My New Toy! (ar-15)

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after figuring out what it was, ive spent the majority of my time on arfcom, but figured id pop back in here and show off my new scary black rifle :D

BCM midlength upper, with magpul MOE handguards
BCM BCG and charging handle
Matech BUIS
Spikes Tactical lower
Stag lpk
VLTOR basic modstock
BCM buffer assembly

got the whole build done for just a shade over 900 dollars.
not too bad if i dont say so myself :neener:

Enjoy,
Kenny

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great! in my opinion, it feels a lot better than the stock clamshell handguards.

and with all the accessories (vertical foregrips, rails, light mounts, etc.) that magpul puts out for it, 30 dollars isnt a bad price!
 
Very nice rifle. The only thing I'd have done differently is the BUIS. I've broken too many of the Matechs in the short time I've been in the military.
 
yeah, I've heard some Matech horror stories myself over the research period.;) Havent experienced anything too bad so far, but ive only shot 150 rounds or so with it, so we'll see how it does down the road.
i figured since it had an NSN attached, that it would be a good buy.
(I also got it new in package from someone off ar15.com for 40 dollars)

It's should be good for now, until i can afford an optic
 
That is Nice....and the price is cool. I ran a Poll on THR the last couple weeks and had narrowed my search to the Colt LE6920.....I set my budget for $3k and was going to go all out, but then I decided to just get 3 rifles at around $1k each.

I have 3 sons over 21 and decided to do that and let each one of them add niceties to each rifle and I have 3 to play with and they inherit some nice toys when Im gone or later on.

But now .... hmmmmm .... that looks really good!

And still fits me budget! :) $3k....
The Colts are a little over $1k each...
 
yep, this is a great rifle for the money.

although I did alot of bargain hunting for it,
(if I bought everything at normal retail, I would be looking at 1100 or so)
I think it all payed off very well.

about 90% of the build came from www.bravocompanyusa.com, and they have been outstanding (both in CS, and general satisfaction). I recieved 4 different magazines/catalogs, 3 stickers, and a free hat just for ordering.:D

It shoots 1 1/2 moa at 300 yards on a bad day with irons.
definitely something to consider when buying a budget carbine such as this.

thanks,
Kenny
 
Very nice rifle. The only thing I'd have done differently is the BUIS. I've broken too many of the Matechs in the short time I've been in the military.
What did you break? I've read about about the clamp screw breaking and that's about it. BAD makes a replacement screw and clamp for $8 does well not break.
 
The nub that hold the aperture down either wears down or gets damaged, won't hold the aperture down any more.
 
Sweet rifle. Well done.

Gotta agree about the Magpul MOE handguard. I put one on and it isn't coming off any time soon if ever.
 
Very nice, Leatherneck! Great parts selection too.

And yours has a lookalike sister, just last week I finished this similar build. Went Daniel Defense with the upper and S&W stripped lower, otherwise same Stag LPK and BCM receiver extension/stock kit/H buffer.

Daniel Defense/S&W left
DDUpper-SWLower-MOEbleft.jpg



Daniel Defense/S&W right
DDUpper-SWLower-MOEright.jpg
 
Kenny, the main difference in our "sisters" is the barrel profile, government vs. lightweight. My first AR build has an ArmaLite HBAR so in this build I wanted to try the LW. BCM of course makes a LW, hint, hint! :D

And I've got to compliment you again on your great pictures! I need to try that on old wood in subdued light as you did. Great work!

Here's a picture of an older sister which is configured much the same as the S&W/Daniel Defense except is HBAR and no MOE.

ArmaLiteright.jpg

ArmaLitebleft.jpg


And here's the parts list for both AR builds:

S&W/Daniel Defense

Lower Receiver:
Smith&Wesson Model M&P-15 Stripped Lower $130
Stag Lower Parts Kit $65
BCM M4 Milspec Stock Kit/H-buffer $85

Upper Receiver:
Daniel Defense 16” Midlength 1:7 CHF LW profile $374
Daniel Defense M16 Bolt Carrier Group $124
Daniel Defense Charging Handle $19
Magpul MOE Midlength Handguards $34

Sights:
Colt A4 Cut Carry Handle (Anchor Harvey) $40
Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 1x25mm Red Dot Sight $80
UTG RS10S3 1x1.6” Rail Riser Mount $10

Miscellaneous:
S&W M&P15 MagPul PMAG 30rd Magazine $10
Giles 3-point tactical sling $35


ArmaLite:

Lower Receiver:
ArmaLite M15 Stripped Lower $120
ArmaLite Lower Parts Kit $80
BCM M4 Milspec Stock Kit/H2-buffer $95

Upper Receiver:
ArmaLite U15A4CB Complete Midlength Upper Receiver $500
Wilson Arms 16” HBAR Barrel (included above)

Sights:
ArmaLite E20151 Railed Gas Block Sight (included above)
Colt A4 Cut Carry Handle (Cerro Forge) $35
Bushmaster 0.04” taller front sight post $6
Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 1x25mm Red Dot Sight $80
UTG RS10S3 1x1.6” Rail Riser Mount $10

Miscellaneous:
CQB Solutions 3-Point Tactical Sling $10 (used)
S&W M&P15 MagPul PMAG 30rd Magazine $10


Each build came in around $850 or so before sights and miscellaneous add ons.
 
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yup, i noticed the barrel weight too. I was trying to decide between a govt profile and a pencil profile but ended up going with the govt.

i can only see a small difference between the handling of my carbine vs. one with a pencil profile, but maybe ive just gotten used to it.

where did you get your DD upper?

all i can ever find is ones with their rails on them
(like the ones on their website) and they cost mega $$$:(

And also for the pictures, yeah i really like the way they turned out.
Its amazing what a beat up picnic table and a cloudy afternoon will do for your photos:D

Nobody else seems to have asked so I will, is that auto or burst on the selector? In the pic it looks like 2 rounds on top of each other.

As for this, its what id like to call a pseudo-burst selector.
its only there for show (meaning I cant get past semi on the switch)

just kind of a funny tacti-cool accessory that spices up the gun a little bit:D
 
Nice rifle. I will say that BCM does like a logo.

I've got a set of MOE handguards on my rifle as well. Big improvement from standard M4 type.
 
yup, i noticed the barrel weight too. I was trying to decide between a govt profile and a pencil profile but ended up going with the govt.

i can only see a small difference between the handling of my carbine vs. one with a pencil profile, but maybe ive just gotten used to it.

where did you get your DD upper?

all i can ever find is ones with their rails on them
(like the ones on their website) and they cost mega $$$:(

And also for the pictures, yeah i really like the way they turned out.
Its amazing what a beat up picnic table and a cloudy afternoon will do for your photos:D



As for this, its what id like to call a pseudo-burst selector.
its only there for show (meaning I cant get past semi on the switch)

just kind of a funny tacti-cool accessory that spices up the gun a little bit:D
Yeah I really agonized between gov't profile and pencil and even today don't think there's a huge difference. I like the look of the thicker barrel and that you have more options with replacement gas blocks, etc. but LW is nice, too.

Over the last few months I kept waiting for BCM to get what I wanted in stock then found the Daniel Defense uppers at an end of the year sale DD and Smartgunner.com were having. They had great prices on stripped upper receiver/barrel combos that you could build up with rails, sights, BCG, charging handle, etc. But you didn't have to add anything if you didn't want - which can make a fairly rare DD because most I see have their excellent rails. For me the MOE handguards are all I need and worked out even better than expected. Not at all sorry I went with MOEs.

I know BCM gets LW and gov't uppers in stock here and there but I always seemed to check when they were out of stock. So went with DD when I found a way to build a similar upper. I think smartgunner is doing another sale in Feb but don't know any specifics now. One complaint about the first sale was SGer charged your credit card immediately even though your upper wasn't in stock but I didn't mind since I knew I'd get it down the road. (BCM won't do that until the item is in stock.) I ordered on 12/9 and got the upper 1/20. They were swamped so no complaints, especially with free UPS shipping.

I believe the LW profile midlength is about 8 oz lighter than a full HBAR and 4 oz less than govt profile. Doubt you'd notice much difference in the last two but I really notice a difference in HBAR vs. LW. The HBAR should be superior if you heat up the barrel fast and group better but any of these profiles are a compromise.

Thanks for the tips on your photos, leatherneck448, and again that's a beautiful rifle. Well done!
 
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