Hello everyone,

With the recent changes in "off list" AR Lowers in CA I took the plunge and bought my first lower, made by Stag.  I have a few questions and was told the best place to ask is AR15.com.

The Lower that I purchased is stripped, and from what I've read a LPK is the way to go especially for a noob like myself.  From what I've read fitting a barrel on the upper requires special tools and people have suggested to me that I skip the headache and just go with an preassembled upper.

My 16" AR will have to be a fixed 10 rounder because i live in CA.  I want my AR to be CQB/SHTF oriented, not really for plinking. I'm also at some point going to place a Eotech or Aimpoint red dot sight on it so it will have to have a rail on the upper. I also want BUIS that flip down, so they don’t get in the way of the red dot sights.

I've visited RRA, Stag and Del-Ton's websites and tried to find and Upper that I can customize to my liking.  While surfing the sites I've come across a few things that I need an explanation for and also would really appreciate your input on what I need to know as a noob to save time and $$$.


here is what I want to build:
Reliable/accurate 16" chrome lined barrel
10 round fixed mag (hate the fact that i have to have this but hey....)htsRed dot sights (eotech,aimpoint)
decent trigger

questions:

1. what is the difference between 1x9 and 1x7 barrels?

2. Flash hiders, there a lot of them offered by different websites, any recommendations? (i.e. "smith Vortex")

3. Some sights are listed along with "gas blocks". what is a gas block? (i.e. "weaver type")

4. one website offered something called a "Gas Buster" with the charging handle, and it costs around $80 extra than a standard charging handle. what is the significance of a "gas buster" charging handle?

5. So many foregrips out there, KA, DPMS,YHM,Daniel Defense, ARMS which one is right for me?  (the most I'll ever add to my AR (foregrip) is probably going to be a vertical grip and a flashlight)

6. Should i get a "free-floating" or non free-floating foregrip, what is the difference?



Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to give me advice based on my criteria....

no one is willing to help?

Being a relative noob myself I have to say the answers to all your questions are here...read the forums and you'll learn answers to questions you haven't thought of yet.

I got 99% of my answers to my first build questions without posting ...

Quoted: Hello everyone, With the recent changes in "off list" AR Lowers in CA I took the plunge and bought my first lower, made by Stag.  I have a few questions and was told the best place to ask is AR15.com. 1. what is the difference between 1x9 and 1x7 barrels? Each have different characteristics for different bullet weights. For general purpose 1x9 will be fine. 2. Flash hiders, there a lot of them offered by different websites, any recommendations? (i.e. "smith Vortex") Stay with a standard A2 or go to a brake/comp. if you ever want to go gripless/removeable mag in Ca. 3. Some sights are listed along with "gas blocks". what is a gas block? (i.e. "weaver type") Gas block is essentially a FSB (front sight base) without the sight. Some come with rails for mounting irons some don't. 4. one website offered something called a "Gas Buster" with the charging handle, and it costs around $80 extra than a standard charging handle. what is the significance of a "gas buster" charging handle? It is supposed to keep gas out of your face, but i don't have any experience with it. 5. So many foregrips out there, KA, DPMS,YHM,Daniel Defense, ARMS which one is right for me?  (the most I'll ever add to my AR (foregrip) is probably going to be a vertical grip and a flashlight) This is a tough one and is extremely subjective. My only suggestion is to read up on what you want,  and try to make a decision. 6. Should i get a "free-floating" or non free-floating foregrip, what is the difference? For a 16" M4gery is probably doesn't matter (accuracy wise). Get what you think will work best for you. hr

thank you cazach for your help

i'll give you the short and dirty answers to your questions:

1.  difference is the twist rate for the barrel.  the bullet weight that you'll be using primarily will determine the rate of twist.  heavier bullet = faster twist

2.  personal preference

3.  the ar15 is a gas operated system.  the gas tube goes from the upper receiver to, rides along the top of the barrel (under the handguards) and end in the front sight.  if you don't want a standard front sight (or none at all) you need the gas block to take the place of the front  sight.

4.  don't bother, unless you are building a 10-rd full auto. hat
6.  free floating "increases accuracy" by having the handguard not touching the barrel.  if your looking for a cqb type rifle, you don't need to free float because most of your shots will be at fairly close ranges.  my work rifle is not free floated and i have no problem hitting what i aim at in shoot houses and at work.  

all of the rest of the research is up to you.  hope this helps to get you started.