AR question. Dumb idea or not.

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DrLaw

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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.
 
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It will float. Lots and lots of people build their own AR. That's part of the beauty of the gun.
 
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
 
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
 
I just bought a lower with the same idea in mind. It will be an A2, A3, A4 Cadilliac...:D:D:D
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
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 .
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Wow

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:
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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