Fair price for Ar kit install?

[rajbcpa]

My friend in SC has a receiver and parts kit and one dealer/smith wants to charge $150 for an install.

I told him this sounds high.

 

[kingcheese]

why doesn't he build it himself, seems to me that $150 ain't to bad, butnever had a gunsmith build an ar, also, how many gunsmiths arearoundin that area?

 

[nulook45]

45 mins to 1 hour to put it together right and not just slap it together and say here . i usualy charge a brick of .22 lr or lunch at mcdonalds . yep 150 is way too much .

 

[dprice3844444]

ar-15 assembly video's http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk....TR0.TRC0&_nkw=ar-15+video&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 

[4v50 Gary]

Tell him to go to AR15.com (arfcom) They have instructions on how to assemble it yourself. Your friend should try it. If he played with Legos as a child, he can assemble an AR.

 

[-Jake-]

He'd be a fool to pay someone to assemble an AR it's so easy a caveman could do it

 

[45_auto]

i usualy charge a brick of .22 lr or lunch at mcdonalds . yep 150 is way too much .

It'd be cheaper to give him the $150 than a brick of .22 today!

 

[Mobuck]

I feel that $150 is way too much and would suggest 1 hour of shop time is more than enough. Depending on how mechanical an individual is and facilities available, a DYI assembly is workable. If the person is impatient, clumsy, or can't tell left from right, then someone else should put the parts together. There are several places one can go wrong and cause damage to the lower(sometimes completely destroying it).
When I have my tools out and my hands are cooperating, I can install the parts and stock in 15-20 minutes and hand you a working AR lower. The first one I assembled on my kitchen table having never seen a parts kit before and it took an hour. Keep in mind, I'm a trained engineer and lifelong mechanic as opposed to some one who can't operate a can opener.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Mobuck - someone had to show me how to use a new style manual can opener. It cuts along the rim of the lid; as opposed to the top like most others do. When its done, you could glue the lid back on and you couldn't visually tell that the can had been opened.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

For me; 1 hour minimum including test fire (when I get to it) - $58.00

 

[rdhood]

Having never seen an AR up close, much less built one, I managed to build my first AR-15 lower in about an hour. It works perfectly. You,ll need at least a couple of appropriate punches, and an AR15 magwell vice attachment thinky, but it is not beyond the average joe's ability.

 

[backbencher]

I thought you only needed an AR bbl wrench; the plastic AR vice adapters are for folks doing more than just 1 build.

 

[kingcheese]

to be honest, I didn't use a vice block, you just need to be able to hold the upper still

 

[Coltdriver]

Receiver only you do not need a barrel wrench (~$32) nor do you need a vice block (~$55). You do need a set of punches and a small hammer. I have also found a hemostat to be useful.

It is very simple. That said, some people are simply not inclined to do such assembly and would need to go to some one else.

If there were an upper involved then you do need the special tools to do it the right way.

But at $150 for a lower, I'd keep looking.

 

[rdhood]

the vice block I used was only $15

 

[Walkalong]

Back last year when SA&A had stripped lowers and lowers with parts kits kits installed, they charged $10 more for the one with the parts installed. I ordered the one for $10 more. Even as easy as it is, installed for $10 is hard to beat.

My point is that it is incredibly easy and not worth anywhere close to $150 to instal one, at least in IMHO.

if you mean everything else including barrel etc, I have no idea what is fair, but $150 sounds like top dollar.