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Posted: 9/24/2013 12:34:48 AM EDT
| So I am new to the AR platform so forgive my ignorance if this is a dumb question. Basically I just got done with my first build and I was wondering: What is the difference between a high end Colt and something someone put together in their garage using high end parts? It seems like they'd be equal in terms of quality. I'm only asking because it seems like the high quality factory built rifles are favored over custom built ones. Is there something I'm missing orrrrrr??? |
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Resale value.
A lot of people shy away from buying a gun that Billy Bob shade tree gunsmith put together in his garage. And warranty support. You may be able to get a manufacturer to support you on their parts if you have a problem, but in most cases, with most companies, if your complete factory built rifle is not running right, you can just send them the whole rifle and they will figure it out. That sometimes doesn't happen with a home build, and some companies may cite "installer error." Building an AR-15 is pretty simple. Use high quality parts and there shouldn't be any problems. People start having issues when they use cheap parts, or the occasional out of spec part makes its way into their build, then they have to diagnose and troubleshoot exactly what the problem is. Not really a big deal, especially with the vast knowledge that is provided here on ARFCOM. Pretty much any issue a home build would come across has been seen before by someone here, and fixed. There are two sub forums dedicated to such things! (Troubleshooting and build your own forums) |
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Resale value. A lot of people shy away from buying a gun that Billy Bob shade tree gunsmith put together in his garage. And warranty support. You may be able to get a manufacturer to support you on their parts if you have a problem, but in most cases, with most companies, if your complete factory built rifle is not running right, you can just send them the whole rifle and they will figure it out. That usually doesn't happen with a home build. Ohhh I see. Wow I can't believe I didn't think of that. I feel like a pleb. Thanks for the reply, dude. |
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Over time, I have found all of the exact parts that fit my shooting style and legitimate needs (want is not part of the build equation). My builds put most factory guns to shame in function as well as form, by far. I build because there is no factory rifle that is available that is set up like I want it and I would lose my ass selling off and swapping out parts. Actually, there is nothing even close....
If you build, at the very least, start with a quality barrel, BCG, and LPK. If you can attend a shooting session with a few other guys who are into the platform, it can be a great way to save time, money, and aggravation by being able to get your hands on products that you may be interested in. evl.... |
| If you are not worried about resale value, then I recommend building as much of the rifle as you can. It is not difficult and it gives you great insight into how the system works, and how to troubleshoot things for yourself or others, should there be a problem. Also, if you decide to change something, you will be more familiar and comfortable with doing so yourself. |
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currently only 2 of the rifles I own are factory built a YHM Smoothies carbine in 7.62x39 and a S&W M&N P15 in 549x39 ( put a samson evo on the S&W ) the rest either started as complete uppers like my 50 Boe and Tac Sol 22 or were parts built. I wuld agree that the parts built guns will resale for less (but to be honest I didn't build them to sell.) the parts built stuff are every bit as reliable as the factory stuff. and they fit buth my needs and my allet . The wallet because for the most part I buy a part per pay period.
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In one case complete YHM upper was about $200 cheaper to build from scratch versus same upper sold by midway or brownells. Just took 2-3 months to get barrel and upper receiver. Other than that mated with YHM lower it does look like YHM factory rifle.
I can tell you even caveman can do it. There are nothing hard in assembling ar15. Quality parts, quality tools and you are good to go. http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a538/bbmbd/1f0eb108e7a4f0d6c9818f556dde8686_zpse3c29ba9.jpg |
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In one case complete YHM upper was about $200 cheaper to build from scratch versus same upper sold by midway or brownells. Just took 2-3 months to get barrel and upper receiver. Other than that mated with YHM lower it does look like YHM factory rifle. I can tell you even caveman can do it. There are nothing hard in assembling ar15. Quality parts, quality tools and you are good to go. http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a538/bbmbd/1f0eb108e7a4f0d6c9818f556dde8686_zpse3c29ba9.jpg So are you implying all the people here who post problems with their builds are on the backside of the curve? 
More seriously. I think a lot of the kits I have seen in the last few years had at least a minor problem such as an out of spec part. I have also seen a number of kits fail the Go headspace gage not mention the number of things that come up on arf.com. My point for the OP is with a very few exceptions a buyer does not know what parts or the level of expertise that went into a custom build. |
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Ohhh I see. Wow I can't believe I didn't think of that. I feel like a pleb. Thanks for the reply, dude. Quoted:
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Resale value. A lot of people shy away from buying a gun that Billy Bob shade tree gunsmith put together in his garage. And warranty support. You may be able to get a manufacturer to support you on their parts if you have a problem, but in most cases, with most companies, if your complete factory built rifle is not running right, you can just send them the whole rifle and they will figure it out. That usually doesn't happen with a home build. Ohhh I see. Wow I can't believe I didn't think of that. I feel like a pleb. Thanks for the reply, dude. not entirely true, most builds are done to get either what you want or to be done cheaply. I've got some builds that are more than some Noveskes..... |
| If your patient enough you can save some coin building your own over buying a complete rifle, but for the most part the cost is going to be about the same either way. Building lets you piece together exactly what you want, assuming that you actually KNOW exactly what you want lol. There is also the fun factor when rolling your own. I really enjoyed taking a bunch of parts and assembling them in to a functioning rifle. |
Ironically, I started out with home builds with decent, but not terrific parts. Two Bushies resulted, one of which was perfect, (A2 clone) and the other ( XM177E2) had to go back to Wyndam for adjustment. My fourth AR was a factory Bushie M4, which had issues right out of the box. In the middle of this time period, I got a new Colt 6550....and low and behold, it had a canted front sight...NO shit ! I later got a manual, and fixed it myself. So nobody is exactly perfect out there. OTOH, quality in general today is aeons ahead of what it was years ago. In the '80s you could buy all the parts to build an AR at your local gun show...and you'd be fortunate if it ran at all...or even be built properly ! It is the golden age, here today. So buy the best pieces and build away, if you have the instruction and the confidence. There are still factory weapons I'd want to buy, just because of what they are. Example: the new Colt A-quad...if they ever get the thing off the ground ! 
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| I looked at mine as a project, and something that would allow me to learn more about the platform and guns in general. It's very satisfying thinking, "I built that and it actually goes boom" as well as having an understanding how to maintain it and fix it if need be. The way I looked at it was, I have hunting rifles, shotguns and pistols that were already built. This was my big boy erector set and I have really loved every step in the process so far. |
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