[DrLaw]

Remember that Johnny Cash song, "One Piece At A Time"?

Been thinking about getting a black rifle. One big thing holding me back, lack of larger positive cash flow. I was thinking about getting a lower end AR in price. Then I thought, instead of getting a lower end AR, what about getting it one section at a time?

Now, how about that idea. Yes, it would take longer, but would it in the long run be practical? Can the parts be intermixed, one manufacturer to another (i.e. X-company's trigger in Y-Company's reciever with Z-Inc's barrel, etc...)?

Does this sound like a plan that will float or a plan that will sink?

The Doc is out now. :cool:

PS, wife got new siding and roof for anniversary gift. I got an emptier wallet.

[dakotasin]

yep, good idea. yep, many, many folks do it like that.

most parts from most mfgrs will interchange.

[cbrgator]

It will float. Lots and lots of people build their own AR. That's part of the beauty of the gun.

[strat81]

Yes, it'll work. Be prepared to budget for tools.

[Realbigo]

I myself bought the cheapest AR and 1911 I could find, and have been improviong them as finances have allowed. But even as the cheap iron they started as, i've never had a malfunction w/ either, and the accuracy is well w/in "service grade" range

[papajohn]

I remember that song, your mention of it brought a smile, thinking about him trying to title the car. My suggestion for your build would be to buy parts in clusters, i.e. the trigger group, so you're not doing too much mixing and matching. But most (if not all) of the major components are completely interchangeable. One thing's for sure, by the time you're done with it, you'll have an intimate understanding of how it all fits together, and that's never a bad thing.

PJ

[gcrookston]

I just bought a lower with the same idea in mind. It will be an A2, A3, A4 Cadilliac...:D:D:D

[Jimmie]

I'm in the middle of doing that exact same thing right now. I bought a CMMG lower a few weeks ago. Now I'm buying the lower parts and stock I want. I'll buy the upper this winter probably.

[Soybomb]

Well realistically speaking, you can't shoot it until its done anyway so if you've got the self control you might as well leave your money in the bank for a little interest until you build it and shoot it. But yes you can buy it piece by piece, sort of like a frankenstein installment plan. If you want you could even buy an assembled lower half now and an assembled upper half later and not need any tools at all.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Buy the controlled item, the receiver, first.

Dave

[Gingerbreadman]

Get the lower. Everything else can be shipped to your front door. I'm, doing the same thing right now.

[bragood]

Im in the same shoes that you are in. The first thing I decided to do was buy a stripped lower ($150). Then a couple weeks later a lower parts kit (on sale for around $55 on gunbroker). Then I bought a stock. And the great thing is, if you dont have money flowing in for a few weeks, its no big deal and you can always see the progress of your work. If you go to http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=4&t=226782 you can get instructions on assembling the upper.

[RockyMtnTactical]

That is a great way to do it! Start with something. It will come together faster than you think...

[texas bulldog]

i'm doing it right now. got the lower and lower parts kit put together. the upper is the expensive part if you get one already assembled. once i have that, i'll just need to stock up on mags and ammo.

or i could get a light...and a laser...and a vertical foregrip...and a holosight...and a...

j/k

[jad0110]

Building your own is certainly an option to save $$$. I estimate that I saved about $150-200 building my AR from a kit, including what few tools I had to purchase. And as other said, by the stripped lower first.

Depending on your skill level, you may wish to buy a complete upper assembly that is already assembled and headspaced. That is the route I took. Just about anyone can assemble a stripped lower, but the uppers require more skills and tools than I possess :p .

[savage116]

I was planning on doing that and I was going to start with a stripped lower.

[Rifleman 173]

Yes, it WILL work in SOME cases. For a while I believe that it was Colt used different size holes in their older lowers so that other companies' uppers would NOT fit in their lowers. I don't know if they still do that or not. Just be careful and check with your local gun dealer to see if your idea will work with the specific combination you're planning to use.

[Onmilo]

You can use another manufacturers upper receiver on a Colt lower.
You have to use a special offset pivot pin assembly, but you can get them to work.

I build and rebarrel customer rifles for them and to their specifications.
Whatever they want on the rifle, they get.
This involves a lot of piece parting to complete the assembly and while the downside is that it will cost you more in the long run, the upside is you get a rifle in which ALL the parts are of a uniform and excellent quality.

[jad0110]

I would like add that if you (or anyone else) are going to put together an AR lower from a parts kit, the most helpful tool you can have is an AR mag block that you can set the receiver in, then clamp to a vise. That is one tool I did NOT use, and wish I had. It would have made assembly a whole lot easier.

[DrLaw]

What a set of responses! This sounds like I hit the jackpot here as nobody put this idea down. What is nice is that I have some friends - a couple smithies, too, who do black rifles and have offered to help this doddering old fool. :p

Why I didn't get an AR when I was young and single, I don't know. :uhoh:

Thanks for the thumbs up. Appreciate it.

The Doc is out now. :cool:

[gcrookston]

there are really only a few companies that cast/forge the lowers, and even fewer that cast/forge the uppers. the rest left to a handful more that CNC machine them.

I picked up 2 Spikes @ $120.00 each. A lower to build now, another for perhaps another day.

If you can't afford $120 for a lower, I'm wondering what you must be eating to survive.

[3pairs12]

I did it so i can draw out the expense and got it done in 4 weeks. So much for drawing out the expense i guess. Its a mutt though.

[AirplaneDoc]

Built my first about months ago. Total lower took about 45 min to assemble while watching a video on ar15.com. Great thing about doing it piece by piece, is you can get what you want the first time around. I went straight to a 3.5 oz match trigger, so I bought a parts kit with out a trigger group. I the long run, I am sure I saved quite a bit by buying what I wanted, vs buying a complete gun and exchanging parts.

[Zach S]

Yeah, you could do that.

If you buy a complete bbl, the only tools you need are an upper vise block, bbl nut wrench and a torque wrench to torque the bbl down, and you could have a local smith do that for a few bucks. For about six bucks you can get a telestock wrench. The rest just kinda slides or snaps into place.

The only tools I use to put a LPK in is a pair if vise grips, duct tape (for the jaws of the vise grips), and a nail. The nail is optional...

I wouldn't buy it one piece at a time though, I'd buy parts assemblies and/or kits. Instead of getting a stripped upper, and then getting the parts to complete it, I'd get an assembled upper (minus bbl), or a stripped one with the upper parts kit. Instead of a stripped bbl, I get one complete with the FSB, gas tube, bbl nut, and HG cap.

[maxxwilde]

AR question. Dumb idea or not.

I don't think it's a dumb idea at all. I've often thought about the same thing. I'm glad you asked it, now I think I'm gonna do it as well...


M

[tepin]

Good idea.

[AirplaneDoc]

For a lower build you need
a set of drifts brass preferably for driving pins
box cutter for holding down detent springs and detents.
electrical tape to keep from scratching reciever
small hammer to drive pins

thats about it

[dogloose]

Building is fun... the resulting AR can be fun to shoot... as long as you have no illusions about the quality of "one piece at a time"... remember the Johnny Cash song... he stole most of those parts... and the car was a mess - even if it did run! There are many good AR resource sites on the 'Net that can help make your build go better. Here's some advice that you may find useful in measuring cost and quality... Good Luck!

http://www.tacticalyellowvisor.net/8343/25301.html

[DrLaw]

Well, I guess the intro to this could have been a little misleading. I didn't plan on getting one part at a time, like get one pin, and then get another, then get a hammer, then get a spring. I know the parts can be had in groups, like stock, barrel, upper and lower and internal workings, etc... I figured I would do it the group at a time.

Still, thank you for all the positive responses, and yes, I do eat well, sometimes way too much. Thing is, as I said, I have a new roof and siding to get paid off now, and with a wife and two kids, it adds up on my po' country lawyer earnings. Can't let the kids starve. He's starting freshman football and she will be doing 7th grade basketball as a starter. I'm also working on them to try the school trap program.

The Doc is out now. :cool:

[esq_stu]

Did it once, love the result, doin' it again.

The first one has been reconfigured a few times, so I have a box of parts - stock, FCG, buffer tube and spring, various small parts. Just got a new stripped lower and have started browsing for parts.

Because I made changes to the original, did NOT save any money, unless I get a credit for the value of the extra parts. And I take a loss on the extra (used) parts I have sold for less than I paid.

But yes, I did not shell out $800 all at once for a new AR.

Also, consider trades. I have traded parts and guns for parts. That may ease the pain some.

[BattleChimp Potemkin]

I assembled my AR in that exact fashion. Only problem is when I completed, I tabulated total cost (saved all bills and reciepts) and it cost over 1000 bucks for something about 800 bucks in concept. However, I could afford it over a year, rather than all at once.

I personally feel the gun industry caters to the 'impulse buy". You have to buy it complete idea is complete gibberish. Build the rifle YOU want not what a COMPANY wants you to have.

In all seriousness, if one has patience (a HUGE key to a project like this) then they can have an awesome AR. I couldnt afford 800 bucks down pat, however, I could afford 50 a week. Save up a couple weeks: barrel. A couple more: Reciver (upper or lower). Etc etc... Patience is key to this. In todays, get it before its banned world, we have to sometimes take a step back and remember that we are rewarded with our perserverance. Instead of copping out on your AR project and getting another .223 rifle, like a Keltec, gather patience and keep building the AR, the gun you ORIGINALLY wanted.

[Tarvis]

I usually buy a few lowers then get a kit as the money is available, which splits the payments into $500 chunks ($500 for 5 lowers, $500 for a kit). What you could do if you wanted to spend around $150 per chunk is buy:
1. stripped lower
2. lower parts kit
3. butt stock + buffer assembly
4. upper receiver (two chunks of $150+)
5. bolt carrier group + charging handle
6. magazines
7. optics if you got a flat top
8. upgrade trigger (JP adjustable for $120 is what I recommend)
9. upgrade grip
10. upgrade fore arm if desired
11. add bells/whistles/doo-dads

If you budget for one chunk each month, you have a running rifle in 5 months and a tricked out machine in a year or less, depending on disposable income.

Just a thought.

[SSN Vet]

if that's what you have to do, go for it...

but I suspect you'll have bought the rifle twice when your done, by the time you pay for tools to assemble the upper and shipping on each part.

you might try the time tested "save up" approach.

if your worried about the "ban to come", pop for a stripped lower today and then get an pre-assembled upper when you have enought squealed away.

[DrLaw]

Saving? Saving? Maybe you missed it. I have a wife and kids! :(:rolleyes:

I check in here regularly to see if there are new ideas. As for the tools, I have friends who have those, including a couple gunsmiths, who are close by.
I'm not too worried about that aspect of it. I also tinker with guns myself from time to time (sights, parts, etc...), so again, I am not too worried about that aspect. Nope, just wanted to know if this idea was off the wall or not, and the concensus is that it is not so off the wall as I thought it might be. It's just a matter of saving here and there, patience and hoping McCain gets in as opposed to good ol' emminently experienced Barak.

Think I will start with the stripped reciever as I see a couple good prospects out there on the market right now from a couple places.

Thanks again all. :D

The Doc is out once more. :cool: