I’ve had a couple ar-15’s in the past. Thought I might look into building one this time. I may be wrong but I can’t see that I will save much by doing so. Just a random example (new built vs. new bought):

At one dealer (rb precision), lookin at one make (RRA), lower stripped is $95, parts kit $55, buttstocks around say $75  TOTAL=$225
But they sell complete assembled similar for $250, so….SAVINGS=$25

They sell complete uppers for around $400, but add up the parts they use for this and it comes to around $400, so SAVINGS=$0

Add up all these parts and it comes to $625 to build. Buy a couple tools and you’re over $700, but they sell the complete rifle for $650!
Why would anyone want to build this them selves strictly to save $$$, besides the enjoyment of the building, knowing operation, versatility etc? What am I missing here? Not looking hard enough? Or can you only save $ by using used parts. Thanks.

i have built three so far and hav three more lowers awaiting funds but i dont build to save money.

i build so that i can have an ar the way i want it. if you think about it you save in the long run.
what i mean is, lets say  you buy a complete lower for 250 right but then you dont like the stock so you opt to replace it with something like a magpul stock. this equals buying two stocks where as if you built it yourself you would have had what you wanted to begin with and not had to pay that extra for the first stock.

this is how i see it. cause buying more parts to replace the like ends up being extra parts which equals to more ar's built from these extra parts so that they dont go to waste... well to sum it up it ends up being more in the end i guess

 I have bult an m4 type from model 1 sales about a year ago for $550. That is pretty cheap and great quality. shoots just as good or better than my buudies $1000 bushmaster.

If you just want an "off the shelf" generic rifle or two for casual shooting then building your own is not cost effective, but can still be intellectually stimulating like any other hobby.

If you are a mature, experienced user your personal requirements may be better defined, and a "custom" build would become more desireable and appropriate, and you will either pay an expert, or learn how to work on your personal weapons.  Sure, you might build something, find out it sux, and tear it down for recycling into another configuration.  Same with blingbling toys.  The money spent, even unwisely, is still a positive down payment on your educational progress.

Try to stop counting beans, and start looking past the few dollars difference involved.  QUALITY COSTS.  And high performance in any endeavor never comes cheaply.  You have to decide for your self if "running with the big dogs" is something you desire, need, or can afford to do.

The first time I shot a 200 yard group with a self-wrenched Arf that beat my previous personal best with a Remington 700VS was all the "reward" I need to justify my efforts and expenses.

Paladin

It's fun for one but I also save $$$.

I'm doing it a little differently than "most" here I would bet because I do 10+ builds at a time (I get ten or more buddies in my 'Guard Batt' who want rifles too to go in on group reciever/kit deals) so I get economies of scale that you don't find buying one at a time.

Our latest is a batch of Stag stripped lowers with Model-1 kits.  Model-1 gives us free shipping on 10 or more kits so a guy that wants say, a standard 20" 'A2 will get his parts for $415.  I negotiate a fixed price with the FFL on 10 transfers (Usually $20) and we get the lowers at a 10+ price.

The guys on our current deal that'r building standard 20" rifles and CAR's will be into them for $525 total (Nic's, FFL, shipping on rec' ect)  "M-4's" $565.
This is going to be our third buy and the last two have worked well and everyone's been happy with the results.

The fun part too comes in when we have the build party .  We all get together in one place and I walk everyone through the build like a class.  The guys get a kick out of it because alot of them are intimidated by the idea of assembling their lowers and then get to see how easy it is.  

One other thing that's good about knowing how to build is that you don't have to pony-up all the money at one time.  To alot of guys (Married lol) that seems to be an issue and buyin' your parts over time keeps Momma happy

If you shop around you can find the savings in building your own.  I use a Stag Arms lower from Eagle Arms, RRA buttstock and lower parts from ADCO, and complete RRA upper from RB Precision for a total cost of $639 (no special tools required) in June of this year.  That same rifle would have cost me no less that $780 complete from anywhere I looked.  Not sure about this no-ban market, but I still believe the cost savings are there, depending on what you are building.

Cost of my AR:
Oly T3MX Lower: $200
Parts kit: $60
Ace SOCOM Stock: $150
RRA Upper: $535
Sights: $180

Total: $1125

Considering 1) another rifle with my exact specs probably doesn't exist and  2) even if a company made it, it would costs $1500+, I think I walked off with a good deal. Best of all, I'm thinking of putting in a better trigger and guess what, I know how to do it rather than having to take it to a gunsmith. That's the beauty of building yourself, you get the exact rifle you want and you know how it works and how to fix most common problems. What could be better than that?

Quoted: The fun part too comes in when we have the build party .  We all get together in one place and I walk everyone through the build like a class.

You ROCK dude!  Helping 10 guys at a time catch incureable BRD must make you the typhoid Treadhead of Arfdom.  Heck, I don't even know 10 people who shoot, much less are willing to build their own rifles.

Paladin

*Pride in ownership
         There is nothing that better than receiving a complement me on my AR that I built.
*Build as you go
         For the cash strapped
*Cheaper
          I built mine for $540.  Used all new parts, shop around, the saving are found at EE and some on gunbroker.
*Better understanding of the rifle.
          Who knows something better than the person who built it?

Wart,

You already figured it out. I arrived at the same conclusion before making the decision to build. I wanted my lower half to be right from the start rather than dismantling a complete lower and trying to retrofit it with minimal experience. The parts I wanted on my lower and upper were not factory options, so I had no choice but to go the custom route. For a traditional AR, the best method is probably to just buy complete upper and lower halves separately.

Quoted: Quoted: The fun part too comes in when we have the build party .  We all get together in one place and I walk everyone through the build like a class.   You ROCK dude!  Helping 10 guys at a time catch incureable BRD must make you the typhoid Treadhead of Arfdom.  Heck, I don't even know 10 people who shoot, much less are willing to build their own rifles. Paladin

Yeah, it's funny to watch 'em change from the "Oh, I'm not very mechanical..." type to the "Shit! This is EASY!" type.

There are a number of savings:

1) You don't buy stuff you don't want. On my recent M4 build, I used an ACE SOCOM stock from the get go rather than paying for a factory stock I don't need. Same with triggers and other parts.

2) You only pay tax on the lower. You have to buy the lower from a local FFL, so tax on this is unavoidable, but the costly items (i.e. everything else) can be bought from out of state, thus avoiding local sales taxes as well as the gun tax.

3) You save on assembly labor costs. If you are willing to use your time, you are saving on the cost of someone else doing the same.

4) You can buy from people who don't sell complete rifles. Many of the most cost-effective vendors do not sell complete rifles, yet in my opinion their quality is every bit as good as a Bushmaster or Colt.

However, beyond the financial benefits, the real gain is in the greater understanding of the mechanism and in the confidence that the job was done right. I have built all of my ARs and they have all worked flawlessly. After all the problems I've seen with other peoples factory rifles, I doubt I will ever buy an AR built by anyone else.

I think the savings are pretty big. I just got back from Ameetec Arms with one of their lowers for $90, now I'm thinking about buying a M4 style kit from Model 1. It will have the M4 but stock and chrome lined barrel for $520. That's a total of $610. There ain't no way in hell I could get a factory built rifle like this with these features for $610. $900 or more maybe, but not $610. Plus I'll have the satisfaction of building the lower and having a better understanding of how it works. I saw a post-ban Bushmaster the other day for $800, a post-ban and it wasn't a M4 either.

For a Commando clone..
430.00 M1S kit
100.00 stripped LAR lower
 18.00 shipping
   6.00 tax
554.00 total

Maybe not the least spent but I am happy with it.

I built my A2 for about $500, in my local area you can rarely find an AR of any description for less than $1000, now I might be just plain cheap, but I saved a substantial amount of money and have the pride of doing it myself!

If I bought a ready made rifle I would be apprehensive to fool with anything on the rifle, but since I assembled the rifle I know I have nothing to fear by digging into it.  

i built a DPMS 16" heavy barrel, for shooting coyotes, the whole thing cost me $610.
i put a $390 scope on it.    $1000 total and less then an hour of time.
And it shoots a 1/2" group at a 100yds, all day long.  find me a better deal then that.
hell i got the scope for free basicly.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/thetoadinpa/todds%20toys/ar-1.jpg

Because I can't find what I want from a dealer in a complete rifle. Plus I get to spread out the cost of the rifle. Important for poor college students. Plus I get a better understanding of how it works.

Although I am new,  I haven't heard much about model one sales. Can anyone tell me how they compare to some of the other big brands. I like the looks of there prices, and the looks of there products.

Thanks in advance Jason

P.s. Great site you guys got here.

I saved enough to get all of the accessories I'll need but the knowledge gained was much more valuable in my opinion.

Quoted: I’ve had a couple ar-15’s in the past. Thought I might look into building one this time. I may be wrong but I can’t see that I will save much by doing so. Just a random example (new built vs. new bought): At one dealer (rb precision), lookin at one make (RRA), lower stripped is $95, parts kit $55, buttstocks around say $75  TOTAL=$225 But they sell complete assembled similar for $250, so….SAVINGS=$25 They sell complete uppers for around $400, but add up the parts they use for this and it comes to around $400, so SAVINGS=$0 Add up all these parts and it comes to $625 to build. Buy a couple tools and you’re over $700, but they sell the complete rifle for $650! Why would anyone want to build this them selves strictly to save $$$, besides the enjoyment of the building, knowing operation, versatility etc? What am I missing here? Not looking hard enough? Or can you only save $ by using used parts. Thanks.

Because:

(a) from the RIGHT vendor, you save at least 11% over factory new...

(b) You don't need any tools to do it...

It's a little LESS cost-effective with the lego-carbines, but on an A2 you can save a $100+

For example:

Generic forged lower: $85
Oly complete-minus-lower, pre-assembled 20" kit: $480
S&H: $11, FFL Fee $20

Total cost: $596

'Complete' factory rifle: $724.00

I have found, that since I want something customised to my tastes, It saves me the cost of paying for stuff twice. I almost bought a rifle at a dealer that was VERY close to a rifle I was building, but the first thing that came to mind when I was looking at it was: "Where's the fun in that". If you are not the model building type, and the AR you want is available, you are probably better off buying one off the rack. But the folks in this forum seem to derive great satisfaction from building their own, no matter what the cost savings. Try to explain THAT to your wife (good luck).