Capybara
Member
I've assembled a dozen ARs. There is REALLY something to be said about assembling your own AR, just like there is something to be said about building your own AK.
I always recommend assembling your own. A lot of people like to assemble their own lower and furniture and simply buy a high end upper from one of the aforementioned
companies with a great rep. Furniture is furniture IMHO and lowers are lowers to a large extent. Anderson, which in the AR hierarchy is considered a low end lower makes lowers for many of the most exclusive brands,
they are just custom roll marked so obviously Anderson makes good lowers, they just don't have the branding that a lot of people get stuck on.
If I was in your position, and I wanted to know more about my AR from the inside out, how it works, how it was put together, I would devote a few hundred bucks, buy a lower, quality LPK, buffer setup, handle, and furniture of
my choice, then I would buy a Daniels Defense or LMT/BCM upper and I'd be done. IMHO, the assembled upper and BCG are the most significant part of the AR, the chamber, barrel, gas system, etc. The tolerances on the upper are
far more important than the lower and that it is assembled and specified correctly is more important than the lower. The lower, objectively is more of a generic assemblage that just puts rounds into the chamber and provides
a handle and buffer tube assembly. If you have never done it, assembling ARs is addictive and very fun, it's like Legos or Barbies for men (or women, of course!), you can make it however you want, test it, customize it, put in a nicer trigger, better grip, controls.
Then again if you just want a solid, pre-assembled AR, and you definitely don't want to assemble, the recommendations here are all great, Colts, LMT, Daniels Defense, KAC, BCM, you're not going to go wrong with any of them, just flip a coin.
I always recommend assembling your own. A lot of people like to assemble their own lower and furniture and simply buy a high end upper from one of the aforementioned
companies with a great rep. Furniture is furniture IMHO and lowers are lowers to a large extent. Anderson, which in the AR hierarchy is considered a low end lower makes lowers for many of the most exclusive brands,
they are just custom roll marked so obviously Anderson makes good lowers, they just don't have the branding that a lot of people get stuck on.
If I was in your position, and I wanted to know more about my AR from the inside out, how it works, how it was put together, I would devote a few hundred bucks, buy a lower, quality LPK, buffer setup, handle, and furniture of
my choice, then I would buy a Daniels Defense or LMT/BCM upper and I'd be done. IMHO, the assembled upper and BCG are the most significant part of the AR, the chamber, barrel, gas system, etc. The tolerances on the upper are
far more important than the lower and that it is assembled and specified correctly is more important than the lower. The lower, objectively is more of a generic assemblage that just puts rounds into the chamber and provides
a handle and buffer tube assembly. If you have never done it, assembling ARs is addictive and very fun, it's like Legos or Barbies for men (or women, of course!), you can make it however you want, test it, customize it, put in a nicer trigger, better grip, controls.
Then again if you just want a solid, pre-assembled AR, and you definitely don't want to assemble, the recommendations here are all great, Colts, LMT, Daniels Defense, KAC, BCM, you're not going to go wrong with any of them, just flip a coin.
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