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Posted: 1/25/2017 2:20:01 PM EDT
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I am brand new to the ARs and haven't had much experience with rifles in general. But, I am going to do a build because I believe it will be a great learning experience, however, as I've been doing research, parts selection has become flat out overwhelming and I could use some guidance.
My goal is to build a relatively mobile gun in 5.56, the primary function would be a "shit hit the fan" gun that I could use to protect and defend my family. However, I'd also like this gun to have a secondary function as a coyote gun. I'd love to have an unlimited budget but, I do live in the real world and am trying to get this project done with $1k or less. I realize that mobility and the type of range a person might want for coyote hunting are at least somewhat contradicting ideas, in the interest of finding the right balance, my first question is what type of accuracy can I expect from the different barrel lengths out there? Will I be able to confidently reach out and smack a coyote at 300 yds with a 16" economy barrel? And if the answer is "No", am I better served spending some extra money to get a higher grade 16" barrel or simply going with something longer in economy class? I figure with my budget I'm basically going to have to build the gun mostly out of economy parts with 2 or 3 descent quality components and am trying to determine where to spend the extra money. More questions to follow ... |
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My second thought is maybe I'd be better served building my first gun with a completed upper assembly, however, I do have a specific idea about how I'd like the gun to look.https://www.google.com/search?q=od+green+ar15&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=613&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjByeCd8d3RAhUC6CYKHT7bBq8Q_AUIBigB#imgrc=HUL7yf15IjU4xM%3A
Am I correct in thinking that if I want to control the appearance of the gun, it'll be easier to build it part by part instead of trying to find a complete upper assembly that matches what I'm looking for? Also, with regard to appearance, it looks to me like the handguard on the above gun is standard, but I've read that free floating handguards can help improve longer range accuracy. Is that something I should consider as I build this particular gun? |
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Feasible to assemble a utility all around AR for $600............nothing fancy, without optics.
I suggest buying "blemished" complete AR lowers from PSA. $129 to $189 depending on which collapsible stock you prefer. They are not blemished in any way. They also sell completed uppers in various configurations. $299 seems to be the base price. On sale $269.............without BCG or CH. Currently selling BCG for $79. The completed lowers were $75 dollars cheaper than buying parts from all over and assembling myself. It's easy to get a SHTF rifle with decent accuracy. As to looks, you can change forearms easy.....magpul sells nice sets for $35+. Check PSA's daily deals. |
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+1 on what Tanlover442 said.
I did a lower build finding sale parts and a blem lower I wanted, ended up being $20.00 more than the PSA complete blem lower (assembled with same parts). Go figure! Still had $20.00 worth of fun and learning when assembling it though and can say I did it. Mine ended up at $568.99, which includes shipping, FFL fees, MBUS, floated hand guard, Nitride barrel, BCG and charging handle. (As seen in the attached photo) Used a completed upper that I caught on sale to keep the price down, think I did OK and very happy with it so far. If you watch you can catch the Bushnell Red Dot TRS-25 on sale for 70.00 free shipping (Online Walmart is usually pretty cheap) or if you want a scope the 1-4 power Bushnell with throw down (lighted) for 150.00 wait for the PSA sale, usually been cheapest on this one seen this price twice now in the past few months. 
With your budget you certainly have enough room for better than average parts and what I've found is these things will out shoot most people's abilities. |
| You can certainly shoot out to 300 yards with a budget 16" rifle with good ammo. Same with a 14.5. Such a rifle might do 1 MOA, maybe even sub MOA (1 inch at 100 yards) so at 300 yards you'd have 3" groups provided the guy behind the gun is capable and the wind is not blowing/gusting. This of course is pretty difficult with non magnified optics like iron sights or red dots, but there are some rare people that can pull it off. I'm not one. I need good magnification for long range shooting. A longer barrel will give you a bit more velocity which is helpful, and maybe a longer sight radius if you're at "rifle length" shooting irons, but the shorter barrels are not far behind, and if you want a dual–purpose rifle, stick with 16". Free float does contribute to accuracy, but I think this shows up less with bargain basement barrels. |
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If your budget is $1000, then invest in a good barrel. I know, it's a broken record, but the barrel and bolt are the heart of your rifle. If accuracy is key, then skimp on your stock and skip the muzzle device. For what you want to do, I'd free float it, and put in a reasonably good trigger.
Don't get hung up on the intricacies. Everyone likes something different. Just save yourself some heartache and don't buy junk. If you can't do what you want right now, just get what you need to get by, and upgrade later. So, to actually answer your questions.... Yes a typical 16" barrels should be good for Minute-Of-Coyote. You'll have best luck with one of reputable manufacture. So, if you're trying to save money by going with a cheaper barrel, it's best to just forget it. Spend your money on the bolt and barrel, and save your money on your other stuff. |
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Your BCG is going to have no effect on accuracy, but wilk effect fuction, so dont go with the cheapest option but yhe special coatings really do nothing and can even cause issues.
As far as barrel, length has nothing to do with accuracy. A longer barrel will only give you more velocity. A better trigger will help as well, along with good optics. $1000 might be a bit low, when you consider tools into that budget as well. Figure on spending about $100. |
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Quoted:
If your budget is $1000, then invest in a good barrel. I know, it's a broken record, but the barrel and bolt are the heart of your rifle. If accuracy is key, then skimp on your stock and skip the muzzle device. For what you want to do, I'd free float it, and put in a reasonably good trigger. Don't get hung up on the intricacies. Everyone likes something different. Just save yourself some heartache and don't buy junk. If you can't do what you want right now, just get what you need to get by, and upgrade later. This is sort of what I did with my first from-the-ground-up build this past summer. I bought a new Colt 14.5" SOCOM barrel, had it pinned and used the barrel nut already on it to put on regular two piece handguards. It has an ALG ACT trigger in it, which is fine for it's intended purpose. Recently, I decided to add a rail to it. I didn't want to change out the barrel nut to a proprietary one for a free-float, but Daniel Defense makes a rail that will free-float using the standard barrel nut, so this is what I did. You can upgrade a rifle gradually as you get the cash to do so. |
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My last rifle build used an 18" Faxon GUNNER barrel. Super light weight profile and melonite nitrided for long life. I used a FailZero nibx bolt I caught on sale. Love this combination it is really sweet shooting. I'm sure a 16" GUNNER from Faxon would also be a great choice but if you are wanting 300 yard effectiveness I'd go 18". You are going to want a nice scope for 300 yard song dogs too.
Check out "Right to Bear" they are a great site sponsor. |
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I did a budget minded "lightweight" build with a 16" faxon pencil barrel purchased off Right to Bear. Landed around 6.5lbs with a magazine and it dances around 1 MOA. I didnt buy junk but watched for sales and deals which brought my build total just over $600. As others have said buy a good barrel, BCG, and trigger. The RTB nickle teflon enhanced trigger is a great alternative to a mil-spec trigger that doesnt break the bank. Mine breaks consistently at 5lbs with practically no take up and a super crisp break.
ETA: I'd look at an 18" barrel for what you're wanting. It wont add much weight and the added velocity (as little as it would be) will help drop those yotes at distance. |
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