I've seen here,

Yes there is some machine work required for a 80% lower.
You can by a finished lower for the same and often less money, you just have to go through an FFL.
There are many step by step videos online showing how to assemble AR's.

Kit is all the parts (minus the lower receiver).
Buy a kit and a finished lower and just assemble.

Assembly does require some special tools.
A good bench w a vise, for using the receiver block. And a good barrel wrench.

I've done a dozen and never had a problem, but............I never tried to use the cheapest parts around.
None premium either.

Did have one barrel nut that was taking too much torque to line up.
Lapped the upper receivers front ring and got it to line up with proper torque.

With lowers at such good prices.............just don't see the need to go the 80% route.
I have access to milling machines and some minor experience, so could do it.
Not worth my time.
And if one is so paranoid.................IMHO posting on the web and buying parts online w credit card..................kinda ruins that 80% thing

Like others said an 80% lower receiver requires metal work to finish it. The advantage is you can buy them online and they ship to your house.

If you buy a rifle kit you just need to buy a kit and a stripped lower locally and assemble it, which is very simple to do with common hand tools. No hand fitting or machine work required. There is a pin on AR barrels that fits in a slot in the receiver to align it and a big nut to hold it on. It’s extremely simple if you are mechanically inclined and have tool.

From a kit: this rifle is designed to be assembled by minimally skilled workers, and fixed in the field by throwing parts at it. Assembling a kit is akin to aluminum Legos, with roll pins.

The advantage is twofold: you finish knowing how ir works, and you avoid Federal tax on the non-serialized parts of the firearm.

Do it, you'll like it!

Be forewarned, the risk of addiction is high for first time AR builders.

PWC said:

So, I could have several different caliber uppers, and need only need 1 lower?

Click to expand...

You can but usually more lowers will soon follow.

Assembling AR's or 10/22s........spreads cost out over time.
I found assembly to be boring as heck.
Got buddies who love to change stuff.
To each his own.

10/22 and AR15 assembling to me is not a sickness.

+ 1 on everything posted so far.

First few builds DONT do a 80%, do a finished receiver, that way you know where everything goes and how it interacts you'll have a good idea of what issues to look for as well.

I have built from literally the cheapest parts I could find, and honestly I've seen very little difference in initial performance. Longevity is another story, I only put a case or so of ammo thru my used parts/cheap parts build.
Cheap tools are the bane of the new AR assembler.

They are bloody addictive to build. I don't even like shooting them, but I still build one from time to time.

A lone upper soon becomes another AR....might as well plan for it ahead of time.

Hookeye said:

10/22 and AR15 assembling to me is not a sickness.

Click to expand...

Those who like to tinker, are usually the ones that get addicted to them.
Honestly building the idea that's rattling around in my head is way more fun than shooting them usually..... My . 458 tho, that was pure shooting fun.

Buy parts a la carte, not as a kit. That way you have control over the individual parts. That's why I like gun shows. There are parts vendors there, where you can pick and choose parts individually. Of course you have to be familiar with the gun and what you are planning to do with your build.

I'm a set it and forget it type.
Not really a tinkerer.
My AR assembling has been on pretty much standard stuff, nothing elaborate.
They run well, from the start, shoot good enough to double as varmint rigs.
Changing sights, handguards, free floating...........weird plating/finishes of outside and inside stuff......no thanks.
Seen many a customer bitten by the bug, sell prev build to fund a new one.
Losing a ton of $ in the process.
Laughable.
Having fun.............but at considerable expense.
If that's what they wanna do.............makes pretty good profit for the shops (used guns).

Here's my frankengun.
Was stripped upper and lower.
FSB was canted. Looked for the fix on a couple of forums.
Not a pleasant experience (didn't post, just read). Poor guy, that knew his stuff............bombarded by nonsense and rudeness.
Simple and it worked.
Rear sight is dead center now.
Zero the RDS tomorrow
View attachment 843255

I didn't have a bench block to assemble the lower. So used a decent roll of masking tape as my block It works very well BTW.
Do tape the sides up to protect finish when tapping in bolt release roll pin. Used a brass punch too. Brownells receiver block in vise and Tapco wrench for the top stuff.

The ol lady wants an AR............told her to buy a stripped lower and put it together herself.
For some reason she thinks it a formidable task. I just laugh.

The kits I typically see do not have sights. To finish an 80% lower you need a jig and a drillpress at minimum. If building, it’s usually cheaper and easier to buy a finished lower and a kit, especially if you don’t already have a jig.

The process is very simple though. My first one went together in about 30 minutes. 2nd and 3rd in less.

LoonWulf said:

Those who like to tinker, are usually the ones that get addicted to them.
Honestly building the idea that's rattling around in my head is way more fun than shooting them usually..... My . 458 tho, that was pure shooting fun.

Click to expand...

I am an avid tinkerer. With my racecar I endlessly build and rebuild stuff to make it just so. I’ll spend 8 hours to make a part that saves me 5 minutes when pulling the engine. When I first got into AR’s I swapped barrels and scope mounts and forends constantly. I have an upper that has had a dozen different barrels on it, some more than once! Now that I’ve figured out exactly how I like them I don’t mess with any of them anymore, I just keep adding uppers in different calibers with the same mounts and forends.

Will everything be included in the kit?

Well, yes, probably. With an asterisk.

There are so many accessories available and in enough different combinations, that everyone can develop a favorite (or many favorites). Will those be in the kit? Maybe, depends on how you select the kit.

And, you are free to swap out various kit parts for other parts at your pleasure.

Unlike many other firearms, pretty much everything on an AR is interchangeable.

Some are easy--like ambi/imrpoved charging handles. Or bolt carrier groups. Or pistol grips. Others take a variable bit of effort, like stocks, or hand guards. Other can take a relative bit of effort--like trigger groups and ambi selector levers. And how much effort is decidedly in the eye of the beholder. Which is often just down to experience. Once you've done an iteration or two, the processes are pretty simple.

FWIW the RDS had the dot on top of my front sight post when mounted.
Shot it at my nickle/quarter sized target dot at 25 yards.
View attachment 843409
What a junker. LOL