AR Sponsor
Posted: 4/22/2004 4:53:23 PM EDT
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How hard is it to put together an AR from parts? I don't own one, the only experience I have with an AR is shooting one. And recently I've decided to purchase one, and now I'm debating between buying a whole rifle(I've narrowed it down to RRA and a Bushmaster) or piecing one together. I'm a huge tinkerer so I KNOW I will add change to it in the future, and I already have ideas of what I would change. But is it a tough gun to put together or will someone with a fairly technical/mechanical mind have an easy time with it? -JT |
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It is EASY! ! ! ! I have never built any firearm before, never even more than field stripped the m16's at work. But I put my AR together the other night in around 3 hours. That is with a totally stripped upper, lower and mounting the barrel. I even ran into some small problems. If you are any type of handyman, you can do it. My biggest suggestion is read, read and ask questions. I did probably a month or more of research before I actually put one together. The people on this site helped me so much! Thank you to everyone. |
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To be honest, for some it's beyond their capabilities. I've seen posts where the question posed was about getting the action open or how to properly align the sights. I firmly think a person should buy a complete firearm that has a owners manual/operation manual. Basic knowledge learned from shooting, cleaning and maintaning a firearm are the first steps to understanding the operation of a complex piece of equipment. This isn't meant to rag on people. Just a little insight from a lowly trigger puller. |
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It's really pretty easy to assemble the stripped lower, when the assembly instructions get back online you will see! Many of us buy a stripped lower and then a kit, the kit consists of the complete upper, already assembled, and the parts necessary to finish the lower. Here's some URLs to look at. www.ar15.com/content/guides/assembly/lower/ www.ar15.com/content/legal/preORpost.html www.eaglefirearms.net/ www.m-aparts.com/ www.jtdistributing.com/ www.model1sales.com/ www.adcofirearms.com/ Equipment Exchange www.ar15.com/forums/board.html?b=7 Industry Board www.ar15.com/forums/board.html?b=2 |
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I always tell people that it is like a snap together model. Sure, there are some poeple who can't do it, but most of us grew up doing it. It is simple, and basic in nature. It is not hard at all. I got the instructions off here, and read them a half dozen time sor so. After I was pretty familiar with everything, I got the parts and sat down. It was easier than the manual/ website made it sound. |
| If you can read and follow instructions, you can do it. It's by far easier than building an AK or FAL. Read all you can before you start. Most kits come with upper already assembled unless you ask dealer not to. Most 1st time builders assemble the lower in 20-40 minutes. Is not that many steps. I memorized how to do it after my 1st build. If you get stuck, just post your problem to the forum, you'll get all the help you need in hours. Gook luck. |
You have a good point. How many times have we seen new members come on here and don't know the simplest of things???  Or, how many times have you been to some type of firearms training, and had other students who couldn't correctly field strip their weapon???  I think ANYONE should spend some serious time shooting and maintaining a weapon before attempting any type of build. YMMV |
AR Sponsor