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AR build advice


WidowsSon683

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I am planning an AR build and am seeking some advice. The rifle will be mostly used for plinking and some light hunting. First question, how important is it to have a matched upper/lower. Secondly, .223 wylde or 5.56 nato chamber? Any other advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

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Buy a Rock River Competition and change the comp. It will carry you a long way and it carries a 3/4 " accuracy guarantee. It will carry you along way. Enjoy and good luck.

Let me reiterate..... I am going to BUILD an ar.

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A couple good sites for parts and accessories. The Shooters Source and JoeBobs. You can also find a lot of parts for sale on Ebay.

I build all my ARs and have built guns with 1500 dollars in parts and as low as 600, and they are all a lot of fun to build. Take your time and research the options you really want, then buy your parts. I have swapped out several parts that I thought I wanted, after I found a different one that I liked better. Like it was posted above, get a good trigger!

Doug

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On the topic of triggers.... one stage or two stage. And who makes a decent one that wont destroy my wallet

Depends on the size of your wallet.

For years I used a cleaned up stock single stage trigger. Made the mistake of purchasing a CMC modular trigger. Once that was installed I realized all the lesser triggers were crap. Watch for deals on this trigger and get it around $160.

Since then I upgraded one more time to the Hiperfire trigger. Not that much more than the CMC (in my case it was actually cheaper due to an end of the year sale at Shooters Source) and saw excellent improvement.

My match rifle is a mixture of parts that I thought would go well together. To get the reliability and accuracy I wanted, I spent a little extra on the trigger, barrel and the optics. In my case that gave me a gun that will shoot under 1/2" at 100 yards with some good reloads.

I never did run into you at a match, but I'd be glad to let you shoot my rifle if we do hit the same match.

Bill

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I have built upwards of 50 or 60 AR's for friends, family and a few customers.

My thing to you would be to really research what you want, buy once cry once. I cant tell you the number of times I have bought parts only to install them and then replace them due to something better/lighter/cooler etc.

Next, set a budget, try to stick to it. I have had a few build get a lot more expensive than I wanted due to me looking at parts, seeing something slightly better and telling myself "its only $30 more." Those $30 start to add up quick and before you know it, that $1200 rifle is $1800.

Finally if you can, buy all the parts at once and put it together quickly... I type this looking at my work bench where there are easily 7 or 8 AR pattern rifles/carbines/pistols in varying states of completeness, some which have been this way for over a year.

Your expectations for this were a little vague, light hunting and plinking can be totally different. Will you be shooting this offhand or off rests/bench? What game do you want to hunt? Gonna have to carry it far? What other AR's do you own? Iron sights or optic?

A good starting point would be a basic forged upper and lower from a reputable company, BCM comes to mind, but almost any will do just fine, (I'd stay away from polymer lowers, but that's just me, to each their own.) A 16" 1/8 twist 223 wylde with mid gas and a medium contour is a great all around barrel (rainier, noveske, loki, Nordic, and Daniel Defense all make great barrels in this configuration. A great Bolt carrier group for the money is the BCM, it is dead nuts reliable. A nice trigger is really key. The ALG defense ACT trigger is a great one for the money too Mil-spec, but smooth. If you step up to a nice single stage modular it will reward you with fantastic feel. CMC makes the best for the money in my opinion. After that everything else is really a personal preference based on looks/cost/ergos.

Also you will need a vise, a reaction rod or upper block kit, a torque wrench, some roll pin punches, and a AR15 wrench... oh and plastic bags (I like to assemble my lowers in a big gallon ziplock bag so I don't send springs and detents flying across the shop to never be found again.)

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Bill I may take you up on that offer someday. The barrel I plan on getting is the Odin works 18" stainless chambered in 223 wylde. (They spelled my name wrong, its ODEN not Odin. But I forgive them.) Does anybody have experience with timney triggers?

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Yeah I run the Timney 3.5lb skeletonized in my match rifle and absolutely love it! Plus I think it looks pretty cool. No Creep, great reset, been 100% reliable through 8K rounds so far. Plus Timney supports the sport, they must have given away 30 or 40 triggers at the 3GN shoot off in Vegas in '13 and that was just to the spectators.

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Take your time and research the barrel and Bolt. Don't get caught up in blowing money on bolt and mag releases crazy rails you will never use. Research each part one at a time. Buy once. Take your time. Make sure each part fits your needs. I.e don't get tactical if you want a hunting rifle.

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Take your time and research the barrel and Bolt. Don't get caught up in blowing money on bolt and mag releases crazy rails you will never use. Research each part one at a time. Buy once. Take your time. Make sure each part fits your needs. I.e don't get tactical if you want a hunting rifle.

That is great advice Mike. I learned it the hard way with my first AR. It was all kinds of tacticool and heavy as hell. Half the stuff on it didnt need to be. I know i want a low mass bolt/carrier. I also want a full lenght top rail for a scope and either some offset irons or red dot. Maybe a 2" or 3" section on the bottom for a sling or bipod attachment.

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Good points. Also, it might be a good idea to start with a budget in mind. I stated by installing just one updated part on one of my old ARs and two grand later I have a brand new gun and a box full of old parts that looks a lot like my old gun minus a lower receiver.

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I have a tentative build list: Budget $1400

AeroPrecision upper/lower set $131 ordered

ODIN Works 223 wylde 18" 3Gun intermediate barrel $290 (gas block and tube included)

MFT Battlelink Minimalist milspec stock $50

Diamondhead V-RS T 15" fore end $209

AeroPrecision BCG $175

DPMS lower parts kit (minus trigger parts) $30

Random upper parts $24

Double Star charging handle with TacLatch $37

Fortis RED Brake (black) compensator $67

AeroPrecision buffer tube kit $40

Optics Nikon P223 4-12x scope $200

CMC Tactical Trigger group curved $168

TOTAL: $1421

Edited by WidowsSon683
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If you decide on an aftermarket trigger right off the bat, you can get the DPMS lower parts kit without the govt spec trigger for around $30 less (Brownells).

Now that the Burris 1x5 XTR-II is available, some folks are dumping their 1x4 XTR scopes at attractive prices.

Bill

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The Primary Arms 1X6 is very good at the price point. They are in pretty high demand so you could always sell it without much loss if you didn't like it.

I like - use - the straight CMC trigger, but, straight or curved is purely a personal pick.

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  • 2 weeks later...

+1 for both CMC and Timney triggers. I have both and they are excellent. If you get the DPMS LPk, the trigger guard pin was a bit too large to easily fit in my Aero and Spikes lowers. YMMV. The Magpul MOE trigger guard is a good, affordable alternative, and there is no risk of busting a tab during installation.

Also, after trying multiple brakes, I ended up with miculek brakes on my main 3G rifle and my backup carbine. Great performance for the money.

Edited by JayDee
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Does the tube or the stock itself hold the detent spring in?

The tube is screwed into the lower receiver just enough that it will hold keep the detent in place.

Bill

I should have been more specific Bill. I meant the detent for the takedown pin.

Edited by WidowsSon683
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