Building your ultimate AR

[ARNETT44]

I Put together a "wish list" of sorts on building a AR. Looking for other posts to show the many variations and ideas. Staying in parameters of a reasonable supply of parts that are available (?) No shop needed, or shop custom rifle. Do it yourself AR you would be proud of. What could you reasonably build? No real special tools. Doesn't take much expierence, and stays in a reasonable range for price. This can be good insight to many people who have questions, or looking to pick the brains of the vast amount of expierence here.
I am not a novice, but I am sure there are much more knowledgable then me out there.
So build one! Staying in the reasonable area!!!!! I would not expect a home builder to install a NASA composite titanium space shuttle approved 3/100th on an inch accuracy at 1,000 yard barrel.

Lower:
I started with a LMT lower, added an AR Gold trigger, Hogue grip, Sopmod stock over collapsible receiver extension that has a H2 buffer, Magpul's ASAP ambidextrous sling attachment receiver plate, Magpul multi mission Sling. Feed with Magpul P mags.

Upper:
LMT upper 14.5 inch flatop, (could go with LWRC piston, but staying within standard AR Concept) with Advance Armament flash suppressor, threaded for AA suppressor, pinned and welded (keep it legal) Enhanced F/A bolt with extractor upgrade, LaRue Low profile gas block, LaRue free float railed handguards,( Troy Modular for those who don't have the basic tools) Gas buster charging handle, Falcon rail guards, Surefire vertical grip light. GGG MAD flip up rear and Troy flip up front sights, (until Magpul gets there new flip up sights on the market) Aimpoint Comp M4 and 3X magnifier mounted with LaRue quick release mounts.

I know I must have forgot something, but this looks like it would be a great asset to most. And can be done in any garage, as long as the wife doesn't see what you spent!
Retaliation comes in the form of a Macy's shopping spree.

Yike's I think I am in the $4,500 range or so. :banghead:Reasonable? Is the math right?

 

[TurboFC3S]

For me, the perfect AR begins with the right cartridge ... 6.8SPC. That said, this build I completed about 4 months ago is as near perfect as I can think of. Maybe billet receivers, but I dont see much reason for those. Getting the weight and balance right is FAR more important to me than bling.

Noveske 16.1" barrel with SPC II chamber
MSTN Quiet Control muzzle break
Geiselle Combat Trigger, RRA parts kit
RRA lower, Mega Upper
LMT Enhanced bolt and YHM NM carrier
M93B Stock, Enidine buffer and Wolff extra power spring
VTAC Gen1 forearm
GG&G Iron sights, GRSC Combat Scope on Larue QD Mount
... and of course, killer Duracoat Camo job

 

[ARNETT44]

super job on the paint

 

[CleverNickname]

I made my ultimate AR a reality. It's still a work in progress but it should be done soon.

Group Industries M16A1 stainless steel lower (at a gunsmith being refinished right now)
Magpul UBR stock and MOE grip
12" LMT gas piston upper
Gemtech G5 suppressor on a PWS Quickcomp FSC556 mount
Aimpoint ML2 on a Larue mount
LMT front irons, Larue rear irons
LMT rail mount M203 grenade launcher & KAC leaf sight
Larue foregrip (when the M203 isn't mounted)

I added it all up and I'm still under $20k for the whole thing.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Very very nice rigs you guys have.

Clevernickname:

It Puts The Pics In The Thread, Or Else It Gets The Hose Instead!

Also,

I'm still under $20k

I should hope so!

at a gunsmith being refinished right now

Wish I could say that - I've got guns which are "at a gunsmith [right now]", but I know that they're not "being [finished] right now." Instead, based on the months it takes them to do the simplest of projects, I'm quite sure it's simply sitting there on the shelf while the gunsmiths go to lunch/shoot the breeze/nap/goof-off, etc.

 

[HoosierQ]

You know if it were me, I would use modern uppers and lowers, really good polymer parts, stick with GI 20 round mags, and build a new, fully modern AR that looked just like the Vietnam era M-16...with the triangular cross section forend, the carry handle (I would want the modern iron sights though), reasonably thin barrel profile (probably not as thin as the old M16 though) etc. Not an exact replica but very much inspired by that look. The longer barrel and all. Not liking the M4 much.

That would be really cool.

 

[gga357]

Just finished building my first lower. I would suggest to anyone who has been on the fence about building a lower to just do it. It really is easy. MIAD grip, Vltor EMOD stock, DPMS kit, waiting on a AR Gold trigger.

Now shopping for a LWRC upper. Would top it with an Aimpoint M2.

 

[TurboFC3S]

I'm still under $20k

I should hope so!

Full auto lower

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Oops, Oh I see. M16

 

[MrCleanOK]

Turbo, that's a great looking rifle, but does it ever get out of the safe? I want to see some scratches!

 

[Reid73]

I hope you get a lot of pleasure from your M-16 ($20K is a lot of money!).

 

[wad]

I'll bite

Upper:
JP Enterprises CTR-02 upper receiver
16" White Oak Armament barrel, 6.8, SPCII chamber, 1in11 twist.
Bolt from WOA, headspaced.
Young Manufacturing N/M carrier.
YHM specter length freefloat configurable forearm.
YHM Phantom flash hider.
PRI low profile gas block.

Lower:
Sun Devil gen 3
Arch stock with A2 extension, spring and buffer.
PRI "waffle" magazines (not pictured)

(pictured) Optics:
Aimpoint CompC3 and 3x magnifier in American Defense mounts.
Troy flip-up BUIS

Total (as pictured - including optics) is about $2600.

A Swarovski 3-9x36 scope currently sits on the rifle.

 

[heviarti]

I've thought about building an AR for a long time. The AR is, in my opinion, a piece of advanced weapons technology highly adapted to shooting poodles. This should account for what you're about to read.

I'd start with a pink Cav Arms lower and matching handguard. I'd mount an A2 upper to it duracoated white along with all the hardware and those components that show in the lower. I'd follow that up with a stainless midweight barrel which would not get any duracoat. I'd mount a four inch flash suppressor alá SBR to the end duracoated pink. I'd fit it with a transparent polymer mag.
And now for the frippery... off to the sanryo store for three white belts with fake rhinestones and Hello Kitty, and two four inch Hello Kitty stickers. I would then strip a wore out one inch military sling for it's hardware and after punching, riveting, and sewing I'd install a military sling made of the belts. The two Hello Kitty stickers would go on either side of the butt to be preserved with clear duracoat. Voilá... Hello Kitty assault rifle. It would hang on the gunrack in my Dodge Power Wagon and Sanryo would likely sue me.

 

[Shear_stress]

Yike's I think I am in the $4,500 range or so. Reasonable? Is the math right?

Yikes indeed. Unless you're set on a build project, for that kind of money how about a Colt 6920, a couple thousand rounds of ammo, a few dozen magazines, a Dillon reloading set up, and several training sessions at the carbine course of your choosing?

 

[Reid73]

Hello Kitty AR-15

It's no secret that the AR-15 is a great rifle for women and small-statured men (see generally Test of Armalite Rifle, AR-15: Field Test Report, July 31, 1962).

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

wad, that is extremely delicious, and very very close to what I'd do for an Ultimate AR15. Bout the only thing I'd do is remove the bipod. Awesome.

 

[heviarti]

they did that one a little different than I would... plus that's not a Cav Arms lower... and the sticker is Kalashnikitty with an AK. Isn't that like conflict of interest and stuff?

 

[benzy2]

It looks like its holding an AR to me. A little hard to tell but the handguard and front sight look to be more AR than AK. Plus it looks like its using a rear flip up sight as well. I would think with the effort for the paint the proper image would be used. It would be a bit of a sin to put an AK image on an AR.

 

[Reid73]

I think it's an AR-15.

Here's another one:

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

And so as not to hack off the AK fans, here's some balance:

 

[Reid73]

heviarti, guess you'll have to look for a new project ... it's been done to death!

My Little Pony version:

 

[wad]

wad, that is extremely delicious, and very very close to what I'd do for an Ultimate AR15. Bout the only thing I'd do is remove the bipod. Awesome.

Thanks!! With today's AR climate, it took 7 months to acquire all the pieces for this build.

The bipod is good for holding the carbine up for photo purposes But otherwise It's just unnecessary weight and came off after the pictures were taken.

My wife likes the Hello Kitty ARs

 

[Reid73]

Anything that encourages women (especially wives) to shoot is a plus.

 

[heviarti]

Well... if I could find one of the glow in the dark Cav Arms setups I could do Ghostbusters....

 

[cameron.personal]

Until immigrating to the states I had very little experience with an AR and my first one was a Bushmaster M4 Type, I thought I could get to the Ultimate AR by adding some quality components...

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but it was still lacking something and I actually sold it recently.

Then I realized the best thing about an AR is how they can be adapted for many different roles and I knew I was going to need at least 3 new ARs to fill my gun safe, and I wanted the base rifles and the core components to be the best that I could afford. I wanted three carbines that would handle and feel similar but be used for different roles. Effectively my interpretation of a SOPMOD SPR and a CQBR and a high volume training rifle that could do both.

For the SPR type I decided to go with a Daniel Defense SPR Complete Upper 16" tapered 1in7 twist LW50 Lothar Walther barrel with a Wylde chamber, with the excellent Daniel Defense 12.0 lite rail that would not only free float the barrel but would give a generous sight radius and allow for attaching QD bipod farther out as I prefer. I preferred the DD upper to the LaRue equivalent simply because I liked the rail and the reduced weight, which in my hands makes the carbine move and balance better. A Leupold MK4 MR/T 1.5-5x20mm illuminated SPR reticle scope I love the optics clarity but really like the SPR reticule and the M2 BDC turret. I mounted this in the LaRue SPR QD mount simply because has a rep for being the best, less to worry about. For a lower receiver I picked a Black Out with the 2 stage match trigger which allows me to make the most out of the Lothar Walther barrel. I covered the exposed rail with Magpul XTM panels. Troy and PRI BUIS simply because they are of excellent quality and once loctited in place I can forget about them. The rubber Ergo grip it just fits my hand, and now I have the Ergo on all my ARs. Lastly I added a Magpul UBR stock and the Vicker's Combat Applications sling. I have only had the stock for about 3 months now and I am glad I removed the LMT SOPMOD and went for the UBR it is the best collapsing stock I have tried and it really balances the rifle out.

Daniel Defense SPR 16"






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The second AR is intended to be my take on a CQBR, so I purchased the LMT CQBR 10.5" 1in7 twist 5.56NATO upper, I had the front sight post milled off and used the Daniel Defense 10.0 lite rail, I used an LMT FA Bolt Carrier Group and an H2 buffer. Since this is for close range carbine I find the EOTech to be my fastest CQB optic and went with the same EOTech 552, Troy front and rear BUIS for an absolute co-witness. Magpul UBR feels great on this shortie. Tango Down Vertical fore grip and a Surefire X300 make this SBR a great home defense carbine.

LMT CQBR 10.5"


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The third carbine as to be a general purpose rifle that I wouldn't mind using for higher volume shooting with a more generic twist rate, so I went with a Colt HABR 16" 1in9 twist 5.56NATO chambered barrel from a Colt AR6721 and used like the 10.5" milled the front sight off and installed the excellent Daniel Defense 12.0 lite rail, I added an LMT SA BCG for reliability. Lower receiver is a Black Out with a 2 stage trigger I used the same lower receiver and the same stock and accessories in order to get a common feeling between the two 16" rifles. With the optic I can mount an EOTech 552, as it is so damn fast for close range shooting, but also switch out to the Leupold MR/T 1.5-5 and in place of the Troy BUIS which give me an absolute co-witness with the EOTech.

Even with the HBAR this carbine balances like the DD upper above, optic and bipod seem to feel just like the HBAR out front... the funny thing is this Colt barrel has been really accurate, and may give the LW50 a run for it's money.

Colt HABR 16"


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The end result is three carbines that have a common look and feel, but more importantly perform really well for their niche. My wife used to like the DD SPR, because she could shoot sub MOA groups all day at the 100yard line, until I finally got the shortie, now she only ever wants to shoot the CQBR....

So my ULTIMATE ARs are my take on the SOPMOD SPR and CQBR
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I am starting to think that to really get the true ultimate I am now on the hunt for a M16A1 full auto lower that will work with these three!!

Cameron