Budget build

[Winchester2018]

So I recently put together a 12.5 300 blackout for my home defense/ stimulus check suppressor host. I tried to spend money where it counts. BCM: blem upper, barrel, gas block/tube, bcg. Anderson stripped lower with cmmg parts kit. PSA: SBA3, tube, magpul grip. Trijicon MRO on American defense mount. Is it stupid to build a Franken gun like this to save a few bucks? Did I compromise on reliability? Thoughts please..also best mags for 300blk use, im currently liking lancer 300blk.

 

[js8588]

So I recently put together a 12.5 300 blackout for my home defense/ stimulus check suppressor host. I tried to spend money where it counts. BCM: blem upper, barrel, gas block/tube, bcg. Anderson stripped lower with cmmg parts kit. PSA: SBA3, tube, magpul grip. Trijicon MRO on American defense mount. Is it stupid to build a Franken gun like this to save a few bucks? Did I compromise on reliability? Thoughts please..also best mags for 300blk use, im currently liking lancer 300blk.

You did fine. I'm autistic about parts for my AR builds. You shouldn't have any problems.

 

[LoonWulf]

Should be fine. Ive actually never seen an AR, even a pistol, fail after being made to run correctly. Just make sure everything is running right initially, and check for loose/worn parts every tear down.

 

[bwalker36]

The vast majority of your gun is BCM which is far from budget so I think your good to go. There is nothing wrong with an anderson. I think you will be fine. All my budget guns never turn out to be budget guns lol. I'm an aero fandboy though so they are my go to lower and upper.

EDIT: I'm a fan of surefeed mags. Althoug all my pmags also run my .300 blk reliably. They all hav extended lips and updated followers to stop the feed issues with .300 blk

 

[badkarmamib]

None of your parts are from disreputable companies. Anderson may be looked down upon by some gun snobs, but they (usually) work. The heart of an AR is the bolt and barrel, which you went with one of the best. Trigger and optics help with accuracy, you did fine there. Pretty much everything else is user-determined, which you have good parts now, but you can swap out as you please, without affecting reliability. Sounds like you did your research, bought quality parts where it matters, and bought more-than-acceptable parts where it doesn't. You should be fine, and, in the off chance that you aren't, you know that rifle inside and out, so you can maintain it. Enjoy it!

 

[Armored farmer]

My AR pistol is all built from Anderson. It is my favorite AR. It works great. Shoots great. My only complaint was the union of the upper and lower had just a bit of rattle for some reason. One of those plastic wedges from my lgs cured that.

 

[Winchester2018]

I think the upper/lower rattle is normal for most ar style guns.

 

[bwalker36]

I think the upper/lower rattle is normal for most ar style guns.

One of the thing you get in the next class up from Anderson is usually a tension screw in the lower that allows you to get rid of the slop between lower and upper. Nothing wrong with anderson you will just get a nicer fit with a lower that has the tension screw.

 

[Winchester2018]

I would be more worried if I was going for precision shooting.

 

[rbernie]

houghts please..also best mags for 300blk use, im currently liking lancer 300blk.

I standardized on USGI mags for 5.56/223 (since they provided me the most room for max length handloads) and Magpul for 300AAC. This way, I reduce the likelihood of putting the wrong magazine in the wrong gun.....

 

[earlthegoat2]

I think the upper/lower rattle is normal for most ar style guns.

Ok, so you pay diminishing returns price for it but the upper and lowers from LaRue are so tight that they usually take some careful persuasion to get apart.

 

[Skylerbone]

What confuses me is why you’d spend $1,500+ on big dollar parts only to save $40-100 dollars pairing them with world’s least expensive lower. I have no problem with Anderson, but if I were going through the trouble and expense of sourcing all those other parts I’d likely pick an equally expensive lower.

I don’t think you’ll have any problems except on resale if it comes to that.

 

[mcb]

I have two ARs made from the scrape bin, left over parts, spare parts. They run fine. It's an AR, parts are plentiful and easy to get, if a part breaks you swap out for a new part. Eventually you will get rid of all the bad and have a good gun. The cheaper you start the longer that process can take.

 

[Winchester2018]

If thats what I spent on it I would agree, but I have like <1000 bucks in the bcm parts including the bcg. I would have had quite a bit more cost using a bcm lower kit. The point is not resale, just function and saving money when possible. I'm not an instagram/Facebook gun pic guy, don't care about the stamp on the lower.

 

[greyling22]

you and I have different ideas about "budget" BCM, trijicon, and especially american defense are not in my budget category. But it should run fine.

 

[Winchester2018]

Believe it or not, it was cheaper to get the trijicon with the mount than a trijicon with a factory mount. I've had cheaper guns for sure, budget just meant save money where possible I guess.

 

[LoonWulf]

I dont think you actually built anything

Pictures would help your case

 

[Skylerbone]

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!

 

[Winchester2018]

Pic1

 

[Winchester2018]

Pic2

 

[CraigC]

I dig it!

 

[Armored farmer]

Noice.
I mounted my weapon light below to serve as a hand stop, and keep the upper slim to fit in the case.

 

[bwalker36]

Now I want to build another AR.

 

[Demi-human]

Did I compromise on reliability?.

There’s only one way to find out...

 

[GunnyUSMC]

If thats what I spent on it I would agree, but I have like <1000 bucks in the bcm parts including the bcg. I would have had quite a bit more cost using a bcm lower kit. The point is not resale, just function and saving money when possible. I'm not an instagram/Facebook gun pic guy, don't care about the stamp on the lower.

If you spent $1000 to build a budget AR, you failed.
This was not a budget build and still only cost around $750 to build.