AR for 600 dollars?

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Brockak47

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I am looking to build or buy an AR for 600 dollars. I saw the S&W MP15 sporter, but I am convinced with the saturation of AR stuff out on the internet, I can assemble one of better quality for the same price or cheaper.

I am thinking I would prefer a 20 inch barrel but 16 inch is not a deal breaker.
Something I can use Iron sights with, but slap a scope on it (and maybe a bipod) if i feel the need.
I really think I adore the look of the Carry handle as opposed to the rail mounted sights. Chrome bore and barrel would be a plus.

do they have dissapator style 16 inch ar's with collapsible stocks in this price range?

I am looking for the best bang for my buck and I feel like a bothersome asking all these questions but, I have never personally owned an AR. I have done a lot of looking around on the internet the past week, but I would just like to hear what you all have to say or point me to.


Thanks ,
Brock




so, I go into the gun shop find a stripped lower, ask the guy what age I have to be he says 18, I fill out the form he does the background check and I have to be 21 .. FML

so now I have AR parts and a useless 500 dollar upper, what should i do?
 
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You can build one for even cheaper.
Especially if you go with the Plum Crazy polymer lower. Fully equpped lower for about $150. Then slap on the upper of your choice to fit your needs/ wants, it's easy to come in below $600, if not $500.
 
You can get a kit for the price you want, but do you have the tools?

You are going to need at bare minimum, an AR combo tool, a multi purpose vise, a torque bar, a set of needle nose pliers and a punch set. and a hammer. Additional tools, would be an upper and lower AR vise block, and the front site roll pin block

The thing to consider on the dissipator is need for having 2 gas blocks. both can be had around $25. But I will attempt to price you out a 16 inch dissipator. Ball park plus shipping

PSA Lower (stripped) $79.95, currently on sale
PSA complete lower kit, with buffer tube, stock and fire control, $100
BCM Upper, (stripped) (scratch and dent) $90
Complete Bolt and Carrier Group, PSA, $90, also on sale
Charging Handle: $20
Model 1 16.5 inch barrel with FSB- $145
YHM low pro gas block,, $25
A2 flash hider, $6
Magpul MOE rifle handguards, $37.95
gas tube, delta ring, barrel nut, and handguard endcap $45

total: $638.90 plus tax

I didnt put in a rear sight as there are many, and it depends on your preference of fixed or flip, and magazines which magpul PMAGs are had around 15-18 bucks
I think I got it all, Best of luck building AR's is alot of fun
 
Thanks, I saw the plum crazy lower, but I wasnt all too crazy about it being polymer. Are they decent? and Bob on the tools thing I have most of the minus a vice and Ar combo tool. I wasn't too sure about building a stripped lower because I think I would mess it up some how, seeing as I am not too familiar with the internals of an AR
 
Thanks, I saw the plum crazy lower, but I wasnt all too crazy about it being polymer. Are they decent?
Click to expand...
I haven't taken the plunge to purchase one myself. From what I've read online, most reviews are favorable, and a lot of the negatives come from the anti-polymer crowd anhow.

It's certainly not mil-spec, so it's safe to assume it won't handle the abuse of a milled Aluminum lower, but not many PCA poly lower owners are running and gunning through the streets of Baghdad, either. For the casual shooter, I don't see why the poly lower wouldn't hold up. The parts that matter are metal, and the lower doesn't take any of the stress, although I wouldn't throw a .50 BMG upper on it, either. I see no reason why a 5.56 upper wouldn't be just fine.

I'm thinking of going the PCA poly lower route at tax time, if I decide on an AR platform as my next gun.
 
Build your own. You will save the tax that way (there is a tax on completed firearms).
Plus it is fun, easy, and has more bragging rights.

I built mine from stag parts a few years ago and have been very happy.
 
are Del ton, Plum Crazy, Palmetto, and Doublestar my only choices on going to the cheap route? or are there others that compare?
 
If you are new to AR's building your first one may not be the right step. Get an assembly line one and learn on it and learn the nomenclature. If you have never disassembled an AR or field stripped one then building one could be tough. The important thing I think in building an AR is knowing how everything works and fit and function of all the parts. I learned the ins and outs of the AR/M4/M16 in the Army, I have more practical time on this weapon than the others I own and I have been shooting since 4.

Building the lower, IMHO, is actually easier than the upper. Youtube has a bunch of really good step by step builds for lowers and uppers. If you follow a good schematic and video of instruction building a lower takes about an hour. The only tools you really need for the lower is the castle nut wrench but that can overcome using a roll punch and hammer.

The upper is tricker, this is divided in three parts, the upper receiver, the barrel assembly, and the bolt assembly. They all come together to make a complete upper. You will need a vise, the barrel nut wrench and a torque bar to attach the barrel to the upper receiver. This process has more stages but then again on youtube there are great series on how to build.

I would caution that building an AR can be done but if this your first experience with an AR my caution is to buy one already assembled. If you want to build your own it can be done, by building out the lower and the buy a completed upper.
 
You can also check out Model 1 Sales and Bravo Company USA they have pretty decent kits. Doublestar and Olmypic doesn't have the greatest reputation but some people have built them without an issue.
 
I built mine with the help of a buddy who built 2 of his. I don't think I could ever buy one off the rack after putting one together myself. I bought my lower from my LGS, my upper and LPK from r-guns.net, my stock from a guy locally and my red dot off of ebay. I couldn't be happier with it.
 
wow Bob thanks a ton, you are very helpful. I didn't intent to build an AR, i just threw it out as an option in regards to best bang for my buck type of thing.
 
If you get a good DVD video there should have no problem building one although some experience with operating one would be good to at least verify things are working the way they should before and after firing.
 
No problem, I agree with Hunterdad, after building a couple you will never buy a completed one again.

My best advice is to buy a kit with a completed upper and stripped lower. The lower isnt hard to build. Remember the weapon was designed to be mass produced by factory workers with limited education.

Youtube a lower vid and have it, its alot of fun and very rewarding. Keep asking questions along the way if you need help.
 
I just built an A2 for less than $550 Complete. To get that price I had to buy some used parts and pass on several bid items once the price went past what I wanted to pay. I was lucky. I was also prudent and patient. I bought the lower years ago and could get it for less now.
 
For a complete novice are there any issues to be concerned about like timing that might make a self build potentially unsafe? There is something to be said for putting together your own rifle because you will know it really well, but if it is a matter of economics and safety wouldn't it make more sense for someone to spend an extra $100 or so to get one already put together? Gotta be some complete rifles out there to be had for $700 or so, and the time it takes to track down and research pricing, pay shipping from a bunch of different places, whatever your time is worth, etc. seem to make it not worthwhile from a purely economic standpoint to DIY. of COURSE some guys would say it's a lot of fun to do and a great way to get to know the gun but from a purely financial standpoint it probably isn't going to save a lot.

Again- what, if any, are the major challenges to building one? Is there any grinding/honing etc. that's required in most cases?
 
In Mid January we will release a tried and tested M4 style rifle with a few magpul extra's and a match bbl based off of a polymer lower for between $579-$599...... stay tuned!
 
Its ready to fire like they say....just be careful because its not ready to aim....no rear site!

Thats a pretty good deal though!
 
Just save up $300 more and go to Wal-Mart and get a Bushmaster patrol carbine or a Sig 516:D For real though I traded some ammo for a lower and got a complete upper for 450 shipped from JSE surplus. Another 110 for the complete lower parts kit and I was ready to rock... Until I fell in love with magpul furniture and dropped another $100. ARs are the devil, AR15 and budget don't work well together for long.
 
If anyone is looking for a Plum crazy I have a stripped one laying around. If someone needs it, cover the postage and I'll have it in the mail tomo.

I had it one a gun at a gun show. I bought the gun and went to a different gun show (we had two in town that day) and saw a Different lower that I couldn't pass up so I bought that one to. Swapped them out without ever shooting it haha.

I don't see why there would be any problem with it. If I had another AR I would slp it on that but I'm not that lucky.
 
Why? What's wrong with a Bushmaster? I have an older preban model that runs flawless with a 1/9 twist, heavy duty barrel and furniture and I don't think $900 is too unreasonable for any AR these days. I mean you can build one cheaper. Check out Mooney's Firearms, they had complete lowers by companies like LMT and complete uppers from RRA whith Chrome lined barrels for less than the original poster came up with I believe. I figured I could build one with quality parts for less than $600-$650 but at the same time I would have no problem buying a bushmaster completed either. They are just as good as any other AR I have seen out there.
 
+1 on JSE Surplus. Purchased an upper for $335.00 on their black friday sale. Flat top, I will have to add sights or optics. Waiting for the big brown truck. Will mate it to my Plum Crazy lower. Complete gun less sights, mag and boolits $480.00.

Brockak47, you don't need to be much of a mechanic to attach an upper to a lower. Two pins, 10 seconds.
 
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