. One of the least considered points of building one is what are you going to shoot with it? It has a purpose, no point is just having any AR if it's not going to fit what you want it to do. As a firearm, it's going to shoot something, and it's going to have a optimum range it can do it. The first thing to decide is what range and what target it will be used at.

To contrast, a precision rifle built for 600m+ shooting is one thing, a CQB weapon for boarding ships or working inside buildings another. The first would need a flat shooting cartridge with aerodynamic bullet and a long barrel to get the most out of the powder charge, the latter a short barrel to work in tight quarters and few shots past 200m. The first hits paper, the second is used on human or game animals. The first might be a 6.5Grendel with a 20" precision barrel, the second a Mk18 clone with 10.5" barrel and because of the NFA regulations may need a approved stamp from the ATF - or - no stock at all because a pistol is the other short barreled option for legal use.

Target and range decides cartridge, cartridge sets barrel length, barrel length sets gas port location. These are important relationships that ensure reliable action and the parts needed have to be picked because of it.

There are also some myths about the AR which over time get woven into the fabric of everyday conversation. First, the military issue M16/M4 is built with a certain standard of performance in mind, but also cheaply enough to make a profit. The Government bids them and awards contracts to the lowest bidders - not those tested more reliable or even more efficient. They set standards for the quality of parts, the metal they are made of, how it's fashioned, and what testing they undergo to keep from buying parts that would be defective or unreliable. But - they do not insist on the absolute best weapon to ever be made. We as taxpayers don't get a say in it either as we delegated that responsibility to them. Which means Colt bids on contracts at the $500 to $750 range in large quantities, and that is a good benchmark in pricing. If you spend twice as much money it will still not shoot twice as far, with twice the power, twice as accurately, or twice as reliably. At best you get a 20% improvement. Price is what we have to pay buying the parts at retail, and if they are not military standard parts then you pay even more.

If you buy all the parts at retail, you don't get the savings of buying them in 1,000 item lots. They do, and they pay 45% or less doing it, which is why the can assemble the guns and charge less doing even that. One thing that helps balance the money spent is to pay attention to specifications and understand which are important - and which don't do anything. Remember that parts makers often sell parts because they can, not because we need them. Many build to simply impress others with their creation, using it with any appreciable skill never crosses their mind. Others train to use them and what name goes on it frankly means nothing unless if affects reliability.

You get to choose, the result will be based on your decisions.

Sounds like a good way to ruin some parts. Plenty of uppers have been ruined by people trying to torque barrels without the proper tools.

And I would be interested to know how you properly torqued a barrel nut without an armorers wrench and torque wrench.

+1 Welcome

Getting the proper tools isn't expensive really

10$ for a set of roll pin punches
10$ for a lower block
40$ for an upper block
20$ for your wrench

s0 80$ for tools that will last you over many builds or just servicing your rifle(s), they will pay for themselves by you not breaking parts.

I'm going to agree with this. Only because you can never have too many ARs. That and it's what I did. I bought one. Took it to the range and two weeks after buying it I was buying parts for a build and a month later I had this built: