Hi all!  First off, thanks to everyone who posts and responds on this board.  I've been researching my AR purchase since Feb. and have found a wealth of info here.  All my questions were answered before I ever asked them!

Now on to the fun part!  I built it about 2 weeks ago and had no problems whatsoever!  hingRRA Lower
Olympic Arms A2 Upper/Featherweight 16in barrel
Aluminum Free Float Tube
Ace ARFX Stock

http://www.sundig.com/jglphoto/johns_ar-1.jpg
http://www.sundig.com/jglphoto/johns_ar-2.jpg

I went with an Oly kit for several reasons.  First off, I got exactly what I wanted with the lightwieght barrel and FF Tube.  Plus, I really like the fact that they manufacture all of their own parts and back them up with the lifetime warranty.  That was worth the extra $ over the Model 1 or J&T kits (to me, at least).

As for the build or buy debate, here are my thoughts.  If I bought an Olympic FAR-15 rifle complete, it would cost about $780 + shipping ($25) + FFL ($15) = $820 Total.  And that's a stock rifle with a 10 round mag, pinned CAR stock and regular handguards.  Instead, I got the same rifle PLUS a 30 round GI mag (NIW), a free float tube and a skeleton stock (plus the standard A2 stock) for $805, which includes all shipping and taxes (I bought the lower locally and had to pay sales tax).  So for $15  LESS I get a rifle that is exactly what I want with MORE stuff.  Plus, I really enjoyed building it and learing how everything works.  Knowing how everything fits and functions gives me a better understanding of my rifle as well as more confidence in it.

I've been to the range twice so far and had a great time.  I did the whole barrel break-in process (eh, what's it gonna hurt, right?) and got the sights dialed in.  Lots of fun!!  Decent groups which should get better as I break in the trigger and get used to it.  Done about 200 rounds with no problems at all.  I will say that the rifle does jump a bit more than I expected.  It's really not much, but I think the lightweight nature of the rifle is partly responsible for it (weighed in at exactly 6 lbs).  Not a problem, but it did sort of suprise me.

Big thanks again to the board!  I never would have thought to build my own rifle before stopping here.  Now, I can't imagine having done it any other way!!  

She looks good. Nice job!

So, what's next?

Congrats on your first build and it looks great.

Also welcome to the site.[wave]

[b]SWEET.  Really nice rifle![/b]

A muzzle break on the end of that barrel might help hold er down a little.

I agree . This is the best fourm on the whole board!

I do a lot of reading over here and have learned tons of stuff , Thank You all[hail2]

Probably a scope as soon as my shooting budget (and wife [;)]) recovers!  I spent a little more than I originally planned, but I got exactly what I wanted, so it was worth it!  Ebay helped out a lot in that regard.  I was cleaning out my office closet and found some old Star Wars figures still on cards (not any of the good ones, though).  I put the 4 of them on Ebay and made almost $200, which paid for the extras on my AR.  Now if I could just find some more to pay for that scope...  [:D]

Thanks!
I thought about a brake, but I'm not all that sold on the idea, especially since it would have to be permanent.  I think I'll make due until Sept '04 and see if the ban goes away.  If it does, I'll be first in line for threads and a flash hider.  If it doesn't, then I'll give some serious thought to a brake.

As an aside, I've got my grandfather's M1 Carbine from the war and it has a removable clamp-on brake.  Any idea why no one does this for the AR?  Now the one on the M1 does stradle the front sight, which I imagine helps keep it in place.  Due to the front sights on the AR, that couldn't be done the same, but is there any other reason that nobody makes an equivalent for the AR?  My understanding of the ban is that it doesn't directly apply to brakes, only the threads since you could easily replace the brake with a hider or some equally evil thing. [:\]  Any thoughts on this?

Nice looking rig. I'm going to copy you, with a few tweaks.

I copied your pictures for my photoshopping of what i want. so far, you have the closest to what i like that i've ever found on the web.

Pete

NICE :)

Cool pics!

Looks great, you done a fine job. It's something to be proud of.

Funny, I did the exact same thing since I couldn't find any photos like what I wanted to build either!  I grabbed photos with the elements I wanted and spliced them together in Photoshop to see what the end result would be!

So what other "tweaks" are you planning on?