Before I left the military, one of the last purchases I made was to buy one of PSA's SNEK-15 stripped lowers, and now I want to start turning it into my first build.

Understand that I'm new to builds. I'm willing to take blunt advice.

The goals in my rifle:

1. Spite, layered subtly throughout.: Easy enough: I want a scary black rifle. Versatile. The kind of thing you'd want to go to war with as part of a militia. Less a "Zombie/Apocalypse-Bugout Carbine" and more a "gunfighter." Complementing the SNEK-15 style I plan on getting a "No Step on Snek" charging, handle and dust-cover. Hopefully, it's nothing more than a range-toy, but I'd like it to be able to be more.

2. Specs:

Barrel: 18" (Could go 16" if necessary)
Gas: Midlength
Flattop
5.56

3. I want to build it myself. Some of the advice I've gotten is "just get a g2g rifle." I've considered getting a g2g upper. BCM has some nice looking uppers that constitute almost everything I want. Lower build kits? If I find one I like from a company I trust, maybe, but I have plans for the handguard and stock.

4. Low-cost? Desired, not a must. I can sink some money into this sucker. If spending a bit more makes it work smoother, more reliable, etc., I'm willing to drop some money.

5. Light-weight? Desired, not a must. I think a lighter-weight barrel/handguard would be feasible.

I already have a Geissele SSA-E trigger set, Magpul BUIS, a few optics, and the stripped lower. I wanted to get a Binary Trigger but only a couple of people actually suggested it was a good idea. Most were vehemently against the notion.
For companies, I'm willing to take advice.

Things I'm planning on doing:
Getting a FAB Defense Podium Bipod. I run it on my carbine and adore it. Not the absolute best bipod, but it works quite well, keeps the weight further back, and raises the gun enough that you can comfortably run 30-round mags.
GL-CORE stock.
Coda Evolution Carbon-fiber handguard (maybe)

A FN CHF chrome lined 16" mid-gas. About $300.

A less expensive option a Green Mountain chrome lined mid gas 16" about $180 delivered (with shipping).

Sounds cool. Definitely build it yourself, gets you tooled up and you’ll know how to fix/replace every part. Plus it’s really fun to build it up. I put that gl core stock on my first build and really like it, solid and tough, just be sure to use the shims with a mil spec receiver extension. Great stock. I’d say for a fighting rifle and not a precision build, look at Ballistic Advantage barrels. They can come pre drilled and pinned with a low pro gas block. One stop shop, super tough and not too expensive. Love the ssa-e trigger, but my preference would be a single stage for a fighting rifle. Just personal preference. I just put a Geissele ssp in a build, it feels like the second stage of the ssa-e, with absolutely zero creep and a very short reset. It’s might even be too light for me for a combat rifle, but again personal preference. Enjoy the build!

Not so sure about that.  My 20" BA barrel will shoot sub-moa with my handloads.  I'd consider that "precision" enough.

Thanks for the BA suggestion; they're just about the only store I've found so far with an 18" midlength & low-pro, and it's lightweight to boot. Little on the pricey-end, though. Well, it's 17.7," without flash hider or muzzle-break.

Which makes me think now:
Do I need a muzzle break?

EDIT: Looking into it - no, no I don't think I do need that muzzle-break.

Maybe not so much fab/mako stuff?

Idk lol.

Shop around for best prices on BA barrels

Check out the BA hanson and faxon gunner barrels. Meat where you need it, slim where you don't.

A CF handguard should have excellent insulating properties and light weight.

Stocks and grips are easy to change, so not a big deal. I'm a magpul MOE fan for those. Simple, cheap, and comfortable (for me at least).

I suggest some BUIS. The magpul have held up well for me, and they're cheap. However the upgrade to a KAC micro rear is nice to actually shoot with. It has quick adjustable windage and a roughly calibrated elevation drum.

If you don't have/want a suppressor, I'd just use an A2 flash hider. If you have a can in mind, go with the MD for it. I'm a flash hider fan, definitely don't want to have to shoot a braked rifle without ears, but a FH isn't too bad.

ETA: I like a nicer charging handle, specifically the PRI gas buster. Not a fan of the huge complex ambi ones, I just want some more meat to grab. I'm an ambi shooter and have never had an issue with a left side latch.

Thanks, I actually just purchased a BA 17.7" Hanson Midlength. Wasn't easy to find - the only place I could find it had barrels on discount, too.
I also have Magpul BUIS coming in the mail.

Looking into it, I might get a Troy Claymore Linear Compensator, not sure.

With a barrel that freaking long, you really do not need a linear comp.   A pronged flash hider will serve you just fine.

Yeah I'd recommend against the linears on barrels over say 14".

A lot of weight with a lot of leverage for not much gain.

They are AMAZING at directing the sound and blast though. My wife's 10.5" with LC is fairly tame from the shooter's perspective, but if you stand off to the side or slightly down range, it'll make your ears ring through plugs. My 10.5" with A2 is just like any other m16/m4, but louder because of the short barrel. We're leaving the LC on hers until we get a suppressor for it, as the weight/balance really helps her control it being a petite thing.

You should like the sight picture with the magpul. I like how the ears curve inward, results in a picture reminiscent of the HK concentric circles.

You'll be impressed with how lightweight the final rifle is using that hanson barrel and a CF hg. My 16" gunner and 15" aero quantum HG rifle is rather light even with a flashlight on it compared to a M4 style. Mounting a suppressor kind of kills the balance, but I don't have an optic on it yet, so it will balance back out, with all the weight forward it has very minimal muzzle climb though. At least the base rifle is light, bolt on junk is my problem.

We put linear comps on because FH doesn't work on a featureless build. Found the BRT linear comp works well to throw the blast downrange and weights same as a FH. Helps when doing drills and folks get next to you.

Have a BA Premium Hanson 16" [url=https://ballisticadvantage.com/16-inch-223-hanson-625-mid-ss-premium-barrel. Haven't been able to find a good combination of powder and bullet to get this barrel to group worth a darn so far. Using Hornady 55gr FMJBT bullets and various powders. I'm going to try a 77SMK next to see if it likes those any better...

Not a problem for OP.

Nice!

All the LCs I've seen in person work amazingly well compared to even a regular A2 (which IMO is the gold standard).

I'd ditch that FAB Defense funky bipod. I'd recommend taking a look at the Magpul Bipod instead. It is a Magpul polymer bipod that is like a version of the very expensive Atlas bipod, but less than half the price. It is getting really great reviews too. I personally would get the Magpul Bipod for A.R.M.S. 17S Style and a ADM AD-170-S Base / Item No: AD-170-S (4103) so it would be quick disconnect.

As far as that stock ... it's not my style, but I imagine it will work fine. If it doesn't, I'd recommend checking out Magpul's line of stocks.

There are a lot of different really great handguards out there. Check out Odin Works handguards. They have a line called 02 Lite Handguards, Ragna Handguards, RUNE Handguards as well as their Standard Handguards. I bought one of their standard design years ago and still love it til this day. They are surprisingly light, they look great and their prices are really good too.

I always go rifle gas length on a 18". Love the soft shooting.

You're welcome.

https://faxonfirearms.com/match-series-18-gunner-223-wylde-rifle-length-416r-nitride-5r-nickel-teflon-extension/

I just finished a build with the 17.7" BA Hanson.  It's still very fresh but I'm really satisfied with it so far.

Since you’re a fellow vet, I’ll give you my .02.

For what you’re wanting a chrome lined barrel is an absolute must. Not only does it extend your barrel life greatly, but for a combat rifle in a humid climate like MS, you’ll have fewer problems. In my experience chrome lined barrels also tend to be a little more forgiving of garbage ammo, in terms of cycling anyway.

Take a look at your AO when deciding on barrel length. 16” barrels are all the rage these days, but they’re really not optimal for a lot of situations. Also consider barrel profile. The original M16s main attraction was lighter weight. An M16A1 weighs like 6lbs with a loaded 20rd magazine. Most of the weight you “feel” when handling an AR is in the barrel. And for a range toy, you’ll find it’s much easier to teach you gf/wife/whoever to shoot with a lightweight rifle. Ask me how I know

I carried an M4 on 4 different middle eastern deployments as an Infantryman. But if I were to put an AR together now for something serious, I’d go 20” lightweight profile chrome lined, fixed stock, flat top with something like an ACOG. For a lot of the small bits, I really like the A1 style. For example, I used to switch the pistol grips out for A1 grips-they’re a lot more comfortable to carry around all day. A1 forward assist for sure. A1 length stock is great if you’re shorter, wearing body armor, or both. The later model with the trap in the stock for a cleaning kit, etc is really nice. Then you meld all that old stuff with flat top upper, optic, & a hand guard that allows you to mount the various other items you want on a combat rifle and you really have something. Of course, if you want the shorter carbine, you can also apply a lot of the same idea.

Keep in mind, those shorter barrels are a compromise. You’re turning your muzzle velocity into muzzle flash in exchange for compactness. They also cycle more violently than the full length rifles do, because the gas port is closer to the chamber. Colt spent a bunch of time and money figuring this issue out between the XM-177 and M4 projects. For you, the end user this also means that carbines are harder on the wearing parts(gas rings, etc) and much less forgiving of neglecting to replace those parts when they need it. If you need the shorter size, go for it. Just keep in mind these issues if you go that route.

Keep spare parts in mind whatever way you go. If things ever got so bad that you needed this build to be a combat rifle/carbine, you’re not just going to be able to turn it in to the armorer if it’s not working right.

Lastly, these things are like rabbits once you start building. You start with one or two, and next thing you know you have a whole safe full of them.

^ this

Thanks for the info!

I've already got the barrel picked out and sitting in my closet (17.7" BA Hanson w/ midlength gasblock), but like you said, I'll definitely go with a chrome-lined one in the future when I inevitably wind up swapping out parts until my wife gets surprised that there's another whole rifle sitting in the safe.

So, also managed to pick up a Black Nitride BCG & a buffer tube kit with the recent Aero Precision sale.

New thing I'm looking at:
BCM makes a good lightweight freefloating handguard that I'm attracted to. Should I go for the 13", 15", or 17"? With the barrel at 17.7" and a muzzle device taking that over 18", the 17" would give me the most coverage, but would be about 1.5oz heavier.
I know the ideal spot for a forward BUIS is as far out as possible, but if I'm not intending to go for irons for distance shooting, is the $20, 1.5oz, and 2" worth it?
The gas block would be protected by even the 13" handguard since it's a midlength.
https://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-KMR-ALPHA-15-KeyMod-Free-Float-Handguard-p/bcm-kmr-a15-556-blk.htm

So, I might have my rifle finished today, but I ran into something rather curious:

I bought the Strike Industries Triple Crown compensator, and installed it. With a bit of elbow-grease (and an extra pair of hands) I was able to get the sucker turned to the point that the points were horizontal...
.... but the logo is on bottom, and the small hole on the bottom of the base is pointing up.
Now, I don't think this will cause major issues, but can anyone verify? What pictures I've managed to scrounge up show that the SI logo is on the top, and I don't think the compensator will survive another 1/2 turn. I managed to mar it a bit already.

I used a crush washer. One was not provided, but what few poorly done installation videos I found (which don't solve my problem) showed the use of a crush washer, and most stated one was provided to them.

Considering all forces will be lateral as designed, it should be fine. I could see if they were supposed to be angled downwards, but I'm fairly certain the Triple Crown only does horizontal.

....
....
Scratch that. In looking for a picture, I found a description that states there are "top gas ports to mitigate barrel rise."
So yeah, it's upside down.
Got to figure this one out.

I managed to find the right answers and finish the build. Here she is!
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/514239316302495757/620386382162165770/image0.jpg

Looks good, next I would add a sling and a light. If it holds zero I wouldn't worry about it, but you may want to mount the red dot either on the hand guard or the upper, not bridging the gap.