Hello everyone,

So this is my first post on the forums and I am looking for a little help. I currently own an AR that I purchased at a gun show a few months ago. I shoot it all the time and I love it so I decided that I would like another one. This time though, I want to build one myself so I went to my local gun shop and purchased some pieces.

What I have:
Anderson stripped lower receiver
Rainier stripped upper receiver
Palmetto State Armory LPK (With trigger group and grip)

I am trying to keep the price down as much as possible but I know that the next few pieces I need will cost quite a bit . My question is: do y'all know of any reasonably priced barrels that are still a good quality? I would like an 18-20" barrel. I was looking at green mountain barrels. Are they any good? What will I need to put it all together? Is it worth it to buy a used barrel off of the forums here?

Thank you for your advice!

Blessings,

Par15

check out ballistic advantage and aero precision. their barrels are good and don't break the bank. the EE often has some nice ones, too.

As far as BCG, you can get reasonably priced M16, Full Auto Rated, properly staked gas key. Not sure if you are set on any NiB or are fine with the "normal' phosphate BCG. Palmetto State has them for $90.

As far as handguard/rail goes, it is ALL preference. Quad rail, keymod, m-lok, tubular. Once you know what you like, you can start looking at manufacturers and narrow it down to your budget.

I can't help much with barrel since I only have 16" ARs and they are CHF chrome lined from Daniel Defense. I can say they are exceptional barrels though.

Flash Hider vs Brake/Comp is another thing you will want to research. If you can't decide then I would get just a standard A2 flash hider until you do figure it out and determine what best fits your shooting needs.

Sounds like that is all you are needing and are making great progress.

Edit: Charging handle I would look into BCM gunfighter. Not too expensive and highly regarded.

Buffer tube assembly and stock, I would see if palmetto state has a kit with the 7075 aluminum buffer tube. I know their complete lower build kits (LPK, buffer tube, stock, etc) is a great bargain bundle. But it looks like you already have the LPK, so no sense in buying another one.
Here is a link to a Stock Kit from PSA: http://palmettostatearmory.com/catalog/product/view/id/1145/
It doesn't have a fancy stock, but for $40 it is definitely a fair price, could even be considered a bargain price.

Edit2: If you are wanting a magpul MOE stock with the kit and like flat dark earth color, PSA has: http://palmettostatearmory.com/catalog/product/view/id/1898/
$30 more than the above link for the standard stock kit, but has a "fancier" stock.

Last edit: If you end up buying anything from PSA, make sure you get it all at once so you aren't paying a lot of shipping.
Don't forget for the upper you need an ejection port cover assembly ($6 from PSA0 and forward assist assembly ($13 from PSA).

I think PSA has great "bang for your buck" components and use them for a lot of smaller parts on some builds. My higher end/customized/no expense spared builds get a little bit different things from other companies that I pay more for, but it has nothing to do with function and more in favor of adding flair to the rifle to make it unique.