Best price on quality AR components

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rooter

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I am looking to build an AR15 and have pretty much decided on the following.
16" heavy barrel
A3
BUIS
Forged front sight
collapsible stock
I am looking for the best quality rifle I can put together on a budget of 800.
No JT or model 1 kit recommendations, I saw delton, but read bad things about them. Looking at Stag (no 16"HB) Cmmg and Rock River right now.
Any suggestions.
 
Don't know what bad things you heard about Del-Ton. I have been perfectly happy with my Del-Ton M4 kit I purchased from them. It has been 100% reliable for me.
 
I've only bought once from Pete in NH / Legal Transfers. I ordered a six-position RRA tele stock and a wrench from him, based on prices that I saw at ARFCOM. I got just what I ordered, right when he said I would. I'd order from him again without hesitation.
 
I was rooting around AR15.com and reading up on various manufacturers. I probably should not have said I heard bad things, let me rephrase my original statement about Delton. What I read was that they were decent, but far from being high quality. I have also heard mention of broken bolt components with Delton and DPMS and lower quality LPK's being sold in their packages.

I want to spend a fair amount of money to get a quality rifle. I dont want to save a few bucks now and regret it later when I am buying quality parts to replace the bargain parts that did not last me. I do not think it has to say Colt or LMT on it, but I want a good rifle that will last me and be problem free.

Any suggestions?
 
According to all that I've read here, my vote goes to Del-ton. In fact, I'm voting with my dollars tomorrow when I get around to calling them.

As I see it, the entire rifle will essentially be a DPMS (the one I am ordering), and if it is half as well constructed as my LR-308, I can't imagine what more I could want.


-- John
 
rooter;

IMO it's all about the barrel. Spend your money on good quality barrel, the other parts are basically identical with a few minor variances. My preference is match stainless over chrome since it is impossible to get a uniform plating though out the length of the barrel.
 
In regard to the barrel: how do you plan to use your rifle?

People who run lots of ammo in carbine courses, and full-auto enthusiasts, write about how much they like chrome lined barrels and chambers.

I have a stainless steel match barrel on mine because I'm looking for accuracy in Highpower matches.

The least expensive is usually unlined chrome-molybdenum steel (those elements are in the steel, not a plating on the interior surface like "chrome-lined"). There's nothing wrong with that choice, either.
 
End use is a tactical/bump in the night/trunk of car/personal protection/woodsloafing type rifle which will see lots of use taking out man sized paper targets.
 
{Warning: INexpert opinions and Wild Guesses follow:}

Chrome lined barrels have a good reputation for being easy to clean and for handling cheap "blasting ammo" with the fewest possible snags.

That said, I'll suggest that they're all good. This rifle has enough adherents who are TechWeenies, hard-core users, and very fussy hobbyists that barrel materials which don't perform well aren't currently being made for it. The bugs have been worked out.

Read a lot of people's experiences by using the Search function at the top of each THR page, read more at ARFCOM, { Note for others who want the link: Click Here! } and pick the one that's offered by the manufacturer of the upper that you like the best. ARFCOM has a lot of reviews, too.

Note: you'll read a lot of comments that tell questioners, "Just buy a Colt." If I were buying a full-auto weapon, I'd probably do that. Whatever Magic Pixie Dust they use at Colt seems to make the full auto shooters happy. They report that their rifles just keep working, endlessly, forever (I'm overstating their reports, for emphasis). For myself, I don't buy lottery tickets / won't win the lottery / won't be shooting full auto any time soon.

I wanted a rifle to shoot Highpower matches, in the Service Rifle category. The stripped lower of my rifle is from Lauer Custom Weaponry, the people who sell DuraCoat. It's forged by LMT. I think that the buttstock shell was five bucks at a gun show. My match upper from John Holliger at White Oak Armament is probably built from a Rock River stripped upper and components, along with whatever barrel he's chosen. That's another wild guess. I also bought the lower parts kit, buffer, spring and tube from White Oak.

In any case, the thing shoots like a laser beam.

You can't go far wrong, as long as you avoid Hesse/Vulcan and stay with a serious manufacturer. ARs are like M1s or Lay's potato chips: you're unlikely to stop at just one. :evil:


{/ End of INexpert opinions and Wild Guesses}



{What follows is What I Know For Sure:}
.
.
You're going to enjoy it.
:D
 
The current situation with Del-Ton, as reported in the Industry forum on ARFcom, is that they're having employee problems or they're extremely short-handed. They're unable to respond to email or queries through their website for weeks at a time (they never responded to me at all), and hardly ever answer their phone. If you leave a message, they might call back a few days later, or not at all.

I made quite a few purchases from them quite some time back, but am holding on to my CC for the time being until they get things sorted out.
 
I called Delton on Thursday and the guy answered the phone in the middle of the 1st ring. He sounded out of breath and told me there is a 4-6 week wait on rifle kits.

Does anyone know who might offer the following:

A mid length HG setup, A3 or A4 upper, with either a contoured or fluted threaded heavy barrel (16"). I am reading that the standard 16" HBAR is heavy and unbalanced when coupled with a 6 position stock, especially if you have a railed handguard setup.
 
rooter, Steve at ADCO can fix you right up. Pick out the parts you want on his site (here), and then browse Shop Services to pick out the contouring or fluting job you want. He has an excellent reputation on arfcom. If you can handle the demands of those guys, you gotta be good (or insane). :D

I can confirm that a 16" HBAR is noticably nose heavy with the collapsible carbine stock.
 
Any reason why you specifically want/need a HBAR?

If you dig the look, the Bushmaster Dissipator is available with an HBAR. It has rifle length handguards but uses CAR gas.
 
I'm one of the guys going on week 6 waiting for my Del-Ton Middy kit.

To their credit, they told me up front that the wait time was going to be 4 to 5 weeks.

That's O.K. with me, I'm in no hurry as long as I get a trouble free kit of good quality.

Del-Ton has answered their phone every time I've called and the phone rang. But there have been times when I've gotten the rapid busy tone, which usually means there is no line available. Perhaps their phone system can't handle the volume.

My guess is that Del-Ton is going through the kind of growing pains that come with success.

Pete at Legal Transfers has a great reputation and was helpful to me.

I couldn't afford to spring for a Rock River though.

This rifle has enough adherents who are TechWeenies, hard-core users, and very fussy hobbyists
Click to expand...

Man is that the truth! I've learned a ton over on AR15.com, but there are many "die hards" who can't seem to accept that not everyone is on the SWAT Team and likely to use their M4 in a shoot out every other week.

People go on and on listing what amounts to the absolute very best that money can buy (and we're not talkin' about $800 rifles) and if some one even suggest that a poster could get by with something less on their 'fun gun' they'll get lamb basted for heresy!
 
That S&W is a nice deal, but are they going to be restocking (without a price increase) before the April deadline for the $100 rebate?

OUT OF STOCK
Bud's Item Number: 53496

Last price was $789.00
Price is subject to change
Click to expand...
 
Stag/CMT factory matched upper and lower receiver, if you buy the stripped lower receiver and a lower parts kit they will install it free of charge.
Stag/CMT BCG
White Oak Armament barrel, I believe John has already been mentioned here.
Magpul CTR collapsable stock, probably the best available.
Falcon Industries Ambi Ergo grip.
Freefloat handguard of your choice.

You'd be hard pressed to put together a nicer rig than this at any price. :D
 
M&A seems to be the only parts house to have exactly what I want and still be within my budget. I originally said I was against parts houses, but after more research, I am rethinking that position. Aside from what I have heard about the owner, are M&A parts/components durable, well made, and reliable? They seem to hint that their parts are unmarked LMT and RRA. Should I feel good about spending 600.00 on a kit with them?

Here's what I think I have settled on:

A3 upper
forged front sight
Replacing M4 stock with Magpul CTR stock
Stag Lower
16" fluted stainless 1/8 HBAR
Either midlength or CAR handguards
 
They seem to hint that their parts are unmarked LMT and RRA.
Click to expand...

If this were the case, they would not have to "hint" at it. Typically when someone hints at something like that, what they really mean is "We buy our forgings from the same place that LMT and RRA buy theirs."

That is about like saying there is no difference between a Cadillac and a Geo because they are both made at GM though.

The same forge that makes LMT and RRA receivers will usually be more than happy to sell receivers that do not pass quality control for LMT or others to parts houses. It all depends on what standards/specs the parts house places on its purchase.
 
A little more research reveals that LMT rifles and machines their barrel blanks and machines their uppers.
 
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