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Posted: 3/29/2015 8:10:41 PM EDT
I've got a 13" ALG free float rail that I want to install on an upper. I don't have the upper yet. It would probably be easier to just buy a complete upper, swap out the handguards, remove the delta ring, and remove the front sight post, than building an upper from scratch but it's something that I've always wanted to do. It's gonna be my wife's rifle so I don't want to do half assed work. What kind of tools would I need if I were building an upper from scratch? I tried to search for old topics on this and didn't have any luck. Here are a few pictures of the upper. Thanks in advance for the advice.
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Posted: 3/29/2015 8:43:31 PM EDT
[#1]
did your handguard come with the barrel nut wrench? if so, a torque wrench, punch for the gas tube roll pin, wrench for muzzle device, a way to clamp the barrel into a vice so you can torque barrel nut and muzzle device, and whatever allen key (im guessing) to tighten the rail to the barrel nut.
edit: and no, it would be more work to buy a complete upper |
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Posted: 3/29/2015 8:48:42 PM EDT
[#2]
ALG rails don't use a torque wrench
You'll need a punch for the forward assist, a punch for the gas tube, and a crescent wrench for the flash hider. I think that's it. eta probably an allen wrench for the gas block |
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Posted: 3/29/2015 9:09:06 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
did your handguard come with the barrel nut wrench? if so, a torque wrench, punch for the gas tube roll pin, wrench for muzzle device, a way to clamp the barrel into a vice so you can torque barrel nut and muzzle device, and whatever allen key (im guessing) to tighten the rail to the barrel nut. edit: and no, it would be more work to buy a complete upper Yes it did. I forgot to take a picture of that. Do I need to adjust headspacing when doing this? |
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Posted: 3/29/2015 9:38:34 PM EDT
[#4]
There is no adjusting head space for the most part. The chamber can be reamed but let's not get into that. If you use a quality barrel and BCG chances are your headspace will be fine. You are suppose to check headspace but a lot of people don't. A headspace gauge is 20-30 if you want to and it's a good investment if you see more builds in your future. The hardest part about assembling an upper is the barrel nut, if you can do that and have a few punches the rest is easy.
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Posted: 3/29/2015 9:59:31 PM EDT
[#5]
I built one last weekend with that rail. I used a vise, Magpul Bev Block, AR Wrench for the flash hider, 1/16" punch and small hammer for the gas block pin and a 1" pipe section to torque the barrel nut down.
It went together pretty easily although the shims were a little bit of a pain. |
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Posted: 3/29/2015 10:30:18 PM EDT
[#6]
building an upper from scratch More correctly, assembling an upper from parts. "bulding from scratch" implies that you intend to machine parts yourself from pieces of stock. The only upside to starting with a complete upper is that you can chop the FSB instead of running a low profile gas block. Pinned FSB is more secure. That said, I've never had a problem with set screw gas blocks-including aluminum ones. All you really need to assemble are the same things you'd need if you were stripping a complete upper to reconfigure: Armorer's wrench vise AR vise blocks, or pieces of soft wood (my preference) small hammer punches, at least a 1/16 (gas tube pin) and 3/32 (FA pin). |
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Posted: 3/29/2015 10:52:15 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I built one last weekend with that rail. I used a vise, Magpul Bev Block, AR Wrench for the flash hider, 1/16" punch and small hammer for the gas block pin and a 1" pipe section to torque the barrel nut down. It went together pretty easily although the shims were a little bit of a pain. Why were the shims a pain? |
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Posted: 3/29/2015 10:53:49 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
More correctly, assembling an upper from parts. "bulding from scratch" implies that you intend to machine parts yourself from pieces of stock. The only upside to starting with a complete upper is that you can chop the FSB instead of running a low profile gas block. Pinned FSB is more secure. That said, I've never had a problem with set screw gas blocks-including aluminum ones. All you really need to assemble are the same things you'd need if you were stripping a complete upper to reconfigure: Armorer's wrench vise AR vise blocks, or pieces of soft wood (my preference) small hammer punches, at least a 1/16 (gas tube pin) and 3/32 (FA pin). Quote HistoryQuoted:
building an upper from scratch More correctly, assembling an upper from parts. "bulding from scratch" implies that you intend to machine parts yourself from pieces of stock. The only upside to starting with a complete upper is that you can chop the FSB instead of running a low profile gas block. Pinned FSB is more secure. That said, I've never had a problem with set screw gas blocks-including aluminum ones. All you really need to assemble are the same things you'd need if you were stripping a complete upper to reconfigure: Armorer's wrench vise AR vise blocks, or pieces of soft wood (my preference) small hammer punches, at least a 1/16 (gas tube pin) and 3/32 (FA pin). Assembling  . Where do you put the pieces of wood? On the sides of the upper?
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Posted: 3/29/2015 11:09:28 PM EDT
[#9]
Where do you put the pieces of wood? On the sides of the upper? No, definitely don't wanna do that. Top and bottom, and cut reliefs in the bottom piece for the pin lugs (easy with 1/2" drill and 1/2" chisel). I use 1x2 finish grade pine. I like the positive bite pine gets on the receiver; plastic blocks seem to put pressure against the passenger side at the bottom when torquing barrel nuts, tweaking it inward. |
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Posted: 3/30/2015 12:20:39 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
No, definitely don't wanna do that. Top and bottom, and cut reliefs in the bottom piece for the pin lugs (easy with 1/2" drill and 1/2" chisel). I use 1x2 finish grade pine. I like the positive bite pine gets on the receiver; plastic blocks seem to put pressure against the passenger side at the bottom when torquing barrel nuts, tweaking it inward. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Where do you put the pieces of wood? On the sides of the upper? No, definitely don't wanna do that. Top and bottom, and cut reliefs in the bottom piece for the pin lugs (easy with 1/2" drill and 1/2" chisel). I use 1x2 finish grade pine. I like the positive bite pine gets on the receiver; plastic blocks seem to put pressure against the passenger side at the bottom when torquing barrel nuts, tweaking it inward. Ok. Thanks. Is that the same thing as if I was using an action block? BTW, nice deuce in your avatar. |
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Posted: 3/31/2015 3:44:51 AM EDT
[#11]
The recommended shims didn't result in the barrel nut lining up correctly. It took ten or so minutes of trying different combinations to find one that worked. Not a serious complaint, though. It's even possible I miss-interpreted the instructions.
I really like the rail and the entire upper assembly took about an hour. No sweat, really, just a little bit of frustration. |
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Posted: 3/31/2015 5:43:49 AM EDT
[#12]
If you've never built a complete upper now is your chance to learn how to and it's good to learn.
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Posted: 3/31/2015 5:13:03 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The recommended shims didn't result in the barrel nut lining up correctly. It took ten or so minutes of trying different combinations to find one that worked. Not a serious complaint, though. It's even possible I miss-interpreted the instructions. I really like the rail and the entire upper assembly took about an hour. No sweat, really, just a little bit of frustration. Oh ok. Thanks. |
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Posted: 3/31/2015 5:13:43 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
If you've never built a complete upper now is your chance to learn how to and it's good to learn. That's the main reason why I'd rather go this route than buying a complete upper. |
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Posted: 4/1/2015 10:12:01 AM EDT
[#15]
You can by an assembled upper reciever (ejection port door, and forward assist) then buy a barrel, BCG, charging handle, gas block and tube and assemble it that way. Its a bit of a waste of time IMO to assemble a stripped upper. Unless you are using a fancy door and forward assist.
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Posted: 4/1/2015 10:38:01 AM EDT
[#16]
Its a bit of a waste of time IMO to assemble a stripped upper. Unless you are using a fancy door and forward assist. Don't know about you, but I can generally spare the 174 seconds it takes to install the dust cover and FA, especially when I can buy stripped uppers for $38-$50, a dust cover kit for $6 and a FA for $10 plus $4 shipping. Unless you know where we can get complete uppers for $58-$70 shipped. |
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Posted: 4/1/2015 5:25:23 PM EDT
[#17]
You're going to need at least a Upper receiver block and Barrel Nut Wrench whether or not you build from a stripped upper. I have the Magpul Armorer's Wrench and BEV block they work great. The BEV block is nice because it locks into the lugs of the barrel when you install the barrel nut and flash hider. It also doubles as a lower receiver block by flipping it over in the vice.
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Posted: 4/1/2015 6:03:04 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Don't know about you, but I can generally spare the 174 seconds it takes to install the dust cover and FA, especially when I can buy stripped uppers for $38-$50, a dust cover kit for $6 and a FA for $10 plus $4 shipping. Unless you know where we can get complete uppers for $58-$70 shipped. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Its a bit of a waste of time IMO to assemble a stripped upper. Unless you are using a fancy door and forward assist. Don't know about you, but I can generally spare the 174 seconds it takes to install the dust cover and FA, especially when I can buy stripped uppers for $38-$50, a dust cover kit for $6 and a FA for $10 plus $4 shipping. Unless you know where we can get complete uppers for $58-$70 shipped. Does the upper brand really matter or are they all about the same? Not counting the fancy billet ones, just the regular ones. |
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Posted: 4/1/2015 7:09:56 PM EDT
[#19]
Mostly the same, but there are a few that have minor changes.
Make sure you get an upper receiver that will match the feedramps of your barrel extension. After that, it's mostly personal preference or taste. You can get one with or without forward assist, dust cover, T-marks, branding, etc. |
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