Planning on building a 5.56, any good lowers or other part recommendations?

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JonF.

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Looking for low priced parts that aren't complete crap, any good parts recommendations? Any good mod ideas that could do to it? My cousin has a coyote problem on his rach and the coyotes have been killing his chickens.
 
The Savage axis would be cheaper than building an AR, I'm looking at them closely, I have some ATI lowers that were $25, Anderson lowers that were $30 and Aero lowers that were $40, the Aero feels better. I think BCA uppers are about the best bang for the buck.
 
With all due respect - you’ve already made the most common mistake I see most first-timers making: focusing on the wrong parts.

Barrel, trigger, optic, furniture, everything else, in that order.

Muzzle brakes can influence your recoil feel, and certainly influence the aesthetic appearance of the rifle, but they really do very, very, very little for the actual function and accuracy of the rifle. Equally, bipods have limited utility for field shooting, and a great number of bipods, even inexpensive ones, can perform very well in use.

Alternatively: Bad barrels, crap triggers, and poorly fit furniture can’t be reconciled. Clamshell forends can shoot well under CAREFULLY consistent conditions and positions, but can also be an incredibly influential source of variation.

For coyotes, I like a 4-16x44mm scope. I have a couple SigSauer Tango4’s which I enjoy for the task. A Leupold VX3i 4.5-14x50mm is a bit cheaper, and is far less featured, but is a reasonable optic for the task. Personally, if I’m spending less than $600, I’d typically prefer a Bushnell for coyote hunting for the clarity and brightness, as well as reliability in tracking.
 
Screw the stick shift for depredation control hunting of song dogs - it’s a heck of a lot easier to put multiple coyotes in the dirt with the auto loader. Replacing a fed-up layer or fryer isn’t cheap, so going skimpy on your line of defense doesn’t make sense. I was a die-hard bolt gun predator called for a long time, thumbing my nose at AR’s for the task for years - until my calling partner at the time bought an AR and started dropping doubles almost every weekend. Fast forward ~18 years, I have 3 bolt guns in the safe for killing coyotes, and 7 AR’s built for the task, and only take the bolt guns out when I have two or more other shooters along, trading duty with my scatterguns.
 
it’s a heck of a lot easier to put multiple coyotes in the dirt with the auto loader.

If you put a can on it.

Without a can, the rest of a group will be high-tailing it in many directions no matter what type of action you use. While I have shot moving coyotes, the kill probability goes way down, although coyotes are one animal I don't mind gutshooting and letting them run off. Every once in a while, you get a dumb one that just stands there after you dropped his buddy......
 
If you put a can on it.

Without a can, the rest of a group will be high-tailing it in many directions no matter what type of action you use. While I have shot moving coyotes, the kill probability goes way down, although coyotes are one animal I don't mind gutshooting and letting them run off. Every once in a while, you get a dumb one that just stands there after you dropped his buddy......

Can or not, it’s easier to drop those running coyotes with an autoloader than a bolt gun. No breaking position to cycle, just move your crosshairs and put heat into the air.

I might have doubled a handful of times in a decade before I started using an AR, then TRIPLED as many times in the decade after.
 
Sons Of Liberty Gun Works... Or,... Sionic's
Both those have become my favorites as of late. The SOLGW upper is a snug fitting part.
And Sionic's parts kits are high quality at a good price.

Buy a Criterion barrel of your choice...

And get a Vortex scope from the clearance dept.. at EuroOptics,... my older eyes prefer a Front Focal Plane scope.
 
Knowing your budget, expected distance, and experience level might help quite a bit for recommendations. Are you looking for a pre-assembled upper or individual SKUs to piece together? Will you be shooting year round in a 4-season climate or only fair weather at high noon?
 
One can build a budget rifle that shoots good. For assembled complete uppers, I have had good results with uppers from Palmetto State Armory. I have used either their uppers with the CHF barrels or their stainless steel barrels.

I have used either Anderson or PSA lowers. For triggers, I have been using Larue Tactical MBT2 triggers. I due spend a little extra to get an ambi safety and ambi charging handle since I shoot left hand.

I decided to give Primary Arms scopes a try and was pleasantly surprised by them for a budget scope. I prefer their FFP MIL-MIL 4-14x44 scope.
 
My latest AR is has Anderson upper and lower receivers. The lower parts kit is all Strike Industries. The barrel is a Creek Creek SOCOM 1:8 5.56. The BCG is a light weight unit I bought on sale and cannot recall the maker. I installed a standard weight buffer and spring. I have a Diamondhead forend and a Thordson FRS 15 stock (I live in CA). My assembly would have been around $500 but I decided to install an SI adjustable gas block due to the lightweight BCG. I got that on sale for $80.
After it was all said and done I decided to Cerakote it so budget went out the window. I topped it off with a Sig Sauer Romeo 5 red dot and a set of Magpul MOE sights.
So, my $500 became a $900 gun.

I bought everything on sale (except the stock and adj. gas block) at Primary Arms on line.

The reality is that it would be cheaper just to buy an inexpensive AR-15 and put a scope or sight on it.
 
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