Hello,

I'd like to somehow get myself an AR15 as cheaply as possible (within reason). After reading up a bit, I think I can handle building a stripped lower, but the uppers turn me off due to the extra tools (and $$$) required.

I would really like new parts.

That said, what prices am I looking at? It all varies so much my head is spinning. Can I get away with $5-600 for a new, decent-quality rifle? I'm not looking for a match-grade gun, but I'd like to be able to upgrade it later. The only real "must have" is a 6-position stock, and a flat-top upper with a short barrel (16 or 20 inch), without a fake extended flash hider, just a straight barrel. So basically an M4/carbine type gun. I'm willing to settle for another style if it's cheaper.

Most (all) uppers I see are above $500. Can I build a lower for around $100 and then somehow get a complete upper for around $400? If not, what can I get for these prices?

Thanks in advance for any feedback, and if you can give me some other options with regards to building and prices I'll be eternally grateful for helping me get a real gun!

I'm mainly just confused on prices and options.

Rob

You can do it ...

I built this M4 for $800 ...  I paid extra for the Stainless barrel, Magpul Stock, Titanium B/C & brown furniture.    Subtract all my upgrades and you can do it for $550-$600 pretty easy.

The upper is brand-new CMT with RRA barrel.   The lower is a slightly used DPMS.   The B/C is DPMS.    Everything was purchased from Equipment Exchange on this site ...  

Good luck ...

I've been happy with every rifle kit I've had from Model 1 Sales. They offer an M4 kit for $475...



... your choice of flat top or carry handle. A chrome-lined bore is a bit more. Frankly, the quality of their standard collapsing stock is not the best, but its functional and could be upgraded now or later to an M4 6-position unit.

This kit, plus an Ameetec/Mega/Stag lower, should fit your budget and give you a nice basic rifle to start with.

Since you want new, you really might do better buying a Stag Arms, or RRA carbine.  Look over the EE for a while.  Complete rifles and parts.

If you dont care about the flash hider, you can probably find an almost new "preban" complete flattop upper pretty cheap.

J&T's CAR kit is $460.  Flat top or A2.  They have a good rep...


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Del Ton's kits are $455 / $465 for A2 / Flat top, and are also a good chioice, if price is an option.

www.del-ton.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=80

EagleFirearms.net

Stag Arms Upper, 16" M4 Govt. chrome lined 1/9 - w/ ARMS #40A2 back up sight - $475.00
Stag Arms lower receiver - M4 complete lower half w/ 6 position stock - $215.00

Complete rifle with ARMS BUIS, M4 stock, chrome lined barrel in M4 profile, all assembled - $690.

it can be done for less than $500,  you will just have to spend time searching the EE and other classified boards.  you won't set down and order all your parts in one weekend either.  may take 6-months - 1 year to catch the deals.  also some parts will be used.  but if you need to do it on the cheap this is the best way.  

btw,  the only special tools you will need will be an all-in-one barrel wrench,  a rubber mallet, & punches.  about $40 in tools.

On your first rifle kit out of the gate, the J&T kits will be the best.  
Once you get your feet wet and are into a few other builds, then you can venture out and search for pieces (read know the differance of a good part and one that is a POS).

Also, dtrosch has listed the J&T kit that you seek, but you may want to go with the chrome lined barrel option (read a extra charge, but the flat top or carry handle option is no charge).

Rob, one last thing that I will throw at you, depending on the lower receiver you buy, try to color/sheen match the upper with it.  If you buy a RRA lower, then a RRA upper would be the match.  As for the J&T kits, it's the Double star lower that you are looking for (Made by J&T, just that the Double Star companey is the FLL side of them).

Quoted: EagleFirearms.net Stag Arms Upper, 16" M4 Govt. chrome lined 1/9 - w/ ARMS #40A2 back up sight - $475.00 Stag Arms lower receiver - M4 complete lower half w/ 6 position stock - $215.00 Complete rifle with ARMS BUIS, M4 stock, chrome lined barrel in M4 profile, all assembled - $690.

+1 For Eagle Firearms, and you could save a little more $ if you build the lower yourself, not a lot , but every little bit helps.

There's a company that makes one called the "plinker".  I forget who makes it but thats probably the cheapest way to do it.

NO WAY!! Dont listen to the experts! Listen to me!! The newbie! hahah, well I didnt know hardly anything about AR-15s, but I had built my own AK and FAL and so I wanted to jump headlong into this new project. I read the threads, ESPECIALLY the thumbtacted ones on this forum, as well as the articles at rbprecision.com    -   But hey thats just me! I like the fun of hunting for sales on the EE and on the retail sites, (all 1000 of them that advertise on arfcom) , I got my stag arms lower on sale for $90 delivered talonarms.com, the LPK half way assembled to help me out for $52 delivered from rbprecision.com, CavArms shielded M4 hgs on sale for $23 delivered from bravocompany.com, and got a new unfire armalite A2 complete upper receiver from the EE for $95 delivered. Now Im waiting for my next pay check to buy the bolt set and charging handle all for $119! and its enhanced and chrome lined! WOOhoo and thats from eaglefirearms.com i think.    But its up to! I didnt like the idea of a whole kit from one place and paying all that money up front seeing as im on a weekly budget.



edit - heres some prices for you to end the confusion, now these are GREAT prices so you probably usually wont find these often, but they are out there

New barrels $150-220 with front sight (nonchrome lined...chrome lining isnt necessary nor will you probably shoot out your barrel anyway)
Upper receivers with FA and door - $95-105
Lower Stripped receivers - $45 (LAR blemished ones but still awesome)- $100
Bolt Sets $100-120
Charging Handle $15-25 (unless you buy the bolt set with the CH at eaglefirearms.com together for $119)
Handguards $15-30
Parts for handguards $20-30
Lower Parts Kit $45-50
Phantom Flash Hider $22
6 POS CAR Buttstock $72 (there are cheaper ones that DONT say CAR on them, but they are much flimsier, stay away!!! The STAG and RRA brand CAR buttstocks are the best from what Ive heard)

now granted all prices change depending on brand like Colt youll pay out your butt for but not always. and depending on the length of rifle prices change.

Good brands that I know of are RockRiverArms, Bushmaster, Armalite, LAR, DPMS, STAG, Superior Arms.
These will all be great products and some of them for way cheaper than others.

G'luck in yer struggles!

Piece it together from the EE.

i paid around 600 for the whole flattop rifle pictured

That was all very helpful info. I think I can call the upper receiver a done deal. Now I just need to compare the vendors and the deals between uppers vs. whole kits. I'm mainly looking at J&T, Del-Ton, or Model 1 kits or uppers. Thanks for the links.

Just a note; I've thought about piecing it together from many parts, but I'm confused. I've only ever held a few AR's and fired one, so it's safe to say that I don't know jack shit about themh.gif This will be an option for the future once I've gotten to know it and know all the parts by heart like I do for my other guns. I realize this is the cheapest and thanks for suggesting it, but I don't think I'm ready for it.


This leaves ONE more thing: the lower. Should I buy a complete kit that includes the lower parts minus the stripped lower, or should I buy a complete upper and lower seperately? I'm not too concerned about finish matching (not at all in fact).

Let's say I build my own lower: I've seen stripped lowers for $155 from RRA and $184 from bushmaster. Do I then need the parts kit for these? Do I also need to buy the stock seperately? Any thoughts on lower receiver issues?

I really appreciate your input, though I feel kinda silly for asking so many questions.hinking.gif

Buying a complete kit (barrelled upper with B/BC/CH plus LPK/stock in a single package deal) is the most cost effective. All you have to add is a stripped lower ($80-90 + transfer fee). If you mail order the kit by mail order from out of state, you avoid state sales tax and FET (a Federal tax on complete factory-buiit firearm). The stripped lower can be bought locally (if you can find an agreeable price) of you can mail order it, but it has to be transferred through an FFL (fees may apply, typically an extra $25).

Let's say I build my own lower: I've seen stripped lowers for $155 from RRA and $184 from bushmaster. Do I then need the parts kit for these? Do I also need to buy the stock separately? Any thoughts on lower receiver issues?

What, are you trying to open a can of worms?!?

Ok, ok,
 Easiest build option for you is to buy a complete upper and complete lower and just mate the two with the pushpins.  You can get a nice rifle that way, but you dont get the satisfaction of the labor (which in itself is minor).  

Read the thumb-tacked posts to see if you feel confident putting together the lower.  If not, my suggestion is to buy a complete lower from RB Precision (Superior), Carocoz (Mega), or Eagle (Stag) or one of the other reputable dealers on the EE.  Since price is a factor, shop a little.  Bushmaster is good quality, but not worth the price difference on a firearm you re putting together.  I have bought complete lowers from RB and Caricoz, and both would meet your needs fine...  You are now asking personal preference issues like which is better, Ford or Chevy.

Quoted: Hello, I'd like to somehow get myself an AR15 as cheaply as possible (within reason). After reading up a bit, I think I can handle building a stripped lower, but the uppers turn me off due to the extra tools (and $$$) required. I would really like new parts. That said, what prices am I looking at? It all varies so much my head is spinning. Can I get away with $5-600 for a new, decent-quality rifle? I'm not looking for a match-grade gun, but I'd like to be able to upgrade it later. The only real "must have" is a 6-position stock, and a flat-top upper with a short barrel (16 or 20 inch), without a fake extended flash hider, just a straight barrel. So basically an M4/carbine type gun. I'm willing to settle for another style if it's cheaper. Most (all) uppers I see are above $500. Can I build a lower for around $100 and then somehow get a complete upper for around $400? If not, what can I get for these prices? Thanks in advance for any feedback, and if you can give me some other options with regards to building and prices I'll be eternally grateful for helping me get a real gun! I'm mainly just confused on prices and options. Rob

My friend is currently contemplating the same thing right now and here was my $.02 on it:

Buy a Mega lower with internals and stock for $290 from www.nwtactical.net
Buy a slightly used upper from the EE for around $400
GO SHOOTING!!!

Quoted: Buying a complete kit (barrelled upper with B/BC/CH plus LPK/stock in a single package deal) is the most cost effective. All you have to add is a stripped lower ($80-90 + transfer fee). If you mail order the kit by mail order from out of state, you avoid state sales tax and FET (a Federal tax on complete factory-buiit firearm). The stripped lower can be bought locally (if you can find an agreeable price) of you can mail order it, but it has to be transferred through an FFL (fees may apply, typically an extra $25).

+1  (IMHO)

All the flat top uppers out there have a big front sight and charge extra for a flip-up or similar. If I get the flat top, will the front sight be in the way of any add-on optics? It looks like this flat-top thing could end up costing me a bunchhat
I guess that's it for the questions...

I really appreciate all your help.Rob

If I get the flat top, will the front sight be in the way of any add-on optics?

No, not really.

It looks like this flat-top thing could end up costing me a bunch

Yep.  BUIS or removable handles usually cost another $50-100+

nd also, what stripped lowers are $80-90? Is that used? All the ones I see are $150 to $200; even the Oly's are $119

No, not used.  Look here for where I bought my MEGA: WTS: $89 Mega lowers shipped! New trigger available!   (Page 1)

Look here for others:  Equipment Exchange • AR15 Complete Firearms & Lower Receivers  (Page 1)

Check the EE again. You should be abled to find complete carrier assembly for $80.  You can also find deals like a 24" stainless, fluted Wilson barrel with Wylde chamber, assembled to a Bushy upper and floated handguard for $380...shipped hat

Those are some crazy deals, metoo!

And thanks for the link to the EE, I have to admit that I coudn't find the link on my ownh.gif

Thanks for the all the info everybody, I think I can make this happen! I'll be back later with pics after I finally get it. I'm so excited.

Rob

You can do much cheaper than what people are commenting on here, but not if you are in a hurry.  If you want to build and buy right now, you will pay $500-600.

If you are willing to wait, look around, and grab the good deals when then come up, then you will come away with a VERY cheap AR15.  


I've posted pictures a few times of super cheap builds that I've done, but its all a matter of timing.  

Quoted: All the flat top uppers out there have a big front sight and charge extra for a flip-up or similar. If I get the flat top, will the front sight be in the way of any add-on optics? It looks like this flat-top thing could end up costing me a bunch And also, what stripped lowers are $80-90? Is that used? All the ones I see are $150 to $200; even the Oly's are $119. I guess that's it for the questions... I really appreciate all your help. Rob

Building your own is not hard - the top posts that are thumbtacked show you with detailed pics how to build your own gun - its a cinch! Here's some links for DEALS!!

www.rbprecision.com/id74.htm Stripped Lower
ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=125&t=213776 6 pos Stocks
ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=125&t=277221 lower parts kits
www.eaglefirearms.net/stag_arms.htm bolt carrier kit with charging handle (scroll almost all the way down)


-edt- btw the reason why your not seeing the "deals" is because either a.) your looking only at the brands (big name) that you know, which if you want a name - then by all means, me personally Im buying the cheapest quality milspec stuff i can find ie stag, superior arms, etc.    or  b.) your shopping only the big name stores, you ought to goto the industry tab and click on some of their website links. BravoCompany, Eagle Firearms, RB Precision, Talon Arms just to name a few are great companies to buy from. If you actually are going to buy a complete upper, FFL Transfers on the EE has AWESOME RRA deals. Thats if you have the money so buy right then.

I have to ask, how cheap? In the $300-400 range?

Rob

Quoted: I have to ask, how cheap? In the $300-400 range? Rob

Maybe a little more, maybe a little less.  I know that I've done them much cheaper, for both carbines and rifles.  

Like I said, you can't be in a hurry if you want to build them SUPER cheap.  Most people are in a hurry.

I'll definitely have to look at that option, even if it's only for, say, the upper or the lower (momst likely). I'll start studying some parts diagrams in more detail to see what I need.

Rob

Typically, you will get the best deals on barreled uppers.  In those cases where it is a fantastic deal, you take what you can get.  Sometimes its with a bolt carrier group, sometimes its not.  

Regardless of what configuration they come in, they all have one thing in common, and that is that they all sell very quickly.