Hey,
I'm new and happy to be here. A little about me, I spent years in the Army, dating back to the "A2" days. I know the platform well and have rebuilt in excess of 500 M16/M4's and feel good about my skills.
I've 2 builds going, one black for the wife and an OD for myself, primarily as defensive arms. I already finished the lowers.
The Black is built on PSA receivers, black  Magpul MOE stock and grip, Mil spec FCG, BCA 16" Nitride mid-length, govt. profile.
The OD is built on Dirty Bird receivers, OD Magpul MOE stock and grip, Mil spec FCG, BCA 16" Nitride mid-length, govt. profile.
It's my plan to lap and bed both. If I'm going to build it I want it to be the best it can be and believe that if I need to take a shot where fractions of a MOA count, I want to have the best chance of making the shot.
So, here is my wandering list of questions...
SLR Sentry 7 gas blocks on both. Primarily to run cleaner and reduce recoil on the wife's build. I presume that this is as straightforward as any gas block, yes?
Miculek compensators. I hear good things and the price is great.
Nitride BCGs. HP/MPI of course. Any tips on where to get one at a decent price would be great.
Now, the "controversial" question. I ordered a pair of handguards from Daytona Tactical. 12" Black Mlok and a 15" OD Mlok. They got my order completely wrong. Has anyone dealt with DT before? Are they reputable? I'd like to give them a chance to send me what I ordered, mostly because the price was really good.
Any advice on other good shops for parts and accessories? There seems to be an endless list of websites selling parts but, I get that they're not all reputable or service may be lacking.
The world of the MSR is quite different from the military. I did have the opportunity to do some limited free float/suppressor work in the Army but primarily it was stock A2, A3, M4 type work and I've limited exposure to the parts available to the civilian world.
Thanks for any info!

Look up Daytona Tactical on the BBB website.

1.8 / 5 reviews

Tony's Custom will tell you they have parts in stock.
AND DON'T.

Then hit you with shipping costs, that would make the Mafia blush.

Joe Bob's has never let me down.

I got my ambi safety (I'm a lefty) from JoeBob's. Not super impressed with the safety itself but it'll do for what I paid for it. Shipping was fast and I'll certainly do business with them again.

Daytona Tactical... now I feel like I sent a check to that Nigerian Prince that's trying to give me money. Hopefully, I can get them to fix their mistake. They sent me a 10" FDE Keymod. The finish is good and the quality seems fine, I just have NO use for it in the builds I'm doing.

Recently placed and received my first order with AR15sport.com.  If it’s not in stock, you can’t put it in your cart.  Nice selection of retro build parts.  Very responsive and fast shipping.  Free shipping on orders over $100.

Give them a try.

Love doing business with Aim Surplus and JoeBobOutfitters.

JoeBobs has stupid fast shipping - like I've ordered at 3pm on a Thursday and it has left the building at 4pm that day and in my hand Saturday.

++2 for Joeboboutfitters. Also compare Midwayusa.

Joe Bobs, JSE, PSA, Brownell's, Midway USA, CDNN, Fulton Armory & a few others have all worked well for me.  I've ordered from Daytona tactical a couple times and Tony's without problems too.  Heck, I've even had a few orders from Botatch without problems.  Now planet optics, larue & a few others have given me problems.

Thanks for the recommendation. Bought some stuff from both of them. Pleasure to deal with.

Brownell’s

Yeah, these guys really suck.  Placed an order for a Radian charger they showed in stock.  A month later I get the notice my order is “processed”.  Fair enough, they said it could be 21 business days.  Then a day later I get a notice they are returning my money after sitting on it for a month.  Fuckers.

I'm still waiting for what I ordered from Daytona Tactical. I finally got a new shipping confirmation but honestly,  the customer service is crap. They refused to send me what I ordered until they received the wrong handguard they sent the first time, as if it was somehow my fault and I should have to bear the burden of their mistakes. My upper builds are stuck until these arrive as in need the ID of the rails before I order gas blocks. I certainly won't use them again and I'll definitely tell anyone else that thinks about it to think twice.

Thanks for the heads up, I've looked at their site a few times. Hope they take care of you.

I'll vouch for:

Primary Arms
Joe Bob Outfitters
Right to Bear
mapartsinc.com

All quick to ship and good comm.