Hey my name is pat and i was wanting to build an ar15. I would just buy one but they are ridiculously priced at all the shops near me. I am a poor college student so i dont have a ton of money to spend, if i could get some opinions on upper lower combos that are of a good functional quality for a "discount" price id really appreciate it. Also i was wondering how difficult it was to assemble a lower. I looked at the thread about it but i dont really know how difficult that is going to be. Any help would be great.
Thanks Pat

I'm thinking that the cheapest route members have been going is to use a Stag lower and a Del-Ton parts kit.

As for building a lower, it's pretty easy and can be done in no time at all. Welcome to the site.

Assembly Procedure For Lower Receiver

Lower Parts Set

1. Take a small drill bit and clean out all holes in the lower receiver BY HAND.

2. Install trigger guard by attaching its front into the lower receiver using the detent. Using a block of wood as a support, hinge the trigger guard into place, and drive the rear roll pin into place with a 1/8" roll pin punch. Use extreme caution or you may break off one of the flanges.

3. Install front pivot pin by placing its spring and detent into the lower receiver. Compress detent in hole with special tool and punch, or with a razor blade. Install pivot pin and rotate it until detent locks in the pivot pin's groove.

4. Install magazine catch into the lower receiver. Install its spring and screw the button on a few turns. Use something to depress the button deeply and turn the magazine catch clockwise until the end of the threaded portion is flush with the button.

5. Install the bolt catch assembly by first placing tape on either side of the "humps" to prevent scratches. Drive the roll pin about halfway into the rear "hump". Install the spring and plunger into the hole, then install the bolt catch in place. Use a 3/32" punch inserted into the front "hump" as a slave pin to hold everything in place, and drive the roll pin in with a 3/32" roll punch.

6. Place trigger spring on trigger with legs of spring forward and on bottom. Install disconnector spring (wide end down) into top of trigger and snap it into place. Position disconnector on top of trigger, and insert entire assembly into the lower receiver. Drive trigger pin through both sides of the lower receiver and trigger assembly.

7. Install selector.

8. Install hammer spring onto hammer with legs at bottom rear and the spring's shoulder on back of hammer. Install hammer with spring's legs ON TOP of trigger pin, with one leg in the trigger pin's groove. Insert the ungrooved end of the hammer pin into the lower receiver and hammer, and drive it into place.

9. Install the selector's detent and spring into the lower receiver, then install the pistol grip. Make sure that the spring goes into the small hole on the top right side of the pistol grip, and tighten the pistol grip's screw.

10. Install the rear takedown pin into the lower receiver.

Carbine Buttstock

1. Install the rear takedown pin's detent and spring into their hole in the lower receiver.

2.  Thread the castle nut all the way onto the buffer tube, then install the back plate (hump forward) in front of it.

3. Thread the receiver extension (buffer tube) into the lower receiver about 3/4 of the way.

4. Insert the buffer retainer and its spring into the lower receiver.

5. Tighten the receiver extension until it overlaps the buffer retainer to hold it in place.

6. Tighten the castle nut with a spanner wrench, while making sure that the takedown pin's spring gets compressed into its hole correctly by the back plate.

7. Slide the buttstock onto the receiver extension by pulling straight down on the latch.

8. Cock the hammer and slide the spring and buffer into the receiver extension while depressing the buffer retainer.

Rifle Stock

1. Thread the receiver extension (buffer tube) into the lower receiver about 3/4 of the way.

2. Insert the buffer retainer and its spring into the lower receiver.

3. Tighten the receiver extension (which will overlap the buffer retainer), and torque to 35-39 ft. lbs.

4. Install the rear takedown pin's detent and spring into their hole in the lower receiver.

5. Add spacer (not necessary on A1), then slide buttstock onto receiver extension, while carefully compressing the takedown pin's spring.

6. Tighten the buttstocks top screw.

7. Cock the hammer and slide the spring and buffer into the receiver extension while depressing the buffer retainer.

Quoted: Hey my name is pat and i was wanting to build an ar15. I would just buy one but they are ridiculously priced at all the shops near me. I am a poor college student so i dont have a ton of money to spend, if i could get some opinions on upper lower combos that are of a good functional quality for a "discount" price id really appreciate it. Also i was wondering how difficult it was to assemble a lower. I looked at the thread about it but i dont really know how difficult that is going to be. Any help would be great. Thanks Pat

This was my first, took only about an hour.

how much money am i looking at for a fully functional ar15 rifle...barrel length doesnt so much matter to me i know that i can always get a longer/shorter upper in the future

I was thinking the same think. Budget AR. Spent some time in the Equipment Exchange and I'm over $1000 in it. Still need a Bayonet and optics too. Ah well, at least I'm enjoying myself...

I'm new too, to the bulid  idea, I bought a stag lower that had a tooling mark on it. so it was blemished lower, I picked it up for 200 dollars. I'm going to try to bondo it, lol. it 's really not that bad. the upper is the most expensive part. I have been price cheaking wow, to get a chromlined barrel, flat top, 16in post ban config, your looking at between 400-450(stag) that inculding bolt carrier group. I considering bying a barreled upper(minus the hand guards, bolt carrier, charging handle, and rear site(flat top) in m-4 government profile for a special price of 399.00. that way you get a threaded barrel, bayonet lug, m-4 ramps and so on. makes the rifle ,if a ban will go back into effect, valueable.