AR-15 whats the cheepest way out
- Thread starter tango3065
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Mylhouse
Member
Cheaper to build your own. I suggest you get a Calvary Arms complete lower or a stripped aluminum lower for under $100 and build your own complete lower. Then shop www.ar15.com for some complete uppers, which can be had for great prices if you persistently check the boards. I think you could build a pretty darn nice AR using that method for ~$575.
Mylhouse
Member
Oh, by the way, DPMS, Calvary Arms, and RRA come to mind when thinking of the best ARs on a budget.
Wildalaska
member
If ya'll dont have the tools, and if you want quality parts, cheaper to buy one...
Ive seen some home brewed guns that made my skin crawl
WildyagetwhatyapayforAlaska
Ive seen some home brewed guns that made my skin crawl
WildyagetwhatyapayforAlaska
BDM
Member
Depnds on your level of experience and tools you have.If you are going to service and build your own rifles its worth investing in the tools if this is your first rifle get something quality or buy the lower and have someone build it then buy the upper you want.www,eaglefirearms.net builds uppers the way you want with chrome lined Bushmaster barrels and RRA or Bushmaster parts.They are also listed on RRAs web site as a certified RRA parts dealer and their uppers are 50 to 60 dollars cheaper complete then Bushmaster I got a A2 16" HBAR Bushy barrel with RRA enhanced carrier complete and ready to shoot for $506 shipped and a flat top for $442 shipped with no removavble carry handle.so between that figure $506 for the upper $100 for lower $50 for parts kit and say $65 for a telestock assuming the ban is gone and your building it,that comes to$720 plust tax figure no more than $730 or $740 and thats for a quality AR.A company called AMEETEC ARMS sells 10 different type of lowers including their own,RRA,Bushmaster,stag arms,mega and others.
olympic arms ARs can be had for 519 from atlantic right now. Must be an ar15.com member.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=21&t=217193
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=21&t=217193
I have built two AR-15s from parts kits, using stripped lower receivers.
Both were right at $575. One used an Olympic Arms lower, and the other used a Bushmaster lower (I got a deal on the second one).
I had no specialized tools.
First one took me about two hours in the living room floor.
Second one took about an hour in the living room floor.
Getting the Marine Corps armorer's M16 manual did help a bunch.
I have almost no mechanical aptitude. I'm an English teach for goodness sake.....
Both my ARs turned out just fine.
Unfortunately, one was stolen from me in a house break-in in 2000.
Model 1 Sales and M&A Parts are where I got my parts kits.
hillbilly
Both were right at $575. One used an Olympic Arms lower, and the other used a Bushmaster lower (I got a deal on the second one).
I had no specialized tools.
First one took me about two hours in the living room floor.
Second one took about an hour in the living room floor.
Getting the Marine Corps armorer's M16 manual did help a bunch.
I have almost no mechanical aptitude. I'm an English teach for goodness sake.....
Both my ARs turned out just fine.
Unfortunately, one was stolen from me in a house break-in in 2000.
Model 1 Sales and M&A Parts are where I got my parts kits.
hillbilly
the lowers and parts kits take no special tools, but help to have a pin punch set...
the upper however requires a barrel nut wrench and vice block to hold hte upper....assuming your barrel is not pre-installed on the upper, which mine was not.
the upper however requires a barrel nut wrench and vice block to hold hte upper....assuming your barrel is not pre-installed on the upper, which mine was not.
Wildalaska
member
Naw arin yers is nice..except..
where is the flash hider?
WildyacouldntwaitamonthcouldyaAlaska
Wildalaska
member
Bushmaster......
Now Im gonna tell ya a secret..in the AR15 world (not the military ones, but civies)...
All uppers and lowers are the same no matter where ya get em..they just have differnt markings..
All barrels are the same if they are from the MAJOR suppliers..
All parts are the same IF they are from MJOR SUPPLIERS..ie Colt, Bushmaster, Armalite, RRA, DPMS....
So the bottom line is who is rthe assembler, what is the price...
Bushmaster, Armalite and Colt IMHO have the best rep out there for service etc and QC...Oly Arms has QC probs. RRA is too new to judge
Bushies are the cheapest...
WildandthereitisAlaska
RRA too new to judge??? cmon now...
i only have two RRA parts in my gun, however, there have been ZERO ill reports of RRA's quality, longevity or reliability.
They are first class weapons IMHO, and every bit as deserving to be listed with bushmaster, Armalite, and colt.
as far as uppers and lowers go, ken is generally right...assuming we are talking about FORGED recievers...(stay away from cast in general, even if just for the principle of the matter)....
the biggest difference in the different branded uppers and lowers is the quality of the finish....some beg to be re-finished, and some (like my mega) it was almost a crime to cover it up.
As for parts kits, im not super familiar, but all i know is that my DPMS kit seems to be top notch quality...nice finish (i RE-coated them in black anyway) and nice machining.
and yes Ken, you were right....i was too impatient to wait a month...aside from that, im not going into combat with my rifle...no need to hide my flash....but i can always get it threaded later on down the road.....for my GEMtech
and why wait??? my AR was supposed to my birfday present to myself...and got it done right in the nick of time (happy birfday to me!!..july 25)
i only have two RRA parts in my gun, however, there have been ZERO ill reports of RRA's quality, longevity or reliability.
They are first class weapons IMHO, and every bit as deserving to be listed with bushmaster, Armalite, and colt.
as far as uppers and lowers go, ken is generally right...assuming we are talking about FORGED recievers...(stay away from cast in general, even if just for the principle of the matter)....
the biggest difference in the different branded uppers and lowers is the quality of the finish....some beg to be re-finished, and some (like my mega) it was almost a crime to cover it up.
As for parts kits, im not super familiar, but all i know is that my DPMS kit seems to be top notch quality...nice finish (i RE-coated them in black anyway) and nice machining.
and yes Ken, you were right....i was too impatient to wait a month...aside from that, im not going into combat with my rifle...no need to hide my flash....but i can always get it threaded later on down the road.....for my GEMtech
and why wait??? my AR was supposed to my birfday present to myself...and got it done right in the nick of time (happy birfday to me!!..july 25)
Moparmike
Member
Roy, someone broke into your house out there in the sticks? Who would travel that far out of a tiny town to break into a house!?!?
simmonsguns
Member
just to be kind to RRA,we have built to date around 450 rifels from there parts and others.there uppers and lowers were matched at the factory for us,they are good quality parts,ofcourse we coated them in a nice sand color.i liked them and built two for myself.
Im not going to agree 100% but there is a LOT of truth to this.
A lot of the "kit" guns that are so cheap are cheap for a reason. If you want to build with top-notch parts your arent going to save MUCH on building a rifle. And when you factor in shipping you probably arent saving anything really. (OK i guess i DO agree 100%)
However, building your own does have a few advantages over buying ready made. You can pick and choose EXACTLY the parts that go into your rifle. And you can pick and choose EXACTLY the configuration you want.
In this way you can end up saving some money. For example. Say you buy a bushmaster M4 type rifle. A really nice rifle to be sure. But, lets say that you want an ARMS rear sight and a folding front and a particular railed forearm that this rifle doest come with and god knows what else. You have to buy all these parts and install them. You still paid for the original parts so you are out some money (though not really a lot).
Also, building your own gives a certain pride and understanding of a rifle that is truly "yours" in every sense of the word.
ny32182
Member
I'm building one right now.
If you go with top quality components, you will NOT save money.
You WILL learn how your gun works, and will get the exact configuration you want...
I'd buy an already built one first... become familiar with how it works, and then build your own after that if you want.
If you go with top quality components, you will NOT save money.
You WILL learn how your gun works, and will get the exact configuration you want...
I'd buy an already built one first... become familiar with how it works, and then build your own after that if you want.
Wildalaska
member
Aint doggin RRA, just they dont have the history yet like Colt, Armalite, Bushie...
But remeber chillun...they are all the same!
WildanddontletanyonetellyadifferentAlaska
But remeber chillun...they are all the same!
WildanddontletanyonetellyadifferentAlaska
ny32182
Member
While I would say that "A,B,C, and R", will all put out a good product, I don't think I'd go so far as to say they are all exactly the same.
For example... Barrels. Colt and Bushy use 4150 steel, while others use 4140. (has to do with resistance to heat, but thats about all I know about it
)
Bushy chrome lines all their "normal" barrels and chambers. AFAIK, no one else does this. Colt and RRA tend to put out one chrome lined model, and thats it. Chrome lining can be very important to reliability in adverse conditions.
Colt tends to put out non-standard lowers that have non standard fire control parts, non standard pin sizes, blocked autosear areas... really odd stuff. I imagine that this can be a pain when sourcing parts for a Colt lower.
Not everyone's carriers are the same. I think Bushy's semi-auto carrier is the closest semi-auto carrier out there to the M16 carrier. The underside rear portion of the carrier is only milled back a little bit, where Colts are milled all the way off. The firing pin is also fully enclosed rather than partially exposed, with Bushy vs Colt. Colt has also started using plastic buffers for some reason, instead of the standard metal ones.
At the end of the day, I think that you will find that Bushy's lineup is the closest to "mil-spec" that you will get off the rack. The only thing better off the rack is perhaps Colt's MT6400C offering, which is literally a civilian version of an M4 in every way.
For example... Barrels. Colt and Bushy use 4150 steel, while others use 4140. (has to do with resistance to heat, but thats about all I know about it
)Bushy chrome lines all their "normal" barrels and chambers. AFAIK, no one else does this. Colt and RRA tend to put out one chrome lined model, and thats it. Chrome lining can be very important to reliability in adverse conditions.
Colt tends to put out non-standard lowers that have non standard fire control parts, non standard pin sizes, blocked autosear areas... really odd stuff. I imagine that this can be a pain when sourcing parts for a Colt lower.
Not everyone's carriers are the same. I think Bushy's semi-auto carrier is the closest semi-auto carrier out there to the M16 carrier. The underside rear portion of the carrier is only milled back a little bit, where Colts are milled all the way off. The firing pin is also fully enclosed rather than partially exposed, with Bushy vs Colt. Colt has also started using plastic buffers for some reason, instead of the standard metal ones.
At the end of the day, I think that you will find that Bushy's lineup is the closest to "mil-spec" that you will get off the rack. The only thing better off the rack is perhaps Colt's MT6400C offering, which is literally a civilian version of an M4 in every way.
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