Posted: 11/25/2016 12:38:03 PM EDT
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I want to build an ar15 with my son and I have never done this any advice would be appreciated,we want to put together an economical one and give it to my wife. What stripped lowers should I look at I would like to keep the total cost under $600 for the complete rifle. |
| you can build an ar for way less than 600. low 400s is attainable. Get an anderson stripped lower and a rifle kit from palmetto state. They come with everything you need to complete a rifle other than the lower. Watch some youtube videos on completing a lower as some of the steps can be tricky for a first timer. |
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I want to build an ar15 with my son and I have never done this any advice would be appreciated,we want to put together an economical one and give it to my wife.What stripped lowers should I look at I would like to keep the total cost under $600 for the complete rifle. You're better off reading through the build forum than GD: http://www.ar15.com/forums/f_3/4_Build_It_Yourself.html I learned to build my own there and I've been cranking through several ever since. This video is also an absolute must: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_4/615304_Step_by_step_video_on_how_to_build_your_lower_receiver.html Your first build will be tough to keep under $600, just because in addition to the rifle parts you will be buying armorers tools to do the build. Buy the right ones, because once you build your first, you will want to build more. I love Magpul's bevblock, and their armorers tool, but depending on what rail you buy you might need another armorers tool or other small tools like a crow's foot wrench. A good dedicated punch set is really nice to have as well...they offer a wide range at Brownells. Basically, the more you build the more tools you will acquire, and then you find yourself set up for a wide range of shit. |
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Building ar from scratch is frowned upon here? Not at all. Many people build their own lowers, uppers, or uppers and lowers together. The joke of "its your funeral" is people shit posting on using low cost parts instead of the big name brands that cost a ton. Do you get some tangible features for the increase money? Yes. But if you and your son (as in the OP) are building it for a present, and ostensibly as a range toy, then a PSA is hard to beat, bang for the buck |
| Also, in my experience the hardest part of keeping an AR build cheap is resiting the urge to not "upgrade" each part as you buy it. You go in planning a budget build, but as you surf the online offers, you see that the enhanced charging handle is maybe $30 more, and yeah, that makes sense...shopping cart. Oh man, they have a melonited BCG which isn't much more than than phosphated one....shopping cart. Yeah, that Magpul stock is much nicer than the standard cheapo stock...shopping cart. Yeah, it would be really nice to have a QD end plate, I should buy that up front because I don't wannaa regret not having one later and have to remove the entire buffer assembly...shopping cart. WTF, how the hell did I end up with a thousand dollar build??????? |
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Yeah... If you buy anything other than Colt, it's going to fail and leave you dead. lol. Quoted:
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Building ar from scratch is frowned upon here? Yeah... If you buy anything other than Colt, it's going to fail and leave you dead. lol. Seems to not be very cool to do. Even if you use brand new quality parts. And do it right. You have to spend least $2000.00 on a AR from some AR boutique shop that GD approves of. But even then, you might end up doing it wrong. So tread with caution. |
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Quoted: You're better off reading through the build forum than GD: http://www.ar15.com/forums/f_3/4_Build_It_Yourself.html I learned to build my own there and I've been cranking through several ever since. This video is also an absolute must: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_4/615304_Step_by_step_video_on_how_to_build_your_lower_receiver.html Your first build will be tough to keep under $600, just because in addition to the rifle parts you will be buying armorers tools to do the build. Buy the right ones, because once you build your first, you will want to build more. I love Magpul's bevblock, and their armorers tool, but depending on what rail you buy you might need another armorers tool or other small tools like a crow's foot wrench. A good dedicated punch set is really nice to have as well...they offer a wide range at Brownells. Basically, the more you build the more tools you will acquire, and then you find yourself set up for a wide range of shit. Quoted: Quoted: I want to build an ar15 with my son and I have never done this any advice would be appreciated,we want to put together an economical one and give it to my wife.What stripped lowers should I look at I would like to keep the total cost under $600 for the complete rifle. You're better off reading through the build forum than GD: http://www.ar15.com/forums/f_3/4_Build_It_Yourself.html I learned to build my own there and I've been cranking through several ever since. This video is also an absolute must: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_4/615304_Step_by_step_video_on_how_to_build_your_lower_receiver.html Your first build will be tough to keep under $600, just because in addition to the rifle parts you will be buying armorers tools to do the build. Buy the right ones, because once you build your first, you will want to build more. I love Magpul's bevblock, and their armorers tool, but depending on what rail you buy you might need another armorers tool or other small tools like a crow's foot wrench. A good dedicated punch set is really nice to have as well...they offer a wide range at Brownells. Basically, the more you build the more tools you will acquire, and then you find yourself set up for a wide range of shit. |
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Also, in my experience the hardest part of keeping an AR build cheap is resiting the urge to not "upgrade" each part as you buy it. You go in planning a budget build, but as you surf the online offers, you see that the enhanced charging handle is maybe $30 more, and yeah, that makes sense...shopping cart. Oh man, they have a melonited BCG which isn't much more than than phosphated one....shopping cart. Yeah, that Magpul stock is much nicer than the standard cheapo stock...shopping cart. Yeah, it would be really nice to have a QD end plate, I should buy that up front because I don't wannaa regret not having one later and have to remove the entire buffer assembly...shopping cart. WTF, how the hell did I end up with a thousand dollar build??????? I know that feeling, my recent Grendel build was going to be a budget build. I mean, it is a $200 Faxon barrel, not a super high dollar semi custom barrel. Then I added the SSA-E, 15" Mk4 rail, E-Mod stock, bought a clamp-on gb instead of using one I already have, H3 buffer, suppressor mount, Vortex Razor HD Gen2 1-6, etc... Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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PSA kit- $389:
http://palmettostatearmory.com/blem-psa-16-m4-nitride-5-56-nato-1-7-moe-freedom-rifle-kit-7781324.html Anderson lower <$100 Rear sight ~$100 Done. |
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I can confirm that the springs sound like that from building a trigger system from scratch. |
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Is a pof lower a good deal for $118 You can get lowers a lot cheaper, especially if you don't give a crap about how the roll mark looks. $118 is pretty pricey for a forged lower. Like if you are just building a budget range toy as a project to do with your son, it is tough to beat a cheap Anderson lower. I personally like Aeros, but if you're trying to keep it sub-$00 and it's more about the build experience with your boy, Anderson all day long. |
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I want to build an ar15 with my son and I have never done this any advice would be appreciated,we want to put together an economical one and give it to my wife.What stripped lowers should I look at I would like to keep the total cost under $600 for the complete rifle. There isn't any of this info in the AR section of the forum ?? Like a hundred threads asking the exact same thing ?? . |
Built my first stripped lower on election night. (Aero lower with Aero LPK) Hardest part was hammering in the roll pins which, I still feel self conscious about because they look like ass.  Overall pretty straight forward and a good way to learn the in's and out's of your rifle.
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Go to this link it Details piece by piece how to build the AR-15 lower and after you build the First one like i did you wonder why you did not do it before
Linky |
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Great advice given above by members..........
You might also want to buy this book............... |
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If this if for your wife and she doesn't resemble a female Russian weightlifter, then try to keep the rifle as light as possible. If you are building from scratch you'll need s few tools and a set of roll pin punches. Barrels are what makes a gun, if you are going to splurge on a part, I recommend splurging on a barrel. I prefer Aero lowers and uppers.
Good luck |
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Built my first stripped lower on election night. (Aero lower with Aero LPK) Hardest part was hammering in the roll pins which, I still feel self conscious about because they look like ass. Overall pretty straight forward and a good way to learn the in's and out's of your rifle.No roll pin punches? |
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Plenty of rifle kits available. PSA has been mentioned. Delton makes a good kit too. A "kit" contained all the parts except a stripped lower receiver.
Lowers receiver will require an FFL transfer if ordered online. If you can find one cheap locally it can save some hassle on the mail ordering. But all you really need is a gun shop and make sure seller has your gun shops info. Lots of YouTube videos on how to assemble. Watch a bunch and then have the best one playing as you assemble it. Print off ARFcoms page that lists parts with pics. It helps during your first assembly. Try using a pair of channel locks wrapped in electrical tape to push in pins. Way easier than a hammer and punch. Buy more than one stripped lower receiver and plan on finishing it out later. This way you can build your first as a budget and any "nice" parts you may be tempted on can be for next time. |
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No roll pin punches? Quoted:
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Built my first stripped lower on election night. (Aero lower with Aero LPK) Hardest part was hammering in the roll pins which, I still feel self conscious about because they look like ass. Overall pretty straight forward and a good way to learn the in's and out's of your rifle.No roll pin punches? Channel locks wrapped in electrical tape are way easier |
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If you want to do many, buy all the armorers tools, and vise blocks. Below is a guide if you want to assemble AR15s in a cave without specialized tools. You will need a large vise(cheap Chinese from Northern Tool is OK), some pine boards like 1x4, a smallish hammer, allen set, and some punches. You can make punches from some nails and a file. 1) Line the vise with pine boards, insert the top of the upper (upside down) and crush the Picatinny rail into the pine until you feel a solid grip. Don't over crush. You can remove and install barrels from here. 2) While a barrel wrench is required for a standard barrel nut, you can install/remove many free float tubes with a pin, and a hammer by placing the pin in a hole in the barrel nut, and tapping in the direction of rotation. A screw driver will work. 3) You can use the pine to shim and level the front sight when adding or removing the pins. 4) Use Blemished parts, because they will probably be blemished before you are done hacking it together 5) Flat screw driver and hammer can install/remove an M4 stock. Before I get roasted here, I did say buy the armorer tools..... |