help me finish my AR15

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Kahr33556

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Good or bad I just bought a psa classic complete lower. Now I will need to finish the gun over the next few months.
I will buy a complete upper also.
What to look for barrel wise ect.
What about the bolt carrier , what is good what should I stay away from.
Charging handle as some 20 to 60 does it really matter.
What is good cheapmags.
Gun for range and defence. Never owned a AR before.
Sights , thinking reflux I think ts called not sure I wantva scope.
Im on a lower cost budget looking for sales/blems ect but want a good shooting reliable gun.
 
Good or bad I just bought a psa classic complete lower. Now I will need to finish the gun over the next few months.
I will buy a complete upper also.
What to look for barrel wise ect.
Depends on what kind of shooting you want to do with it.
What about the bolt carrier , what is good what should I stay away from.
Can't go wrong with the Bravo Company M16 BCG.
Charging handle as some 20 to 60 does it really matter.
Yes it does. If your are going to be charging from the side the original will eventually break and binding is more of an issue. Tighter tolerances mean less binding from sideways forces. Again the BCM Gunfighter is an excellent choice.
What is good cheapmags.
Not just good but excellent:
-Polymer: Magpul
-Aluminum: D&H, the Teflon coated ones (my only experience is with their 10 rounders for the field--about 40% lighter than a 10 rd Magpul).
Gun for range and defence. Never owned a AR before.
Back to the barrel question, 1:8 if you can get it but it does not sound like you will be doing precision work so a common 1:7 is perfect. For a first AR, I'd go with a 16" MEDCON either chromed or Melonited (or stainless).
Sights , thinking reflux I think ts called not sure I wantva scope.
Im on a lower cost budget looking for sales/blems ect but want a good shooting reliable gun.
Noting is more personal than optics.

Mike
 
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Arizona Mike and I are on the same wavelength. I'd only add that if you're planning on shooting suppressed you might want to spring for one of the gas buster charging handles. It's not a necessity, but it's a small price adder if you're starting without a charging handle at all.
 
Go to PSA and hit the EASY button. Do it quick before they sell out.
http://palmettostatearmory.com/inde...ium-upper-without-bcg-or-charging-handle.html

...or this one, if you want a stainless steel barrel
http://palmettostatearmory.com/inde...ainless-1-7-freedom-upper-without-bcg-ch.html

BCM Gunfighter charging handles have become the standard. Gas Buster CHs are ok if you're going to shoot suppressed, but an adjustable gas block is even better- that's all down the road though.

You can get a bolt carrier group from PSA, but make sure it's the full auto carrier and is HPT/MPI
 
Pmags are great...and they are only $10-$12 a piece.
Whatever charging handle you get will likely be fine
the Rainer Arm Bolt Carrier Group is a good deal at $135 https://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/detail&product_id=3759
BCM has run some pretty good deals on blemished uppers for around $380
You can't go wrong with Rainier. Plus if they mess up your order they will send you a bunch of swag, twice in a row you will get a T-shirt (cut like a girl's shirt but understandable considering where they are located :) ).

Seriously, all kidding aside, Rainier is one of my favorite companies as you can tell from my builds and their parts :D

Mike

PS. They are having a clearance on their Guv'mint barrel: https://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/detail&product_id=4118
 
PSA has a sale on their blemished carbine upper for $249.99 and their combo BCG and CH for $99.99.
 
For the best bang for the buck, I'd go with all PSA stuff. Chrome lined A2 profile middy upper and their BCG + CH combo (that combo is a really great deal). You don't need a fancy charging handle to get started. Just get a decent basic setup and you can play with stuff like that later. You will probably find that you don't have any issues with a regular GI charging handle, and would rather put your limited funds elsewhere, like buying a quality optic. For a good red dot optic, I wouldn't go with anything less than an Aimpoint PRO. It's totally worth the money. If you just have to have the holographic type, I wouldn't go with anything less than EOTech, Trijicon, or Meprolight. If you were just going to use it for plinking I might say it would be OK to put a cheap Chinese crap optic on it, but since you mentioned defense, I wouldn't. You want to have a rifle and optic you can count on... which is why I recommend the HPT/MPI/chrome lined barrel and M-16 spec BCG, and good optics.
 
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Don't forget a good sling. I am new to ARs myself (shot mine for the first time about 9 months ago, and recently built one for my wife). Started researching sling options and decided I wanted to go with a 2 to 1 point convertable sling, with QD (quick detach) attachements.

This also meant chaning my end plate on my lower with one of these:

http://www.shopnoveske.com/products/noveske-qd-end-plate

I also just ordered one of these (I wanted to buy a MagPul hand guard anyway):

http://www.impactweaponscomponents....ne-hand-guard-mag405-w-qd-micro-mount-n-slot/

I still need to buy the sling. I'm thinking about the MagPul MS4:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/23...th-dual-qd-swivels-nylon?cm_vc=ProductFinding

So even something as simple as getting a good sling setup can cost a bit of money, this is going to be well over $100 by the time I'm done... just for the dang sling. ARs are like boats, they're money pits...
 
For mags DSG has their Mag Pack - 10 Black Magpul Non-Window Mags w/ DSG Patch for $79.95.
 
Gonna be tough to beat the PSA freedom stainless 1:7 16" middy uppers for $250, and another $100 for a BCG and charging handle.

I bought one during their labor day sale, fitted it with a UTG pro 15" free float handguard, and found it to be a 100% reliable 1.4 MOA upper.

IMG_1120_zps50991166.jpg

Best quality? No. Best value? I'd have to offer a resounding YES.
 
1 in 7 twist, chrome lined. I have a PSA barrel of that nature and it outperforms my factory DPMS barrels without question. Would love.a schillen.

Mags, hit magpul as they are nearing $10 for a 30rnd. Go with a tactical charging handle, ken gets in the way with nearly anything that is set to the rear in any way.
 
PSA is good stuff for the money. Their customer service is up and down though.
If any problem, eventually it will be straitened out but may take some patience.
 
who uses reflex optics, my eyes an't what they used to be for open sights and a scope may be too much for what I want.
I will keep the scopes on my hunting rifles
 
Got my PSA lower today very happy with the quality.
Ordered 3 magpaul gen 3 mags already.
next I need a bolt carrier group, a complete upper, charging handle, optics and some ammo.
What should I get for the bolt carrier group, nickel , a coating ect.
 
I have a PSA carbine upper and BCG. They have been flawless. I've run it on M&P15, Mega and JD Machines lowers.
Pick a PSA upper.
Get this.
http://palmettostatearmory.com/inde...olt-carrier-group-with-charging-handle-1.html
People over think this way too much.
I paid more for my last 2 BCGs from them last year so things are getting better.
You will then have an all matching PSA rifle instead of the dreaded "Bubba built Frankengun".
 
I want to build a PSA but can't find a dealer for their stripped lowers. there was a transfer fee if he ordered but not on the stuff he had in stock... I have two stripped lowers one is a delton and forgot the other... would prefer that they matched but whatever...

btw if you subscribe to midway usa's email, (not trying to endorse) they sometimes have good deals on ar15 kits. some even come semi-complete besides the lower
 
Thanks all.
I just ordered a psa complete upper 1 in 7 twist chrome lined barrel , charging handle and bcg.free shipping till sunday.
I will have 550 in Ar, this includes all shipping transfer fees ect, less optics
 
Charging handles are an answer to a problem the military almost never has. The GI spec handle does the job, and has has less changes than the rest of the gun, over 45 years, and is still issue.

Why would someone need to force the handle and cause it to bind? Frequent malfunctions, which is ammo based, not an issue of the action, and certainly not the charging handle. All it does is pull the bolt back, you lock it, and then push the handle forward to get it out of the way during the reload cycle, cause you are trying to reacquire the sights or clear the action.

Jam it forward under so much stress you bend it? Jerk back with so much force you bend the pins or wear it out? Operator abuse, plain and simple. And you don't have to charge it if the weapon is operating properly, every empty mag trips the bolt hold open and from their you change the mag, push the button and start firing again.

Get a jam and soldiers even pogo the charging handle - which is abuse - by striking it with the heel of their boot to unlock the bolt and extract the cartridge. And that doesn't always work if the extractor slips - you then have one pretty tightly wedged in the action.

Where did that idea come from? The M1 Garand. Which jammed. Bad ammo has been around a long time, but even worse, a complete lack of maintenance, too.

Charging handles are sold because they can be, not because there is a huge military coverup they are weak and kill people. Buy what you want, but if it's a simple plinker or hunting rifle, the GI spec handle does the job. Go 3Gun or competition where standings are separated by tenths of second and points, you might need one in a frantic effort to clear the weapon.

Which goes to them using extremely light bolts, tuned gas, handloads, and getting them free from sponsors to prove the Big Boys use them . . .
 
D&H mags are $7 each at PSA. 90% of my mags are D&H. I don't see the point of an "improved" charging handle either, as AR's are reliable, so slightly faster clearing doesnt seem like a priority. My favorite upper is the PSA mid length pencil profile for weight.
 
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